Later tonight the second annual Induction Ceremony for the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame will be held at the Harold Washington Library’s Pritzker Auditorium, from 6-8PM. Once again the eloquent and charming Rick Kogan will be our Master of Ceremonies, and the audience will be treated to presentations, readings, and even a dance.

You may recall my entries about last year’s event, held at Northeastern Illinois University. (Read a recap here.) Last year we inducted Saul Bellow, Studs Terkel, Lorraine Hansberry, Gwendolyn Brooks, Richard Wright, and Nelson Algren.

The lovely Elysabeth Alfano from Fear No Art conducted interviews with some of our presenters and acceptors before the 2010 ceremony. You can see highlights here:

If you have never seen Elysabeth’s show Fear No Art, I strongly recommend that you peruse the website to watch interviews from a range of talented artists including David Sedaris, Pat Byrnes, Rick Kogan, Charles Osgood, Marc Smith, Joan Cusack, and so many others. Elysabeth’s show is always an inspiration to me.

At this year’s ceremony, we will induct Cyrus Colter, Theodore Dreiser, Harriet Monroe, Mike Royko, Carl Sandburg, and Ida B. Wells. You can read more about their lives and writing on the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame website.

If you’re in Chicago, I hope that you’ll join us. It is free admission to get into the ceremony, although you’ll need to reserve a ticket here.

Following the ceremony, we’ll be heading over to Brando’s Speakeasy, where they will feature six literary martinis created in honor of the evening’s induction ceremony.