Chicago Literary Hall of Fame

Chicago Literary Hall of Fame 2011 Induction Ceremony

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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.

Printers Row Lit Fest

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Printers Row Lit Fest is happening this weekend in Chicago! I’ll be around to answer questions about the Chicago Writers Association and the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame, as well as sell/sign copies of my novel, The Silence of Trees.

Printers Row Lit Fest is located on historic Printers Row, on and around the area of Dearborn Street, from Congress to Polk streets in Chicago.

I will be at TENT JJ for the Chicago Writers Association on Saturday, June 4, 2011, from 2-6pm. Here’s a map.

All panel discussions and programs are free admission. Events in the Harold Washington Library Center and the University Center require a ticket reservation due to limited seating: RESERVE TICKETS HERE.

For more information, go to their website:  http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/books/printersrowlitfest/

I hope to see some of you there! Stop by and say hello.

 

Chicago Classics and writers who love them

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With the busy Words & Wheels weekend in LaCrosse, I didn’t get the chance to blog properly about the Chicago Classics reading.

Happy to be a part the celebration of Chicago literature, I read along with 20 local writers at Lincoln Hall (what used to be the Three Penny Theater back when I was a student at DePaul). It was a diverse and talented group, and I enjoyed listening to the selections from Chicago writers familiar and obscure. That kind of camaraderie is one the reasons I became involved with the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame in the first place, to reconnect.

As readers and audience members waited in the bar for the theater to open, I did a bit of people-watching and had a chance to chat briefly with Rick Kogan, whom I hadn’t seen since the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony last Fall, and Randy Albers, who chairs the Fiction Writing Department at Columbia College Chicago and is the founder of Story Week. I also made the acquaintance of Richard Babcock, the editor of Chicago Magazine, and we had a nice little chat about Chicago theater and Studs Terkel (I had decided to read from Working for my selection. He would read from Sister Carrie.)

Once we were allowed in, folks took their drinks and nibbled from the buffet while standing around and talking. I looked around for familiar faces. A few people with whom I had gone to graduate school at the School of the Art Institute were planning on attending, but I didn’t see them. I looked around for Bayo Ojikutu from DePaul, but he arrived later. Thankfully Audrey Niffenegger was there, and I was able to briefly chat with her. (I look forward to seeing her interview Neil Gaiman next month at one of the events around One Book, One Chicago.)

The program began with an introduction by Randy Albers. Then our charming and witty emcee,  Rick Kogan took over and kept things moving on our tight schedule. Each reader was given approximately five minutes to set up the author and read from the text. Many of the readings I recognized, but a few were new to me. All were a joy to hear. I made note of writers whose works I plan to pick up in the future: Stephen Elliott, Leon Forrest, Cyrus Colter. Most people lingered back in thebar after the event, but I had to rush home to get ready for our early departure to La Crosse the next morning.

I haven’t been able to find a lot of coverage on the event, but here are some highlights from Friday’s Story Week 2011 (the Chicago Classics event begins at 2.00 minutes).

The evening was a wonderful sampling of Chicago’s literary landscape and a reminder of our rich history.  I am proud to be a part of it.