20x2! How does it Feel?
Apr
28
7:00 PM19:00

20x2! How does it Feel?

Two minutes, starting now!

What happens when you take 20 handpicked creatives and luminaries, give them each two minutes before a live audience and the same (fuzzy) question to unravel? That's the premise behind 20x2 Chicago. The results can be as varied as the emotions and reactions they evoke. This edition's question is "How does it feel?" You'll laugh, you may cry, and it wouldn't surprise us if you came away inspired.

Location

  • GMan Tavern

  • 3740 N. Clark St., Chicago IL 60657

  • $20 online or at the door — 21+

  • 20x2chicago@gmail.com

  • Doors at 6:30pm, show at 7pm

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StoryStudio Presents: PROMPTAPALOOZA
May
19
12:30 PM12:30

StoryStudio Presents: PROMPTAPALOOZA

StoryStudio Presents: PROMPTAPALOOZA

Our friends at StoryStudio Chicago are offering 30-minute writing workshops designed to help get your stories on the page! Join instructors Juan Martinez (12:30 pm; Extended Stay) C. Russell Price (2:00 pm; Oh, You Thought this was a Date?!), and Dipika Mukherjee (3:30 pm; Writer’s Postcards). Take your writing to the next level!

Location: Harold Washington Library, Winter Garden (9th Floor)

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A conversation with Marie Arana
May
19
2:30 PM14:30

A conversation with Marie Arana

Writing Latino History

Featured writer: Marie Arana; Moderator: Juan Martinez

The Literary Director of the Library of Congress, Marie Arana, discusses the importance of preserving and uplifting Latino history and her new book LatinoLand: A Portrait of America’s Largest and Least Understood Minority.

Location: History & Bio Stage - South Hall, Harold Washington Library Center

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Exhibit B!
Feb
29
7:00 PM19:00

Exhibit B!

So excited to be part of the Exhibit B reading series! Here’s what they have to say: “CHICAGO! We're back home from AWP and once again bringing the show to our favorite bookstore in the city, Pilsen Community Books! On Thursday, Feb. 29th join us as we bring together another incredible lineup featuring Charif Shanahan, Helene Achanzar, S. Yarberry and Juan Martinez!”

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A conversation with Tobias Carroll!
Feb
12
7:00 PM19:00

A conversation with Tobias Carroll!

I’ve long admired the work of Tobias Carroll—-he’s both a terrific critic and a wonderful novelist—-and his new novel, In the Sight, might be my favorite thing he’s done: deeply weird and Lynchian but grounded in highways and a certain kind of wintry pharmacological vibe. I’m super excited to get to be in conversation when he’s here in Chicago. It’ll happen at Pilsen Community Books on Monday, February 12, from 7pm-8:00pm. JOIN US!

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AWP Panel, Unlearning What You Learned Just Now: Writing Strategies After Your First Book
Feb
10
10:35 AM10:35

AWP Panel, Unlearning What You Learned Just Now: Writing Strategies After Your First Book

  • Kansas City Convention Center (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

With Julie Iromuanya, Jimin Han, and Ted Wheeler! We want to believe that writing is cumulative—that we benefit from habit and repetition—and it’s true, the more we write, the more we know about writing. But what works on one project might not translate to the next. Much of the work we need to do is unlearning, a willingness to go back to not knowing, so we can explore the possibilities of not being fully sure of ourselves. In this panel, four novelists discuss their unlearning and what they left behind as they embarkedon new projects.

Room 2502A, Kansas City Convention Center, Level 2
Saturday, February 10, 2024
10:35 am to 11:50 am

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AWP Off-Site Reading at Strange Days
Feb
9
5:00 PM17:00

AWP Off-Site Reading at Strange Days

I’m reading with alumni and faculty from the University of Illinois and Northwestern University. Super excited! I’ll be at the Strange Days Brewing Co. on Friday, Feb 9th, from 5-6:30pm, alongside Mary Biddinger, Simone Muench, Jackie K. White, Christine Sneed, Beth McDermott, Jeremy T. Wilson, Faisal Mohyuddin, and Rebecca Morgan Frank.

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Fright Night: Horror Author Panel
Oct
13
7:00 PM19:00

Fright Night: Horror Author Panel

  • Arlington Heights Memorial Library (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Oh, the Horror! The Book Stall joins fellow lovers of all things that go bump in the night as we partner with the Arlington Heights Memorial Library to welcome four local authors of the macabre on Friday the 13th! Horror lover, organizer and teacher Nora Flanagan will lead a panel conversation which plumbs the depths of the strange and terrifying.

Bring your questions for this incredible panel: 

Cynthia Pelayo, Bram Stoker Award winning and International Latino Book Award winning author and poet. Pelayo writes fairy tales that blend genre and explore concepts of grief, mourning, and violence. She is the author of Loteria, Santa Muerte, The Missing, Poems of My Night, Into the Forest and All the Way Through, Children of Chicago, Crime Scene, and The Shoemaker’s Magician

Gus Moreno, fiction writer and the author of This Thing Between Us. His stories have appeared in Southwest Review, Aurealis, Pseudopod, and the Burnt Tongues anthology. He lives in the suburbs with his wife and two dogs, but never think that he's not from Chicago.

Juan M. Martinez, author of Extended Stay and the story collection, Best Worst American. He lives near Chicago and is an associate professor at Northwestern University. His work has appeared in McSweeney's, NIGHTMARE, NPR's Selected Shorts, and elsewhere.
 
Maryse Meijer is the author of the story collections Heartbreaker, which was one of Electric Literature's 25 Best Short Story Collections of 2016, and Rag, which was a New York Times Book Review Editors' Pick and a finalist for the Chicago Review of Books Award for Fiction, as well as the novella Northwood. She lives in Chicago.

Event date: 

Friday, October 13, 2023 - 7:00pm to 8:30pm

Event address: 

Arlington Heights Memorial Library

500 N. Dunton Avenue

Arlington Heights, IL 60004

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NU Creative Writing Spectacular
Oct
5
5:00 PM17:00

NU Creative Writing Spectacular

Please join us for an amazing evening of storytelling, poetry, and refreshments! This event showcases FOUR members of our creative writing program, each reading from their most recent book or collection.

Rachel Jamison Webster is the author of Benjamin Banneker and Us: Eleven Generations of an American Family (Henry Holt, 2023). She has also published four books of poetry—Mary is a River, which was a finalist for the 2014 National Poetry Series; September; The Endless Unbegun; and The Sea Came Up & Drowned, which includes erasure poetry and Rachel’s visual art. Rachel’s poems and essays often appear in anthologies and journals, including Poetry, Tin House, and The Yale Review. She is a professor in the Northwestern Creative Writing Program.

Juan Martinez is the author of Extended Stay (U of Arizona Press, 2022) and Best Worst American, a story collection published by Small Beer Press and the winner of the Neukom Institute Award for Debut Speculative Fiction. His work has appeared in many literary journals and anthologies, including McSweeney’s, Huizache, Ecotone, Glimmer Train, Shenandoah, NPR’s Selected Shorts, Mississippi Review, NIGHTMARE, and elsewhere. He is the Director of the Undergraduate Creative Writing Program at Northwestern.

Colin Pope is the author of Prayer Book for the New Heretic (NYQ Books, 2023), a finalist for the Louise Bogan Award, and Why I Didn't Go to Your Funeral (Tolsun Books, 2019). His work has appeared in a number of journals, including Slate, The Gettysburg Review, The Kenyon Review, Pleiades, Third Coast, The Los Angeles Review, and Best New Poets, among others. He is the Assistant Director of Creative Writing at Northwestern.

Brian Bouldrey is the author of Good in Bed: A Life in Queer Sex, Politics, and Religion (ReQueered Tales, 2023), as well as Inspired Journeys: Travel Writers in Search of the Muse (University of Wisconsin Press, 2016). He has written three nonfiction books; Honorable Bandit: A Walk Across Corsica (University of Wisconsin Press, September 2007), Monster: Adventures in American Machismo (Council Oak Books), and The Autobiography Box (Chronicle Books); three novels, The Genius of Desire (Ballantine), Love, the Magician (Harrington Park), and The Boom Economy (University of Wisconsin Press), and he is the editor of several anthologies. He teaches in the Creative Writing Program at Northwestern.

Where: Northwestern University, University Hall, Hagstrum Rm, UH201

1897 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208

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StoryStudio Open House! The Quickest You’ve Ever Written: One Full Story in Half an Hour
Aug
31
6:00 PM18:00

StoryStudio Open House! The Quickest You’ve Ever Written: One Full Story in Half an Hour

We’re using 25 minutes of this class to draft a whole story through a series of lighting-quick prompts. I can’t promise the story will be good, but I can definitely promise that it will be a full draft, with a beginning, a middle, and an end, and that you’ll walk out surprised by what you can conjure up. The goal is to (1) have fun, (2) write a whole story as fast as you’ve ever done, (3) uncover generative strategies that work best for what you want to create.

Free! But RSVP required. Additional information here.

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20x2: What Did You See?
Apr
2
7:00 PM19:00

20x2: What Did You See?

20×2 Chicago is a show in which 20 creative people from all different walks of life — writers, web geeks, artists, musicians and other bon vivants — get two minutes each to answer the question of the day in whatever way they like. The results can be as varied as the emotions and reactions they evoke. This edition’s question is “What did you see?” Find out what they came up with at this fast-paced show!

with Brandy Agerbeck * Lily Be * Cate Brecht * Ada Cheng * Aaron Cynic * Norm Doucet * Elizabeth Gomez * Nestor Gomez * Josh Hehner * Jill Hopkins * Jitesh Jaggi * Felix Jung * Robert Loerzel * Juan Martinez * Dawn Xiana Moon * Evan F. Moore * Eden Robins * Lucianne Walkowicz * Don Washington * Erin Watson
$20 / 21 & over / Doors: 6:30pm / Show: 7pm
Sponsored by Field Notes

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AWP panel: The 21st Century Horror Novel
Mar
10
1:45 PM13:45

AWP panel: The 21st Century Horror Novel

  • Rooms 328-329, Summit Building, Seattle Convention Center, Level 3 (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

With Stephanie Feldman, Erika T. Wurth, and Addie Tsai.

The novel has thrived as a vehicle for scary stories since the time of Ann Radcliffe and Mary Shelley, and after three centuries, horror is returning to the mainstream. What elements of the genre have persisted, and how has horror evolved? How are contemporary writers reimagining horror? What essential work do horror tropes perform in this particular historical moment? Four novelists discuss the aesthetics and politics of fear.

Rooms 328-329, Summit Building, Seattle Convention Center, Level 3
Friday, March 10, 2023
1:45 pm to 3:00 pm

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NU Reading at AWP: Seattle Edition
Mar
9
4:30 PM16:30

NU Reading at AWP: Seattle Edition

Please join us for a special Faculty and Alumni Reading in Seattle, WA as part of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) Conference. Readers will include writing faculty Gina Frangello, Rebecca Makkai, Juan Martinez, and Faisal Mohyuddin – along with recent graduates of the MFA program Joshua Bohnsack and Jameka Williams. The reading will be emceed by faculty director of our creative writing programs Christine Sneed.

Thursday, March 9
at Locust Cider (500 Terry Avenue) - Wheelchair Accessible
4:30pm Doors, Light Snacks, Cash Bar, Mingling
5pm Reading

More info at https://www.facebook.com/events/709200240609522/

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Que Susto! What a Fright!
Mar
5
4:00 PM16:00

Que Susto! What a Fright!

Que Susto: What a Fright!

These authors take you on a roller-coaster ride of terror, horror, and fright. Hold on to your seats! With Ramona Emerson, Juan Martinez, Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Moderator: Megan Hellwig

Nuestras Raíces Stage
Sun, Mar 5, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Nuestras Raices
Signing area: Pima County Public Library/Nuestras Raíces/Craft Tent & Signing Area (following presentation)  

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Tucson Festival of Books: Infusing Humor, Horror, Joy
Mar
4
2:30 PM14:30

Tucson Festival of Books: Infusing Humor, Horror, Joy

  • University of Arizona Library, 254/Main Floor (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Workshop: Infusing Humor, Horror, Joy

We neglect the importance of affect when working on our drafts. We build characters, we engage imagery and plot and language, but we forget to exploit the comic or horrific possibilities in what we're building. In this session, we'll explore how to tune a piece so that it's funnier, scarier, or sadder.

UA Main Library 254/Main Floor (Seats 50, Wheelchair accessible)  
Sat, Mar 4, 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

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EXTENDED STAY Book Launch!!!
Jan
24
7:00 PM19:00

EXTENDED STAY Book Launch!!!

Join us for an in-person event celebrating EXTENDED STAY by Juan Martinez. For this event, Juan Martinez will be in conversation with Lindsay Hunter, author of UGLY GIRLS, DON’T KISS ME, EAT ONLY WHEN YOU’RE HUNGRY, and (forthcoming November 2023) HOT SPRINGS DRIVE.

Please note: Pre-registration for this event is required. By pre-registering, you are verifying that you are fully vaccinated and will wear a mask throughout the entirety of the event. 

REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT HERE! 

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Sunday Salon Chicago
Nov
20
6:30 PM18:30

Sunday Salon Chicago

Our November 20th, 2022 reading is an in-person event at The Reveler at 7 pm CDT (arrive at 6:30 pm). We are excited to bring you these amazing writers: Jessamine Chan (Fiction), Juan Martinez (Fiction), Anca Szilágyi (Fiction), Steve Henn (Poetry), and Nestor "The Boss" Gomez (Nonfiction). See their bios below. They will be reading from their recent writings and/or published works. As a reminder, Sunday Salon events are always FREE. And we are happy to be collaborating with Roscoe Books again for the sale of authors' book titles during in-person events.

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Decolonizing SFF
Sep
3
2:30 PM14:30

Decolonizing SFF

  • Hyatt Regency Hotel, Regency Ballroom D (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

(with Claire Light/Jadie Jang, Jenna Hanchey, Michael Green Jr. (moderator), and Sarah T. Guan)

Science fiction and fantasy have a lot of bedrock colonial assumptions and strategies that need to be dug up, re-examined, and tossed out. What does decolonial SFF look like? We'll talk about the tropes and publishing realities that need to be looked at critically and enthuse about our favorite writers and works that are combating the status quo within speculative fiction, as well as those that are striking off in new directions.

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Beyond Campbell and Campbell: New Story Forms and Structures
Sep
3
11:30 AM11:30

Beyond Campbell and Campbell: New Story Forms and Structures

  • Hyatt Regency Chicago, Randolph 1 (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

(with Juan Martinez, Valerie Estelle Frankel, W.B.J. Williams (moderator) and Walter Jon Williams)

Traditional three-act structures and the "hero's journey" used to dominate SFF, at least in Western markets, but things are changing! Jane Alison suggests that stories don't have to arc: they can "meander, spiral, explode." Non-Western story formats, such as kishōtenketsu, are gaining prominence in SFF-related fields, while hopepunk's development is leading to a resurgence of the picaresque and other dramatic structures. What are the pros, cons, and possibilities of storytelling with different forms?

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Latinx Speculative Fiction—Authors, Stories, and Characters
Sep
2
10:00 AM10:00

Latinx Speculative Fiction—Authors, Stories, and Characters

(with Isabel Schechter, José Pablo Iriarte, Juan Martinez, and Michael Zapata )

There's an incredible new generation of Latinx SFF writers at work today. We'll talk about our recent favorites in science fiction, fantasy, and horror, and share overlooked gems from the past. It's too large a field to make blanket statements, but we'll discuss how speculative fiction can express the Latinx experience in different national contexts, the impact of translation and multi-lingualism on writing and publishing, and how these writers are informed by magical realism and other traditions. Come ready to add to your "To Be Read" lists!

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You're Being Ridiculous: Joy!!!
May
26
8:00 PM20:00

You're Being Ridiculous: Joy!!!

We're dancing in the streets screaming with joy to at LONG LAST return to Steppenwolf after a TWO YEAR Covid hiatus. Please join us as we bust out of quarantine and celebrate our triumphant return with a joy—themed show full of all the fun, happy tears and laughter you've been craving. This is our big return to the stage, think of it as your next booster shot, the balm for everything that has been ailing you. You need all these laughs! You cannot miss this one, doctor's orders!

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The American Writers Festival: Crossing Boundaries
May
15
2:30 PM14:30

The American Writers Festival: Crossing Boundaries

“The inaugural American Writers Festival on May 15, 2022 in Chicago coincides with the American Writers Museum’s fifth anniversary. The free literary festival will be held at four stages inside the Chicago Cultural Center and one stage at the American Writers Museum, and feature more than 75 beloved contemporary authors, artists and playwrights. Participating writers will address their perspectives on many of today’s most timely and controversial topics including immigration, book censorship, racism and equality through themes within their literature.

“As a special bonus, the AWM will waive museum admission fees on Sunday, May 15 and Monday, May 16 – AWM’s fifth anniversary – to encourage more people to experience the literary works of the greatest American writers.” (More details to come! But check out the amazing line-up!)

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AWP: We Are Your Saviors, Revisited (Returning to the POC vs. MFA Conversation)
Mar
26
12:10 PM12:10

AWP: We Are Your Saviors, Revisited (Returning to the POC vs. MFA Conversation)

Since 2016, when these panelists convened to talk about their experience as POC writers who led creative-writing workshops, profound changes in conversations on race and writing have taken place. Let's consider the ways that faculty of color center and negotiate intersectional identities in these spaces. Their dual perspective as marginalized leaders position them to reimagine the writing workshop after centering equity. What has been disrupted? What has stayed the same?

119AB, Pennsylvania Convention Center, 100 Level
Saturday, March 26, 2022
12:10 pm to 1:25 pm

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Sunday Morning Transport Irregulars
Mar
8
8:00 PM20:00

Sunday Morning Transport Irregulars

From the organizer, Julian Yap (subscription to The Sunday Morning Transport required): “I'm also happy to announce that we’ve scheduled the first of many Sunday Morning Transport Irregulars author calls for paid subscribers next Tuesday, March 8, at 8pm Eastern. (Paid subscribers will get an email next week with the details.) For this call, we’re delighted to have Kat Howard, Juan Martinez, (and possible surprise guests) joining us, along with myself, and Fran Wilde for an hour of conversation on stories, speculative fiction, and anything else that crosses our minds. If you have a question for any of our authors, please feel free to put it in the comments,.”

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