Chicago's City of Words

As if the gorgeous weather wasn't enough reason to call out sick for the week, Columbia College give you another with its 11th annual Story Week: Cities of Words. Sunday kicked off the week of words with an alumni reading, and Monday's reading by Anchee Min about Maoist China was tender, raw and funny.

With fifteen events over five days, you can't go to everything, but here's where Chicagoist will be:

Tuesday: the Graduate Student Reading will show you that yes, a master's degree in fiction writing is useful. There's an open mic after, so bring your own tales.
Film Row Cinema, 8th floor, 1104 S. Wabash Ave, 6 p.m.

Wednesday: Chicagoist just started reading Jonathan Lethem, but we've already dog-eared the pages of The
Fortress of Solitude so much we're embarrassed to have him sign our copy at the Conversation with the Authors: Process and Place panel. Oh yeah, and some guy named Salman Rushdie is going be there too. Keep your seat after for Rushdie's reading at 6 p.m.
Harold Washington Library, Cindy Pritzker Auditorium, 400 S. State St., 3 p.m.

Thursday: Although there are two Jonathan Lethem appearances today, including one at Martyrs, Chicagoist has to recommend the Publishing Panel: New York and Beyond, if only because our crush Jessa Crispin, editor and founder of Bookslut.com, will be there.
Film Row Cinema, 8th floor, 1104 S. Wabash Ave., 11 a.m.

Friday: Chicagoist will be on hand at the release party of Columbia's student anthology, Hair Trigger 29. And no, we won't be sulking in a corner at all our former classmates who got published instead of us.
Hokin Gallery, 623 S. Wabash Ave., 6 p.m.

For more info on Story Week or the featured writers, go here.

Photo by goatling.

Thanks Jess!