A Quirky Reading With Shanny Jean Maney

By Maggie Hellwig in Arts & Entertainment on May 17, 2012 6:20PM

We here at Chicagoist have a very straightforward question to ask: do you like chicken-limos? Yes, that's what we said: Chicken-limo.

It's not very often that there's a book of poetry that's funny. It's not often that book of poetry is both funny and smart. Add in chicken-limos and, well, it's a book of poetry that might just knock our socks off. I Love Science! is a new zany collection of poems from Chicago's Shanny Jean Maney. It's the kind of book that forces us to wonder: why are giant cookies so important? And, what would a love letter to Jeff Goldblum look like?

I Love Science! is simply book that should not be over-looked. First of all, Maney does not take herself too seriously and is very exuberant about her goofiness, which is a huge gulp of fresh air. This is not to say, however, that she hasn't taken the art of poetry seriously. On the contrary, the very title insists that she understands all too well the formula for a unique poem: the dissection and careful selection of words, complimented by the delicate matter of delivery. In an interview with the publisher, Write Bloody Publishing, Maney tells us the gist of the book: that poets and scientists have very similar occupations.

Maney co-founded the Encyclopedia Show here in Chicago, with her friend Robbie Q. Telfer. She's no stranger to performance, and is definitely a seasoned poet and teacher. To celebrate the release of I Love Science!, the Book Cellar is holding a reading and book signing on June 1.

We'll be there to see her perform, to hear her words of wisdom, and hopefully to catch a glimpse of that crazy chicken-limo.

June 1 at The Book Cellar 4736 N. Lincoln Ave., 7 p.m., FREE