Reverse Effect: Renewing Chicago's Waterways is a historical narrative of the manipulation of the Chicago River and construction of the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS); its legal and environmental ramifications; and how to use the waterways as a catalyst for renewal. more ›

If you haven't already bought a copy of Blood, Bones and Butter: The Inadvertant Education of a Reluctant Chef, now is the time. The memoir, by Chef Gabrielle Hamilton, was called "the best chef memoir ever" by Anthony Bourdain, who knows a thing or two about writing memoirs. Plus, next weekend, you can buy the book, meet the author and eat some of the food, all at the same time. The Publican's Paul Kahan is recreating some of the dishes from the book in a 3-course meal on Sunday, March 27th, and Hamilton will be on hand to meet, greet and sign. Just the day before, The Publican is hosting a food drive. Want a heck of a weekend? Do both. more ›

Ah, Bill Simmons aka ESPN's The Sports Guy. To know him is to either love him or hate him. To those that love him, his constant pop-culture riffs and irreverent takes on today's athletes make him seem like one of us: a fan. To those that would rather see him deleted from ESPN's archives, he's a Boston sports homer whose schtick has long since worn thin. Us? We love the guy. While his writing occasionally comes across as just a tad too jokey (sometimes undermining some good points), we can dismiss his homerism - at least he's honest and upfront about it - he's producing an entertaining podcast, he's doesn't suffer for a lack of passion, and he definitely knows sports, particularly basketball. more ›

Chicago writer Jen Lancaster is back with her third memoir, Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest to Discover If Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big; Or, Why Pie Is Not the Answer, which hits bookshelves across the nation today. To celebrate the launch, the author kicks off her book tour in our hometown, making a book signing appearance tonight at Barnes & Noble in Lincoln Park. more ›

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Or, in honor of the start of holiday shopping season, we should probably christen this week's installment the "Black Friday Buffet". Anyway, let's get to it. West Lakeview Liquors weekly tastings will focus on Christmas ales (tonight) and whiskies (tomorrow). The French Wine Society is sponsoring a wine and cheese tasting at Taste Food & Wine in Rogers Park from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday. Cost is $30 for Wine Society members; $35 all others ChicaGourmets and... more ›

As we posted earlier this summer there's quite a hidden history of tiki in the Chicagoland area that's been all but forgotten, which is why local author James Teitelbaum's research is so valuable. His book Tiki Road Trip chronicled his coast-to-coast quest for the best in tiki, both modern and vintage. It was so successful that earlier this year he published a new edition. This Thursday he'll be in town for a reading and... more ›

It all first started when she started seeing apples from New Zealand in her local supermarket. “It didn’t make sense. We live in an apple-growing region,” said Alisa Smith (pictured above), half of the writing team of “Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally” at a lecture/book signing Monday night at Fox & Obel. Add to that a spur-of-the-moment meal they had to whip up for friends at their wilderness cabin in British Columbia with only the food they could forage, and the light bulb started flashing for Smith and her partner James MacKinnon. “It was the most delicious meal and was the first time we knew everything about the food on our plate,” she recalled. more ›

LL Cool McHottie Hot is going to be here for a book signing next week. An unnamed advocacy group is trying to get the word out among Latinos to vote. The Cubs signed Cotts. That "Gay House" shooting was not a hate crime. Some lady got hurt at "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and is suing (gotta get that Oprah money!).... more ›

We’ve heard of one person waiting in line at Borders for five hours for a glimpse of Amy Sedaris the other week. And while we wouldn’t dare question Sedaris’ national notoriety, we’re going to step out on a limb and say that it probably doesn’t compare to Rachael Ray’s. With that in mind, you may want to leave the house a couple (8) hours early for Ray’s book signing at Borders tomorrow. We turned our... more ›

Plenty to do on this lazy Sunday, and oh yes, this includes toys and circus cats. As always, feel free to add more events in the comments section. From 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. today the 2006 Chicago International Toy and Game Fair takes place at the Schaumburg Convention Center. There will be a giant 8-foot jenga, a moonwalk, other giant board games, and huge slides. We don't feel we offer enough kid friendly events... more ›

Chicagoist knows you have wasted a Saturday watching all the Rocky movies or watching a marathon of ESPN's "The Contender." Now it's time to get off your couch and get in the ring for the workout of a liftetime. Get started by heading down to the Chicago Athletic Association next Monday to hear John E. "The Pecos Kid" Oden talk about the sport of White Collar Boxing. Oden will also be signing copies of his book White Collar Boxing: One Man's Journey From the Office to the Ring. more ›

Local rock critic Jim DeRogatis has spent the last few years pestering members of the Flaming Lips for interviews, haranguing them in the studio while they tried to get work done, bugging singer Wayne Coyne’s significant other for photos of the band and digging through years and years of smudged newsprint mining old interviews with and profiles of the band. This is just a long-winded way for us to say that DeRo has gone and... more ›

Call it a case of Joni Mitchell’s Disease. Imagine you’re a folkie singer-songwriter from the 60s. In your genre, Bob Dylan is the standard-bearer and is the first name spoken when discussing those who’ve left their mark on it. But you’ve made great contributions too and can hear the influence of your work even today. After 30 years of waiting to be recognized and lauded for your contributions, what do you do? You do it... more ›

Opera fans and diva fanatics rejoice: megastar Renée Fleming is scheduled to land for a meet, greet & dine on Monday, Dec. 13, at the Union League Club. Sponsored by the ULC Authors Group, America’s Favorite Soprano (we trust Ohio didn’t tally the votes on that one) will be on hand to promote her new autobiography “The Inner Voice: The Making of a Singer.” (We’d like to subtitle that subtitle with “And She’s Not Kidding”; this slim volume is deep on technique and way shallow on tantrums. You’ll have to try the new Pavarotti bio for bad behavior and backstage dirt.) more ›