In this roundup, a local writer wins a prestigious award. Poetry Foundation's new apps. StoryStudio Chicago readies some writing classes and more. more ›

Borders, the second-largest bookstore chain in the country, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy today. It also looks like they'll be closing stores throughout the country as they work to restructure their debt. more ›

Kim Edwards hit it big with her first novel, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, a story about twins separated at birth and family secrets. Now, Edwards is back with a new book. Lake of Dreams once again involves a complex family history. Kim Edwards will be reading from Lake of Dreams in the suburbs tomorrow, and we were able to chat with her for a few minutes about her work and her writing process. more ›

Chicago’s literary scene saw a few turns, upsets and successes this year. Here are handful of them. more ›

In an interview with The Rumpus Sedaris said, “Being poor is a wonderful motivation to be creative, sort of a perennial carrot on a stick, but not an actual carrot because easy access to free food would only defeat the lucky stroke that is poverty.” See? Funny and smart. more ›

My idea of a road trip conjures up the image of a typical American family driving a typical American car on a typical American highway. The first page of How to Read The Air perfectly mirrors every aspect of that image. There’s a seven-year-old Monte Carlo, a 484-mile trip from Peoria to Nashville, and Josef and Miriam, an immigrant couple from Ethiopia who are doing their best to look, speak and feel American. But this road trip is just the start of what is a complex but finely woven story about a series of journeys. How to Read The Air not only describes the couple’s physical journey, but also that of their son and narrator Jonas, who decides to retrace their steps thirty years later. Along the way, both Jonas and his parents reflect on the past and present and how their experiences have shaped the people they have become. more ›

What happens when you blend celebrities with Anton Chekhov, one of the pioneers of the short story? Celebrity Chekhov happens. Ben Greenman, editor of The New Yorker’s Goings On About Town section and published author of a variety of fiction, journalism, humor pieces and essays, took about two dozen Chekhov short stories and mixed in contemporary celebrities like Britney Spears, Conan O'Brien, Jay-Z and Alec Baldwin. Celebrity Chekhov aims to critique our celebrity-obsessed culture while paying homage to great literature. Greenman will be in town tomorrow night to read from Celebrity Chekhov, and he was kind enough to answer a few questions about the book. more ›

If you like television celebrities, nonfiction authors, mathematics, illegal drug consumption, or any combination of the above: tonight is your night! more ›

In more bad news for Borders, the mega-bookseller just announced that it has cut 20 percent of its corporate jobs, nearly 275 positions, in order to save $120 million annually. more ›

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