Although Chicago boasts a good selection of genre-specific book clubs and reading series, there’s always room for something new in the literary scene. Enter Chicago Interactive Fiction. First, what is it? The short version, according to Ed Blair, a Chicago IF member: they’re “computer programs designed to tell a story and allow a human to affect the course of the story, with some limitations.” The Gameshelf describes it as a “curious cross-medium blending videogames and literature.” more ›

Wicker Park coffee shop mecca Filter is set to reopen next month at 1373-75 N. Milwaukee, according to Metromix. Bonus: they're gonna be roasting their own beans. Let's hope the new location doesn't become a Bank of America. [Metromix, via Gapers Block] more ›