We love to read and write, and not just our own posts here on the World Wide Webs. We’ve been working on our first novel for years. It’s a love story involving time-traveling unicorns and so far we have about 850 pages of it written, but we don’t know when we’ll get it published (fingers crossed!). As such, we have a soft spot in our heart for local writers who have been a tad more successful. Luckily we live in a city that gives us a chance to here these talented scribes read! more ›

Attention, aspiring Jaslenes: Tyra and Co. have developed a new reality-TV show for fashionistas, but this one actually requires contestants to be able to read, unlike ANTM (and possibly write, too). The contestants on the yet-to-be-named show will compete in two challenges on each episode, "an individual competition and a team competition, in which each squad will submit a page for "The Book," a mock edition of [a fashion] magazine." The season winner will win a vaguely defined "job in the fashion industry." Please tell us the job us being Ms. Jay Alexander's assistant. Please? more ›

Chicago has its fair share of witty literates, all vying to impress you, Dear Reader, with an outpouring of wit, candor, and originality. What with all the 'zines, blogs, and hipster rags about, the mountain of potential reading material is astounding. more ›

Of all the egregious things the city can do to property owners, from jacking property taxes to the current favorite, the misuse of TIFs, none seems more unfair and ripe for abuse as eminent domain. For the uninitiated, eminent domain allows the city government to seize ownership of private property, paying the owner whatever the city deems as "market value". It's supposed to be used for the "greater public good", such as the expansion... more ›

What started as Chicago actor and director David Blixt’s creative inquiry into the Capulet-Montague feud quickly became so much more. The Master of Verona, Blixt’s debut novel set in 14th Century Italy, explores Italian political life, conspiracy, the life of Dante, and the possible backstory for Romeo and Juliet. While directing the aforementioned Shakespeare play years ago, he found its all-consuming resolution fascinating and troublesome, hinting at but never revealing the source of the families’ feud. So started an intense exploration that took the author to the Newberry Library, the University of Michigan, and the villa Serego Alighieri in Verona. more ›

Ugh, finally: 28 aldermen are filing a petition to U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow demanding the City release the names of the most-complained-about police officers. The Sun-Times's spot-on editorial is completely degraded by heinous illustration that accompanies it, from the same "artist" who also did yesterday's ricockulously bad Stroger drawing. The Book Cellar is hosting "Chicago’s Wittiest Women Writers" tonight. We deeply resent not being invited to participate, but cannot deny the wit of Stacey... more ›

We hope some of you got a chance to go to something at the Chicago Book Festival last week, but if not, here’s your chance. Our take on the second week: Jeffrey Toobin, CNN’s senior legal analyst, discusses and signs his newest book The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court, and maybe adds a few pointers for broke Chicagoists. Monday, Oct. 8, 6 p.m., Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State St., Cindy... more ›

The “Chicago theater season” is as anachronistic as our Columbia House Record Club membership. August was simply a lull before the crush of Fall openings coming to major institutions and their well-funded houses, who'll receive sufficient ink and column inches in the daily and weekly papers. We’re turning an eye to those less heralded venues doubling as rental space, educational resource, and meeting locale. None of these theaters are named after deep-pocketed donors, but that... more ›

by Jonathan Safran Foer. But no longer are we among those unhappy few. Honestly, our main deterrent was the hype. It was the "new cool" hipsters' book, so smug. That and the back cover looked ho-hum (yeah, we're shallow), so we kept declining on principle. But it was a bad decision. Finally a friend convinced us to read it while on a roadtrip, and after we got past the first thirty pages, we couldn't stop reading — or highlighting — our friend's copy. more ›

Author John McNally more ›

Parents of Chicago, we know what you’ve been craving: a place to get a decent beer with friends and pick up a quality picture book for your child at the same time. Order your favorite Unibroue, pull up your stroller, and relax at Lincoln Square’s Book Cellar. This independent bookstore has our favorite children’s book selection in the city; they stock everything from board books about urban babies to favorites like Don’t Let the Pigeon... more ›

Jane Hamilton’s new book, “When Madeline Was Young,” begins with the unfortunate knowledge that there is no more waiting, the other shoe has definitely dropped. more ›

John McNally, author of “The Book of Ralph”, is a prolific writer. Originally a Southside Chicago native, McNally has written two novels; his short fiction has appeared in over 30 publications; he has edited five anthologies and has won countless awards and fellowships. more ›

Some of our favorite stories are the ones where something truly extra-ordinary happens to an ordinary person. Movies like "The Exorcist" or "The Possession of Emily Rose" scare the bejeezus out of us; to watch a young girl turn into something more than human feels like an inborn, genetic nightmare, that both compels and repels us. But what if that extraordinary event is one that turns a girl into a full fledged miracle worker? What... more ›

We’re gearing up for the weekend and to see some of our favorite authors at the Printers Row Book Fair. We thought we’d tell you who we’re planning on seeing, but remember there are a gajillion more events; so make sure you check the schedule; there’s much too much to even fathom. more ›

We haven’t been to the Green Mill in ages. Not because we don’t like the Green Mill, but because at this late stage in our life-game, we cannot bear to stand in line, to stand inside a club, full of people standing. Also, Sunday night is show tunes night at Sidetrack, and we can usually snag a seat when someone gets up to sing “I’m Still Here” The thing we miss most at the Green... more ›

Growing up on the North Shore was tough. We weren’t the naturally pretty type and we always envied the ones who had it all. While the cool kids were drinking Boone's Farm behind the 7-11 we were in the basement playing “who can act out the best monologue”. more ›

James Frey discovered the glare of the Oprah’s Book Club spotlight isn’t always wine and roses. But Elie Wiesel and his haunting memoir Night, which Oprah selected for the next Book Club reading, isn’t likely to see the same fate. Wiesel's chilling account of life in a Nazi concentration camp and subsequent aftermath has stood up to 50 years of scrutiny. And anyone who suggests the Nobel Peace Prize winner embellished his story risks becoming... more ›

Chicagoist will be the first to admit that we often prefer a quiet night with a book or magazine over a rollicking party where we have to, like, interact with real people. We comfort ourselves with the notion that the partiers are missing out on our glorious literary knowledge, but might we be missing out on something ourselves? Well, for those of us book nerds who never get out, and those of you crazy party... more ›

, and we think this lady's pretty swell. Before writing poetry, Blinn had a successful career as an advertising copywriter, during which, she tells us: "My long-term goal was to eventually retire and write ‘for myself.’ Happily, enough, I’m doing just that." more ›

If you missed last year’s The Book of Ralph by John McNally, you missed a great little “meta-memoir” about growing up in the southwest suburbs--but you weren't the only one. The novel--described on its cover as "a fiction"--has just come out in paperback and McNally has started up a tour again and stops in Chicago every day this week, culminating in two big events on Saturday. At 11 am, he’ll be at Duke’s for “the... more ›

The Printers Row Book Fair is the largest free outdoor literary event in the Midwest and is taking place in June 5 - 6 in Chicago's historic Printers Row neighborhood. The list of over 100 authors scheduled to appear include Chuck Palahniuk, Dave Eggers, Gish Jen, James Atlas, and Oprah's personal chef, Art Smith. Each of these authors are asked to remain at the fair at least one hour after their event to sign copies of their books. more ›