See, You’re Not So Weird

By Rachelle Bowden in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 7, 2006 8:07PM

This year, Valentine’s Day is going to be such a pain. Now that your standby teddy bear holding a heart is officially out, you’re going to have to come up with something a little more original and sophisticated to do. Roses and chocolate are so boring. Instead, opt for something a little bizarre, a little more erotic.

Get an early start this Wednesday with Hot & Bothered: An Evening in Bed. This reading at the Abbey Pub will feature Jonathan Ames, author of What’s Not to Love and Wake Up Sir!; Lynn Harris, co-creator of BreakupGirl.net and author of Miss Media; and Neal Pollack, author of Chicago Noir and The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature. Presented by Nextbook, the event promises to deliver some strange, but scintillating tales of erotic adventure:

"A man dials a number scrawled on the men’s room wall and discovers just how painful a good time can be; a Jewish woman falls for a Philo-Semitic skinhead; a young poet finds that the only way to stimulate her beau is to moan, "You are Edmund Wilson! You are Edmund Wilson! You’re, you’re ... better than Edmund Wilson!" But whatever the story, on this night, everybody gets lucky."

How could you not want to hear more? You and your sweetie might leave feeling like the most normal and healthy couple around. Or the most dull. No, normal and healthy. Go with that.

Hot & Bothered: An Evening in Bed starts at 7 p.m. this Wednesday at the Abbey Pub, 3420 W. Grace, 312-747-4074. For tickets ($8, or $6 for students), call 888-621-2230 or visit nextbook.org.

Thanks, Joanna!