Get Lit At Printers Row Fest
By Melissa Feldsher in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 5, 2009 4:00PM
Bookworms, unite! The Printers Row Lit Fest, the self-billed largest literary event in the Midwest, descends on the South Loop this weekend with world-class authors, quirky booksellers, wine tastings, kiddie events, and beyond.
Founded in 1985 to attract visitors to the city’s former bookmaking hub, the Lit Fest continues its tradition of offering part rich literary talks, part sidewalk sale, part writing workshop, and part carnival-esque antics. This year’s acclaimed line-up includes: 
Image courtesy of incediarymind
- Dave Eggers, author of What is What
- Neil Gaiman, author of Coraline
- Aleksandar Hemon, author of Love and Obstacles
- Joseph O’Neill, author of Netherland
- Jen Lancaster, author of Pretty in Plaid
- Mark Caro, author of The Foie Gras Wars
- Elizabeth Brackett, author of Pay to Play
- Harvey Pekar and Paul Buhle, authors of Studs Terkel’s Working: A Graphic Adaptation
- Jonathan Miles, author Dear American Airlines
- Amy Sutherland, author of What Shamu Taught Me About Life, Love, and Marriage
- Gary Poole, author of The Galloping Ghost
Additionally, there will be a book release of The 826CHI Compendium, a Live Lizards demonstration, enough cooking demos to start a sequel to the Food Network, a Gwendolyn Brooks birthday bash, and many more highlights too numerous to list. While some of the superstar authors’ talks are sold out, you still have a chance to steal unclaimed tickets 15 minutes prior to each event. In the meantime, stroll through the sea of white tents, poke your nose into a few paperbacks, and get reading.
Printers Row Lit Fest, June 6-7, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Dearborn and Polk Streets, Map of events (requires acrobat reader), Free.