Bookish Benefits (Some With Booze)

By Betsy Mikel in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 26, 2010 4:30PM

Knee-Jerk Magazine: Knee-Jerk Magazine is celebrating their one-year anniversary and debut print issue with a fundraiser at Fill in the Blank Gallery. Aside from the $5 requested donation, they’re auctioning off a dinner-and-a-movie evening with the Knee-Jerk editors; they’ll show up to the winner’s house with dinner and a DVD of their choice. Plus the event has free beer and several Knee-Jerk contributors will be reading their work. Knee-Jerk’s first print issue will feature a lot of different writers and artists, including but not limited to Zoe Zolbrod on the perils of breakup-traveling, Kim Chinquee on accepting drinks from too many strange men, and David Shields on envying Tiger Woods.

Knee-Jerk is an online literary journal founded in 2009 that features humorous and entertaining essays and stories by all sorts of writers. “Like any good discussion, we’ll venture beyond that knee-jerk reaction into what [important name] called [quote about venturing beyond knee-jerk reactions],” their about us section reads.

August 27, Knee-Jerk Fundraiser and Anniversary Party, Fill in the Blank Gallery, 5038 N. Lincoln Ave., 8 p.m., $5 suggested donation at door

Chicago Underground Library: The Chicago Underground Library, whose entire collection of independent and sometimes off-the-wall print media is tied to Chicago communities and authors, is hosting a benefit this weekend. The Stacks! Soul Librarian Dance Party will feature DJs and prizes for the best '60s/soul/mod librarian style. In other words, come dressed like a librarian, dance a lot, and put your money towards supporting a local community library.

CUL is home to 2,000 publications of independent and small press media in Chicago media, and they’re adding more books, magazines, zines, journals, broadsides, newspapers and art books all the time. Volunteers catalog and add keywords to every single submission that comes in, which allows CUL to map the evolution of all materials in relation to Chicago.

Some of the money from Saturday’s benefit will go towards organizing all to CUL media so it’s easier for patrons to browse and use it; they’ll buy magazine holders, files and casters to make the shelves roll. As a volunteer-run non-profit, CUL also needs funds to build their open source cataloging software and want to continue to stay open to the public three days and week with free wifi and free coffee. Down the road, they’d also like to expand into audio, video, performance and other media documentation.

Aug. 27, Chicago Underground Library Benefit, Late Bar, 3534 W. Belmont Ave., 9 p.m. tickets $7 in advance, $10 at the door via Brown Paper Tickets

826CHI: The Chicago branch of the Dave Eggers kids’ literacy organization is celebrating all things 8/26 today. They’re putting out a call to all those who text (that’s everyone, right?) to donate $8.26 in honor of Youth Literacy Day by texting “WRITE” to 20222. Including the $1.74 service fee, they’ll deduct an even $10 from your mobile phone bill or from your prepaid balance. You can also give online at www.826on826.org.

826CHI also launched a brand spanking new website at 8:26 this morning. We know the Internet gets new websites every day, but we’re particularly excited about this one. The last 826CHI website was frequently broken, and it was really hard to find stuff. Now there’s plenty of info about their programming, mission, upcoming events and the like. Lastly, 826CHI volunteer and cartoonist Aaron Renier will be reading from his new book The Unsinkable Walker Bean at the Boring Store at 4 p.m. in honor of 8/26 day. Stop by and you might get some punch booze.