This Weekend's Literary Events

By Betsy Mikel in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 29, 2011 8:40PM

7th Annual Printers’ Ball: IT’S ALIVE! Every year the Poetry Foundation celebrates literary culture in Chicago with a free event that’s open to the public. This year, Poetry magazine and the Columbia College's Center for Book & Paper Arts, the Chicago Underground Library, Columbia College Chicago, and MAKE magazine are presenting IT’S ALIVE, showcasing live music, readings, and other performances. Other highlights of the night are looking to be the larger-than-life-size Ouija Board by Chicago Underground Library (for contacting dead authors), the Chicago Literacy Social Meetup, and the free beer and food.
tonight, The Ludington Building, 1104 S. Wabash Ave., 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., free

Newberry Library Book Fair: Itching to go on a used book buying binge? Head to the book fair and browse through more than 120,000 used books in 70 categories, most of which are priced under $2. There’s apparently an autographed Andy Warhol biography, complete with the artist’s tomato soup can sketch (probably priced at more than $2).
today from 12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. and tomorrow and Sunday, July 31 from 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., The Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St., free

Chicago Awesome Foundation: The Chicago Awesome Foundation, the city’s local chapter of do-gooders who present a monthly no-strings-attached check of $1,000 to awesome projects, is celebrating its first grant. Out of about 180 applicants, they selected Little Free Library, run by Todd Bol and Rick Brooks. Each of their Little Free Libraries are constructed by Amish carpenters and volunteers and operates on a “give a book, take a book” principle. Little Free Library sets up adorable homemade library boxes around town that let anyone borrow books, donate books, and share their love of reading with the rest of the people in their neighborhood. The Chicago Awesome Foundation grant will provide six to the city of Chicago and the first Little Free Library is being installed at the corner of 62nd Street and Evans in Woodlawn.
tomorrow, 10 a.m., Langley Avenue Church of God, 6159 S. Langley Ave., free

Chicago Slam Works Birthday Extravaganza: Chicago Slam Works is celebrating 25 years of growing the poetry slam movement and their dozens of major poetic events in and around Chicago with a big birthday bash. Tomorrow's show will feature Slam Champions Patricia Smith, Regie O. Gibson, Adam Gottlieb of Louder than a Bomb fame, and a pack of slammers from around the world including Word Alert, an innovative slam team from Frankfurt, Germany (don’t worry, that one will be translated live).
tomorrow, 8 p.m., Metro, 3730 N. Clark St., tickets $25 - $100 at Metro's box office or
online here