Results tagged “books”

Tomorrow evening at the Harold Washington Library, author Jonathan Safran Foer will speak about and sign copies his new book, Eating Animals.

We can't imagine reminiscing first loves and past friendships without the appearance of the ubiquitous mixtape. While kids these days might opt for a CD, or even a .zip file, our fond memories center around hours spent alone in our room, painstakingly crafting the perfect expression of our teenage emotions onto a double-sided cassette tape. We mailed our mixtapes to pen pals we'd never met, slipped them into the locker of a crush and when we were scorned, our mixtapes became little plastic outlets for misery and rage.

Thanks to the actions of a Chicago-based ex-gay advocacy group, many libraries nationwide have found themselves in a precarious position on the topic of reparative therapy - i.e. attempts to de-gay the gay. Opponents of pro-gay books have called for everything from public book burnings to tarred-and-feathered library directors.

Over a year ago, we posted about an article in the "Sporting News" which theorized that the infamous "Black Sox" scandal -- the 1919 White Sox were accused of throwing the World Series -- was inspired by the Cubs having done so themselves the year before. A fascinating new wrinkle to the already extensive Chicago baseball lore. The author of that article, Sean Deveney, continued his research and has now written The Original Curse, which digs deeper into what may be the true reason for the Cubs' century of futility.

Po-Mo master -- and our pick as the elusive Philo T. Farnsworth -- Curtis White is in town for a reading and discussion of his latest book The Barbaric Heart: Faith, Money, and the Crisis of Nature.

• Vocalo was at the Chef's Collaborative Summit this week and filed interviews with Judith Schad of Capriole Goat Cheese, the Signature Room's Patrick Sheerin and Cleetus Friedman of City Provisions. [Vocalo 1, 2, 3]
• Soup and Bread: The Cookbook is on its way in December. [Soup and Bread]
• Over at Drive-Thru, Whitney Merritt's ongoing interview series of food bloggers focuses on Marathon Val [Drive-Thru]

"I suppose I should say that all my roots are all in Chicago," Wallace Shawn told us. "Both sides of my family. My parents were very identified with being from Chicago, really. My childhood memories of visiting the relatives in Chicago are central to my being. And all sorts of things that some people associate with New York, I associate with Chicago, like going to hear jazz. I went with my uncle to hear Erroll Garner in Chicago." Shawn is usually thought of as the quintessential New Yorker (in fact his father William was the long-time editor of The New Yorker) but his new book is published by Chicago-based Haymarket Press. Essays is Shawn's first all-nonfiction collection, with pieces about the theater and writing, and impressions of living in post-9/11 America.

Polynesian Pop expert James Teitelbaum is looking ahead at the same time he's looking back. His previous book, Tiki Road Trip 2, has proved invaluable for scouting out tropical vibes no matter where we happen to be. Thanks to Teitelbam's advice, during a recent trip we spent a wonderful evening at Los Angeles' legendary Tiki Ti (an upcoming Properly Sauced post will feature a facsimile of a drink we imbibed there.)

Daniel Kraus must have invented a method of extracting more than twenty-four hours out of a day. When we last checked in with him, he had just premiered his documentary Musician, profiling jazz genius Ken Vandermark. Since then he's ramped up production of additional installments of his WORK series, with at least three new films in various stages of production; transitioned into a Books for Youth associate editor at Booklist magazine; and, oh yeah, also published a novel for young adults, The Monster Variations. It's enough to make the rest of us look like layabouts.

Yesterday we told you about eight year old Shawna Lewis of Robbins, Illinois, who had the audacity to stand in front of her public library and ask the President of the United States to help keep it open.

In what may be the most adorable publicity stunt this week, eight year old Shawna Lewis of Robbins, Illinois, stood in front of the village library Tuesday to ask President Barack Obama to help keep her public library open.

Had a chance to catch Public Enemies yet? Even if you haven't, the topic of Dillinger and Chicago gangsters has been a popular topic this summer and with beach weather finally settling...for the last month of summer, there are a pair of previously published books that may catch your interest for some beach reading or just for general information if you're looking for more info on the era.

When a trailer for the upcoming cine-adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are debuted online this spring it caused a minor sensation, with everyone going nuts about its use of an Arcade Fire song and the decidedly non-CGI looking creatures. Although we were frankly disappointed by the Dave Eggers-penned Away We Go we're still genuinely excited; because, luckily, Spike Jonze is no Sam Mendes. In fact we haven't been this anxious to see a book-to-movie project since ... well, Wes Anderson's upcoming Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Jessica Hopper is currently on her reading tour promoting her new book The Girls' Guide To Rocking. We've already weighted in with our thoughts on this excellent primer, and reports from other stops have lead us to believe that kids are embracing the book and taking its advice to heart. Hopper has been trying to organize little bonus offerings at some readings, and her stop this afternoon at the YouMedia Center in Harold Washington Library is no different.

Sure, you can watch Quentin Tarantino walk the red carpet at River East, but there are two other upcoming events that even cooler.

Downtown Owl is the latest book from fellow Midwesterner Chuck Klosterman, a journalist and former writer for Spin magazine. A dark comedy set in a small town in North Dakota, the story focuses on the population of Owl, which consists mostly of hard-working people that hate the government, impregnate teenage girls and lack an understanding of pop culture.

Alinea chef grant Achatz has sold a book proposal of his battle with Stage IV tongue cancer to Gotham Books. Tentatively titled Life, On the Line (a play on words referencing both Achatz's well-documented cancer struggle and the daily grind of a chef in the kitchen), the book is a dual-voiced narrative alternating between Achatz's first-hand account and the perspective of his fight from Alinea partner Nick Kokonas. [NYT Dining Journal]

Local rock critic and sometime-bass player / band member Jessica Hopper has released her first book The Girls' Guide To Rocking. It's a comprehensive and straightforward guide that covers everything you ever wanted to know about being in a band.

Chicagoist fully admits we get a bit weak-kneed over Aleksandar Hemon, but the MacArthur Foundation genius stands alone with a spirited voice that embodying his adoptive city.

Kanye West--humble producer, musician, designer, and fish stick lover--is now an author. Codifying West’s witticisms, life lessons, and aphorisms with the help of co-author J. Sakiya Sanifer (of the comma-defying Think Think Think and Think Again) behold West’s debut book Thank You And You’re Welcome.

As the official Kestnbaum Writer-in-Residence at the University of Chicago, Stuart Dybek is no stranger to the South Side. A Little Village and Pilsen native, Dybek’s works often chronicle the ethnic shifts that occurred in these neighborhoods over the past fifty years, including the masterful coming-of-age tale I Sailed With Magellan.

A hundred years after he was born, could Nelson Algren finally be getting some of the respect he so richly deserves?

Sometimes you’ve just got to have a parade. But if you’re Columbia College’s Manifest Urban Arts Festival, you have the Spectacle Fortuna Parade of Creativity. Wishing good fortune upon seniors and graduate students before they hit the brick wall that is a 9.4 percent unemployment rate, the Spectacle Fortuna will fill the streets with hundreds of Ray Bradbury-inspired giant puppets, the punk marching band, Mucca Pazza, and ephemera created by the talented students, faculty and staff.

Bring out your books, it’s the Chicago Reader’s annual Book Swap! Remember when you went through that The Secret phase? Now’s the time to offload load it on the next unsuspecting fool. [Ed. note: Or,, you could pass on your well-thumbed DFW collection of short stories too ... you don't wanna turn the kids OFF of reading, right?]

Now that the weather has warmed and everyvbody's in a hurry to wear next to nothing, it seems appropriate to clue you in on the monthly sexy reading series taking place at the Burlington this Sunday. That's right, it's time for The Sunday Night Sex Show!

Domo arigato, it’s prom season for 826CHI, the Chicago chapter of Dave Eggers’ and Vendela Vida’s non-profit dedicated to supporting students aged 6 to 18 with their literacy and creative skills.

Elaine Pagels—Princeton professor, MacArthur award winner, Guggenheim fellowship recipient, and bestselling author—is not here to make you feel academically inadequate. She’s here to talk about the apocalypse.

The Post-It note was developed accidentally by Dr. Spencer Silver. Were Dr. Silver present at the upcoming Post-It Note reading series, we hope he’d surely approve of the appropriation of his creation. Developed as an anecdote to workplace boredom, Arthur Jones created daily drawings on Post-It notes until friend and This American Life contributor Starlee Kine asked Jones to contribute to a literary series. Like chocolate and peanut butter, Kine and Jones quickly discovered illustrating stories in front of a backdrop of Post-It note illustrated PowerPoints (think: Steven Colbert’s “The Word” but with Post-Its) was an idea that was made to stick.

We nearly choked on our Breakfast of Champions when we heard Delcorte Press announced they will release 14 previously unpublished short stories from Kurt Vonnegut. The author died in April 2007, but fans can look forward to the new collection Look at the Birdie as well as re-issues of other Vonnegut canon classics like Slaughterhouse-Five and Mother Night.

Sam Pocker is not the antichrist, but he is the author Retail Anarchy. A merciless blogger of the retail industry, Pocker takes an acid tongue and sardonic wit to empty slogans and nonsensical advertising campaigns (Eggo French Toast Waffles, anyone?).