Thursday, Nov. 9
at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 10
at 7:30 p.m.
Timothy Stewart-Winter
Reading, Q&A,
and book-signing - paperback tour!
Saturday, Nov. 11 at 3 p.m.
The Mad Hatters
Kids' Storytelling Activity
Wednesday, Nov. 15
at 7:30 p.m.
Laura Shapiro
in conversation with
Sara Paretsky
Author Conversation
Thursday, Nov. 16
at 7:30 p.m.
Jeff Ruby
Book Launch Party
Friday, Nov. 17
at 7:30 p.m.
Paula Carter
Book Launch Party
Saturday, Nov. 25
Small Business Saturday!
Wednesday, Nov. 29
at 7:30 p.m.
Carmen Maria Machado in conversation
with Gina Frangello
Her Body and Other Parties
Author Conversation
Thursday, Nov. 30
at 7:30 p.m.
Sarah Perry
Chicago Book Launch
Wednesday, Dec. 6
at 7:30 p.m.
Maggie Rowe
Author Reading
Thursday, Dec. 7
at 7:30 p.m.
Jaclyn Friedman in conversation with Veronica Arreola
Reading and Book-signing
Monday, Dec. 11
at 7:30 p.m.
Holiday Open Mic
Wednesday, Jan. 10
at 7 p.m.
Ann M. Martin
Reading & Book-signing
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October
Sunday, October 1
at 1 p.m.
The Tiger's Wife
by Tea Obreht
Sunday, October 8
at 6:30 p.m.
Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self
by Danielle Evans
at 4 p.m.
The Sellout by Paul Beatty
Sunday, October 15
at 5 p.m.
Girl in the Blue Coat
by Monica Hesse
Sunday, October 15
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Suggested Reading:
Being Mortal
by Atul Gawande
Monday, October 16
at 7:15 p.m.
Quartet in Autumn
by Barbara Pym
Tuesday, October 17
at 7:30 p.m.
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
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Dear Friends of Women & Children First,
Unlike these 80 and 90 degree days in Chicago, our October events calendar feels very fall!
We are so proud to be hosting author events for some of the most buzzed about books of the season including, Forest Dark by Nicole Krauss (Oct. 4th) and Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan (Oct. 11).
Plus, come join the party for
Nasty Women:
Fe
minism, Resistance, and Revolution in Trump's Amer 
ica. Along with readings from several contributors, including
Samantha Irby, our co-owner
Sarah Hollenbeck, and special guest
Megan Stielstra,
DJ MagRock from She's Crafty, Chicago's only all-female Beastie Boys tribute band, will be spinning tunes before the event and during the book-signing. Tickets available
Don't miss
Isabel Allende
! We're almost sold
out for our reading and conversation with this literary icon! Tickets for this event include a pre-signed copy of Allende's forthcoming novel,
In the Midst of Winter.
Get your ticket
HERE
.
With love & thanks,
W&CF
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Tai Chi & Qigong Cla
s
ses
Beginning
Sept. 22nd
and Oct. 1st
We'll be starting new 8-week sessions of our Tai Chi and Qigong classes Sept. 22 (tai chi) and Oct 1 (qigong). Beginners are welcome! Classes are small, and the cost per student depends on the number of students who enroll. (But for reference, this past session was $145 for 8 weeks.) Click
HERE for more information about the classes and the instructor. Contact Francesca (312-823-9045) or Lynn ( [email protected]) with questions or to sign up. You can also sign up in person at the first class.
- Tai chi will begin on Friday, September 22nd and be Friday mornings from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m.
- Qigong will begin on Sunday, October 1st and be Sunday mornings from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
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Liesl Olson
Wednesday, Sept. 27 at
7:30 p.m.
Book Launch Party
A
Read Local Event
This remarkable cultural history celebrates Chicago's
contributions
to the modernist movement. Author Liesl Olson traces Chicago's cultural development from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition through the mid-twentieth century, illuminating how Chicago writers revolutionized literary forms
.
READ MORE
Liesl Olson
is director of Chicago studies at the Newberry Library. She is the author of
Modernism and the Ordinary
and many essays about twentieth-century writers and artists. She lives in Chicago.
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The Conversation
Thursday, Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m.
Each month, we gather a group of writers, artists, and politicians together to talk about an issue of political, social, or cultural importance. These are not readings, but passionate conversations that will include the audience. The September edition of The Conversation will tackle the theme of Sex & Power. The panel will feature
 Claire Dederer, Sarah Hepola, Ashley Victoria, C. Russell Price, and Gina Frangello and will be moderated by Kim Brooks.
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Picture Book-Making Workshop with
Jill Kuanfung
Saturday, Sept. 30 at 3 p.m.
Kids' Activity for Ages 5 to 12
Authors and illustrators ages 5 to 12 are invited to join artist Jill Kuanfung as she teaches a variety of kid-friendly drawing techniques and applies them to narrative. Each participant will leave with an
original picture book in hand. Interested in seeing som
e of J
ill's artwork? Visit our store and look at the many autho
r portraits on our walls!
|
Feminist Craft Circle
Tuesday Oct. 3rd at 7 p.m.
Make socks, hats, and gloves for Sarah's Circle, a local organization that serves homeless and struggling women.
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Nicole Krauss in conversation with Aleksandar Hemon
Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m.
Author Conversation & Book-signing
In the wake of his divo
rce and retirement and the loss of his parents, 68-year-old Jules Epstein gives away his possessions and travels to Israel, with a nebulous plan to do something to honor his parents. In Tel Aviv, he is sidetracked by a charismatic American rabbi and the rabbi's beautiful daughter. But Epstein isn't the only seeker embarking on a journey.
READ MORE
Nicole Krauss
is the internationally bestselling author of three novels: Man Walks Into a Room, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book of the Year; The History of Love, a New York Times bestseller and winner of the Saroyan International Prize for Writing; and Great House, a New York Times bestseller and finalist for the National Book Award.
READ MORE
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Melissa Fraterrigo in conversation with Christine Sneed
Thursday, Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Author Conversation & Book-signing
Teensy and his daughter, Luann, face the loss of their land even as they mourn the death of Luann's mother. When an amusement park called Glory Days is erected, past and present collide, the attachment to the land is fully severed, and the invading culture ushers in even darker times. In Glory Days Melissa Fraterrigo combines gritty realism with magical elements to paint an arrestingly stark portrait of the painful transitions of contemporary small-town America.
Melissa Fraterrigo
is the founder and executive director of the Lafayette Writers' Studio in Lafayette, Indiana. She is the author of a collection of short fiction, The Longest Pregnancy.
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Zumbini
Saturday, Oct. 7 at 3p.m.
Join licensed Zumbini instructor Rhae McLoughlin
for some Zumbini fun and get ready to boogie with your little ones! Develop their emotional, cognitive, social, and motor skills while dancing, moving, singing, and learning through world music and play.
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Featuring Monica Trinidad
October 10 to 15th
Neighborhood-wide Event
For the 15th year, Andersonville is thrilled to celebrate many of the artists and designers who live and work in the neighborhood with Andersonville Arts Week! This year, programming throughout the neighborhood has expanded to include more days as well as different art forms. Our Featured Artist, Monica Trinidad, will have her artwork on display in our front window from Tuesday, Oct. 10 until Sunday, Oct. 15. READ MORE
Monica Trinidad
is a queer, Latinx artist and organizer, born and raised on the southeast side of Chicago. A community-taught artist, Monica creates work that amplifies and illuminates resistance and struggle in Chicago's most marginalized communities.
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Tori Telfer
Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m.
Book Launch Party
A
READ LOCAL Event
When you think of serial killers throughout history, the names Jack the Ripper, John Wayne Gacy, and Ted Bundy likely come to mind. But what about Tillie Klimek, Moulay Hassan, and Kate Bender? In the usual narrative, women are the victims of violent crime, not the perpetrators. However, evidence suggests that female serial killers rival their male counterparts in cunning, cruelty, and appetite for destruction.
Tori Telfer
is a full-time freelance writer whose nonfiction pieces have appeared in VICE, Jezebel, the Hairpin, Chicago magazine, and elsewhere. READ MORE
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Jennifer Egan in conversation with Zoe Zolbrod
Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m.
Reading, Conversation, and Book-signing
Anna Kerrigan, nearly twelve years old, accompanies her father to visit Dexter Styles, a man crucial to the survival of her father and her family. She is mesmerized by the sea beyond the house and by the charge she notices between the two men. READ MORE
Jennifer Egan
is
the author of several novels and a short story collection. Her most recent book, A Visit from the Goon Squad, won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Los Angeles Times book prize.
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Eula Biss,
Nami Mun, and John Freeman
Tales of Two Americas
Thursday, Oct. 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Reading, Conversation, and Book-signing
A
READ LOCAL Event
In Tales of Two Americas, some of the literary world's most exciting writers examine what it feels like to live in our divided nation today. Their extraordinarily powerful stories, essays, and poems demonstrate how boundaries break down when experiences are shared and that in sharing our stories we can help to alleviate a suffering that touches so many people.
READ MORE
Eula Biss
is the author of On Immunity: An Inoculation, The Balloonists, and Notes from No Man's Land, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award. READ MORE
Nami M
un was born in Seoul and grew up there and in the Bronx, New York. She is the author of
Miles from
Nowhere. A recipient of a Pushcart Prize, she has published in numerous journals
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Nasty Women:
Feminism, Resistance,
and Revolution in Trump's
America
Friday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m.
Join us for a celebration of the
Nasty Women
anthology. The panelists will
seek to provide a broad look at what led to this current political moment and the role of women in choosing how we move forward.
Kate Harding
is the author of
Asking for It: The Alarming Rise of Rape Culture--and What We Can Do About It
.
READ MORE
Samantha Irby
is the author of the essay collections
Meaty
and the
New York Times
bestseller
We Are Never Meeting in Real Life
and the founder of the popular blog
bitches gotta eat.
READ MORE
Samhita Mukhopadhyay
is a writer, editor, speaker, and technologist living in New York. READ MORE
Megan Stielstra
is the author of three collections:
The Wrong Way To Save Your Life, Once I Was Cool
, and
Everyone Remain Calm
. READ MORE
Sarah Hollenbeck
is the co-owner of Women & Children First and a graduate of Northwestern University's MFA program.
READ MORE
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Award-winning children's author, Patricia J. Murphy, will read and sign her latest picture book,
Mama, LOOK!
, a collaboration with Caldecott medalist David Diaz. Come for what
Kirkus Reviews
calls "A cheery springboard for small nature lovers to have their own Mama, look! opportunities."
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Anne Laughlin
with special guest
Beth Feldman Brandt
Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m.
We're thrilled to welcome Anne Laughlin back to Women & Children First for the launch of her new mystery, A Date to Die.
Kay Adler is a hardworking Chicago detective who seeks justice for the victims of murder. She lives for her work, so when people she knows start dying, she must look at uncomfortable parts of her past to find a suspect.
Anne Lauglin
is the author of several novels published by Bold Strokes.
Beth Feldman Brandt
is the author of three books of poetry. READ MORE
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The Conversation
Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Each month, we gather a group of
writers, artists, and politicians together to talk about an issue of political, social, or cultural importance. These are not readings, but passionate conversations that
include the audience.
The October edition of The Conversation will take on the question, "What is justice?" Panelists will include Rene Denfeld, author of The Child Finder, and activist/author Bernardine Dohrn, among others, and will be moderated by Zoe Zolbrod.
More details coming soon via The Conversation's Facebook page.
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Jeannie Vanasco
in conversation with
Daniel Raeburn
Friday, Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Join us for the an author conversation featuring Jeannie Vanasco and Daniel Raeburn. The two will be discussing Vanasco's highly anticipated memoir, The Glass Eye. The night before her father dies, 18-year-old Jeannie Vanasco promises she will write a book for him.
READ MORE
Jeannie Vanasco has written for the Believer, Little Star Journal,
NewYorker.com, Times Literary Supplement, Tin House, and elsewhere.
READ MORE
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Brit Bennett in conversation
Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m.
Conversation and Book-signing - Paperback Tour
Join us as we welcome Brit Bennett to Women & Children First to discuss her debut novel, The Mothers, with local writer Britt Julious.
Set within a contemporary black community in Southern California, Brit Bennett's mesmerizing first novel is an emotionally perceptive story about community, love, and ambition.
READ MORE
Brit Bennett
graduated from Stanford University and later earned her MFA in fiction at the University of Michigan, where she won a Hopwood Award in Graduate Short Fiction as well as the 2014 Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers.
READ MORE
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Patricia Ann McNair with David Trinidad
Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m.
Joint Author Reading
A
READ LOCAL Event
Dancing to the jukebox in dark taverns; saying goodbye to her father on the last morning of his life; having sex in the backseat of a car at a drive-in movie; drinking scotch in a nightclub in Havana, Cuba, and coffee in Paris; making up stories on the run; flirting with boys on summer nights on a Chicago beach;
READ MORE
Patricia Ann McNair's story collection The Temple of Air received the Chicago Writers Association Book of the Year Award, Southern Illinois University's Devil's Kitchen Reading Award, and the Society of Midland Authors (US) Finalist Award.
READ MORE
David Trinidad's latest books are Notes on a Past Life and Descent of the Dolls: Part I, a collaboration with Jeffrey Conway and Gillian McCain.
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Isabel Allende in conversation with Luis Alberto Urrea
Thursday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m.
Author Conversation
Senn High School Auditorium
5900 N. Glenwood Ave.
Women & Children First is thrilled to be hosting the Chicago stop on Isabel Allende's upcoming US tour. The timely new novel from New York Times-bestselling author Isabel Allende begins with a car accident that sets in motion a love story between two people who thought they were deep into the winter of their lives.
READ MORE
Isabel Allende won worldwide acclaim when her first novel, The House of the Spirits, was published in 1982. In addition to launching Allende's career as a renowned author, the book established her as a feminist force in Latin America's male-dominated literary world.
READ MORE
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Jan English Leary
Friday, Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Book Launch Party
A
READ LOCAL Event
Jan English Leary's writing deftly offers insight into the disappointments and beauty of human love. In her new collection of sixteen stories, Leary writes about individuals who face the challenges of infertility and parenting, estrangement and intimacy, illness and recovery, loss and redemption.
Jan English Leary is a writer living in Chicago. She received an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and taught writing to high-school students at the Francis W. Parker School and to adults at Northwestern University.
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Danez Smith and Eve Ewing
Saturday, Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m.
Join us as we welcome Danez Smith and Eve Ewing for our most anticipated poetry event of 2017! The two authors will be reading from their recently released collections--Don't Call Us Dead (Smith) and Electric Arches (Ewing).
READ MORE
Danez Smith is the author of [insert] boy, winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry and the Kate Tufts Discovery Award. Smith has received fellowships from the McKnight Foundation and the Poetry Foundation and lives in Minneapolis.
READ MORE
Eve L. Ewing
is a writer, scholar, artist, and educator from Chicago. Her work has appeared in
Poetry, the
New Yorker, New Republic, the
Nation, the
Atlantic
, and many other publications. She is a sociologist at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration.
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Feminist Craft Circle
Make decorations for Women and Children
First for the December holidays. Yarnbombing with a holiday theme, inside the store and out. We think elves on the lamp posts up and down Clark Street would look really great!
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H. Melt
with beyza ozer, Sung Yim, and Vita E.
Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m.
Book Launch Party
A
READ LOCAL Event
Come celebrate the Chicago launch of Subject to Change: Trans Poetry & Conversation, an anthology edited by
H. Melt, featuring poems and interviews that illustrate the power of trans poets speaking to one another.
H. Melt will be joined by local trans writers, including beyza ozer, Sung Yim, Vita E., and others.
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Are you addicted to audiobooks?
You can now support Women & Children First by buying your audiobooks from Libro.fm!
More details HERE.
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