Illustration: Pamela Wishbow

A strange and unpleasant wind blows through the literary land. Our obsession with technocultural toys, whether iPhones, iPads or Kindles, makes the foundation of thought almost since thought was recorded, that is ink on paper, seem increasingly destined to be twittered into obsolescence. And it’s not just mere media frenzy, either. Massive upheaval among major publishers these last few years has left some of Chicago’s finest writers stranded in a strange land: that is, the work is finished, but no one is around to put it out. Who knows, maybe in two years when this version of Lit 50 returns, some, if not all, of our authors will be publishing mostly, if not entirely, in the digital realm. If that’s the case, let’s enjoy an old-fashioned book or two while we can. Read the rest of this entry »

Artist and local resident Alex Ross is one of a very short list of comic-book artists working in the superhero genre anymore with a truly idiosyncratic visual style. Particularly notable is that what others draw, he paints. So his new sketchbook, “Rough Justice,” wherein he too draws, in preparation for painting, is revelatory. This guy could easily work with pencil and ink alone, since his “roughs” are often on a par with, nay superior to, the finished work of many of his peers. Equally interesting are the insights into the creative process, as practiced by the mainstream comic book industry these days, that emerge in his descriptions of some of the projects that never saw the light of day, such as proposed creation of an imagined son of Batman, called Batboy. It’s all fanboy fantasia. (Brian Hieggelke)

Alex Ross signs copies of “Rough Justice” at Chicago Comics, 3244 North Clark, June 5 at 3pm.

Is it wrong to feel optimistic? You couldn’t be blamed if you didn’t. Yet while the country’s economy crumbles around us and less and less funds are available for the producers of the printed word, those in the literary world are finding new and inventive ways to stay afloat. We will not go down without a fight, and progress, of course, is key. So is awareness—in order to get the word out more efficiently (and, likely, to untether itself from the uncertain future of the paper form), Printers Row Book Fair changed its name from “Book Fair” to “Lit Fest” to have a title that better fully represents the weekend’s events, in time for its twenty-fifth anniversary edition. As is our custom, we time our annual Lit 50 list to the weekend’s events; this year’s list of local behind-the-scenes literati—no straight-up authors or poets this time—covers a large spectrum of Chicago’s world of words. As with past years we sought out those behind the smaller presses as well as the monumental figures. Some new names have emerged and many staples appear again, but all tirelessly labor to bring this ancient art to the community at large. Read the rest of this entry »

The nineteenth annual Chicago Humanities Festival kicks into full gear this week with a long list of panel discussions, lectures, readings, performances and screenings, all of which fall under this year’s theme, “Thinking Big,” and all of which are more or less equally worthy of your time. Some highlights over the next few days: On Saturday New Yorker music critic Alex Ross discusses his award-winning “The Rest is Noise” (2:30pm, Thorne Auditorium) and a distinguished panel moderated by Northwestern’s Bill Savage discusses “The Great American Novel, Revisited” (1:30pm, MCA)…On Sunday author David McCullough (“John Adams”) receives the Chicago Tribune Literary Prize (10am, Symphony Center) and authors Mark Doty and Achy Obejas talk “Queer Lyrics” (3:30pm, Harold Washington Library Center)…On Monday veteran American composer David Amram discusses his life in the film industry (6:30pm, Columbia College)…and on Wednesday there’s a “Great Books Discussion: On the Road” event (5:30pm, Columbia College). And that’s just this week. (Tom Lynch)

The Chicago Humanities Festival runs all the way through November 16 at various venues across the Chicago area; tickets for events are $5 unless otherwise indicated, visit chfestival.org for a complete schedule and event details.