Book cover for Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel, featuring a palm-lined city skyline reflected over a sunset landscape with an inverted Eiffel Tower.

In “Exit Party,” the Year Is 2031, and the United States Has Collapsed Emily St. John Mandel's new novel, set in a time-twisting, multidimensional world, feels eerily prescient.

Kelly Roark October 8, 2026

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Book cover for Life Out of Order by Audrey Niffenegger, featuring black birds flying amongst yellow sheet music against a turquoise background with vertical streaks.

“Life Out of Order” Imagines a Dystopian Future Audrey Niffenegger's sequel to "The Time Traveler's Wife" sets its time-traveling romance in a world reshaped by climate change and AI.

Mary Wisniewski October 5, 2026

Two women sit at a restaurant table, smiling and talking, with plates of food, drinks, and glasses on a white tablecloth, while other diners converse in the background.

The Magic (And Math) Behind Ashley Hasty’s Chicago Literary Salon How Hasty turned the literary event series of her dreams into reality.

Ruby Rosenthal October 1, 2026

Book cover for Traumatized by Catherine Liu, featuring an illustration of a bound nude figure with wounds, and orange text: The NEW POLITICS of PUBLIC SUFFERING..

Trauma for Sale Catherine Liu's "Traumatized" is a thought-provoking take on class and commerce within trauma culture.

Theodore Anderson September 28, 2026

FEATURED STORIES

A woman with wide eyes stares ahead while a birds nest with an open-beaked chick sits on her head. The background is green and the art style is detailed and surreal.

Time Between Worlds: Audrey Niffenegger on the Sequel to “The Time Traveler’s Wife” At her Northwest Side home, the author discusses "Life Out of Order," her artistic process, climate optimism versus pessimism and the pressure of following a phenomenon.

A red book cover with black illustrations of a bull and a bear facing each other, surrounded by wheat. Title: The Pit: A Story of Chicago by Frank Norris. Introduction by Whet Moser.

A Conversation on Frank Norris’ “The Pit” Belt Publishing’s reissue of the 1903 novel prompts a discussion with Whet Moser, who calls the book the perfect companion to William Cronon’s “Nature’s Metropolis.”

A white two-story house with dark trim, surrounded by autumn trees with yellow and orange leaves. A driveway curves in front, and fallen leaves cover the ground.

The Eccentric Maverick Named Alice, Who Gave Ragdale to Artists Reflections on the Ragdale story, as the artist residency turns fifty.

Collage of torn photos: a person in a cowboy hat, a vintage portrait with a gun, repeated nude figures, a silhouette riding a bucking horse, and blue spiral patterns. Text reads Bisquick: An American Seance, C. Russell Price..

Even Ghosts Will Ghost You C. Russell Price's new poetry collection is a hilarious, insightful and "ruthlessly alive" exploration of heartbreak featuring a queer ghost cowboy.

Historic map of Iowa City with a grid of streets, rivers, and parks, surrounded by detailed illustrations of prominent buildings and landmarks, such as the State University and churches, from the mid-19th century.

Lit Top 5: October 2026

Todd Hieggelke September 24, 2026

A woman with wide eyes stares ahead while a birds nest with an open-beaked chick sits on her head. The background is green and the art style is detailed and surreal.

Time Between Worlds: Audrey Niffenegger on the Sequel to “The Time Traveler’s Wife” At her Northwest Side home, the author discusses "Life Out of Order," her artistic process, climate optimism versus pessimism and the pressure of following a phenomenon.

Brendan Tynan Buck September 21, 2026

A red book cover with black illustrations of a bull and a bear facing each other, surrounded by wheat. Title: The Pit: A Story of Chicago by Frank Norris. Introduction by Whet Moser.

A Conversation on Frank Norris’ “The Pit” Belt Publishing’s reissue of the 1903 novel prompts a discussion with Whet Moser, who calls the book the perfect companion to William Cronon’s “Nature’s Metropolis.”

Joseph Cothrel September 17, 2026

A woman with long brown hair, wearing a black wrap dress, stands indoors in front of large windows with soft natural light. She smiles slightly and looks directly at the camera.

The Psychology of a Wolf Abby Geni's new novel explores the ultimate alpha predators—serial killers.

Elizabeth Niarchos Neukirch September 14, 2026

A white two-story house with dark trim, surrounded by autumn trees with yellow and orange leaves. A driveway curves in front, and fallen leaves cover the ground.

The Eccentric Maverick Named Alice, Who Gave Ragdale to Artists Reflections on the Ragdale story, as the artist residency turns fifty.

Eileen Favorite September 10, 2026