1 Fuller Awardee Stuart Dybek (Poetry Foundation) The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame recognizes poet and fiction writer Stuart Dybek for his lifetime contribution to literature. October 30
2 Chelsea Clinton (Women and Children First) President’s daughter Chelsea Clinton spurs on budding activists and signs books. October 21
3 Pilsen Community Books First Annual Fair (Co-Prosperity Sphere) A three-day extravaganza of books, music and art. October 5-7
4 Pass The Mic: A Spoken-word Workshop For Educators (Encyclopedia Britannica) Kevin Coval and Young Chicago Authors lead a hands-on workshop on how to use spoken word and poetry to center student voices, based on odes. October 10
5 Chicago Humanities Festival: Jill Lepore (Northwestern University) New Yorker writer and Harvard historian Jill Lepore argues in “These Truths,” her huge history of the United States, that devotion to facts, proof and evidence is central to the nation. October 28
Toni Nealie is the Literary Editor of Newcity and the author of the essay collection “The Miles Between Me.” A Pushcart Prize nominee, her essays have appeared in Guernica Magazine, Rust Belt: Chicago, The Rumpus, The Offing, Essay Daily, Chicago Quarterly Review, Hobart, Entropy and elsewhere. She worked in magazine journalism, politics and PR in her native New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Singapore and now edits, writes and teaches in Chicago. Find her at toninealie.com and on Twitter @tnealie. She can be reached at toni@newcity.com.
Lit Top 5: May 2022 Chicago Humanities Spring Festival and American Writers Festival headline an extraordinary month for book lovers and thought leaders.
Lit Top 5: May 2023 May brings stellar writers with brilliant new books, festivals, and a debut novel from Tom Hanks.
