Upcoming Calendar Events

Handy guide for when to bring your books (or not).  We hope it helps and cuts the confusion.  Have a great holiday season.

December 18th - Last Day for Cash Book Buys
December 24th - Shortened Hours 10:30 am - 8 pm
December 25th - CLOSED
December 27th - Last Day for Store Credit Book Buys
December 31st - Shortened Hours 10:30 am - 8 pm
January 1st - CLOSED
February 8th - CLOSED for Inventory
February 9th- Resume Store Credit Book Buys
February 12th - Resume Cash Book Buys

Blues Before Sunrise Film Festival FREE Admission

FREE film festival hosted by Steve Cushing, Blues Before Sunrise, WDCB, Jazz Record Mart,  Delmark Records and held at after-words.

Film screenings begin at noon and include black and white 35 mm prints of Cab Calloway, Count Basie, Pigmeat Markham, Dizzy Gillespie, Dorothy Dandridge, Mamie Smith and many many more.

For more info call the Jazz Mart: 312-222-1467 or after-words 312-464-1110

Book Expo Chicago Saturday, December 6th

After-words will be selling books at the third annual Chicago Book Expo this Saturday, December 6, 2014, from 11 am to 5 pm at Columbia College Chicago, 1104 S. Wabash. The event is free and open to the public.


This celebration of Chicago-area publishers and authors features a pop-up bookstore featuring local presses’ and authors’ books, as well as a variety of readings and panel discussions. Local literary nonprofits and organizations will be in attendance.

Closed for Thanksgiving

We will be closed Thursday, November 27 for Thanksgiving.  We will resume book buying next Thursday.

Free Cookies...and a book signing!

Join us, Saturday, November 22 from noon to 3pm for a book signing and cocktail event (without the cocktails, think coffee and sparkling beverages).  There will be free cookies as an example of the tastes and skills of the authors of Ovenly, a Cookbook. Authors Agatha Kulaga and Erin Patinkin met in a food-focused book club and immediately began to experiment in the kitchen. In 2010, the pair founded Ovenly, a creative bakery headquartered in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. For the past four years, Ovenly's innovative sweet-savory baked goods have made their way into cafés, restaurants, and stores nationwide. Ovenly: Sweet and Salty Recipes from New York's Most Creative Bakery is their first book. Find Ovenly near you at www.oven.ly.

If you miss the authors at after-words you can catch up with them at The Hideout for more cookie-based fun, including readings and music from The Hood Internet, who will spin a cookie-induced soundtrack.

http://www.hideoutchicago.com/event/712421-cookies-stories-about-chicago/

Happy Halloween!

We have candy if you want to trick or treat, or just treat yourself to a book.

Halloween Candy...

Coming soon, Halloween candy.  Watch the counter!

Book Launch October 9th 6:30 pm

Meet the author of Poisoned.  Steve Shukis tells the fascinating story of Herman Billik, a mysterious Bohemian fortune teller accused (among other crimes) of slowly poisoning an entire family—a couple and their four children—with arsenic. Billik is still remembered after over a century as one of the most heartless serial killers of all time, but a closer look at his story reveals convincing evidence that the Chicago Police force arrested the wrong man and as many as nine murders remain unsolved.

Author Steve Shukis holds nothing back, detailing the horrific murders themselves and the events that followed Billik’s sentencing: last-second reprieves, legal battles carried to the Supreme Court, frenzied public rallies, and an admission that several key witnesses lied under oath. This murder case skewed political campaigns and even featured an eventual showdown between two central characters over who would be the Governor of Illinois. Poisoned is both a fascinating narrative and a serious research work that provides historical and political context, a perfect fit for students of Chicago, fans of true crime stories, and anyone who loves a good mystery.

Steve Shukis is a sixth-generation native of Chicago and a lifelong student of the city’s history, politics, and crime. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Illinois, Chicago.  He has worked on over a dozen political campaigns—for fifteen years he also worked for the city conducting legal research and training city inspectors. His interest in genealogical research led him to look deeper into Herman Billik’s story after he discovered it by chance.

Signing and reception to follow a brief talk.

October 1st 6:00 pm 5th Annual Pub Quiz Against Poverty

Compete for a chance to win a $50 after-words gift certificate and other prizes.  The Pub Quiz will be held at Mad River Chicago on 2909 N. Sheffield.  The Pub Quiz is a laid-back, fun evening to support the work of Heartland Alliance’s Policy and Advocacy team. We work to make sure everyone has food on the table, a roof over their heads, and the opportunity to create a stable future for themselves and their families.

For more information about the Heartland Alliance:

http://www.heartlandalliance.org/policy-and-advocacy/