April 29th is Independent Bookstore Day!

For one day only, Saturday, April 29th, we are having, cookies, promotions and all sorts of deals, all day long. Spend $10 or more and you get to choose a FREE book from our secret stash (while supplies last, 1 book per customer). Store T-Shirts and Store Cloth Tote Bags will also be half price! What a deal!

“Consumers control the marketplace by deciding where to spend their money. If what a bookstore offers matters to you, then shop at a bookstore. If you feel that the experience of reading a book is valuable, then read the book. This is how we change the world: we grab hold of it. We change ourselves.” - Ann Patchett, bestselling author and co-owner of Parnassus Books

Anniversary Party Friday Night 6pm

after-words is turning 20.  We are having a celebration on Friday night starting at 6.  Have a drink, mingle with other literati, and hear some great jazz.  Thank you for all your support through these eventful decades.  Live performance by the Fat Babies.  http://www.thefatbabies.com/

AN EVENING WITH KELLY LEONARD APRIL 19TH 2017, 6PM -8PM

In conjunction with General Assembly Chicago and HarperCollins Publishing, we are proud to present a talk by Kelly Leonard centered around his book Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses \"No, But\" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration: Lessons from the Second City.

Please join us from 6-8pm on April 19^th, 2017.

Kelly Leonard is the Executive Director of Insights and Applied Improvisation at Second City Works.

He is a popular speaker on the power of improvisation to transform people’s lives. He has presented at, the Chicago Ideas Festival, TEDx Broadway, The Aspen Ideas Festival, The Stanford Graduate School of Business and for companies such as Coca Cola, Microsoft and DDB Worldwide. Kelly co-created and co-directs a new initiative with the Center for Decision Research at the Booth School at the University of Chicago that looks at behavioral science through the lens of improvisation. He also hosts the podcast, “Getting to Yes, And,” for Second City Works and WGN radio.

In this talk, Kelly Leonard will reveal principles of improvisation that individuals and organizations can use to thrive in a world increasingly shaped by speed, social communication, and decentralization. Attendees will have an opportunity to engage in hands-on improvisation exercises led by Kelly throughout the talk.

For over twenty years, Kelly oversaw Second City’s live theatrical divisions where he helped generate original productions with such talent as Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers, Steve Carell, Keegan Michael Key, Amy Sedaris and others.

To register for your Free Ticket: https://generalassemb.ly/education/a-talk-with-kelly-leonard-author-of-yes-and/chicago/35048

Poetry Reading April 13th at 5pm

In celebration of National Poetry Month, after-words bookstore is proud to host Poets and Patrons, along with the Illinois State Poetry Society, for a reading by local poets.

Join us April 13^th, 2017 at 5pm.

We will hear from 15 different local poets, all members of Poets and Patrons, the Illinois State Poetry society or both.

Poets & Patrons evolved from earlier attempts to create a meeting ground for poets and poet enthusiasts in the Chicago area.  Established in 1954, it was set up as a non-profit outreach group for poets who wished to receive professional criticism through four workshops each year. In 1956, Poets & Patrons created a Chicagoland Poetry Contest, open to all in the area.

More recently, Poets and Patrons has expanded its outreach to offer free writing workshops at area museums (Write! Chicago), participation in the Printers Row Lit Fest, and open readings for its members. Visit their website at www.poetsandpatrons.net for further information.

The Illinois State Poetry Society (ISPS) was chartered in 1991.  The society was formed “To encourage the crafting and enjoyment of poetry in the state of Illinois.”  Equally important is the goal to offer opportunities for improving and sharing the crafting of poetry.

ISPS members meet all over Illinois to gather and critique poetry.   From its 12 charter members, ISPS has grown to more than 130 members. 

The society sponsors workshops on poetry writing for all ages.  There are also opportunities for featured readings by members throughout the year.  Monthly gatherings at a coffee house are one such example. Themed poetry displays at participating public libraries also showcase members’ work.

ISPS sponsors a poetry contest every year. Information is available on their website, www.illinoispoets.org. The society also participates in the Manningham contest for students, with a follow-up awards gathering for winners and mention of their poems on the ISPS website.

Below is a list of the participating poets:

Peter Halliday  (P&P)

Jocelyn Ajami  (P&P)

Susan Moss (ISPS and P&P)

Diane O'Neill (P&P)

Mary Ann Eiler (ISPS)

Judith Tullis (ISPS and P&P)

Caroline Johnson (P&P and ISPS)

Melissa Huff (ISPS)

Myron Stokes (ISPS)

David Nekimken (P&P)

Beth Staas (P&P and ISPS)

Sheila Elliott (ISPS)

Joe Carey (ISPS)

Fereshteh Azad (ISPS)