November 7th at the American Writer's Museum

Alexis Okeowo: A Moonless, Starless Sky | Tuesday, November 7, 5:30 p.m.
In her debut book, acclaimed journalist and New Yorker staff writer Alexis Okeowo offers a powerful, timeless, and masterful work that explores Africa’s clash of fundamentalism and the ordinary women and men who are fighting back. Books will be sold before and after the event.
Readers Hall. General public. For details, cost, and to RSVP, click here.

Thursday, October 26th, 5:30 p.m. Daren Wang: The Hidden Light of Northern Fires

At the American Writer’s Museum, 800 N. Michigan Avenue, Second Floor.

Mary Willis has always been an outcast, an abolitionist in a town of bounty hunters and anti-Union farmers. As the countryside is riled by the drumbeat of civil war, rebels and soldiers from both sides bring intrigue and violence of the brutal war to the town and the farm, and threaten to destroy all that Mary loves.

This first book from Daren Wang is based on an amazing true story of the Civil War. The Hidden Light of Northern Fires tells a story of redemption amidst a war that tore families and the country apart.

Books will be sold before and after the event.

Readers Hall. General public. For details, cost, and to RSVP, click here

October 25th: Fall Poetry reading in the after-words event space 6p.m.-8p.m.

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

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.

Brit Bennett: The Mothers | Tuesday, October 24, 5 p.m.

At the American Writer’s Museum, 800 N. Michigan Avenue, Second Floor.

In entrancing, lyrical prose, The Mothers asks whether a "what if" can be more powerful than an experience itself. If, as time passes, we must always live in servitude to the decisions of our younger selves, to the communities that have parented us, and to the decisions we make that shape our lives forever.  Set within a contemporary black community in Southern California, Brit Bennett’s mesmerizing first novel is an emotionally perceptive story about community, love, and ambition.

Books will be sold before and after the event.
Readers Hall. General public. For details, cost, and to RSVP, click here.