Author Jonathan Safran Foer (Everything Is Illuminated) comes to the Harold Washington Library Center (400 S. State) tonight at 6 p.m. to promote his new book, Eating Animals in a free event. While he insists the book is not just about becoming vegetarian, we're guessing that after an hour or so of hearing about the meat industry, you're not gonna be feeling like grabbing a burger. With that in mind, here are some dinner spots around the library that go easy on the meat:
Opera
In addition to vegetarian-friendly dishes like spring rolls, Sichuan peanut noodle salad and several sides, the venerable South Loop Chinese kitchen offers a full vegan menu including eggplant quinoa with cilantro pesto sauce ($14), kung pao tofu ($16) and Hainanese-style Kaipong with twice-cooked coconut curry rice, stir-fried choi sum, forest mushrooms, peanuts and sweet peas wrapped in lotus ($14).
Amarit
Thai is usually a safe bet for veggie eaters, and at Amarit you'll be able to subsitute tofu for meat in most dishes, or just spring for a light meal of spring rolls, miso soup and cucumber salad. Other Thai choices in the area include Tamarind and Thai Spoon.
India Grill
For a quick Indian fix, you may want to stop into Chutney Joe's just down the street from the library, where you can top rice or naan with a variety of vegetarian entrees like red bean rajma, spinach paneer, gobi potatoes, garbanzo masala and kali daal for as little as $5.99. But if you want more of a sit-down meal, head a bit further south for a full slate of meat-free cuisine, including vegetable korma and bhindi masala (okra with onions, tomatoes and spices, $9.99). India Grill is BYOB.
For more vegetarian, vegetarian-friendly and vegan-friendly dining options around the city, visit Centerstagechicago.com.
It's a little odd that the Chicago Public Library, an institution that's probably shushed thousands of people over the years, last month encouraged locals to make noise, and lots of it. But ironic or not, the Sound Off! competition received over 40 entries from Chicago musicians eager to sing about their favorite city. Now the votes are in, with rapper Psalm One taking home the grand prize for "My Bucket Song" and Shawn Pennington's "Doors Closing" winning the people's vote.
Both artists will perform at the celebratory Sound Off concert, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in Pritzker Park (344 S. State, across from the Harold Washington Library). It's free, so there's no reason you shouldn't be there and cheering for these great local artists. We promise, no one will give you a dirty look.
Psst...for a quieter library-sponsored event, check out author Michael Chabon, who will read from and sign his new memoir, Manhood for Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father and Son, at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at the Harold Washington Library's Pritzker Auditorium.
8 Bold Souls are among the many jazz acts performing on Saturday.(Photo: via www.aacmchicago.org)
Hyde Park Jazz Festival Saturday in Hyde Park; free
This 14-hour, multi-venue event is like a marathon for music fans, and, like any long race, the true rewards are near the finish line, with exciting performers like 8 Bold Souls, Garaj Mahal and Dee Alexander. Remember to pace yourself and stay hydrated as you travel to unlikely music spots like the International House of Chicago, Hyde Park Bank and Little Black Pearl Art and Design Center.
Twice in its 120-year history, esteemed British journal Granta Magazine has dedicated its entire publication to the literary output of a single city. The first featured metropolis was London, many years ago. The second? Chicago, circa now. To celebrate the release of its all-Chicago issue, the mag is hosting a special event at the Chicago Cultural Center at 6 p.m. on Monday with two of the 28 featured authors, Audrey Niffeneger (The Time Traveler's Wife) and Aleksander Hemon (The Lazarus Project). The free event will be hosted by Steve Edwards of Chicago Public Radio. A reception will be held afterward.
Want in? RSVP (soon!) to Emily Long or (312)742-0821.
If you miss your chance, consider heading to the Stop Smiling storefront (1371 N. Milwaukee) for a Granta-sponsored poetry reading on Tuesday, featuring local poets Anne Winters, Reginald Gibbons and Diego Saenz.
What we know: This Friday, August 28, from 8-11 p.m., there will be a party going down at the Waterfront Cafe to celebrate the release of Paramanu Pentaquark #2, a journal full of plays, essays, poems, prose, cartoons and more. For $10, you'll get food (hot dog, fries and drink) and a copy of the new issue. There'll be a pre-party with optional swimming at Thorndale Beach, and a post-party at Sovereign Liquors featuring $2 PBR and $2.50 Old Style.
What we think we know: Paramanu Pentaquark is a "Gothic funk" journal, which has something to do with postmodernism, if we understand the movement's manifesto at all. Whatever it is, we love this sentence: "Gothic Funk is a movement and a frame of mind, but it’s also a whole way of experiencing life, in which you don’t have to be hyper-aware, and hyper-confirming of your situation and the things that are happening around you." Take that, Twitter!
What we don't know: Where to begin?
Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade noon Sunday at Halsted and Belmont; free
Floats, bands, politicians and hundreds of thousands of people invade Boystown for a summer event unlike any other. Midwestern friendliness – not to mention colorful costumes, dancing and drunkenness – will be on full display at this rowdy event, the highlight of a weekend of Pride parties (including Pride Fest).
June 16, 1904 was quite a day for Leopold Bloom of Dublin -- it took James Joyce over 265,000 words to describe it in his modern classic, Ulysses. While you may not have actually read the book (not many have made it all the way through), you can still celebrate Bloomsday along with the rest of the lit-loving world today.
The traditional celebration involves readings from the novel, plus plenty of song and drink. You can find all that at the Irish American Heritage Center's Rattlin' of the Joists, tonight at 7:30 p.m. ($10). If you'd prefer to skip the books, here are some places the libation-loving Joyce might enjoy:
Chief O'Neill's
Owned by All-Irish musicians Brendan and Siobhan McKinney, this Northwest Side bar and restaurant has a commitment to traditional tunes, with bands playing jigs and reels throughout the night. The food is not to be outdone, though, as the menu includes "Emerald Isle Favorites" like fish 'n' chips, Irish stew, corned beef and more.
Johnny O'Hagans
The handcrafted bar at this Wrigleyville pub was imported directly from the ol' Emerald Isle. It's also got some darn good curry chips and plenty of Guinness.
James Joyce Irish Pub
Well, this one's a no-brainer. While the Berwyn pub doesn't seem to have anything special going on for the big day, we'll bet that at least one of the questions in its regular trivia night (9 p.m.) will be related to the author.
Dubliner
How about celebrating a Joyce book you can actually get through in a month? We're not sure this South Side spot has any real connection to Dubliners, the author's collection of short stories published in 1914, but at least you can get a $2.50 pint of Guinness or Harp.
Hey, bookworms! Three events for you to get out of the house for this week:
Steve Harvey, who's been sitting pretty atop the best seller lists for a few weeks, signs Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, 6 tonight at Borders, 830 N. Michigan.
Find those great editions you've been hunting at the Northwestern University Library Book Sale. Pick from nearly 8,000 books — including a 1920 edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise — mostly priced from $3 (hardcovers), $2 (paperbacks) and less. It runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday at 1970 Campus Drive in Evanston.
Actress Julianne Moore is in town promoting her children's book, Freckleface Strawberry and the Dodgeball Bully. She'll sign copies of the book from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Bloomingdale’s, 900 N. Michigan; and at 4 p.m. Monday at Anderson’s Bookshop, 123 W. Jefferson Ave., Naperville.
Today is National Poem in Your Pocket Day, concluding National Poetry Month by encouraging you to carry a poem around today, enjoy the confidence of being able to whip it out whenever life's randomness calls for a poem on hand. Either print one from the many, many (even Chicago-based) sources on the Web, or make up your own ...
Haiku in unseasonal scarf
curséd Chicago:
cold and warm and cold and cruel —
Eliot was right.
"Ode to fluey swine"
I think that I have never seen
hysteria like this has been.
You'd think that all those pigs and me
were six degrees from Kevin B.
But I'll show my face, I will not mask it
lest I be one more case of basket.
Into the world! — haste I'm makin'
to do my part by eatin' bacon.
Chicagoist reminded us that today's the day local author Sandra Cisneros reads from her coming-of-age classic, The House on Mango Street, at the Harold Washington Library (400 S. State). The 25-year-old novel is the current selection in the Library's "One Book, One Chicago" series.
Pansy Division is Luis Illades (from left), Jon Ginoli, Joel Reader and Chris Freeman. (File)
We loved "Pansy Division: Life in a Gay Rock Band," the documentary about America's first openly gay punk band that screened last fall at the 27th annual Reeling Lesbian and Gay International Film Festival. (The film just hit DVD.) "As much as things have changed with human rights, there is still much yet to evolve," singer Jon Ginoli told the Sun-Times in November. "There's still plenty of issues that burn us up and plenty of hypocrisy to keep singing about."
Chicagoist says: "Deflowered begins with the band's formation and soars to heights of touring with Green Day, and dips to lows of homophobic fans and the challenges of pursuing success and acceptance in the predominantly hetero world of rock. Ginoli's memoir doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to tales of groupies, label battles, and band brawls either, so this reading is sure to be a fun one."
"Miles Raymer has tapped Stranger Waves as Best Rock or Pop Act for the Reader's Best of Chicago 2009 poll. Really? The best? Or was this an obscure/controversial choice by design to grab The Reader a little attention? Then again, maybe this was a much needed attempt to save the publication a little street cred after the audience poll resulted in a winner of Poi Dog Pondering (ouch!)."
Here's the video they offer as evidence — for or against?
PEOPLE GET READY
Touring behind his recently released "Soul," (his sixth studio album), Seal (above) headlines at the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Tickets are $45-$75. Call (312) 902-1500; www.ticketmaster.com.
Like the folks at TOC, we're big fans of the Chicago Public Library's latest ad campaign, "Not What You Think," which features tattooed librarians and music-mixing grandmas, all in the name of highlighting the cooler side of the shush-happy sanctuaries.
Now you can get in on the action by entering CPL's new poster-design contest, open until April 9. The only stipulation is that you need to use the URL chipublib.org somewhere in your art; the rest is up to you. The contest will be judged by Jay Ryan (The Bird Machine) and others, and the winner will get his or her poster displayed around the city. Of course, it's all free; the library wouldn't have it any other way.
You probably can't tell from the writing style, but we're big fans of Nelson Algren 'round these parts. So you can bet we'll be toasting the Chicago writer's would-be 100th birthday (he died in 1981) on March 28.
But there's no need to wait 'til next week. As part of Columbia College's Story Week, a group of locals, including author Joe Meno and photographer Art Shay (the guy behind Nelson Algren's Chicago), will gather at the Harold Washington Library Center tonight for a tribute to the man and the writers he inspired.
The Polish Triangle in Wicker Park, where the Algren Fountain sits, would probably be a more suitable spot, but we guess it would be hard to watch a documentary screening as buses careen by. in any case, the event is free and begins at 6 p.m.
Uh, can you still claim to be on the D-list when (a) you're spotlighted at nearly every awards show and (b) you land a $2 million book deal? That's what's reported, via our Book Room blog, today about Oak Park's own Kathy Griffin — celebrity skewerer extraordinaire. Will her yuks be as hilarious without her breathy "um's" and urgent "wait, wait's"?
This month's installment of the Bookslut reading series, tonight at Hopleaf, should be a doozy, as it happens on the same day that the jam-packed AWP Writers Conference kicks off downtown.
Some special guests are likely to make an appearance, but we know this for sure: poets Idra Novey, Brandi Homan and Hilda Raz will definitely be there to read their latest works. As event organizer Caroline Eick puts it, you might just get "swept away" by a writer you previously knew nothing about. The event is at 7:30 p.m. in the Hopleaf's second floor room; a private bar will offer a selection of Belgium brews and wines.
Stuart Dybek is one of many writers making an appearance at this week's conference.
It's a big week for books in the city, as the Hilton Chicago hosts the Association of Writers & Writing Programs' 2009 Conference, February 11-14. The event includes appearances from notable writers including Stuart Dybek, Nick Flynn, ZZ Packer, Joe Meno and keynote speaker keynote speaker, Art Spiegelman (of Maus fame). There will also be workshops, and a bookfair featuring every independent press you can think of (the full list is here).
If you can't afford the hefty $205 registration fee, or just want to check out life outside the hotel conference rooms, there will be plenty of off-site events. Our favorites:
Reading Under the Influence 7-10 p.m. Wednesday at Sheffield's, 3258 N. Sheffield; $3
Literary and poetry journal editors will gather to read and discuss at this month's installment of the popular series. he event takes place in three rounds, with breaks in between each round so that audience members can engage in discussion with the featured readers to discuss their publications and events.
An Evening of Consumption 7:30 p.m. Thursday at New Wave Coffee, 3103 W. Logan; free
Join the folks who delivered food at last year's Bread Loaf Writers' Conference for an evening of quick, unfettered poems, essays, and stories on the theme of "consumption." Featherproof Books AWP Afterparty 8 p.m. Friday at Beat Kitchen, 2100 W. Belmont; $8
Here you'll get readings AND music (from ever-inventive rapper Serengeti and alt-rockers Bound Stems). The night will celebrate the releases of Kyle Beachy's The Slide and Amelia Gray's AM/PM, as well as the latest installment of The Dollar Store reading series.
Ginkgo Tree mural by Kevin Garbacz, an exhibitor this weekend's smART Show.
1. Wicker Park Bucktown First Friday and smART Show Friday-Sunday at Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 N. Milwaukee
On the first Friday of each month, the Wicker Park and Bucktown neighborhoods host an artists' open house. This month, the First Friday event coincides with the Winter smART show. For a suggested $5 donation you can explore the historic Flat Iron Arts Building and view the art of over 100 resident, guest and student artists. Many studios offer refreshments, and impromptu performances will occur throughout the evening. Also look for performances and events at neighborhood venues Debonair, the Double Door and Piece.
Ginkgo Tree mural by Kevin Garbacz, an exhibitor this weekend's smART Show.
