Cogito, ergo sum is, of course, the catchy philosophical ditty dreamed up by that rascal Rene Descartes: I think, therefore I am.
We humbly propose a slight amendment: Cogito, ergo sum in Chicagoum. Translation: I think, therefore I am in Chicago. Anyone who harbors a passion for literary events, that is, ought to feel right at home here.
The city known for its music and its muscular baseball teams — well, at least one of its teams fills the bill — also sports an impressive literary calendar, featuring a range of events and venues that has grown over the years.
That calendar is anchored by a bunch of annual blockbusters, from this weekend’s Printers Row Book Fair (www.printersrowbookfair.org; the event is sponsored by the Tribune) to the Chicago Humanities Festival (www.chfestival.org), which hosts programs year-round but whose behemoth event is held in the fall. The Heartland Literary Society invites a radiant roster of authors to Chicago
Chicago each year. And there’s also Columbia College Chicago’s Story Week (http://storyweek.colum.edu) each spring, which hauls in well-known writers by the brimming netful.
When these mega-events get rolling, you can throw a stick in Chicago and graze, say, a dozen poets, 37 novelists, 24 historians, five essayists and a stray translator or two, all awaiting their turn on stage.
But what’s between the Goliaths?
There are author readings and signings, literary lectures, open-mic nights, poetry performances and cerebral-sounding pastimes throughout the year — not just when the mammoth cultural institutions decide to throw a bash.
So if civilization does exist in the cultural no man’s land between Printers Row and the Humanities Fest and Story Week, where might one seek it out?
In places such as libraries, bookstores, taverns and museums. Maybe even in somebody’s basement. Because although there is no one-stop shopping spot for literary events in the Chicago area, where there’s a love of words, there’s a way.
“There’s a lot going on. It’s just under the radar,” declared Ellen Wadey, executive director of The Guild Complex (www.guildcomplex.org), a 17-year-old organization that sponsors about 50 literary events a year, from author visits to open-microphone poetry nights.
“Other art forms are more recognized in Chicago,” she acknowledged. “Chicago is still a theater town. But there’s a tenacity about literature and literary events in Chicago.”
Finding those events can be a bit of a challenge, Wadey agreed, because there’s no general directory, online or off. One of the better spots — and forgive the self-serving plug, but it happens to be true — is the back section of the Tribune’s Sunday Book Review. But because it includes only paid ads, some events aren’t included.
The hunt, though, may soon become easier.
“We’re hoping to throw a sort of literary summit in the fall,” in which representatives from a variety of genres gather and figure out a way to make announcements of literary doing continually accessible, she said. The model, Wadey added, might be the League of Chicago Theatres (www.chicagoplays.com), with its thorough and easily navigable listings.
But is there really a year-round market for literary events?
The following observation may offend English majors, yet it must be said: Literary events don’t have quite the pulse-pounding panache of, say, concerts with their high-decibel energy or sporting events with their dramatic, souped-up finishes.
“Some people say, `Oh, a bookstore reading. How lame.’ But each one is different,” said Liz Mason, manager of Quimby’s, which sponsors five to six literary events each month. Sometimes authors read; sometimes they answer questions from the audience. Graphic artists have been known to draw. “It’s very interactive.”
David Schwartz, general manager of Barbara’s Bookstores, a Chicago-based chain of nine stores, agreed. “They’re lively events,” he said of the approximately 200 literary soirees his company puts on annually. “Authors really like the Q&A. They like to discuss topics outside their own work. And everybody has an opinion.”
Schwartz said most of the events in his stores are held at the chain’s locations in Oak Park, the University of Illinois at Chicago and Marshall Fields.
“We get some very devout followers,” he added.
Even without that central index, then, people do somehow find their way to literary events. That’s the report from Leah Vaselopulos, author events coordinator for the Chicago Public Library. “Our audiences are very engaged. We see an incredible variety of people,” she said. “Old and young, all different kinds of ethnic profiles.
“Authors like T.C. Boyle and Don DeLillo will attract a younger crowd. A David McCullough attracts everybody. Sometimes you think you know what kind of crowd you’re going to get and you’re really surprised,” said Vaselopulos, who noted that the Harold Washington Library Center puts on between 50-100 literary events per year. Branch locations, too, sponsor special literary events, from author readings to book discussion groups.
In years past, Vaselopulos noted, publishers would send authors on book tours only in the spring and fall. But now the literary calendar is stocked year-round. “We had John Irving here in August. Before, that would’ve been unheard of.”
It’s tough to pinpoint just when literature became a hip performance sport in Chicago, but some name 1986, when the legendary jazz club Green Mill began hosting the Uptown Poetry Slam. Since then, places such as Heartland Cafe in Rogers Park have added poetry readings to the entertainment schedule. And chain bookstores such as Borders and Barnes & Noble continue to bring in a slew of literary figures each month.
All of this activity seems to say one thing quite clearly: Words don’t have to just hang out in libraries and colleges and bookstores anymore, being on their best behavior. Words are all grown up now. They can go out on the town, kick up their heels, annoy the neighbors.
“Sometimes the events are fun and funny, sometimes they’re serious, when it’s serious literary fiction,” said Vaselopulos. “But it’s not a snobbish atmosphere. There’s a book for everyone. And this is just another way to look at books and ideas.”
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How to make people think you’re thinking
From presidents to high school sophomores who didn’t do the homework, we all want to look smarter than we actually are. At literary events, it’s especially important to persuade other people that intense cogitation is taking place. Here’s a guide.
– Lean forward in your seat.
– Wrinkle your brow.
– Place an index finger athwart your pursed lips; gently tap it.
– Wear baggy, ill-matched clothing and muss your hair, to suggest you have far more significant things on your mind than shallow fashion.
– Clutch a book — not the book about which the author is speaking. Find a rare, largely forgotten volume published early in the author’s career, so everyone will know you sneer at bandwagons.
– Cough sparingly, but to good effect; your cough indicates not an excess of phlegm, but disagreement on some arcane point.
– Do not bolt at the event’s conclusion. Sit thoughtfully, blinking slowly, as if you’re gently sifting through the pearls of recently dispensed wisdom.
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A handful of places to go looking for lit
Quimby’s Bookstore
1854 W. North Ave.
773-342-0910
www.quimbys.com
Harold Washington Library
400 S. State St.
312-747-4300
www.chicagopubliclibrary.org
Green Mill Jazz Club
4802 N. Broadway
773-878-5552
www.greenmilljazz.com
Newberry Library
60 W. Walton St.
312-943-9090
www.newberry.org/programs/author.html
The Guild Complex
877-394-5061
www.guildcomplex.org
Barbara’s Bookstore(and Barbara’s Bestsellers)
Five locations in Chicago area
312-413-2665
www.barbarasbookstore.com
The Heartland Cafe
7000 N. Glenwood Ave.
773-465-8005
www.heartlandcafe.com
Anderson’s Bookshop
123 West Jefferson Ave., Naperville
630-355-2665
5112 Main St., Downers Grove
630-963-2665
www.andersonsbookshop.com
Book Stall at Chestnut Court
811 Elm St., Winnetka
847-446-8880
www.thebookstall.com
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jikeller@tribune.com
