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'Boystown' author starts new series
Jake Biondi—the author of the Boystown series—will release his new Majesty series Friday, Dec. 13. The official title of the book is Majesty Book One: Death of the King. Majesty is a period piece that opens ...
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Community reacts to Women & Children First anti-trans vandalism
Women & Children First bookstore, the Chicago Therapy Collective and Andersonville Chamber of Commerce joined forces Oct. 20 in a community activation event responding to multiple instances of anti-trans vandalism. During the event, speakers from the ...
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Local author Tedd Hawks writes 'Burn'
Out Chicagoan Tedd Hawks has written the novel Burn—which encompasses the intersecting queer lives of an elderly man in Edgewater, a down-and-out accountant in Lake View and a group of gay men in Boystown. A graduate ...
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BOOK REVIEW Ensemble: An Oral History of Chicago Theater
Author: Mark Larson $13; Lethe Press; 243 pages Chicago has proven itself many times over that it is multifaceted. It is a Midwestern diamond, a lake city, a food hotspot, the foundation of house music. The ...
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Angry Black Hoemo talks race, LGBTQs and sex positivity
Some queer people who have spent time on Twitter have probably discovered the name "Angry Black Hoemo" on their timelines. Angry Black Hoemo, also known as Marq, has been living in Chicago for five years. Originally ...
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Gerber/Hart opens
lesbian history exhibit
Gerber/Hart History & Archives launched a new exhibit, "Lavender Women & Killer Dykes: Lesbians, Feminism & Community in Chicago," with a reception and brief talk the evening of Oct. 12. Curated by Jen Dentel, Isabel Singer ...
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Women & Children First targeted by anti-trans vandals
The windows at Women & Children First bookstore, 5233 N. Clark St., have been vandalized on multiple occasions with stickers featuring anti-trans messaging, according to its staff. The Andersonville bookseller and others are planning an Oct. ...
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LGBT HISTORY MONTH Authors and activism: A history of LGBT bookstores
By Jason Villemez
"It was unbelievably fun," Ed Hermance said about his time operating Giovanni's Room, one of the first queer bookstores in the world. "You weren't there for the economics, and it would be exhausting if you were ...
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The Second City marking 60 years with special events
The Second City turns 60 on Tuesday, Dec. 16. However, the celebration kicks off this month with special events and launches that give audiences a peek behind the curtain of the comedy theater. The company will ...
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'Thrones' writer, Ewing to receive Sandburg Awards
Chicago Public Library and the Chicago Public Library Foundation announced that fantasy/science-fiction writer George R. R. Martin will receive the 2019 Carl Sandburg Literary Award. Also, the education sociologist Dr. Eve L. Ewing—who has published nonfiction, ...
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BOOK REVIEW The Island of No Secrets and Other Stories
By Lou Dellaguzzo. $13; Lethe Press; 243 pages Island of No Secrets and Other Stories is a book of short stories that aim to portray what it meant to be queer in the United States ...
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Jonathan Van Ness discusses memoir at Music Box
According to Jonathan Van Ness of the Netflix series Queer Eye, "Writing a book is kind of like putting your soul into a food processor." Van Ness discussed that new book, Over the Top: A Raw ...
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Gerber/Hart benefit brings awareness of Midwest LGBTQ history
Gerber/Hart Library and Archives is an open book when it comes to Midwest LGBTQ history and culture—and its benefit, "Out of the Closets and Into the Archives," proved it Sept. 21 at its space on 6500 ...
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BOOK REVIEW Taken by the Wind
By Ellen Hart, $25.99; Minotaur Books; 320 pages Your bag was packed. There wasn't much in it except for the necessities: your two favorite toys, a clean T-shirt, the stuffed animal you couldn't sleep without, and ...
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Michael Carroll's Stella Maris And Other Key West Stories vicious, slippery, fun
Cuban fisherman relied on the Key West lighthouse called Stella Maris, Star of the Sea, as their beacon. Now short story enthusiasts can rely on Michael Carroll's Stella Maris And Other Key West Stories as their ...
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BOOK REVIEW Sage Sapien, From Karma to Dharma
By Johnson Chong, $24.95; Koehler Books; 172 pages It's never clear who exactly Sage Sapien: From Karma to Dharma is for. The book, written by yoga impresario Johnson Chong, leans toward a number of potential audiences—yoga ...
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James Baldwin Residence added to National Register of Historic Places
NEW YORK, NY — September 12, 2019 — The NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project is extremely pleased to share the news that the James Baldwin Residence, located at 137 West 71st Street, has been listed on ...
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Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor talks new children's book at W&CF event
Women & Children First hosted a reading and conversation with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor about her new children's book—Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You—Sept. 11 in Senn High School's auditorium. Just Ask! ...
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Comic Con dazzles with stars, cosplay
Thousands of pop-culture aficionados ( many donning the costumes of their favorite characters ) visited Rosemont's Donald E. Stephens Convention Convention Center on Aug. 22-25 for Wizard World Comic Con. There were many celebrities present—with one ...
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Banned Books Week on Sept. 22-28
Libraries, bookstores and schools place a national spotlight on the freedom to read during Banned Books Week, Sept. 22-28—a time when the American Library Association ( ALA ) works to draw attention to the harms of ...
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September Events at Women & Children First include Sonia Sotomayor
CHICAGO, IL ( August 30, 2019 ) - Women & Children First's conversation and book signing with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor sold out in record time, but the bookstore has nearly a dozen other ...
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Gerber/Hart benefit set for Sept. 21
Gerber/Hart Library and Archives' annual benefit, "Out of the Closets and into the Archives," will take place Saturday, Sept. 21, 7-10 p.m, at the library, 6500 N. Clark St. People are urged to join in a ...
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Hundreds attend Women and Children First 40th anniversary block party
Close to 1,000 people gathered on a sunny and breezy Aug. 24 afternoon to celebrate Women & Children First's 40th anniversary on Honorary Women & Children First Way, Farragut Avenue at Clark Street. Miss Linda (Bubon) ...
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'Savage Love Live' in Chicago on Sept. 26
Author, sex-advice columnist, podcaster, pundit, public speaker and It Gets Better co-founder Dan Savage will bring his famous column to Chicago when "Savage Love Live" takes place at the Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave., ...
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BOOK REVIEW The Ghost Photographer
By Julie Rieger $25; Enliven/Atria Books; 243 pages You know how they do it. It's a snap, really. A little bit of computer imagery, film cells inserted here, a half-screen there, and you've got a movie ...
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MOMBIAN Pushing for inclusivity in children's books, one publisher shows how
Orca Book Publishers of British Columbia, Canada, is an independent publisher with the goal of offering "reading material that represents the diversity of human experience to readers of all ages." Among other titles, they have produced ...
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Goldie Goldbloom on new book, being a queer Chasidic Jew
Chicago author and queer Chasidic Jew Goldie Goldbloom's newest book is On Division. It centers on the life of Surie Eckstein in Brooklyn, New York and what happens to her when she becomes pregnant but decides ...
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Bechdel Fest 7 set for Aug. 25-28
Broken Nose Theatre ( BNT ) has announced the full line-up for Bechdel Fest 7: Momentum—the company's annual festival of new short plays featuring an ensemble of female-identifying and non-binary actors. Presented as part of Steppenwolf's ...
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Author Shapiro speaks at Women and Children First
Fort Lauderdale-based writer Gregg Shapiro, a native of Skokie, visited Women & Children First Bookstore in Andersonville the evening of Aug. 7. Shapiro, a longtime entertainment journalist, poet and fiction writer, read excerpts from his 2019 ...
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Women & Children First to host Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor
Women & Children First is honored to present U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor for a moderated conversation and audience Q&A followed by a book signing in celebration of her new children's book, Just Ask! Be ...
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Women & Children First, forty years of book-selling history
Full celebration schedule below
To celebrate Women & Children First's 40th anniversary, the store will be hosting a summer block party with a feminist slant Saturday, Aug. 24 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Honorary Women & Children First Way ( ...
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Author Toni Morrison dies at 88
Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison has died at 88. Morrison was the first Black woman to receive the Nobel literature prize, awarded in 1993. Her novel Beloved—in which a mother, Margaret, makes a tragic choice to ...
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Gene Siskel Film Center to present Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am Aug. 23-29
As a venue that celebrates all art forms and a public program of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Gene Siskel Film Center mourns the loss of the celebrated Black author and Nobel ...
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SHOWBIZ Comic-book heroes, Cara and Ashley, Chris Pine, Pride Summit
The animated character Aquaman was confirmed to be LGBT+ on the latest episode of Young Justice: Outsiders—the DC Universe's animated show about teenage superheroes, PinkNews reported. The latest episode, "Quiet Conversations," saw the iconic DC superhero ...
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Women & Children First Neighborhood Block Party to celebrate 40 years
CHICAGO, IL - In honor of our 40th Anniversary, Women & Children First Chicago's only feminist bookstore will be throwing a block party to say thank you to the community that has made us 40 years ...
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Chef Iliana Regan Tells All in Memoir Burn the Place
Iliana Regan, the chef behind beloved Chicago restaurants Elizabeth and Kitsune, as well as Bunny Bakery, divulges her origin story in her new memoir Burn the Place, released by Agate Publishing in Evanston Tuesday, July 16. ...
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Columnist Esther J. Cepeda on coming out, writing career
When Washington Post Writers Group columnist Esther J. Cepeda recently came out as queer in one of her pieces, "Mental Health Needs of LGTBQIA+ go beyond Pride month," they joined a small number of prominent Latinx ...
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'The Pages of Adeena' now out
The Pages of Adeena—the debut novel of local lesbian fiction author C.M. Castillo—has been published. According to a press release, the book is"a semi-historic lesbian romance, with a bit of city history included. The story is ...
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Rapinoe book coming out in 2020
Penguin Books announced that openly lesbian U.S. women's soccer team co-captain Megan Rapinoe's as-yet-untitled book will be published in the fall of 2020, CBS News reported. Penguin said the book will be a "perfect vehicle" for ...
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BOOK REVIEW On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
Book by Ocean Vuong. $26; Penguin Press; 256 pages One quote on author Ocean Vuong's website refers to him as "the Walt Whitman of Vietnamese-American literature." Vuong's poetry collection, Night Sky with Exit Wounds, was a ...
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At W&CF, author talks 'Mostly Dead Things'
Andersonville bookstore Women & Children First welcomed queer Floridian author Kristen Arnett July 19 for a discussion about her latest book. The book, Mostly Dead Things, is about a queer woman named Jessa-Lynn who takes over ...
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NATIONAL Court briefs, flag burned, Amazon books removed
The Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ), Lambda Legal, Out & Equal, Out Leadership and Freedom for All Americans announced that 206 major corporations have signed a "friend of the court" brief that will be filed ...
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Historians discuss 'Tell Me About It'
On June 27, LGBTQ historians Owen Keehnen and St. Sukie de la Croix discussed their literary collaboration, Tell Me About It: LGBTQ Secrets, Confessions, and Life Stories, at Gerber Hart Library and Archives. Local historian John ...
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Poets for Reproductive Justice among July events at Women & Children First
Among summer events coming up at Women and Children First Books are the annual Used Book Sale, a Where's Waldo Scavenger Hunt and the 40th Anniversary Block Party. Used Book Sale donations now being accepted for ...
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BOOKS
Assisted-reproduction book's author hopes to help LGBTQ parents
Kim Bergman has helped bring more than 1,700 babies into the world throughout her 30 years working in the assisted-reproduction field. She and her wife Natalie, who celebrate their 36th anniversary this October, also have two ...
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BOOKS 'In the City' author talks storytelling, Stonewall
Taylor Saracen always had a passion for storytelling. Her parents warned her writing was not a lucrative profession so instead she chose teaching, she told Windy City Times with a humorous irony in her voice. After ...
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BOOKS Tan about town, 'Queer Eye' guru pens new memoir
The title of Tan France's new memoir, Naturally Tan, refers to the Queer Eye star's aim for authenticity—a mindset that once eluded the first openly gay, South Asian man on television. In the new book, France ...
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Drag queens host Pride storytime
Chicagoans of all ages gathered at Shapiro Ballroom, 1627 W. Chicago Ave., the morning of June 23 as performers Muffy Fishbasket and Sutton hosted Drag Queen Story Hour. The event was presented in conjunction with the ...
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BOOK The Children of Harvey Milk, How LGBTQ Politicians Changed the World
By Andrew Reynolds $34.95; Oxford University Press; 354 pages Your eyes are on 2020. One election is past and thoughts are on the next one: votes equal change, and you're ready for it. You'll be the ...
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Scholar/producer to receive new honor, speaks on life goals
Aymar Jean Christian, Ph.D., has dedicated his life to communicating with meaning. Now the scholar, producer, founder and writer/director is being recognized for his work with the first Leaders for a New Chicago award, courtesy of ...
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BOOK REVIEW Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story
By Jacob Tobia; $26; Putnam; 336 pages Nobody can tell you what to do. To think otherwise is tantamount to telling you what not to do. No, you have your own mind, and you'll make it ...
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Why Do Robots Kill? reading and discussion by author Judith Markowitz Jun 30
Author Judith Markowitz will discuss the question, Why Do Robots Kill?, and read from her book Robots that Kill Sunday, June 30, 2019 from 2 to 4 p.m. She will give examples from folklore, science fiction, ...
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Five Worth Finding: Pride, Carol's Cookies, Kimpton Gray and more
—The Queeriodic Table: A Celebration of LGBTQ+ Culture: Harriet Dyer's book ( a take on the periodic table, of course ) contains a glossary on current lingo and definitions; a condensed timeline of queer events from ...
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BOOKS ON STONEWALL Indecent Advances, The Stonewall Riots, Out in Time
Indecent Advances By James Polchin $26; Counterpoint Press; 256 pages The Stonewall Riots Edited by Marc Stein $35; New York University Press; 341 pages Out in Time By Perry N. Halkitis $34.95; Oxford University ...
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Nursing student writes the book on trans healthcare
A nursing student who graduated this year from Resurrection University wrote a manual on healthcare delivery for transgender and gender non-conforming persons during her undergraduate clinical work. Naomi Blumenthal, a Chicago native, had been involved with ...
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Author of new book on assisted reproduction hopes to empower soon-to-be LGBTQ parents
Kim Bergman has helped bring more than 1,700 babies into the world throughout her 30 years working in the assisted reproduction field. She and her wife Natalie, who celebrate their 36th anniversary this October, also have ...
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'Great Believers' out in paperback
Chicago-based author Rebecca Makkai celebrated the paperback release of her novel The Great Believers June 8 at Unabridged Books. Author Owen Keehnen moderated a discussion with Makkai about the book, which has won numerous awards and ...
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Printers Row Lit Fest on June 8-9
The 35th Annual Printers Row Lit Fest will take place June 8-9 along South Dearborn Street, from Polk Street to the newly named Ida B. Wells Drive ( Congress Parkway ). This year's fair includes more ...
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Lambda Literary Award winners honored
Lambda Literary Award winners were celebrated at a star-studded ceremony last night in New York City at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. Once again, the winners of this year's Lambda Literary Awards demonstrate ...
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Gerber/Hart exhibit to focus on LGBTQ activism
Gerber/Hart Library and Archives, 6500 N. Clark St., will run the exhibit "Out of the Closets & Into the Streets: Power, Pride & resistance in Chicago's Gay Liberation Movement" starting Saturday, June 1, and running through ...
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MOMBIAN Trans/gender-creative children star in new picture books
Three new children's books each offer different approaches as they highlight different aspects of gender identity and expression. When Aiden Became a Brother, written by Kyle Lukoff and illustrated by Kaylani Juanita ( Lee & Low ...
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MOMBIAN Princess, maiden fall in love in new children's book
A maiden falls in love with a princess at a multiracial royal court in a delightful new children's book that adds to the growing number of LGBTQ fairy tales. Maiden & Princess—by Daniel Haack and Isabel ...
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Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein graduate to a new level in Booksmart
On the eve of their high school graduation, two best friends Amy ( Kaitlyn Dever ) and Molly ( Beanie Feldstein ) party like never before in the entertaining new film Booksmart. Olivia Wilde directs the ...
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BOOK REVIEW Gender Identity: Beyond Pronouns and Bathrooms
by Maria Cook $22.95; Nomad Press; 128 pages What exactly is gender? How does one determine pronouns, for themselves and others? And why, exactly, is the bathroom debate such a big deal? Nomad Press is an ...
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Ani DiFranco talks new memoir at Women & Children First event
Women & Children First hosted a reading and conversation with singer-songwriter and social justice activist Ani DiFranco focused on her new memoir, No Walls and the Recurring Dream, May 10 at Wilson Abbey. Music critic and ...
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Author documents straight women on front lines of AIDS crisis
A new book by Chicago author Victoria Noe pays tribute to dozens of unsung heroes of the AIDS/HIV crisis, chronicling myriad contributions from straight women who, since the early '80s, have intervened in numerous capacities to ...
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Printers Row Lit Fest to include "Year of Chicago Theatre" in June
CHICAGO, IL ( May 14, 2019 ) — The 35th annual Printers Row Lit Fest, presented by the Near South Planning Board, is proud to announce its participating authors and programming highlights. The much-anticipated 2019 Printers ...
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Chelsea Clinton among authors at Women & Children First Bookstore in May
Chelsea Clinton returns to Women & Children First on the evening of May 2 ( https://chelseachicago.brownpapertickets.com/ ) for a book signing, adrienne maree brown on May 3, Ani DiFranco on May 10, and Celeste Ng & ...
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Panel focuses on queer identity within the fantastical
On April 25, Chicago History Museum's OUT at CHM hosted "Out of This World"—a panel by LGBTQ speculative authors discussing how highly fictionalized worlds reflect and inform queer identity and history. With Pride Action Tank Executive ...
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The Publishing Triangle's 31st Annual Triangle Awards
April 25, 2019—The 31st annual Triangle Awards, honoring the best LGBTQ fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and trans literature published in 2018, were presented this evening at the New School's Auditorium ( 66 West 12 Street, New York ...
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BOOKS
Inclusive anthology 'Halal' launches at Poetry Foundation
The Poetry Foundation was packed the night of April 11 for the book launch of Halal If You Hear Me, a collection of poems and essays by Muslims who are women, queer, genderqueer, non-binary or trans. ...
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Sheridan discusses workplace training and new book
Vanessa Sheridan, who is Center on Halsted's director of gender equity and inclusion, frequently gives public trainings about the transgender community. Sheridan's goals, she tells her audiences, are twofold: "The first is to give the best, ...
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Monica Helms discusses trans flag creation, new book, activism
In 2005, transgender U.S. Navy veteran Monica F. Helms started writing her autobiography, but eventually she set it aside, deciding that "my life was still continuing." "Last year, something in my head told me I needed ...
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BOOKS Chris Rush looks back on 1970s adolescence in debut memoir
Chris Rush was a closeted Catholic 12-year-old when he took his first tab of LSD. "My older sister introduced me to [drugs] at a very young age," the author of The Light Years said via phone ...
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BOOKS Inclusive anthology 'Halal' launches at Poetry Foundation
The Poetry Foundation was packed the night of April 11 for the book launch of Halal If You Hear Me, a collection of poems and essays by Muslims who are women, queer, genderqueer, non-binary or trans. ...
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