Being Literary & Social in Chicago, P. Fanatics Reading Series and More!
There’s a lot of fun stuff this week to know about and to do. Technically, the culmination of the events of this week is an event that is happening next week, Sunday the 14th of August — not to blow your mind chronologically.
On that day, P. Fanatics Reading Series returns and Mason Johnson storms back to center stage like a dynamic hurricane wind that is also snarky and kind of a Poindexter (Take that former Reagan administration National Security Adviser John Poindexter!).
The theme of this P. Fanatics? A Circle Jerk! Figure that out! Circle jerks in all of their many and colorful forms will no doubt be on display with readings from prominent folks like the always 100% polite and tasteful Jacob Knabb (that is, assuming swarthy Harold Ray doesn’t accompany him, making a fool’s display of himself), The Lovely Ladies of The Sunday Night Sex Show, Robyn Pennacchia & Samantha Irby, Knee-Jerk Magazine’s Steve Tartaglione, P. Fanatic favorites Dan Shapiro & Ian Jones, and the brave Meghan Rock and Susie Swanton.
Show starts at 7:30 pm (more or less sharp) at Cole’s Bar (2338 N. Milwaukee) in Chicago. It should be a night of dynamic winds much as has been described already. Check out the official notification regarding P. Fanatics HERE.
But as the “and More” in the title of this post alludes, THERE IS MORE! (In reverse Chronological Order):
Friday, August 12th (doors open at 8pm and show starts at 9) might possibly be the last Ray’s Tap Reading (3047 N. Kimball Avenue) ever and of all time. If you can summon the will to power to go, you might earnestly and sincerely consider doing so. I, Matt Rowan, will be there, reading about an imaginary bird. That’s the theme conjured by Ray’s Tap host Chris Bower: imaginary birds. So if you like birds that are not to be found in the real world, say birds like the Semen Swallow, this is the reading for you. If you think you can handle more than one reading in three nights by Mason Johnson and / or Dan Shapiro, this is the place to be.
Click all this text to learn more about Ray’s on its Facebook event page.
Thursday, August 11th, Ipsento Reading Series (Start time, 7:00 pm sharp; place, The Ipsento Coffeehouse, 2035 N. Western). Prefer coffee to beer? Prefer experimental literature to experimental literature centering on circle jerks and / or imaginary birds? Then this might be the reading for you.
Join longtime friend of Untoward, A D Jameson, along with Colin Winnette and Ben Clark for a little reading 2 blocks north of the Western Blue Line stop. See Ipsento Facebook event page HERE.
Wednesday Night, August 10th, start time 7pm: CCLaP (Chicago Center for Literature and Photography) 4 Book Release Party! BenTanzer will be there on account of the release of his book of essays, 99 Problems.
Mark R. Brand, Sally Weigel and Jason Fisk will be the other four authors in attendance, making up the group of 4 release party. It’s at the Beauty Bar (1444 W. Chicago). Plus there are several posts regarding its imminence on CLLaP’s blog, and here is one.
I myself am going to make every effort to be at all of these readings! So many readings! Can I do it? Only time will tell but even if I can’t you should give it a try. Because that’s the brave thing to do, being social and literary. I hope this has all been very illuminating.
