The New Year may have arrived, but the New Year of Essay Fiesta doesn’t begin until Monday, January 19 at 7 pm. Willy Nast will be out of town, so come keep Karen Shimmin company at the The Book Cellar, as she raises some fancy, new 2015 money for 826CHI with the help of these precious jewels: Erin Diamond grew up in Arlington Heights in a … Continue reading
They said that 2014 was the year of the essay. 2015 will be the year of Essay Fiesta. Or, at least, a year of Essay Fiestas. Which means this year will be a lot like last year, and the previous few years before that. Huh. Anyway, join Karen Shimmin and super special guest host Nathalie … Continue reading
Happy Festivus, one and all! Come to the The Book Cellar on Monday, December 15 at 7pm for the annual airing of grievances – er, we mean raising money for 826CHI. We’ll be joined by these five Festivus miracles: Lily Be is a momma, a nanny, a friend, and a storyteller. She’s a wise Mexican badass from Humboldt Park with a … Continue reading
Are you still nursing injuries sustained in a Black Friday melee? Have you grown tired of the consumer and religious aspects of the holidays? Do you have grievances that need airing? Do you find tinsel distracting? Then get your Festivus poles out of your crawlspaces and come on down to The Book Cellar at 7pm on … Continue reading
It’s our birthday and we’re 5 and that means we can do whatever we want. And what we want is for you to join us at The Book Cellar this Monday, November 17 at 7pm. We want to raise a bunch of money for 826CHI, while listening to a night of awesome stories from these awesome people: Megan Stielstra is … Continue reading
We are 5 now. That means we are REALLY OLD. Like any other 5 year-old child, we can now count ten or more objects, peddle a tricycle, and speak clearly using more complex sentences. We are also better able to express our emotions. And we have so many emotions. It’s been 5 years since co-founders Alyson Lyon and … Continue reading
On August 18th, 1868, a group of French astronomers discovered helium. On August 19th, 1868, they discovered what happens to your voice when you inhale helium. On August 20th, 1868, they gave up their scientific pursuits to tour the countryside entertaining villages with their sideshow. At 7pm on Monday, August 18th, 2014 , Essay Fiesta celebrates … Continue reading
July 21st is not only the date of our next Fiesta, but it’s also the day that Ernest Miller Hemingway punched his way out of his mother’s womb in Oak Park, Illinois. Whether or not you were enchanted with his prose when your high school English teacher made you read The Sun Also Rises, you have to … Continue reading
Sure, everyone loves Father’s Day, but what about the day after Father’s Day? June 16th, commonly known as Hungover Dad Day, is the day Dad has to pay the consequences of having his own Hallmark-endorsed Sunday Fun-Day. On Sunday, you made Dad breakfast. On Monday, you make him a tall glass of water, four ibuprofen, and a … Continue reading
Treat yourself to a tariff-ic night of essays at a tariff-ic venue (The Book Cellar) on Monday, May 19th at 7pm. These writers are sure to give tariff-ic performances (this is the only tariff joke we can think of so we’re really getting our money’s worth out of it): Dana Norris is the Editor-in-Chief of … Continue reading
Essay Fiesta 