As the legend goes, on a brisk Monday evening in November 2009, Essay Fiesta sprung forth into the world from the mind-loins of Keith Ecker and Alyson Lyon. And lo, how they gazed upon their offspring with great fondness, until three years later, whereupon they grew tired of the damn thing and thrust it into the … Continue reading
There are plenty of opportunities to indulge your sweet tooth in October. Sweetest Day, the dumbest pseudo-holiday that ever was, takes place on October 17th. On October 18th, you can take a bite out of the much-less-stupid National Chocolate Cupcake Day. Two days later, October 20th, is National Brandied Fruit Day, which involves real fruit … Continue reading
September is upon us, and once again the sexiest holiday of the year draws nigh: National Punctuation Day. That’s right. We saw the way you used those brackets indicate a change in capitalization. Reports indicated that “[i]t drove us wild.” We want to be the semi-colon between your closely-related independent clauses; we want to be … Continue reading
Just like a compact disc, our August lineup will spin you right round baby right round at approximately 200rpms (we recommended taking Dramamine a day prior to the show). Come on down to The Book Cellar on Monday, August 17th at 7pm for a skip-free night of stories from our scratch-resistant lineup. Think of it … Continue reading
On August 17th, 1982, the first ever compact disc – or CD, as the cool kids call them (that’s pronounced “cee-deez”) – was stamped on a Philips Electronics assembly line in Germany. To mark such an historic occasion, the good people at Philips thought long and hard about what piece of music ought to be … Continue reading
The big wheel of Essay Fiesta cheese is a-rolling into town. Come on down to The Book Cellar tonight – Monday, July 20th at 7pm – for this sharp, nutty lineup : Erin Diamond grew up in Arlington Heights in a legendary neighborhood that is filled with stories. She’s now an Uptown Girl. Erin is … Continue reading
On July 20, 1801, a community of devout Baptists in Connecticut combined their powers to create a 1,235-pound wheel of cheese, which they sent down the eastern shore via sailboat and sleigh to Washington D.C., where President Thomas Jefferson awaited the gift. According to newspaper accounts, Jefferson “stood in the White House doorway, arms outstretched, … Continue reading
On June 15th, we will be less than a week away from the summer solstice, the day of the year on which the daylight glows longest. After the solstice, of course, the sun shines less and less each day. As early as the Fourth of July, while distracted by flashy exploding things, we will already … Continue reading
Say! It’s May! Time to allay your dismay – winter’s gray no longer holds you under its sway. Don’t delay, sashay your way down to The Book Cellar on Monday, May 18th, 7pm, for your hosts Willy Nast and Karen Shimmin and this lineup of writers in their respective heydays: The Back Talk Creative Director … Continue reading
Tonight is the night! Monday, April 20th! Do Smokey the Bear proud and come out to The Book Cellar at 7 pm. (Bring s’mores. And Doritos. Plus a couple pizzas and a bag of Funyuns. Thanks.) We’ll be passing around the bucket to raise money for 826CHI and our smoking-hot readers will be passing around some smoking-hot stories. Rebecca … Continue reading
Essay Fiesta 