Women Writers Series/Tia Chucha Press Chapbook Release

Lucy Anderton and Josie Raney read at the "Women Writers Series/Tia Chucha Press Chapbook Release" at The Guild Complex on October 6, at 7:30 p.m. Help celebrate the release of Guild Complex Fellow Josie Raney’s first chapbook and welcome Lucy Anderton back to Chicago. Both these young women are carving notable paths in poetry and are forces to keep an eye on now and in the future. Josie Raney holds an MFA in poetry from the University of Virginia (1999). As a Fulbright Scholar in Budapest, Hungary, she translated a selection of contemporary Hungarian poetry. Her work has most recently appeared in Five Points and Water~Stone. Lucy Anderton holds an undergraduate degree in jazz composition from Berklee College of Music. She has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Poets and Writers, and was awarded the Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Award in 2000. She has represented Chicago at the National Poetry Slam in 2000 and 2001 as a member of the Mad Bar/Wicker Park Slam team. Her work has appeared in New York Quarterly, Another Chicago Magazine, Rhino, After Hours and several anthologies. The Guild Complex is located at the Chopin Theatre at 1543 W. Division, call 773.227.6117 for more information.

Unveiled! The Encyclopedia of Chicago

The University of Chicago Press will publicly unveil the Encyclopedia of Chicago at a pro-am city-wide trivia contest on Wednesday October 6. Hosted by NPR's Peter Sagal, with celebrity contestants Eric Zorn, Scott Simon, Carol Moseley Braun, and a few other surprise guests, the event will take place in the Auditorium of the Harold Washington Library and it will run from 6:00 to 7:30 pm.

Illinois Arts Week

This year, October 3–9 is Illinois Arts Week. Check out the vast Arts Week brochure (PDF) for a full schedule of events all around the state. Events in Chicago include a walking tour of Roger’s Park galleries, an experimental Chinese photography and film exhibit at the University of Chicago Film Studies Center and the MCA, and a performance of "A View from the Bridge" at the American Theater Company. Check the Illinois Arts Council website for more information about other Arts Week programs.

Presidential Wine Habits Lecture @ Newberry

On Wednesday, October 6, at 5:30 p.m., the Newberry Library's Wednesday Club hosts Ambria's award-winning sommelier, Robert Bansberg, for a spirited look at the drinking habits of U.S. Presidents. "Wine, Spirits, and the Oval Office" will feature an informed discussion and multimedia presentation of White House cocktail preferences throughout the ages, enhanced by a wine sampling. Admission is $12, or $7 for Newberry Associates, and includes light refreshments. Held at the Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St., Chicago. For more information, call (312) 255-3778 or check out their website.