Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni.
✶ Thank you for your readership and contributions. ✶
Thursday, December 12
Chicago Green Drinks is holding their regular discussion night, complete with a movie screening, at Jefferson Tap & Grill, 325 N. Jefferson, from 5:30-9pm. The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream starts at 6:45pm. $5 cover, no reservations required. Call 312-670-7812 for more information.
Robert Bruegmann, author of Sprawl: A Compact History, talks at 6pm tonight at the Chicago Architecture Foundation to explain his research on urban sprawl. Bruegmann theorizes that this is not a new phenomenon and it occurs "when a new class rises in economic stature and is able to afford privacy, mobility, and choice." A panel discussion follows the talk. $20 for general admission, $10 for CAF members and $5 for students. Call 312-922-3432 for tickets and information or buy them online.
Possibly McManus is best known for going to the World Series of Poker some years ago to write an article for Harper’s, and unexpectedly coming in fifth. He is also a novelist, but his latest book, Physical: An American Checkup, is nonfiction, centered on a visit to the Mayo Clinic for a high-end checkup. McManus reads tonight at 6:30 PM. 112 S. Michigan Ave. $10, or free if you’re a Poetry Center member. For more information, call 312-899-1229 or visit the website.
The Swedish folk ensemble Harv performs tonight at 7 PM in the Cassidy Theater after spending a few days at Austin's Folk Alliance conference. Free. 78 E Washington Street. For more information, call 312-744-6630 or visit the website.
A new poetry series, Palabra Pura, focuses on Chicano and Latino artists, presenting local and visiting writers after 30 minutes of open mike readings. Tonight, Paul Martinez Pompa and Jorge Frisancho are featured. Doors open at 8 PM. Free. 1022 N. California Ave. For more information, call 877-394-5061, or visit the Guild Complex website.
Grace DuMelle, author of Finding Your Chicago Ancestors, appears at the Orland Park Public Library tonight at 7pm for a presentation about local genealogical research, followed by a book signing. So, if you find yourself in the south suburbs tonight, stop at the library at 14921 Ravinia Avenue in Orland Park for this event. See the library's program calendar for more information.
Join authors Wendy McClure, Claire Zulkey and Amy Krause Rosenthal tonight at The Book Cellar for the bookshop's monthly local author series. The authors will be talking about blogging (and you know how much we love blogs), children's publishing, writing memoirs and much more. This free event begins at 7pm at The Book Cellar, located at 4736 N. Lincoln Ave. For more information, visit The Book Cellar website.