This month, join the Book Cellar book group as they read and discuss Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann, a book that has been hailed as "a dazzlingly rich vision of the pain, loveliness, mystery, and promise of New York City in the 1970s."


Start time: Wednesday, September 01, 2010 At 07:00 PM

The Russian roulette of speed dating! For a crack at some summer romance, come give it a spin in a nice, non-bar environment (where you can still buy drinks).

At Date and Dash events, ladies sit at the tables, and guys move from one woman to the next as soon as a whistle blows.

After each "date," participants circle "yes" or "no" on their cards to indicate if they'd be interested in seeing their "date" again.

A few days later, participants receive an e-mail connecting them with their "yes" matches...

Spaces are limited, so sign up today! Pre-registration is required. Go to www.dateanddash.com.

Start time: Saturday, August 21, 2010 At 05:00 PM
Url: http://www.dateanddash.com

Start time: Saturday, September 04, 2010 At 05:30 PM

Happy Labor Day! We will be open from 10 - 6 today.

Start time: Monday, September 06, 2010 At 10:00 AM

This month, Desi Lit, a group that focuses on the literature of Southeast Asia, will read and discuss In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin. Other Rooms, Mueenuddin's "mesmerizing first collection," is a set of eight linked stories set in the Pakistani district of the Punjab.

Start time: Wednesday, September 08, 2010 At 07:30 PM

Lauded by fellow bestselling novelists Amy Tan and Wally Lamb as a "master storyteller" and a "deeply moving" writer, John Shors brings his fourth novel, The Wishing Trees to the Book Cellar!

The Wishing Trees is the story of a recently widowed former high tech executive who, fulfilling the last wish of his dead wife, takes his young daughter on a trip across Asia. Along the way, father and daughter leave "wishes" in ancient trees, signifying their attachment to the deceased and their dreams for the future.

Start time: Thursday, September 09, 2010 At 07:00 PM

Come laugh with the Book Cellar’s premiere comedy troupe, THE KATES! If you're looking for an intimate night of comedic storytelling and uproarious solo performances different from anything you'll see at a typical comedy club or late night bar - the Kates are for you! Show up early – this event fills up fast!

Start time: Friday, September 10, 2010 At 08:00 PM

This month, the Gaper's Block gang will read and discuss Young Lonigan by James T. Farrell. Young Lonigan is the first book in Farrell's famous trilogy about life and coming of age in early twentieth century Chicago.

Start time: Monday, September 13, 2010 At 07:30 PM

This month, please join the Book Cellar for an especially exciting Local Author Night!


Keir Graff (The Prince of Liberty), Bryan Gruley, (The Hanging Tree), Kevin Guilfoile (The Thousand), and D.C. Brod (Getting Sassy) will fill the night with fantastic storytelling.



Start time: Wednesday, September 15, 2010 At 07:00 PM

Please join the Book Cellar and Chicago Public Library in presenting Audrey Niffenegger and her new graphic novel, The Night Bookmobile. Niffenegger will read from and discuss The Night Bookmobile at the Harold Washington Public Library. More details regarding this event are forthcoming.

The Night Bookmobile, written and illustrated by Niffenegger, tells the story of a woman who becomes obsessed with tracking down a nocturnal bookmobile filled with every book she's ever read. This strange and haunting tale examines the organization and curation of one's personal history.



Start time: Thursday, September 16, 2010 At 06:00 PM
Url: http://www.chipublib.org/

Artist, novelist, and fingers-on-our-sad-hip-and-rapid-millenial-cultural-pulse critic Tao Lin brings his newest book, Richard Yates to the Book Cellar. Detailing the decay of a relationship between a twenty-something writer ("Haley Joel Osment") and his sixteen year-old girlfriend ("Dakota Fanning"), this novel is Lin's most mature and artful psychological examination of young American life to date. What does it have to do with Richard Yates? What percentage of the book's conversation happens on Gmail chat? Where can the youth locate hope, and is it clumped between bites of stolen Whole Foods granola bars or stuck in the threads of shoplifted American Apparel dresses? We'll be asking Tao Lin these questions and more on the 16th.

Start time: Thursday, September 16, 2010 At 07:00 PM

It's time again for the Book Cellar's annual spelling bee for adults! Here's hoping you've been studying your Greek and Latin roots and sleeping with the dictionary under your pillow, because this is a major contest.

Hosted by Stacey Ballis (Check out her new book Good Enough to Eat!) and featuring celebrity judges Elizabeth Taylor (editor of the Trib's book review), Lindsay Hunter (Daddy's, due out in September from Featherproof), and Robbie Q. Telfer (Spiking the Sucker Punch), you do not want to miss this fantastic battle of words.

Prizes will be awarded to the winner and runners-up. Sign up at the Book Cellar or call 773-293-2665. And put on your game face.



Start time: Friday, September 17, 2010 At 07:00 PM

Join the Book Cellar in welcoming back Gary Shteyngart for a reading and discussion of his latest book, Super Sad True Love Story.

The New York Times calls Super Sad... "a supersad, superfunny, superaffecting performance that not only showcases [Shteyngart's] ebullient satiric gifts, but also uncovers his ability to write deeply and movingly about love and loss and mortality."

Check out this great and entertaining trailer for the book.

Also, there will be cupcakes.



Start time: Wednesday, September 22, 2010 At 07:00 PM

The Book Cellar is pleased to welcome local author Joe Meno who will read from and discuss his collection of short stories, Demons in the Spring.

Meno's collection of short stories examines ordinary, often downtrodden characters, whose encounters with fantastical scenarios serve to amplify their humanity.

A police officer who has slowly become estranged from his wife and children must confront a giant black hole threatening to consume his city; a heartsick woman learns a miniature city assembling inside her is killing her; Meno's wildly original plots manage punctuate the truth of universal emotions by throwing them into sharp relief against his surreal backdrops.

Beautifully illustrated by twenty different graphic artists, this collection is not to be missed.

Start time: Thursday, September 23, 2010 At 07:00 PM

The Book Cellar gladly welcomes Richard Poplak, author of The Sheikh's Batmobile for a reading and discussion of his funny, insightful new work.

During the course of a two-year odyssey, Poplak sought to answer some of life's most important questions like, 'Can Homer Simpson bridge the gap that's tearing our world apart?'

His funny, insightful book seeks to reconcile the over-exposed sensibilities of American pop culture with the more reserved tendencies of the Middle East.

Start time: Friday, September 24, 2010 At 07:00 PM

Story time is back! After our August hiatus, Nili Yelin will return to the Book Cellar (well, actually, just across the street in Giddings Plaza) to read in celebration of Applefest. Come join the fun and bring the kiddos!

Start time: Saturday, September 25, 2010 At 10:00 AM

Switch to hard cider at Apple Fest and get ready to laugh with The Kates! The always lovely comediennes of Chicago are back with your Fall dose of funny. It'll be swell!

Start time: Saturday, September 25, 2010 At 07:00 PM

The Book Cellar, in conjunction with WBEZ, proudly hosts Scott Simon, author of Baby, We Were Meant for Each Other at the Anshe Emet Synagogue.

Simon is a correspondent for NPR, and the proud adoptive father of two little girls. Baby... discusses the joys and anxieties that come along with forging a family through adoption and what makes it all worthwhile for modern families like his own.

Start time: Sunday, September 26, 2010 At 11:00 AM
Url: http://www.ansheemet.org/

This month, Old St. Pat's inspires its members to cash in some of those vacation days before the holidays and hit the road with Jack Kerouac's classic, On the Road.

Arrive early for warm soup and wine, stay late to plan your travel itinerary.

Start time: Monday, September 27, 2010 At 07:00 PM

The Salon Classics Book Group discusses Eugene O'Neill's Pulitzer Prize winning play Long Day's Journey Into Night.

Originally written in 1940, O'Neill stipulated that the highly personal autobiographical play not be published until 25 years after his death. His immediate family having passed away by the 1920s, O'Neill's widow gave permission for the play to be released in 1956 to considerable critical acclaim.

Start time: Monday, September 27, 2010 At 07:00 PM

This month Never Too Old... discusses Ellen Raskin's perennial classic, The Westing Game.

Populated with an eccentric millionaire with a flair for gaming, a spunky teenager named "Turtle," a secretary with her own brand of shorthand, and a host of other odd characters, Raskin's novel is an twisting crime caper that will keep you guessing.

Start time: Wednesday, September 29, 2010 At 08:00 PM

The Book Cellar welcomes Emily Schultz and Brian Joseph Davis, founders and editors of the Canadian-based publication Joyland, for a night of readings.

The magazine appoints editors from different cities to find and post the best new short fiction from authors in their locality. Since its inception, Joyland has been named to the CBC's Top 100 of 2008 who dubbed it, "the go-to spot for readers seeking the best voices in short fiction."

Start time: Thursday, September 30, 2010 At 07:00 PM

The Book Cellar is thrilled join Stop Smiling Books, the Paris Review, and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs in hosting the launch party for issue 194 (Fall 2010) of the Paris Review. In addition to the new issue of the Paris Review, we'll be selling Sam Weller's books, The Bradbury Chronicles and Listen to the Echoes: Ray Bradbury Interviews as well as How to Wreck a Nice Beach: The Vocoder from Stalin to Frampton to Bambaataa.

More information about the event is forthcoming. It will be held at Maxim's: The Nancy Goldberg International Center (24 E. Goethe Street).

Start time: Thursday, September 30, 2010 At 07:00 PM