Category: Event

  • Lauren Barnett, Neil Fitzpatrick and Bernie McGovern at Quimby's 8/18

    Lauren Barnett, www.melikesyou.com
    Barnett has been posting comics to her website for almost 7 years. She has self published 4 mini comics (I’d Sure Like Some Fucking Pancakes, Secret Weirdo, Was That Supposed to be Funny?, and A story about Fish). Her work has been printed in many anthologies and carried in stores across the US. Hic and Hoc Publications recently published her first full length book collecting her comics from 2008-2012 called Me Likes You Very Much. She currently lives in Brooklyn NY.

    Neil Fitzpatrick, http://neiljam.com/
    Neil Fitzpatrick has been drawing Neil Jam comics in one form or another for many years. He self published the first assemblage of Neil Jam comics in minicomic form. Neil Jam #1 was released in the summer of 1997. Neil Jam has seen print in dozens of minicomics since then, as well as a handful of indie-comics anthologies. In addition to comic books, he’s dabbled quite a bit with Neil Jam in comic strip form. Neil Jam ran as a student comic strip at the University of Missouri for four years. He currently lives in Chicago.

    Bernie McGovern, www.rockwellfarmer.com
    Bernie McGovern is a puppet designer, illustrator, and comics artist living in Chicago. He teaches for Snow City Arts in Rush Hospital’s pediatrics ward, where children can continue to learn while missing school. Current Snow City Arts projects include a patient-designed video game and shadow puppet animation. His personal projects include the graphic novels “An Army of Lovers will be Beaten” and “The Cosmouse.” His puppets have appeared in plays by Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Neo-Futurists of Chicago, The Hypocrites, Dog & Pony, Sanculottes, and Drinking & Writing Theater. He has a great love for collaborators, juniper, hazelnut infused chocolate, and his parents.

  • David Rees Reads From How to Sharpen Pencils 8/15

    In David Rees’s new book How to Sharpen Pencils (Melville House), the creator of Get Your War On and founder of ArtisanalPencilSharpening.com shares the secrets of his craft, empowering the layman to discover the pleasures (and perils) of sharpening pencils. Over the course of 18 chapters, Rees explains the difference between sharpening techniques, including:

    – Using a Pocketknife

    – Using a Single-Burr Handcrank Sharpener

    – Sharpening Pencils for Children

    – and many more!

    “How to Sharpen Pencils is very funny—it’s the work, let’s not forget, of the guy responsible for Get Your War On—but it’s no April Fools’ joke, and it’s no bathroom book. It’s a literary oddity that, even as it gleefully pursues the comic possibilities of its premise, subtly gestures towards its own secluded seriousness. And, for what it’s worth, it also marks the standard to which all future pencil-sharpening textbooks must now aspire.”

    – Mark O’Connell, NewYorker.com

    “I trust my bespoke pencils only to David Rees.”

    – Liz Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

    “You may think that sharpening a pencil is easy, but David Rees makes it look hard, and that makes all the difference.”

    – John Hodgman, Areas of My Expertise

    The work of David Rees has been featured in such places as: Rolling Stone, GQ, Punk Planet, and The Nation. His work has also been in such anthologies as Ultimate Blogs: Masterworks from the Wild Web and The McSweeney’s Book of Politics & Musicals. He has been featured on podcasts and radio shows such as Bullseye with Jesse Thorn and The Best Show on WFMU.

    For more info: artisanalpencilsharpening.com

    Wed, Aug 15th, 7pm

  • Eliza Frye Reads From Regalia 8/11

    Regalia is a collection of short stories exploring themes of sex and death through visual metaphor, magical realism, and white tigers. Some of the stories have been previously published and some are brand new. They are all love letters.

    “Frye has a powerful style. I had an immediate, almost visceral reaction to the images.”

    —  Derik A. Badman, COMIXTALK

    “I really want this … but I’m afraid of what my pastor will say.”

    — Chicago Comic Con Attendee

    Eliza Frye is a graphic novelist, illustrator and exhibiting artist. Her comics have been featured in literary magazines and anthologies in the United States and Europe, and her short story “The Lady’s Murder” was nominated for a 2009 Eisner Award. She has studied Character Animation at California Institute of the Arts and has a BA in Japanese Literature from UCLA. She enjoys her tea earl grey, hot.

    For more info: elizafrye.com and mail@elizafrye.com

    Sat, Aug 11th 7pm

  • Derf Reads My Friend Dahmer at Quimby’s 8/9

    “If you want to read a heavy story about a disturbing teenager, My Friend Dahmer will certainly quench your dark little desires. But this book is about a lot of other things that matter much, much more: the institutionalized weirdness of the suburban seventies, what it means to be friends with someone you don’t really like, a cogent explanation as to why terrible things happen, and a means for feeling sympathy toward those who don’t seem to deserve it.”
    — Chuck Klosterman, author of Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs and The Visible Man

     

    “A solid job. Putrid serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer’s origins are explored in this fine book. Dig it—it’ll hang you out to dry.”
    — James Ellroy, author of My Dark Places and L.A. Confidential

    My Friend Dahmer (Abrams ComicArts; March 2012; Non-fiction; Graphic Novel; Paperback $17.95; ISBN: 978-1-4197-0217-4; Hardcover $24.95; ISBN: 978-1-4197-0216-7) is an original graphic novel that gives a unique perspective on the notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. To the public, Dahmer was a monster who committed unthinkable atrocities. To Derf Backderf, he was “Jeff,” a high school friend with whom he had shared classrooms, hallways and car rides. Using a combination of his own memories and journals, conversations with old friends, and Dahmer’s interviews and transcripts, writer-artist Backderf unveils a surprisingly sympathetic portrait of a disturbed young man—a shy kid, a teenage alcoholic, and a misfit who never quite fit in with his classmates—struggling against the morbid urges emanating from the deep recesses of his psyche.

    My Friend Dahmer:

    • offers fascinating and disturbing answers to the question, “What was Jeffery Dahmer like as a kid?”
    • raises the question “Could these murders have been prevented?”
    • touches on the issues of bullying, teen alcoholism, and the role of parents and teachers in a troubled teen’s life.

     

    About the Author:

    Derf Backderf lives in Cleveland, Ohio. He has been nominated for two Eisner Awards and has received a host of honors, including the prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for political cartooning. His weekly comic strip, The City, has appeared in more than 100 newspapers over the past 22 years.

    Thurs, Aug 9th, 7pm

    The author is available for interviews, and images are available upon request. Contact: Katrina Weidknecht, Executive Director, Publicity, kweidknecht@abramsbooks.com

  • Brion Poloncic and Eckhard Gerdes Read 8/3

    Brion Poloncic’s novel Xanthous Mermaid Mechanics pushes at all of our preconceptions and misconceptions not only about the self, but also about art.  Artists are too often and too easily cast as outsiders, and Outsider Art has become somewhat of a commodity with so-called “outsiders” who seem to market their “outsidedness” for monetary gain.  One wonders if in some cases the outsider stance isn’t merely a con.  But with Poloncic, who has been called the “Daniel Johnston” of literature, we see the real thing, and it is beautiful and scary, marvelous and delightful, yet also angry, insecure, self-doubting.  In other words, this is as human as it gets.  And sometimes it as humorous as it gets as when, in the depths of his artistic quest, Poloncic begins channeling William S. Burroughs, who dictates a manuscript to him, or when he realizes that all we really need to get through our lives successfully is a sequence of form letters.  Although it is deliciously funny, the book is, simply put, both charming and discombobulating, which is a note that rings absolutely true to the ear.  Brion Polonic is also an accomplished artist and musician.  He lives in Omaha, Nebraska, with his dog Tinca.

    “This book was a very interesting read. At times, the author goes on a road that I don’t follow, but above and beyond, the first person narrative is brilliant. Dealing with mental illness, drug abuse and some very bad behavior without making excuses or apologies, this book chronicles parts of the author’s psyche that most of us keep locked away. My personal favorite was ‘Schizophrenia 101’. It is a step by step guide for “new” schizophrenics. Though written with humor, one can’t help but wonder if the advice and detailed guide of symptoms and meanings WOULD be a useful tool for people experiencing their first psychotic episode.”   –Kyle Muntz, Author of VII (A Novel): The Life, Times, and Tragedy of Sir Edward William Locke the Third: Gentleman.

    Also joining the bill is Chicago author Eckhard Gerdes, who will read from his new books The Three Psychedelic Novellas of Eckhard Gerdes (Enigmatic Ink Books) and The Sylvia Plath Cookbook (Sugar Glider Press).

    For more info: www.experimentalfiction.com, www.eckhardgerdes.com

    Fri, Aug 3rd, 7pm

  • Miguel Conner Reads 7/21

    Miguel Conner is host of Aeon Byte, the only topical and guest radio show on Gnosticism and timeless mysteries. He is author of the critically acclaimed Voices of Gnosticism (Bardic Press),as well as The Dark Instinct Series (Warner Books). His fantasy book The Executioner’s Daughter, will be released late in 2012 (Solstice Publishing). His articles, fiction, and reviews have appeared in such publication as Reality Sandwich, The Stygian Vortex, The Gnostic Journal, Heretic the Magazine, Houston Public News, Mindscape Magazine, The Cimmerian Journal, and many others.

    Aeon Byte is an initiation-by-conversation into the dark corners of myth, magic and meaning; a crash course in cult, culture and conspiracy; a virtuous virus invoking and informing history, holiness and heresy.  Each week your host Miguel Conner commandeers your connection to bring the most accepted and rejected scholars and provocateurs to your attention. Fun, compelling, and deeply weird, this is the blow-your-mind cocktail party conversation you always wanted to listen in on. For more info: thegodabovegod.com  and aeonbytegnosticradio.com

    For more info:
    stargazervampirenovel.com

    Sat, July 21st, 7pm

  • "Bad Zine, Everyone's Fault" Zine Tour Kick Off Reading 7/20

    A night of zine readings by four zinesters setting off on their East Coast tour.

    Readings by:

    Jen Twigg writes zines about playing music as a lady-identified punx, the dubious crossroads of football and feminism, and living in two places at once. She is writing a grad thesis about Star Trek and is an organizer of the Chicago Zine Fest.

    Heather C writes Dig Deep, a zine about public libraries, street harassment, & the rad ways she’s working to create a full life. She also runs Stranger Danger, a zine distro that specializes in feminist, queer, & trans zines.

    Xavi M. writes about identity and unripened fruit in a collection of poetry called Explorers Are We.

    Leslie Perrine writes and illustrates short fiction and mini-comics mostly about talking animals.  She lives in Chicago with her cat Bum and is an organizer for the Chicago Zine Fest.

    “This is going to be a night to remember!” Johnny Misfit, founder of Two Cookie Minimum reading series.

    Check out work:

    leslieperrine.blogspot.com

    jtwiggjtwigg.tumblr.com

    strangerdangerzines.com

    www.chicagozinefest.org

    Fri, July 20th, 7pm

  • Marc Arcuri, Dan Gleason, Gregory Jacobsen, Mike McPadden & Gabriel Wallace Read 7/28

    Back and sexier than ever! The great Marc Arcuri, stylist to the stylites, keyboardist for Santana, lover of Pantera and lead singer/drummer of the English Softhearts plans to orate nonsensically at the top of his lungs! Dan Gleason, that fat sad sac ejaculator of short stories, shall read b. s. from his latest greatest hits book, ‘Dear Sweetness,’ and also some of his more recent vapid creations! Gregory Jacobsen, greaser/guido/hairball, possessor of large hands, painter, and lead singer of the Lovely Little Girls will lick your body up and down with his sensual verbosity! Mike McPadden, author of, ‘If You Like Metallica…,’ ‘Heavy Metal Movies: The 666 Most Headbanging Films from Anvil to Zardoz,’ and head writer at Mr. Skin will provide a delightful pause from that life you are leading, void of meaning, with his angelic wordplay! And Gabriel Wallace, poet/genius/renegade, dead-ringer for Taylor Negron – a. k. a. the Pizza Guy from Fast Times – author of The Great Sheboygan Panty Raid of 18977, Quack With Me (folderol) and The Waukegan Pepsodent Conundrum will mesmerize your loins with his erotic mysticism!

    The work of Marc Arcuri has been featured at Buddy Gallery, the Co-Prosperity Sphere, New Capital, the Double Door, the Burlington and at Bitchpork. Dan’s work has been on display at the Hyde Park Art Center, Antena Gallery, the Block Museum of Art, Roots & Culture and at Salon Tress. Gregory Jacobsen shows his artwork at Chicago’s ZG Gallery and Berlin’s Bongout. He’s also had stuff in Hi-Fructose and New American Paintings. Mike McPadden’s stuffs can be found in Happyland, Hustler, and Mr. Skin. He has also served as screenwriter of a number of films. Gabriel Wallace’s work has been witnessed at the Hideout, Bottom Lounge, innumerable places in the great NYC and Columbia, Missouri, and also at the magical QUIMBY’S BOOKSTORE!

    Marc: http://lit.newcity.com/2008/08/21/reading-series-orphan-schlitz-iii/

    Greg: http://gregoryjacobsen.com/

    Mike: http://mcbeardo.com/

    Dan: https://www.quimbys.com/store/1696

    Gabe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2h6ZKQrjk4

    Saturday, July 28, 7pm

  • Debate, Enlightenment and Performance from The Last Man, by W.C. Turck 7/14

    WC Turck’s new book The Last Man, warns of a world ruled by a single powerful corporation and the one man who defied it. More than fiction, The Last Man is a prophetic story, a freedom manifesto, a celebration of diversity, and reminder that one man can make a difference. With all proceeds going to support Occupy Chicago, reading The Last Man is like standing in solidarity with those who demand a better tomorrow.

    In 2011, Turck’s first play, Occupy My Heart: A revolutionary Christmas Carol made national headlines and helped change the media narrative about the Occupy movement. The Last Man continues that effort and support with the only novel endorsed by Occupy Chicago. Turck has been featured on podcasts and radio shows such as The Thom Hartman show, Words with Wings, WCPT and The Chicago Tribune. His first book, Broken: one soldier’s unexpected journey home, was recommended by the national Association of mental health Institutes for its treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Turck is also the author of “Everything for Love,” a personal memoir of the Siege of Sarajevo, of the popular WordPress blog and more.

    For more info: http://occupychi.or

  • All The Writers I Know Presents: No Pleasure Is A Guilty Pleasure Queer Literary Showcase 6/22

    Quimby’s will be hosting the next installment of All The Writers I Know on June 22nd, titled, “No Pleasure Is A Guilty Pleasure.” Readers Patrick Gill, Rosy Phinick, Mar Curran, ellie june navidson, and Jamie Royce, among others, will be reading pieces about the pleasures people find and create in life.

    All The Writers I Know is the brainchild of Gill and Phinick, who realizing their social circles contained many talented writers who had no queer-focused space to read their work, started hosting the showcase in Gill’s livingroom. As it has moved outside his home to Southside Hub of Production in Hyde Park and now Quimby’s, Gill has sought to retain the intimacy among the readers and audience the showcase was first known for. With a growing fan base and audience, audiences will recognize recurring performers such as Gill, Phinick, and Curran, while hearing new talented writers such as navidson.

    Maintaining a queer-focused space in which pleasure could be openly celebrated and embraced is important for Gill and Phinick, as well as their writers, who feel that fostering queer voices in safe spaces allows for open dialogue about pleasure and its importance in their lives.

    “Queer people are often alienated from society and culture. It’s important to celebrate ourselves and the pleasure we derive from our experience to reject dominant narratives on the value of queer folks and, more importantly, to acknowledge the real beauty in our lives,” said navidson.

    Readers will also have zines of their work available for purchase.

    For more info:

    allthewritersiknow.tumblr.com

    stuffqueerpeopleneedtoknow.wordpress.com

    Fri, June 22nd, 7pm