Category: Event

  • Quimby's Offsite: Hit Girls: Women of Punk in the USA, 1975-1983, Chicago Book Party at GMan Tavern, April 27th

    Join us at the GMan tavern on while we sell books for a very special Chicago Book Party!

    Deep Eddy Vodka welcomes
    Hit Girls: Women of Punk in the USA, 1975-1983
    Author Reading with Jen B. Larson * Q&A hosted by WBEZ’s Jill Hopkins
    Thursday, April 27th
    Doors: 7pm / Show: 7:30pm
    $10 Adv. / $12 Door / 21+
    Jen Lemasters (aka She Bop), Clare Kelly, and Jill Hopkins DJ
    at GMan Tavern, 3740 North Clark Street Chicago, IL.
    (Note: this event is not at Quimby’s.)

    Click this link to buy tickets at etix.com.

    About Hit Girls (published by Feral House):

    Think punk was only a boys club? Read about the women who were the punk revolution!

    Women have been kicking against the pricks of music patriarchy since Sister Rosetta Tharpe first played the guitar riffs that built rock-n-roll. The explosion of punk sent shockwaves of revolution to every girl who dreamed of being on stage. Punk godmothers Suzy Quatro, The Runaways, Patti Smith, Poison Ivy, Tina Weymouth, Debbie Harry, The Go-Gos, and Fanny’s Millington sisters provided the template for thousands of girls and women throughout the United States to write and record their songs.

    Hit Girls is the story local and regional bands whose legacy would be otherwise lost. Despite the modern narrative labeled women anomalies in rock music, the truth is: women played important roles in punk and its related genres in every city, in every scene, all over the United States. The women and bands profiled by Jen B. share their experiences of sexism and racism as well as their joy and successes from their days on stage as they changed what it meant to be in a band. These pioneering women were more than novelty acts or pretty faces–they were fully contributing members and leaders of mixed-gender and all-female bands long before the call for “girls to the front.”

    The women of Hit Girls are now rightfully exalted to cult status where their collective achievement is recognized and inspiring to new generations of women rockers. Included are interviews with: Texacala Jones, Stoney Rivera, Mish Bondaj, Alice Bag, Nikki Corvette, Penelope Houston, and many more formidable and infamous women who made their voices heard over the screaming guitars.

    Hit Girls includes over 100 rare and never-before seen images. Author Jen B. includes a comprehensive playlist of all the artists. Foreword by punk journalist, Ginger Coyote.

    About the author:  Jen B. Larson is a writer, musician, and public art schoolteacher living in Chicago. She holds a B.A. in English literature and creative writing as well as an M.Ed. in special education. Her bands, Swimsuit Addition, beastii, and Jen and the Dots, have performed and recorded extensively over the last decade. Visit Jen on the web at instagram.com/conspiracyofwomen.

    Wanna buy the book in advance? Come in to the store or get it off our website here.

  • Zine Club Chicago Online: Riotous Zines Edition, April 25th!

    A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with the cartoon image of a person laughing with their mouth wide open, and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Riotous Zines Edition; Online! Free! Zoom info on quimbys.com; 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, April 25, 2023”

    Zine Club Chicago Online: Riotous Zines Edition
    7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, April 25 on Zoom
    Free!

    From snarky observations and arch takes to wacky puns and sight gags, zines make excellent vehicles for all kinds of humor. This month, we’ll be discussing — and cracking up about — our favorite titles that make us smirk, giggle, and LOL!

    Grab the funniest zines in your collection, BYOS(ense)O(f)H(umor), and join us on Zoom for Zine Club Chicago Online: Riotous Zines Edition at 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, April 25!

    ** RSVP required ** We want to make sure that our online Zine Club Chicago events are a safe space, so we won’t be releasing the Zoom link publicly. If you’d like to attend, please email zineclubchicago@gmail.com to RSVP by 9 p.m. CT Monday, April 24 (the evening before our event). We’ll email you the Zoom link by 5 p.m. CT on Tuesday, April 25.

    Zine newbies and longtime enthusiasts alike are always welcome at Zine Club Chicago, the city’s only book club-style event for people who read zines. This free monthly series is produced by Cynthia E. Hanifin and sponsored by Quimby’s Bookstore. Anna Jo Beck designs our monthly flyers, created our logo, and made our Zine Club Chicago Shout-Outs site, where folks can peruse and recommend zines we’ve discussed at our events.

    More info on the Zine Club Chicago social media channels: @zineclubchicago. Facebook event here.

    Image description: A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with the cartoon image of a person laughing with their mouth wide open, and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Riotous Zines Edition; Online! Free! Zoom info on quimbys.com; 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, April 25, 2023”

  • Garfield From Memory Painting Pop-up at Quimby's, May 13th

    Kate Parnell – aka Garfield From Memory – is a 43 year old artist who lives with her parents and paints Garfield every day. She started drawing Garfield four years ago when she was really depressed and hanging out at a friend’s sausage shop full of Garfield memorabilia, and as she did, she remembered the triumphant feeling of drawing a character from memory as a kid. She decided to draw Garfield from memory every day for a year, and posted them to her personal Instagram page. Four years later she’s somehow making a living at it – still painting, drawing, animating and sculpting Garfield every single day, and posting them to her Instagram @garfieldfrommemory. She is also the co-editor of the high equine weirdness zine HORSECORN.

    Garfield From Memory’s first Chicago appearance will be at Quimby’s on May 13th; she will be selling original artwork, prints, and bootleg Garfield merchandise and she is excited to meet some of her biggest fans!

    Garfield From Memory Pop Up
    Sat, May 13th, noon-6pm
    FREE EVENT.

    For more info:
    instagram.com/garfieldfrommemory

    Facebook Event invite here.

    Watch Garfield From Memory on Office Hours Live with Tim Heidecker, DJ Douggpound and Vic Berger.

    Email: garfieldfrommemoryshop(at)gmail(dot)com

    GFM Big Cartel Shop here.

     

  • Dave Eggers Does Something Interesting at Quimby's For His Book The Eyes & The Impossible, April 11th

    What will Dave Eggers do here at Quimby’s for this event Tuesday, April 11th? Read something? Talk about something? Who knows? Will he cut hair? Make drinks? We look forward to finding out. What we do know is he has a new book coming out. And we’re having an event here in partnership with the American Writers Museum.

    The Eyes and the Impossible (McSweeney’s) is the story of a dog named Johannes. Johannes is a free dog, a fast dog—such a fast dog! He lives in an urban park by the sea, and every day, he runs through the park, seeing all, missing nothing, and reporting what he sees to the park’s three ancient Bison, the Keepers of the Equilibrium. But the Equilibrium has been disrupted.

    Mysterious rectangles are hypnotizing Johannes, humans are erecting a strange new building, and an entirely new kind of animal has arrived in the park—and there are hundreds of them. Johannes must run faster, see better, and ultimately do more than run and see—he must liberate those he loves.

    Gorgeously illustrated throughout by Shawn Harris (author of Have You Ever Seen A Flower? and illustrator of Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers, among many others)—Dave Eggers’s The Eyes and the Impossible is a lyrical, soulful book full of wit and passion—a timeless story for readers of all ages.

    Quimby’s is normally closed on Tuesdays but for this very special event we’ll be open in the evening for this event! Doors open at 6pm, events starts at 7pm.

    Facebook Event Invite here.

    Praise for The Eyes and the Impossible

    “So clever and engrossing and sweet. I loved it.”
    —Roddy Doyle, Man Booker Prize and Irish PEN Award winner

    “An exhilarating, funny, frightening, mind-warping, heart-squeezing tale. Told at the speed of light. A must read. For all humans.”
    —Jon Scieszka

    “A total delight: a heroic dog’s account of a thrilling adventure, during which a community determines, separately and together, how to live. I loved it.”
    —Maile Meloy

    “This book is a magic trick. The kind of magic trick where you want to know how to do it so you can also write a book this good.”
    —Jon Klassen

    The Eyes and the Impossible is Exhibit A in the argument for children’s books being great literature. Honestly, it’s the best all-ages novel I’ve read in years. It reminded me why I love kids’ books—and why I love reading itself.”
    —Annie Barrows

    “Hilarious, big-hearted, and beautifully written. If you want to know what I think, this book right here is a significant contribution to children’s literature.”
    —Mac Barnett

    “One remarkable creature vividly shows readers that “there is so, so much to see.” —Kirkus, starred review

    The Eyes and the Impossible
    McSweeney’s
    isbn: 978-1-95211-945-3 (wood-cover edition)
    pub date: May 9, 2023
    price: $28
    format: Hardcover
    publicity: Amanda Uhle, amanda(at)mcsweeneys(dot)net
    &
    Caroline Sun, caroline(dot)sun(at)sunliteraryarts(dot)com

    About Dave Eggers: Dave Eggers is the author of many books, among them The Eyes and the Impossible, The CircleThe Monk of MokhaHeroes of the FrontierA Hologram for the King, and What Is the What. He is the founder of McSweeney’s, an independent publishing company, and co-founder of 826 Valencia, a youth writing center that has inspired over 70 similar organizations worldwide. Eggers is winner of the American Book Award, the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for Education, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the TED Prize, and has been a finalist for the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and the National Book Critics Circle Award. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He once did an event at Quimby’s in the middle of the day on a Wednesday.

     

  • Zine Club Chicago In Person: Chicago Stories Edition, March 24th!

    A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with an image of the Chicago skyline and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Chicago Stories Edition; In Person! Free!; Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave. in Wicker Park; 7-9 p.m. CT Friday, March 24, 2023”

    Zine Club Chicago IN PERSON: Chicago Stories Edition
    7-9 p.m. CT Friday, March 24
    Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave
    Free!

    The big-shouldered metropolis we call home has inspired countless self-publishers, so this month Zine Club Chicago is celebrating zines about Chicago! We’ll be bringing back our discussion-meets-show-and-tell format for this in-person gathering, so please bring your favorite Chicago zines to share.

    Join us for Zine Club Chicago In Person: Chicago Stories Edition at 7-9 p.m. Friday, March 24 here at the shop, 1854 W. North Avenue in Wicker Park. We’ll have snacks on hand! Masks are strongly encouraged when you’re not noshing.

    Out-of-town friends, Zine Club Chicago will be back on Zoom with y’all in April! If you’d like to get together virtually with zine pals in March, check out Zine Party!, hosted by Michael Verdi, at 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, March 14. For more info and the Zoom link, visit next.zine.party

    Zine newbies and longtime enthusiasts alike are always welcome at Zine Club Chicago, the city’s only book club-style event for people who read zines. This free monthly series is produced by Cynthia E. Hanifin and sponsored by Quimby’s Bookstore. Anna Jo Beck designs our monthly flyers, created our logo, and made our Zine Club Chicago Shout-Outs site, where folks can peruse and recommend zines we’ve discussed at our events.

    More info on the Zine Club Chicago social media channels: @zineclubchicago. Facebook event here.

    Image description: A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with an image of the Chicago skyline and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Chicago Stories Edition; In Person! Free!; Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave. in Wicker Park; 7-9 p.m. CT Friday, March 24, 2023”

  • Zine Club Chicago Online: Show Us Your Stacks Edition, Feb. 21st!

    Zine Club Chicago Online: Show Us Your Stacks Edition
    7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, February 21 on Zoom
    Free!

    Whenever we ask folks which subjects they’d like to discuss at our events, zine organization tops the list. So in February, we’re bringing back our popular Show Us Your Stacks theme for the third year in a row!

    This month, we’ll be meeting on Zoom so y’all can show off how you organize the zines you choose to bring home with you. Whether you meticulously catalogue your zines, toss them in random piles, or something in between, we want to know about the ways you arrange, display, and categorize your personal collection.

    Get your self-published stash in order (or leave it messy), BYOS(nacks), and join us on Zoom for Zine Club Chicago Online: Show Us Your Stacks Edition at 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, February 21 on Zoom!

    ** RSVP required ** We want to make sure that our online Zine Club Chicago events are a safe space, so we won’t be releasing the Zoom link publicly. If you’d like to attend, please email zineclubchicago@gmail.com to RSVP by 9 p.m. CT Monday, February 20 (the evening before our event). We’ll email you the Zoom link by 5 p.m. CT on Tuesday, February 21.

    Zine newbies and longtime enthusiasts alike are always welcome at Zine Club Chicago, the city’s only book club-style event for people who read zines. This free monthly series is produced by Cynthia E. Hanifin and sponsored by Quimby’s Bookstore. Anna Jo Beck designs our monthly flyers, created our logo, and made our Zine Club Chicago Shout-Outs site, where folks can peruse and recommend zines we’ve discussed at our events.

    More info on the Zine Club Chicago social media channels: @zineclubchicago. Facebook event here.

    Image description: A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with the image of mini zines tucked into plastic sleeves inside a binder, and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Show Us Your Stacks Edition; Online! Free! Zoom info on quimbys.com; 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, February 21”

  • Naked Raygun Signs Limited Edition Comic Book/Broken Things 7" + WAX TRAX! Naked Raygun Pop-Up on Feb 4th

    Naked Raygun Signs Broken Things 7″ With Comic
    +
    WAX TRAX! Naked Raygun Pop-Up on Feb 4th

    at Quimby’s Bookstore
    Saturday, Feb 4th, 3pm

    Quimby’s welcomes Chicago punk legends Naked Raygun for an in-store signing of their limited edition 7″ Broken Things that comes with a comic insert (and etched B side) by indie comics artists James Romberger (who will also be joining us!) & Josh Bayer.

    In addition to the band’s attendance, famed vinyl titans WAX TRAX! will be on hand to offer additional NR merch in a pop-up store that fits right in with Quimby’s.

    Broken Things is from NR’s first album in 30 years, Over the Overlords. This 7″ is brought to you courtesy of Xylophone, and Quimby’s is the only store in Chicago / Illinois / The Midwest / the 49 states (that are not New York) that has this!

    Excited to see you at our free event!

    Want to buy Broken Things in advance so it doesn’t run out before you get here? Get it at quimbys.com here.

    Dig that flyer! Art by James Romberger and Josh Bayer, with art direction by Jason Mojica.

    FB event invite here.

    **** **** **** ****

    And!

    •There may be some FREE SHIT.

    •There will be silkscreened event posters for sale featuring new James Romberger & Josh Bayers art.

    •We will have a limited amount of blue vinyl of the comic + 7″ that you can only get AT THE EVENT!

    •There is an official unofficial afterparty in the works.

    •We should add that the date of this event is also the birthday of Quimby’s manager Liz.

    •You have no excuse not to attend.

    **** **** **** ****

    P.S. You saw Quimby’s in the background of the NR documentary, right?

    P.P.S. Can you count how many past and present Quimby’s employees are in the NR video for “Living the Good Times”?

    **** **** **** ****

    ***The Fine Print That You Should Most Positively, Definitely, Indubitably Read***

    Please adhere to these rules and don’t drive Quimby’s employees bananas:
    Due to small print run, purchase of this item is limited to 2 per customer at both quimbys.com and in store.
    Band will only be signing copies at our event on 2/4/23. Customer must be present at event to get their item signed.
    Quimby’s will not get this item signed for you, nor will we hold or ship signed copies.
    Due to time constraints, we respectfully customers to limit signing requests to 3 items or less per person.

    No swimming without lifeguard on duty.

     

  • Sam Kunkel Discusses Gustave Kahn’s The Solar Circus With Jeremy Kitchen at Quimby's on Feb 18th

    Quimby’s welcomes translator Sam Kunkel, who will discuss the great forgotten Symbolist masterpiece The Solar Circus with Chicago author and critic Jeremy Kitchen on Saturday, Feb 18th at 3pm in the afternoon.

    Gustave Kahn’s The Solar Circus is an 1898 French novel dripping in psychedelic images of exotic gemstones, merfolk, and phantasmagoric menageries. Inverting day for night and reality for a dazzling dream, this is the story of a solipsistic Bavarian count who falls in love with the star of a traveling circus—thereby forcing him out of self-imposed seclusion. As the lovers set out from the count’s castle, they encounter a world in transformation: peasants in rebellion, the bright lights of London’s Orpheum theater, and even an ether-swilling Jack the Ripper in an opium den. In the process, the count must come to grips with his own fragile notions of superiority and truth.

    The Solar Circus is text unlike any other, one that vacillates  effortlessly between wild, imagistic poetry and philosophical prose, prefiguring those seminal 20th century works of Modernist literature which would appear more than two decades later.

    The Solar Circus is being published by Michigan City-based First to Knock. Its publication will mark not only the novel’s first appearance in English but also its first independent reissue since it was published in 1898. The novel has been newly translated by Sam Kunkel, a Paris-based, Chicago-born scholar of 19th century Symbolist literature.

    Kunkel will discuss Kahn’s novel and its place in the lineage of circus books with Chicago’s very own Jeremy Kitchen—author, literary critic, and librarian. A Q&A will follow. Books will be for sale.

    For more info:

    firsttoknock.com

    Facebook Event Invite.

    instagram.com/firsttoknock

    info(at)firsttoknock(dot)com

    About Solar Circus on Tour

  • Zine Club Chicago IN PERSON: No Sleep 'Til Stapling Zinemaking Hangout, Jan. 21st!

     

    Zine Club Chicago IN PERSON: No Sleep ’Til Stapling Zinemaking Hangout!
    7-11 p.m. CT Saturday, January 21
    Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Avenue
    Free!

    Is making progress on your zine projects one of your new year’s resolutions? Then kick off 2023 with Zine Club Chicago at the No Sleep ’Til Stapling Zinemaking Hangout!

    Bring your work-in-progress, create a new zine on the spot, or just catch up with other zine folks at our 4-hour Saturday night event here at the shop. (This gathering will channel the chill hangout vibe of Quimby’s Zlumber Parties of yore.)

    We’ll have zinemaking supplies, creative prompts, and snacks on hand. Zinemakers are encouraged to bring their zines to swap with others! We’ll keep the party rolling from 7 to 11 p.m.; feel free to drop in anytime during the evening. (Bonus points if you wear your cutest pjs.)

    Out-of-town friends, Zine Club Chicago will be back on Zoom with y’all in February for a special event that could only happen online! If you’d like to get together virtually with zine pals this month, check out Zine Party!, hosted as always by Michael Verdi, at 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, January 10. For more info and the Zoom link, visit zine.party.

    Zine newbies and longtime enthusiasts alike are always welcome at Zine Club Chicago, the city’s only book club-style event for people who read zines. This free monthly series is produced by Cynthia E. Hanifin and sponsored by Quimby’s Bookstore. Anna Jo Beck designs our monthly flyers, created our logo, and made our Zine Club Chicago Shout-Outs site, where folks can peruse and recommend zines we’ve discussed at our events.

    More info on the Zine Club Chicago social media channels: @zineclubchicago. Facebook event here.

    Image description: A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with the image of a table full of people making zines, hanging out, and eating snacks, with text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: No Sleep ‘Til Stapling Zinemaking Hangout! In Person! Free!;Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Avenue in Wicker Park; 7-11 p.m. CT Saturday, January 21”

  • Zine Club Chicago Online: Winter Lodge Edition Co-hosted by Zine Party, Dec. 13th!

    A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with the image of a pair of feet clad in cozy socks, propped up on a table next to a stack of books with a mug set on top and a roaring fire in the background, and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Winter Lodge Edition Co-hosted by Zine Party!; Online! Free!; Zoom info on quimbys.com and zine.party; 7:30 p.m. CST Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022”

    Zine Club Chicago Online: Winter Lodge Edition Co-hosted by Zine Party!
    7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, December 13 on Zoom
    Free!

    This month, Zine Club Chicago is teaming up again with Zine Party! to ring out 2022 with a festive online gathering! Let’s get cozy, make mini zines together, and discuss our highlights of the year in self-publishing. Zine Club Chicago will set up a swap by mail after the event for folks who’d like to share the mini zine they made, too.

    Grab your zinemaking supplies*, BYOH(ot)C(ocoa), and join us on Zoom for Zine Club Chicago Online: Winter Lodge Edition Co-hosted by Zine Party! at 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, December 13.

    ** RSVP required ** We want to make sure that our online Zine Club Chicago events are a safe space, so we won’t be releasing the Zoom link publicly. If you’d like to attend, please email zineclubchicago@gmail.com to RSVP by 9 p.m. CT Monday Dec. 12 (the evening before our event). We’ll email you the Zoom link by 5 p.m. CT Tuesday, Dec. 13.

    Zine newbies and longtime enthusiasts alike are always welcome at Zine Club Chicago, the city’s only book club-style event for people who read zines. This free monthly series is produced by Cynthia E. Hanifin and sponsored by Quimby’s Bookstore. Anna Jo Beck designs our monthly flyers, created our logo, and made our Zine Club Chicago Shout-Outs site, where folks can peruse and recommend zines we’ve discussed at our events.

    Zine Party!, a monthly Zoom hangout for folks who make zines, is hosted by Michael Verdi on the second Tuesday of each month. Find out more at zine.party

    More info at quimbys.com and on the Zine Club Chicago social media channels: @zineclubchicago. Facebook event is here.

    * You’ll need a few sheets of 8.5×11” paper, a pair of scissors, whichever implements you prefer for writing/drawing/etc., and your creativity! If you’ve never made a mini zine before, here’s a quick video tutorial (and we can provide any assistance you need at the event, too): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiUzo41dh5Q

    Image description: A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with the image of a pair of feet clad in cozy socks, propped up on a table next to a stack of books with a mug set on top and a roaring fire in the background, and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Winter Lodge Edition Co-hosted by Zine Party!; Online! Free!; Zoom info on quimbys.com and zine.party; 7:30 p.m. CST Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022”