Category: panel

  • Quimby's and Community CAKEPOPS Panel

    What an honor! The first CAKE POPS video is up at the CAKE Chicago YouTube page, starring Quimby’s Bookstore employees past and present: Mike Centeno, Corinne Halbert, Caroline Cash & Liz Mason. Come watch us talk about the store, the comics community of Chicago, & the large quantity of duct-taped consignment binders behind the counter.

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    CAKEPOPS is a series of digital check-ins with CAKE (Chicago Alternative Comics Expo) Creators about topics of interest. This installment of CAKEPOPS is our very first!

    Join Quimby’s Bookstore manager and zinester Liz Mason and cartoonist-employees past and present Corrine Halbert, Caroline Cash, and Mike Centeno as they discuss the history of Quimby’s Bookstore, as well as it’s impact on the Chicago comics community!

    Panelists:
    Mike Centeno (he/him) https://www.mikecenteno.com/
    Corinne Halbert (she/her) https://corinnehalbert.com/
    Caroline Cash(she/her) https://carolinecashcomics.com/
    Liz Mason(she/her) https://lizmasonisawesome.com/

    Panel coordination by Aim Ren
    Video editing and animation by Sage Coffey
    CAKEPOPS Graphics by Andrea Bell

    WHAT IS CAKE? The Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (CAKE) is a weekend-long celebration of independent comics, inspired by Chicago’s rich legacy as home to many of underground and alternative comics’ most talented artists– past, present and future. Featuring comics for sale, workshops, exhibitions, panel discussions and more, cake is dedicated to fostering community and dialogue amongst independent artists, small presses, publishers and readers. As a completely volunteer run organization, your tax-deductible support is vital to CAKE’s growth and financial stability. If you enjoyed our CAKEPOPS series, please consider donating here: tiny.cc/donateCAKE

    To learn more about CAKE and upcoming CAKE events, visit our website: cakechicago.com

  • Rock'n'roll Decontrol!: A Punk Discussion at Quimby's 7/20

    Toxic Reasons, with Ed Pittman on the mic, with DOA on the bill too!

    Rock’n’Roll Decontrol will feature a punk discussion with Tony Erba (iconic member of bands like Face Value, 9 Shocks Terror, Cheap Tragedies, Fuck You Pay Me and more), classic punk Ed Pittman (Toxic Reasons, New Regrets), and writer/photographer/drummer David Ensminger (who has played with the singers of Sado-Nation, the Dicks, Big Boys, Plimsouls, and more).

    David Ensminger’s numerous books include an upcoming interview collection featuring a focus on the history of Washington D.C. punk and another volume with interviews culled from the last ten years of his work in zines like Razorcake and Maximum RocknRoll as well as brand new interviews with members of Toxic Reasons, Agnostic Front, and the Flesh Eaters. 

    Earlier this spring, Ensminger released:

    Beneath the Shadows of T.S.O.L.: a collection of four interviews with groundbreaking singer Jack Grisham (done by Ensminger as well as Welly, editor of Artcore and singer for the notorious Welsh punk band Four Letter Word) that span the years from 2001 to 2018; it also includes a concise T.S.O.L. record chronology by Grisham, plus fan essay too, along with myriad rare photographs (including from famed punk chronicler Ed Colver!) and tons of gig flyers. It is an essential read for those interested in the Southern California punk revolt, death/dark/gothic/politico punk, and the history of underground music on the West Coast.

    Bio: David Ensminger is a college instructor and the author of several books covering both American roots music and punk rock history — Visual Vitriol: The Street Art and Subcultures of the Punk and Hardcore Generation (Univ. Press of Mississippi, 2011), Mojo Hand: The Life and Music of Lightnin’ Hopkins (Univ. of Texas Press, 2013), Left of the Dial: Conversations with Punk Icons (PM Press, 2013), and Mavericks of Sound: Conversations with the Artists Who Shaped Indie and Roots Music (Rowman and Littlefield, 2014). His book The Politics of Punk was published by Rowman and Littlefield in Aug. 2016, while Out of the Basement: Punk in Rockford, IL, 1973-2005 was published in March 2017 by Microcosm Press.

    Currently, his chapter on the film Repo Man (“Looking for a Joke With a Microscope: The Intersection of Punk and Humor in Repo Man”) was featured in the new Routledge Companion to Popular Music and Humor. Both The Boston Globe and The Economist have highlighted his research; meanwhile, he writes for both academic and popular press publications like Art in Print, Razorcake, The Journal of Popular Music Studies, Houston Press, Trust(Germany), Artcore (Britain), and Maximum Rock’n’Roll.

    For more info:

    Facebook Event Invite.

    Contact David Ensminger, davidae43(at)hotmail(dot)com

    Tony Era tears it up in Fuck You Pay Me, 2017, in Cleveland, pic shot by David Ensminger.

  • Off-Site: Quimby's Freakdom Anniversary Panel at Chicago Zine Fest!

    Yeah! We’re really milkin’ that Quimby’s 25th anniversary thing.   offers the community a way to engage and learn through a selection of workshops held during the expo, and they asked us to do a panel that celebrates the way Quimby’s has contributed to the zine community. How could we resist? So during the tabling exhibition of CZF we’ll be doing a Quimby’s panel (from noon-1pm) called “Ever Evolving Bastion of Freakdom: A Retrospective of Quimby’s,” taking it’s name from the oral history of the same title we published last year. The panel will feature a discussion (moderated by CZF co-organizer Alex Nall) with store founder Steven Svymbersky (and owner of Quimby’s Bookstore NYC), Quimby’s Bookstore Chicago store manager and zinester Liz Mason, with special guests, Neil Brideau (former employee and founder of Radiator Comics) and artist/photographer/Quimby’s regular customer Oscar Arriola. Come for a rousing discussion of how Quimby’s Bookstore got started, how it has evolved over the years, and how each panelist played a vital role in where it is today! Here’s the Facebook event invite for this panel to share it with all your peoples.

    CZF’s tabling exhibition is Sat, May 6th at Plumbers Union Hall (1340 W Washington Blvd) – NOT AT QUIMBY’S. Quimby’s will have a table, yes! Here’s the list of other exhibitors, sponsors, and guests!

    Note: this is NOT at Quimby’s. It is at the Plumbers Union Hall (1340 W Washington Blvd).

  • Grow Author Eleanor C. Whitney Moderates DIY Success Panel with Selena Fragasi, Rebecca Ann Rakstad & Bradley Adita

    grow

    Eleanor C. Whitney’s new book Grow: How to Take Your Do It Yourself Project and Passion to the Next Level and Quit Your Job (Microcosm Publishing), is a practical field guide for creative people who want to achieve success with their ideas for independent projects.  Author Eleanor Whitney enables readers to clarify their vision, set goals, create a plan, fundraise, publicize, and manage their “do-it-yourself” endeavor. Whitney will discuss achieving success and sustainability as an independent writer, publisher and creative business owner with Chicago-based creatives Selena Fragassi (Boxx Magazine), Rebecca Ann Rakstad (Rarrar Press), and Bradley Adita (PopPunk.com).

    “The ultimate creative person’s companion- for anyone who’s thought of, attempted to, or has already made some steps to turning their vision into a  viable product, this practical and personal how-to is like a business-savvy mentor.” – Cathy Erway, author of The Art of Eating In: How I learned to Stop Spending and Love the Stove and editor of Not Eating Out in New York

    Eleanor Whitney is a Brooklyn-based writer, musician and arts professional. She has written for publications such as Venus Zine and Remedy Quarterly and contributes regularly to Idealist.org and Artsfwd.org. She has spoken about creative success and sustainability at national conferences such as South by Southwest and the Creative Chicago Expo.

    For more info: growdiy.com