Category: Store Events

John Hodgman reads from his new book AREAS OF MY EXPERTISE
Wed. Nov. 2nd 7:00PM
 
In the great tradition of the American almanac, The Areas of My Expertise is a brilliant and hilarious compendium of handy reference tables, fascinating trivia, and sage wisdom on all topics large and small. Although bestsellers such as Poor Richard?s Almanack and The Book of Lists were certainly valuable, they also were largely true. Here is a different kind of handy desk reference, one in which all of the historical oddities and amazing true facts are sifted through the singular, illuminating imagination of John Hodgman?which is the nice way of saying: He made it all up.
 
John Hodgmean is a contributing writer to The New York Times Magazine, as well as a frequent contributor to This American Life and McSweeney’s.net, where he once answered questions and dispensed advice in the semi-regular, semi-helpful column ASK A FORMER PROFESSIONAL LITERARY AGENT.
 
This will be a reading and Q&A with musical accompaniment (guitarist). Walkie-talkies may be involved. Visit www.littlegraybooks.com for more on John’s other exploits
 
Wednesday, November 2nd, 7:00 PM

An Evening of ReadingsSaturday, Nov. 5th 8PMFree
Mike Smith: Mike Smith is from Fairdale, a small place in Kentucky. He once taught high school math with his English degree. He is the author of Tell Christian I\’m Sorry and the co-editor of Where Handstands Surprise Us. He is currently the editor of the online zine, decomp.
 
Jason Jordan: Jason Jordan is from New Albany, Indiana, and currently hosts the Bean Street Reading Series there. He writes book and music reviews for various online zines. His novel, Powering the Devil\’s Circus, is forthcoming. He edited last year\’s IUS Review.
 
Simon McKim: Simon McKim, originally from Indiana, plays in the bands, The Pitiful Jupiters and The Alecks, and appeared in the final installment of Joe Meno\’s zine, Sleepwalk. He, too, has a novel coming out, and enjoys philosophy. He is the editor of a zine called Bloviate This.
 
Todd Dills: Todd Dills is from South Carolina, but has lived in Chicago for over five years now. He is the editor of THE2NDHAND, a broadsheet and online zine. He recently edited ALL HANDS ON: A THE2NDHAND READER, which is kind of the best of THE2NDHAND, with some new stuff, too.

Chip KiddFri. Nov 4th 7:00PM
 
Chip Kidd is universally recognized as an American master of contemporary book design. At the forefront of a revolution in publishing, Kidd’s iconic covers, with their inventive marriage of type and found images, have influenced an entire generation of design practitioners in many fields. Chip Kidd: Book One collects all of his book covers and designs for the first time, as well as hundreds of developmental sketches and concepts-annotated by Kidd and by many of the best-selling authors he’s worked with over the years. The result is an important contribution to the design canon today as well as a visually dazzling (and often hilarious) insider’s look at the design and publishing process. The book also showcases Kidd’s work with comics and graphic novels, including his collaborations with leading artists and writers in the field. Featured are projects for DC Comics, including Batman and Superman, as well as Kidd’s award-winning exploration of the art of Charles M. Schulz. Chip Kidd: Book One is sure to enthrall design aficionados, book lovers, pop-culture fanatics, comics fans, and design students.
 
About the Author
Chip Kidd is associate art director at Alfred A. Knopf. His first novel, The Cheese Monkeys, was a national bestseller and a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. He is the editor-at-large for Pantheon and the author of Peanuts: The Art of Charles M. Schulz, Batman Collected, and others. He is presently at work on a second novel, The Learners. He lives in New York City and Stonington, Connecticut.

Sat, Oct 15th, 3PMCHRIS WARE will be in the store!The Acme Novelty Library book will be out!
 
Chris Ware Signing at Quimby?s
 
Utterly eschewing the general bonhomie surrounding the newly-minted contemporary regard for the comic strip medium as a language of complicated personal expression and artistic sophistication, professional colorist and award-winning letterer F. C. Ware (aka: Chris Ware) returns to the book trade with THE ACME NOVELTY LIBRARY: Annual Report to Shareholders and Rainy Day Saturday Afternoon Fun Book, a hardcover distillation of all his surviving one-page cartoon jokes which were sprinkled throughout his regular comic book periodical, of the same name, over the past decade.
 
Sometimes claimed to be his ?best work? (by those who really don?t know any better), this definitive congestion of stories of the future, the old west, and even of modern life, includes a luminescent map of the heavens, a chart of the general structure of the universe, assorted cut-out activities, and a complete history of The ACME Novelty Company itself, decorated with rare photographs, early business ventures, not to mention the smallest example of a comic strip ever before offered to the general public. Enclosed in a hard case with belly band, (but not just any belly band?the reverse is a comic strip in which six out of six have a different ending), THE ACME NOVELTY LIBRARY encompasses all of Ware?s extraordinary characters in both new and previously published material (including the complete seventh and fifteenth issues of The Acme Novelty Library, long out of print): Jimmy Corrigan, Tales of Tomorrow, Rocket Sam, Quimby the Mouse, the Super-man, Sparky the Cat, Big Tex; and introducing Rusty Brown?the world?s most pathetic, overgrown adolescent toy collector. As Ware says, ?it may prove a rather mild disappointment, but at least it catches the light in a nice way and may force a smile here and there before being shelved for the next generation?s ultimate disregard and/or disposal.? THE ACME NOVELTY LIBRARY is like nothing else in the world of comics. If it was, why bother?
 
About the Author:
Chris Ware is a regular contributor to The New Yorker and The Chicago Reader. His first book, Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth, won the 2001 Guardian First Book Award and was included in the 2002 Whitney Biennial of American Art, marking the first-ever inclusion of cartoon art. Ware recently put together the thirteenth issue of McSweeney?s Quarterly Concern?a comics anthology that is already regarded as one of the finest of its kind. He continues to work on two upcoming genuinely serious graphic novels. The 16th issue of his regular periodical, not uncoincidentally titled ?The ACME Novelty Library,? will be released this fall. He lives in Chicago, IL with his wife and daughter.

Quimby’s Bridgeport is at 3201 S. Morgan, which is south of W. 31st street and west of Halsted, between and S. Aberdeen and S. Lituanica Ave.
 
Saturday Oct 29th 7PM
FREE
Imaginary History Fauxhemian Wine Tasting Bring your own bottle of wine/non-alcoholic wine/wine-flavored beverage of your choosing (decorate the label first), and discuss the the history you’ve created. How was this wine prepared? With what does it pair well? Where does it come from? How does it taste? What is delicious/lame about it? What is the vintage? This is all up to you. Cheese will be provided. Feel free to wear those cocktail outfits that you feel like you’re all dressed up in but have nowhere to go.
 
This event is part of Select Media Festival, full line up and info can be found atwww.selectmediafestival.org

Jennifer Blowdryer andMoonshine Shorey read fromGood Advice for Young Trendy People of All AgesTuesday, September 20th7PMFREE
 
Good Advice for Young Trendy People of All Ages Edited by Jennifer Blowdryer is a countercultural self-help book compiled by a veteran of the underground who has spent 30 years in the alt-art trenches, these experiential, very real commentaries from todays underground luminaries offer honest and humorous advice on everything from Door Etiquette for the Nightlife-Challenged by Clint Catalyst to How to be an Art Star by downtown NYC scenester , Reverend Jen. Without a hint of irony, Good Advice shows would-be bohemians how things really are (How to Live in Debt by Mykel Board), instead of selling far-fetched dreams of writing the great novel or producing the top gallery show.
 
Jennifer Blowdryer?s writing has appeared in Punk Globe, Maximum RocknRoll, Chic, Penthouse Forum, and Downtown. She has also written Modern English: A Trendy Slang Dictionary, The Laziest Secretary In The World, and White Trash Debutante. A writer for the NY Press, she lives in New York City.
 
Moonshine Shorey a contributor to the book will also be on hand to read.

PAPER RAD Book Release EventSaturday October 22nd 5PM
 
How do you explain the new book by Paper Rad, Paper Rad, B.J. and da Dogs? Half Art Book, half graphic novel, this tome intersperses photographs, drawings, prints, and junk by Paper Rad with two graphic novellas (Spaceballz and Alfe) by Ben Jones. Paper Rad’s work synthesizes popular material from television, comics, video games, and advertising, and explodes with color, feeling, and good humor. This book, created and designed by the group, will explore the worlds of one of the most vibrant constellations of artists working today. Their website, paperrad.org, is one free Mega-Mall information overload for your soul. A mind-blower, for sure
 
Paper Rad is Jessica Ciocci, her brother Jacob, and their friend Ben Jones. Since the year 2000 they have created a massive catalogue of self-published and self-distributed comics and magazines, videos, audio cassette tapes, hand-painted t-shirts, stuffed sewn dolls, audio cd-rs, and records. They have exhibited or performed at numerous galleries and museums around the world, including the 2004 Whitney Biennial, The 2004 Liverpool Biennial, Deitch Projects, The Institute of Contemporary Art, London, and The Tate Britain. Most recently, they completed two music videos for Beck and created a massive cardboard castle for Philadelphia?s Space 1026. Earlier this year, Paper Rad was named one of ArtReview?s 25 emerging artists. They are represented by Foxy Production.
 
Paper Rad will sign their new book, show some of their video work, and maybe have some mini comics for sale.
 
Check out their website: www.paperrad.org

Paul Collins, Nathan RabinClaire Zulkey, Elizabeth Crane Tuesday November 1st 7PM
 
The Collins Library is proud to present the triumphant return of Harry Stephen Keeler?to some, an overlooked genius; to others, the Ed Wood of detective fiction. The Riddle of the Traveling Skull is perhaps his best-loved work. The adventure begins when a poem and a mysterious handbag lead a man to the grave of Legga, the Human Spider?and things just get stranger from there.
 
The event will feature readings from:
 
Paul Collins edits the Collins Library series for McSweeney’s Book, including their latest volume THE RIDDLE OF THE TRAVELING SKULL. His own most recent book is THE TROUBLE WITH TOM.
 
Nathan Rabin is the head writer for The Onion AV Club, and featured in their interview collection THE TENACITY OF THE COCKROACH. He is a regular contributor to Air America and NPR’s Day to Day.
 
Claire Zulkey is the author of GIRLS! GIRLS! GIRLS! Her work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, NPR and Second City, and she writes daily at zulkey.com .
 
Elizabeth Crane is the author of two collections of short stories from Little, Brown, WHEN THE MESSENGER IS HOT and ALL THIS HEAVENLY GLORY, and writes frequently at elizabethcrane.com/blog/ .

Author Sander Hicks and Folk-Singer Holley Anderson Livein Support of Hicks?The Big Wedding: 9/11, The Whistle-Blowers, and the Cover-Up
Monday Oct. 31st 7PM
 
Sander Hicks is the investigative journalist and independent publisher who started Soft Skull Press and Vox Pop/DKMC. He has appeared on 60 Minutes, on HBO/Cinemax in the documentary, Horns and Halos, and has been featured in magazines Punk Planet and Silicon Alley Reporter. Hicks has done innovative reporting on 9/11 for the New York Press, Long Island Press, INN World Report Television, and the Guerrilla News Network (gnn.tv). Hicks claims to be the only reporter verbally abused by a member of the 9/11 Commission. Sander and Holley Anderson, his wife, run the Vox Pop coffeehouse, bookstore and media company in Brooklyn, NY. His live ?performance politics? on 10/31 at Quimby’s will have a special emphasis on the darkest secrets of the GOP, commenting on the little-known 1989 Bush White House call boys scandal and the possible Bush ties to Satanism and ritual murder.
 
As publisher of the critical Bush biography Fortunate Son in 2001, Sander Hicks had a unique position from which to cast a hard look at the official story around the 9/11 attacks. The Big Wedding examines the CIA?s controlling, client relationship with Pakistani intelligence, which had close, documented, under-reported links to the 9/11 terrorists. Hicks acquired startling revelations from government whistleblowers, including lauded FBI Whistleblower Coleen Rowley, ATF Agent Steve Barborini, CIA asset Brad Ayers, and US Navy veteran/con-man Delmart Vreeland.
 
Holley Anderson is a radical, smart, folky singer-songwriter and a partner at Vox Pop. Her music is both spiritual and political, the perspective of a young mother outraged at the current state of the world but empowered by a vision for social change.

Heather Rodgers author of GONE TOMORROW, the Hidden Life of GarbageWednesday Nov. 9th 7PM
 
The United States is the world capital of garbage; with just 5% of the planet?s population America generates 30% of the its trash. The average American creates a staggering 4.5 pounds of rubbish daily, but garbage is a global problem. Consider that the Pacific Ocean is now six times more abundant with plastic waste than zooplankton.
 
Everyone makes garbage. It?s there all the time, in the corner of our kitchens, in the bins next to our desks. But trash is also always in the process of disappearing?getting quickly, almost imperceptibly whisked out of sight. But where does it all go? And what is the impact of garbage on the planet?
 
In GONE TOMORROW journalist Heather Rogers addresses these questions by guiding us through the grisly, oddly fascinating underworld of trash. Excavating the history of rubbish handling from the 1800s?an era of garbage-grazing urban hogs and dump-dwelling rag pickers?to the present, with its brutally violent mob-controlled cartels and high-tech ?mega-fills? operated by multi-billion-dollar garbage corporations, Rogers investigates the roots of today?s waste-addicted culture.
 
Over the past 30 years, garbage output in the US has doubled. GONE TOMORROW explains that, despite popular wisdom, this explosion of rubbish is not the sole responsibility of the consumer. In fact, shoppers often have little choice in the wastes they generate. Consider packaging: tossed cans, bottles, boxes and wrappers now take up more than a third of all landfill space. More prolific today than ever before, packaging is garbage waiting to happen.
 
Once buried or burned, trash is hardly benign. Landfills, even the most state-of-the-art, are environmental time bombs. They spew greenhouse gases, and leach hazardous chemicals and heavy metals into groundwater and soil. Waste incinerators are no less disastrous. They emit 70% of the world?s dioxin, and pollute the air with toxic particulate matter and a host of gases that cause acid rain.
 
GONE TOMORROW also explores the politics of recycling, which is widely embraced?more Americans recycle than vote?but has serious limitations, and, as Rogers points out, should only be seen as a first step toward more fundamental solutions.
 
Part expos?, part social commentary, GONE TOMORROW traces the connection between modern industrial production, consumer culture, and our disposable lifestyle. Read it and you?ll never think of garbage the same way again.
 
Heather Rogers is a writer, journalist, and filmmaker. Her documentary film Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage (2002) screened in festivals around the globe. Her articles have appeared in Utne Reader, Z Magazine, the Brooklyn Rail, Bad Subjects, Punk Planet, Third Text, and Art and Design. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.