Inhuman Swill

Tuesday Funk is a big supporter of the Chicago Writers Conference, and we'd like to encourage you—nay, urge you—to support this worthwhile endeavor at its annual benefit party!

The benefit takes place this coming Thursday, August 29th, at 6:30 pm, and will help support CWC's programming and outreach efforts. The $40 ticket includes food and drinks from Trader Joe's and Revolution Brewing. Along with mixing and mingling, guests will enjoy readings by Andrew Huff (Tuesday Funk co-host, editor and publisher of Gapers Block), James Finn Garner (The Politically Correct Trilogy, Apocalypse Wow!), and Hannah Pittard (The Fates Will Find Their Way). There will also be a silent auction featuring:

• An exclusive two-book set from science fiction author William Shunn
  
• A $50 Revolution Brewing gift card
  
• Your name in The Onion
  
• A one-night stay at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel (includes breakfast)
  
• A Field Notes kit

Tickets are now available. Space is limited; if you would like to attend, please send an email to contact@chicagowritersconference.org.

Date: Thursday, August 29, 2013
Time: 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Location: Lakeview neighborhood
Admission: $40 - includes drinks, appetizers and dessert, silent auction and readings

Contact CWC for your ticket now!




Crossposted from Tuesday Funk

Hey, all you glamorous Funkers! Love rollerdisco? Love science fiction and fantasy? Then you need to support the Kickstarter campaign for the Glitter & Madness anthology!

What's this, you ask? It's a new anthology edited by Lynne M. Thomas, Michael Damian Thomas and John Klima, chock full of speculative stories about the secret history of 20th century nightlife and party culture. Think glam rock! Think rollerdisco! Think glitter! Think madness!

The book will be published by Apex Publications and will feature a standalone novella from New York Times bestselling author Seanan McGuire set in her InCryptid universe. There will also be stories by Alan DeNiro, Amal El-Mohtar, Daryl Gregory, Damien Walters Grintalis, Maria Dahvana Headley, Kat Howard, Jennifer Pelland, Tim Pratt, Cat Rambo, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Diana Rowland, Sofia Samatar, David J. Schwartz, Rachel Swirsky, and Tuesday Funk co-host William Shunn!

In fact, Bill is writing his story together with his fabulous wife Laura Chavoen, so you can be among those contributing to support her fiction debut! And the anthology itself will debut this August at the San Antonio Worldcon, with an otherworldly party at the world-famous Rollercade! Groovy!

Only two days remain to make the last third of the funding requirement! Be glamorous! Contibute now!

What's more, having reached 50% of the funding goal, the anthology is now open to general submissions! If you want to be part of this spectacular publishing event, check out the submission guidelines now!


There's a scary version of the book trailer too.

Also, there are plenty of perks available to funders, including Tuckerizations from any of a dozen different contributors at the $250 contribution level. What's a Tuckerization, you ask? It means you can get your name included in someone's story. That's right! You could be a character in Bill's story, or Daryl Gregory's, or Cat Rambo's, or Tim Pratt's, or on and on and on!

So what are you waiting for? Change into your best day-glo fashions, strap on those chunky roller skates, and pony up for the party anthology of the year!

And if you want to submit a story of your own for consideration, here are your writing prompts:

Roller derby, nightclubs, glam aliens, (literal) party monsters, drugs, sex, glitter, debauchery, etc.

Do it now! You'll be our Valentine if you do.


Crossposted from Tuesday Funk

Tuesday Funk is delighted to be producing this Friday's Chicago Writers Conference special reading event together with Open Books, an organization that truly needs and deserves your support.

Open Books, if you don't know, is a nonprofit social venture that operates an extraordinary bookstore, provides community programs, and mobilizes passionate volunteers to promote literacy in Chicago and beyond. Their mission is to enrich lives through reading, writing, and the unlimited power of used books.

Their programs include reading buddies for elementary school students; creative writing field trips for 4th through 12th graders; college and career mentoring for high school juniors; literacy workshops for all ages; and much, much more.

Their bookstore, open 7 days a week in River North, offers more than 50,000 donated books for sale to support their programs. Tax-deductible book donations are always welcome, and you can learn many other ways to support and help out Open Books by visiting their website, open-books.org.

Open Books is located at 213 W. Institute Pl., conveniently near the Brown Line stop at Chicago Avenue. Watch this space to learn how you can attend our Chicago Writers Conference Special Edition of Tuesday Funk at Open Books, Friday, September 14th, 7:30 p.m., featuring Patricia Skalka, M. Salahuddin Khan, Rachel Wilson, William Shunn, and Mary Robinette Kowal. We hope to see you there!


Crossposted from Tuesday Funk

We at Tuesday Funk love Hopleaf and the wonderful room they let us use every month, so we're happy to spread the word about a great cause they undertake every year.

No, it's not a program to give beer to minors! It's a charitable event to raise money to support Helen C. Peirce Elementary School, and it takes place this coming Sunday, September 9th, from noon to 5:00 p.m. at Hopleaf. Click the image below for more information on how you can participate, or visit KegsForKidsChicago.com.




Crossposted from Tuesday Funk

We'd like to remind you that for the next five days we're still accepting submissions for our rare special Friday edition of Tuesday Funk. The reading will take place the evening of Friday, September 14th, at the non-profit Open Books bookstore, in conjunction with the Chicago Writers Conference.

We're currently looking for three conference participants to fill out the roster for this very special evening of fiction and poetry. If you'd like to be considered as a reader, please email us at cwc@tuesdayfunk.org. Tell us a little about yourself and about your work. Include the piece(s) you'd like to read by pasting the text into the body of your email. (We prefer not to download attachments.) For fiction, limit your submission to a total of 2,000 words or less. For poetry, send a sample of four or five poems. Readings will be limited to 10 minutes or less.

We are open to any type or genre of fiction and poetry, so long as it's entertaining to listeners. But since we won't be at our usual adults-only location on September 14th, please keep the contents to a mild R rating. And remember, you must be a registered Chicago Writers Conference attendee to participate. (And yes, we will check. Submissions from those who aren't registered by August 25th will not be read.)

The entries are rolling in! Submissions are due by Saturday, August 25th, end of day. The three readers selected to participate will be contacted by no later than September 1st. Don't miss your chance to participate in this exciting evening of live literature, and good luck!




Crossposted from Tuesday Funk

A few weeks ago, Andrew Huff of Gapers Block issued a fascinating challenge to Tuesday Funk co-host William Shunn: to take a piece of original poster art by Chad Kouri and produce a piece of writing of between 1,500 and 2,500 words to accompany it.

The resulting art/writing combo, along with seven other collaborations between artists and writers, will be on display and on sale at The Coop on May 18th. All the info is below. Hope to see you there, Funkers!



8 x 8
Friday, May 18, 2012
6:00 pm until 10:00 pm

The COOP | A co-working space in River North
230 W Superior, 2F, Chicago, IL 60654

In the spirit of artistic collaboration, The Coop and Gapers Block teamed up to produce 8x8, an experiment in writing and design. Eight Chicagoland designers were paired with eight local writers to create collaborative works, with text informing and influencing art and vice versa. The results of this experiment are presented in limited edition poster form, with writing and design back to back.

Writers:
Patrick Somerville, Claire Zulkey, Ramsin Canon, Kevin Guilfoile, William Shunn, Veronica Bond, Wendy McClure, Scott Smith

Designers:
Jesse Hora, Andy Luce, Chad Kouri, Ina Weise, Letterform, Ryan Sievert, Paul Octavious, Kyle Fletcher

Proceeds benefit Open Books.

More info: http://blog.coworkchicago.com/post/22148593743/the-coop-presents-8x8
RSVP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/375591619149230/


Crossposted from Tuesday Funk

Hi, Funkers. We're not going to make another long pitch here. We're just going to note that, if you're a writer in Chicago, you need the Chicago Writers Conference. And the Chicago Writers Conference needs you back.

Only five days remain in their Kickstarter funding drive, and there's still more than $2,500 left to be raised. The conference only gets funded if the campaign reaches its goal, so please please help!

But don't just take it from us. Take it from Boing Boing. And take it from conference organizer Mare Swallow herself:



So please, again, dig deep and DONATE NOW.


Crossposted from Tuesday Funk

Hey, Funkers, there's still time to bid in the auction we told you about yesterday afternoon. You have a little over eight hours left to get a bid in if you want to be one of the first by far to own a physical copy of my memoir The Accidental Terrorist. Two of the three books have definitely sold so far, and the third could possibly be yours for a minimum bid of just $100!

If you still want to learn more about The Accidental Terrorist, the indefatigable Dave Slusher interviewed me about it way back when for his Reality Break podcast. Take a listen:

Reality Break, Episode 8  (40:42)




Crossposted from Tuesday Funk

We've told you before about New York City's Laura Peterson Choreography and their campaign to finance a visit to us here in Chicago. Well, apparently you listened to us because the company raised a bit more than their goal of $1,700. Thanks for your help, Funkers!

And tonight you get to reap the rewards of your generosity, as Laura Peterson meets Jason Adasiewicz's Rolldown in collision_theory, an evening of entirely improvised music and dance at Links Hall. Tickets are $12.00. Get yours now, and we'll see you there tonight!

What? collision_theory is a series of improvised performances of curated 'blind-dates' between musicians and dancers. At each show, seasoned improvisers from both disciplines meet for the first time to navigate an unpredictable landscape of spontaneous collaboration.

When? April 18, 2011 at 7:30 pm

Where? Links Hall, 3435 N. Sheffield Avenue, Chicago, IL

How much $12.00 ($10.00 for students and seniors)

Who? Laura Peterson with company members Kate Martel and Edward Rice will perform an evening-length improvisation with composer Jason Adasiewicz and his musicians! This series was created by Dan Mohr and Rachel Damon as part of Links Hall's Artistic Associate programming.




Crossposted from Tuesday Funk

Laura Peterson is one of the most innovative choreographers at work in New York City, or anywhere for that matter. Her choreography is always supremely logical, whether rooted in organic forms or technological ideas or a hybrid of both, and devoid of the hackneyed vocabulary much of modern dance seems to comprise.

Want to see Laura Peterson Choreography perform in Chicago? They've been invited to participate in an exciting throwdown at Links Hall called collision_theory, but they need your assistance to do it. They're trying to raise $1,700 for production expenses in just 30 days with a kickass Kickstarter campaign. Won't you please help, Chicago?



Do it for the dancers.

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See more of Laura's videos here, here and here. And here's a past favorite of ours, just because:




Crossposted from Tuesday Funk