Lost in the Ivy

Has it really been almost four months since I last wrote anything on this blog? Boy, I've got to get out more...

Which is exactly what I'll be doing on Monday, February 15, when I take the stage for Essay Fiesta!

What is Essay Fiesta! you ask?

It is billed as Chicago's only charitable first-person reading series. Hosted by comic writers Kurt Ecker and Alyson Lyon, Essay Fiesta! began a few months back and has been packing in standing-room-only crowds at its home, The Book Cellar, Lincoln Square's cozy, independent bookstore at 4736 N. Lincoln Ave. On the third Monday of each month, some of the city's best writers, comediennes and actors read their humorous and oftentimes touching stories.

And at 7 p.m. on February 15 I'll be one of those taking center stage. The evening's full lineup has yet to be publicly announced (Ecker releases the names one-by-one on Fiesta!'s Facebook page), but judging by past month's, it's sure to be entertaining. And it's all for a good cause. Each Fiesta! ends with a raffle that benefits the Howard Brown Health Center.

So come out of winter's hibernation for a couple hours on February 15 and treat yourself to a glass of wine while listening to some great stories. Hope to see you there!

I serve as president of the Chicago Writers Association, a position that I sort of stumbled into in a Forrest Gump-like way. It's a job that has somewhat ironically taken away a lot of my writing time. But I do it because I believe that there's a real need for a group like the CWA, a group that brings together Chicago's writers and its literary community. 

I don't get paid for any of the work I do for the CWA. It's purely a labor of love. And I truly believe that since the CWA obtained its nonprofit status a little over a year ago, it has done some truly wonderful things, like starting a program in conjunction with the Teen Writers and Artists Project to mentor teen writers.

But by far the most ambitious project CWA has embarked on is the development of a Chicago Literary Hall of Fame. Chicago has such an incredibly rich literary tradition, but has had no place to honor and celebrate those on whose words and acts that tradition was built. That is until now.

A lot of hard work has gone into this project, and there's a lot more work to be done. Much of the credit for this project goes to my good friend Don Evans, whose vision and tireless energy has brought a dream closer to reality.

Check out the all-new online home of The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame. One day we hope to build a physical home, but you've got to start somewhere and this is, I think, a pretty nice first home.  

Check out my interview with Playing with the Enemy author Gary W. Moore for The Write City ezine.

Then come meet the author at Sonoma Café, 2845 W. 95^th St., Evergreen Park, on Saturday, November 14, 2009, from 4:00-6:30 p.m.  Gary will be sharing the inspiring story behind his bestselling book and how he got Hollywood to make it into a movie. This free speaker's event is sponsored by the Chicago Writers Association.

Four years after the paperback release of Lost in the Ivy, the publisher has come out with a hardcover edition. I know, it doesn't make any sense to me, either. But I suppose the adage 'better late than never' applies.

To celebrate the long-delayed release of the hardcover edition of my book, I'm giving out 5 free copies to the first 5 people who email me with the subject line: GIVE IT TO ME HARD!

In other book-related news, I received an invitation from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs to have Lost in the Ivy made a part of the Chicago Publishers Gallery. It was an offer I couldn't refuse. So soon when you visit Chicago, stop by the Cultural Center and climb up the stairs to the Publishers Gallery. Look closely and you'll see my book (the new hardcover edition, of course) on display there. How cool is that? 

An evening at Wrigley Field that even Kevin Gregg (the Cubs' closer) couldn't spoil...

Check out the Picture Gallery.