Award-winning author and journalist Robert W. Fieseler will read from "Tinderbox" and discuss the Up Stairs Lounge fire and its Illinois impact. Register at http://tinderbox.eventbrite.com to receive the Zoom link. An essential work of American civil rights history and winner of the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America and the Devil's Kitchen Reading…
The Korean Spirit and Culture Promotion Project will teach participants step by step how to make a lovely lotus flower lantern using colored paper and a pre-made wire frame. At the same time, the participants will learn about Korea’s unique history and culture. A short documentary film is played toward the end of the class.…
Co-hosted by Riverview Center/NW IL GSA. Decorate a planter and fill it with succulents! Enjoy socializing in a safe space and celebrate pride with an LGBTQIA+ group for adults in our community to come together and receive support from the community and allies. This will include open discussion. All materials and succulents will be provided…
A free writing workshop from award-winning indie author Hollie Smurthwaite. An inspired writer is an unstuck writer. Dig deep and find something that will spark creation and lead to a richer more unique story. Hollie Smurthwaite is the author of "The Color of Trauma," a romantic suspense novel and winner of the 2020 Soon to…
Nicholas Ward reads from his first essay collection, "All Who Belong May Enter," which examines whiteness, masculinity and a Midwest upbringing through tales of sporting events, parties, posh (and not so posh) restaurant jobs, and the many relationships built and lost along the way. A Q&A discussion will follow the reading. “In 'All Who Belong…
Heid E. Erdrich and Louise Waakaa'igan read and discuss their poetry. Heid E. Erdrich is the author of six collections of poetry. Her writing has won fellowships and awards from the National Poetry Series, Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, McKnight Foundation, Minnesota State Arts Board, Bush Foundation, Loft Literary Center, First People’s Fund and other…
The Galena Lit Fest an interactive lecture focusing on the importance of Native American oral storytelling and the themes found within. This presentation will start with an overview of Native American oral traditions and the importance of storytelling, focusing on the different types of stories and poems —spiritual, cosmogonic, memorial, etc. — told by a…
The Galena Lit Fest presents 2019 Pulitzer Prize finalist Rebecca Makkai discussing her book “The Great Believers” and her journey to becoming an author. Rebecca Makkai is the Chicago-based author of the novels "The Great Believers," "The Hundred-Year House" and "The Borrower," as well as the short story collection "Music for Wartime." "The Great Believers"…
The Galena Lit Fest presents Kevin Coval reading his award-winning poetry followed by a Q&A. Kevin Coval is the award-winning poet and author of "The Life and Death of an American Neighborhood," "A People’s History of Chicago" and over 10 other full-length collections, anthologies and chapbooks. He is the founding editor of the BreakBeat Poets…
The Galena Lit Fest presents this free virtual program exploring the conditions that prompted the rise of the detective as a popular literary figure. What is a detective and why is the act or art of detection so appealing? How does the genre speak to us as writers and readers, especially those interested in creating…