I’m super excited about the upcoming discussion on Radiant Night, followed by a Q&A and signing at 57th Street Books in Chicago on Saturday, January 19, 2019 from 3-4 pm.
57th Street Books and the Seminary Co-op in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood are two of my favorite bookstores in the world (they’re a few blocks away from each other and operate within the same customer-owned co-operative).
When I first started college at the University of Chicago I remember spending countless hours exploring the stacks of 57th Street Books and the subterranean labyrinth of the Seminary Co-op. It dawned on me at some point that maybe I could get a job at the Seminary. So I approached the man who I guessed was the manager (and who did in fact turn out to be the general manager, Jack Cella).
I asked him how I could apply for a job. He smiled and said that since he’d spotted me so often roaming the aisles, day after day, that I could start work the following Monday. I didn’t know until later that those were very desirable jobs on campus and tough gigs to land.
And that was that. Jack, who has since retired, was the best of bosses, my co-workers were awesome, and that job was one of the most rewarding jobs I ever had. The reading there in January feels like a homecoming since I ended up working at the Seminary Co-op for about four years.
I’m very thankful to the management at the Seminary and 57th Street Books for inviting me to share Radiant Night with the community of writers, poets, painters, filmmakers, friends and family who have encouraged and supported my writerly ambitions since I was in my late teens.
You can find out more about the event here.
And you can RSVP here (Please note that your RSVP is requested but not required.)
If you’re in Chicago, or planning to be in Chicago, or planning to be anywhere near Chicago on January 19, I hope to see you there!