Tuesday Funk : Page 112

Meet Our Readers: Christopher Sweet

          

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Christopher Sweet has been writing for more than the requisite 10,000 hours. "Yet still no word from Publisher's Clearinghouse," as the New Yorker cartoon caption read, oh, about ten years ago, I'd say.

He enjoys literary genres where the writer talks about himself in the third person. It reminds him of growing up in Kansas City, where his parents would frequently reference him as if he were absent, though he were standing between them. For example:

Father: Has he washed his hands for dinner?

Me: Who? What are you talking about?

Mother: I don't know, you'll have to ask him yourself.

Father: He ought to know what's expected of him.

Me: Hello, Dad, Mom! I'm here.

Mother: I'm sure I have no idea what he thinks he knows...

His favorite comedic rant is from the British television sitcom Coupling, the episode where the Steve goes shopping with Susan for furniture, and ends up losing his composure over cushions.

Not to fear, Chris won't rant for you at Tuesday Funk. As Steve says, "I can't have opinions in a place like this!"

Instead, Chris will read you a story about his misspent youth. He promises "something for everyone."

When not on stage reading, the writer enjoys bicycling, drinking coffee, and "jotting down notes," while waiting for Quinn The Eskimo to get here. Subtext: Godot.

Time's a whirligig.

Of the four elements, fire, earth, air, and water, he most enjoys "hey, ho, the wind and the rain," wild words and wet cheeks, laughter and tears, comedy and the other thing.

But that's all one...

Join Tuesday Funk on January 3, 2012, at 7:30 p.m. at Hopleaf's upstairs bar to hear Chris read!

          

This past December 6th, Hanna Martine dropped by our microphone to bring us a bit of Blue's Clues–inspired erotica. No, really, we're serious. Because you never know what's going to happen "In the Doghouse"...

And if you liked that, please don't miss our next event which takes place Tuesday, January 3, 2012, and includes readings from Stephen Markley, Lawrence Santoro, Holly McDowell, Christopher Sweet, and William Shunn!


And if you'd like to hear another racy Blue's Clues story...

Meet Our Readers: Stephen Markley

          
Stephen Markley is the author of "Publish This Book: The Incredible True Story of How I Wrote, Sold, and Published This Very Book," which is available wherever books are sold.

In addition, he is a regular columnist for RedEye and writes a blog for them called "Off the Markley." His fiction and non-fiction have appeared in the Chicago Reader, Perceptive Travel, RadarOnline, The Week, Cars.com's KickingTires, and Weber: A Study of the Contemporary West. He is currently at work on his second and third books and has recently sold the film rights to "Publish This Book."


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Join Tuesday Funk on January 3, 2012, at 7:30 p.m. at Hopleaf's upstairs bar to hear Stephen read!


          

This past December 6th, Electric Velocipede mastermind and Hugo Award winner John Klima made the dangerous trek south from the Waukesha Public Library to read his short story "Life's Simple Pleasures" for us. Attend, children...

And if you liked that, be sure to pick up some back issues of the fine Electric Velocipede (the most recent of which has one of your humble co-host's stories in it).

And please don't miss our next event, which takes place Tuesday, January 3, 2012, and includes readings from Stephen Markley, Lawrence Santoro, Holly McDowell, Christopher Sweet, and William Shunn!

          

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Just a quick reminder that your Tuesday Funk co-host William Shunn will be appearing at Essay Fiesta at The Book Cellar in Lincoln Square tonight at 7:00 pm.

This charitable monthly reading series benefits 826CHI, a Chicago non-profit writing and tutoring program. Please bring a bit of money for a donation or for the raffle, and arrive nice and early for a seat. See you there!

Tuesday Funk #41: January 3rd

          

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Strap on your snowshoes this January because Tuesday Funk is taking you on a wild winter trek. For our 41st episode you'll join us in tracking down the talents of Stephen Markley, Lawrence Santoro, Christopher Sweet, Holly McDowell, and William Shunn. And your reward? Dozens of varieties of cold beer in our warm, cozy environs, and an evening of prime entertainment.

The hunt gets underway Tuesday, January 3, 2012, 7:30 pm, in the upstairs lounge at Hopleaf, 5148 N. Clark St., Chicago. Arrive early, carve yourself out some space in the upper room, and grab a beer from John at the cash-only bar. We start seating at 7:00 pm and no earlier. Admission is always free, but you must be 21 or older. And come early or stay afterward for some great Belgian-style food downstairs.

Please bring plenty of friends, and become a fan of Tuesday Funk on Facebook so you never miss an invitation to our readings. Mush!

          

We just want to give you a quick heads-up that your Tuesday Funk co-host William Shunn will be appearing as part of the Essay Fiesta reading series at The Book Cellar in Lincoln Square this coming Monday, December 19th, at 7:00 pm.

It'll be Bill's third time reading at Essay Fiesta, a monthly charitable reading series that benefits 826CHI, a non-profit writing and tutoring program here in Chicago, and he's very excited to be asked back. Hosts Alyson Lyon and Keith Ecker (both of whom have read for us at the Funk) do a fantastic job of putting together a great program every month. Also appearing on Monday will be Dana Norris, J.H. Palmer, Jennifer Bosworth, and Eric Bjorlin. Please turn out and support the whole gang.

The Book Cellar, we should mention, is a wonderful place for a reading. It's a lovely independent bookstore and café, with beer, wine, and coffee available during their events. The reading itself is free, with fun prizes raffled and donation accepted on behalf of 826CHI. Show up early to be sure of a seat.


Last time Bill read at Essay Fiesta, back in April 2010, it looked and sounded something like this:

          

This past December 6th, Emile Ferris kicked off Tuesday Funk in a big way with her poem "My Mother Is 1968 Chicago." We wish technical difficulties didn't prevent us from showing you the full work, but check out this powerful, powerful excerpt from it:

And if you liked that, please don't miss our next event which takes place Tuesday, January 3, 2012, and includes readings from Stephen Markley, Lawrence Santoro, Holly McDowell, Christopher Sweet, and William Shunn!

          

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)

          

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Hi, generous Tuesday Funk fans! You may not be familiar with the name Terri Windling, but she is a major figure in the fantasy publishing world, as an author, illustrator, and especially editor. Health and legal issues have drained the Terri and her family of all financial resources, so the SF/fantasy community is doing what the SF/fantasy community does—banding together to help.

And they're helping by raising money with an online auction called Magick 4 Terri. Literally dozens of publishing professionals—people like Jane Yolen, Cory Doctorow, Holly Black, Ellen Kushner, Charles Vess, Barry Goldblatt—have contributed rare goods and services to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Your humble Tuesday Funk co-host has a slate of items up for auction, too—three signed, privately printed copies of my not-yet-published memoir The Accidental Terrorist. You might have heard me read from it on several occasions at past Funk episodes. The manuscript is making the rounds of editors' desks as we speak, but there's a way you, generous Funker, can lay hands on a copy well before anyone else.

All you have to do is bid.

The bidding starts at $100. The three highest bidders walk away with the books, and will also be mentioned the acknowledgment when a commercial edition finally comes out. The bidding has already begun, so what are you waiting for?

Oh, one more thing. The auction closes at 5:00 pm PST on Thursday, December 15th. That gives you just a little over 24 hours to get your bids in. Help Terri Windling, and don't delay. Bid now!

(Click here for more information about the bidding process.)


If you're curious to know more about The Accidental Terrorist, I did an interview about it on Air America back in 2009, when I was serializing an earlier draft as a weekly podcast. Listen to both segments of the interview below:

Doing Time with Ron Kuby, Part 1  (10:35)

Doing Time with Ron Kuby, Part 2  (07:49)

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