Tuesday Funk cohost Andrew Huff read a couple of quick haiku at the Andersonville Arts Week edition of the show.

Puerto Ricans are
U.S. citizens. We are
failing Americans.

Unexpected stain:
Where did this spot come from?
Was it last night's meal?

Autumn leaves clog drains,
turning streets into streams and
temporary ponds.

We had a blast at the special Andersonville Arts Week edition of Tuesday Funk, demonstrating the eclecticism of our format for an attentive audience who braved the rain to see us on a Saturday.

Leading us off, Karen Clanton read an essay about how she's saying "I usually don't, but..." a lot more as she's gotten older. Then Aaron Cynic railed against the administration and channeled a lot of the nihilism and rage a lot of folks have been feeling this year. Cohost Andrew Huff read a couple of his patented seasonal haiku, and Paul McComas and Maya Kuper took us into the intermission with a performance an excerpt of their alt-rock musical UNPLUGGED: A Survivor's Story in Scenes & Songs.

Bartender Jason refilled our drinks, and we settled back into the show with a prose poem by guest cohost Emma Terhaar. Benjamin Goluboff read a trio of poems from his forthcoming collection, and finally Kellye Howard read a portion of her memoir in progress.

We'll be back to our usual first Tuesday schedule with a show on November 7, featuring Parneshia Jones, Henri Harps, Jeff Ruby, Gint Aras and Britt Julious. Hope to see you there!

Photo by Aaron Cynic

Aaron Cynic is an independent journalist and photographer based in Chicago. His interest in the tapestry of politics and media began in the '90s when he stumbled into a table of zines at a punk show at the Fireside Bowl. Since then, he's written and photographed for numerous publications, zines, books and websites. He's a regular contributor to Chicagoist, a co-founder of Visu.News, and his work has also appeared in Progress Illinois, Alternet, Truthout, In These Times, The Daily Line, The Huffington Post, Shareable and more.

Please join Aaron and our other amazing readers on Saturday, October 14, 2017 in the upstairs bar at Hopleaf. Doors open at 2:30 pm, and the show starts at 3. It's free, and 21-and-over. RSVP on Facebook.

Maya Kuper and Paul McComas explore the intersection between performing arts, and progressive outreach & healing. As the Dayna Clay Project, Maya & Paul raise awareness and funds for The Kennedy Forum's suicide-prevention and mental-health leadership initiatives, and for RAINN (the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) -- the nation's largest anti-sexual-violence organization. Join Maya & Paul at City Winery Chicago at 1 pm on Sunday, Oct. 22 for a special book and album release performance of their alt-rock musical UNPLUGGED: A Survivor's Story in Scenes & Songs. Learn more at UnpluggedTheMusical.com.

Please join Maya and Paul and our other amazing readers on Saturday, October 14, 2017 in the upstairs bar at Hopleaf. Doors open at 2:30 pm, and the show starts at 3. It's free, and 21-and-over. RSVP on Facebook.

Karen Clanton is an attorney whose law degree did not stifle the English major lurking within. She has forged a career as a writer in the legal profession, where she develops internal communications strategy for a major law firm. Karen served as the reporter for an American Bar Association (ABA) Commission examining diversity and has led editorial projects for both the ABA and the Chicago Bar Association. She is a single mom living on the South Side of Chicago chronicling her adventures through stories that can be heard at open mics on the city's live lit scene.

Please join Karen and our other amazing readers on Saturday, October 14, 2017 in the upstairs bar at Hopleaf. Doors open at 2:30 pm, and the show starts at 3. It's free, and 21-and-over. RSVP on Facebook.

Benjamin Goluboff teaches English at Lake Forest College. In addition to some scholarly publications, he has placed imaginative work -- poetry, fiction, and essays -- in many small-press journals, recently Unbroken, Bird's Thumb, and War Literature and the Arts. His collection Ho Chi Minh: A Speculative Life in Verse, and Other Poems is forthcoming from Urban Farmhouse Press this year. Some of his work can be read at www.lakeforest.edu/academics/faculty/goluboff/.

Please join Benjamin and our other amazing readers on Saturday, October 14, 2017 in the upstairs bar at Hopleaf. Doors open at 2:30 pm, and the show starts at 3. It's free, and 21-and-over. RSVP on Facebook.

Kellye Howard is a writer, speaker, actress, and stand up comedian who has been featured on Comedy Central, TBS, NBC, FOX, WGN, and many more. She also currently performs improv with Second City every Saturday night in the Blackout Cabaret.

Please join Kellye and our other amazing readers on Saturday, October 14, 2017 in the upstairs bar at Hopleaf. Doors open at 2:30 pm, and the show starts at 3. It's free, and 21-and-over. RSVP on Facebook.

Continue celebrating decorative gourd season with your favorite eclectic monthly reading series! Our 110th episode on Tuesday, Nov. 7 is a blockbuster, featuring Parneshia Jones, Henri Harps, Jeff Ruby, Gint Aras and Britt Julious!

As always, admission is free, but you must be 21 to attend. Doors open at 7pm sharp (don't dawdle if you want a seat!) and the show will start at 7:30pm. Please RSVP on Facebook -- and if you haven't yet, please like our page so you get our announcements right in your stream.

Sponsored by the Chicago Review of Books.

What, Tuesday Funk on a Saturday!? That's right! We doing a special Andersonville Arts Week edition of your favorite eclectic monthly reading series on Saturday, October 14, with readings by Kellye Howard, Karen Clanton, Aaron Cynic, Benjamin Goluboff, and Paul McComas & Maya Kuper.

Doors will open at 2:30pm, and the show will start promptly at 3pm. The show will be hosted by Andrew Huff and special guest Emma Terhaar. RSVP on Facebook, and like our page to make sure you hear all about fun shows like this.

As always, Tuesday Funk is free, and you must be 21 to attend. Hope to see you there!

The weather was weirdly warm for October, and the feelings at Tuesday Funk were warm as well. Did you miss it? Well, here's what happened.

Anne Abel led us off with a personal story about depression, family and a dying pet, and Jeff Phillips followed up with a supernatural story about his dad. Then Norman Doucet explained the state of political affairs through heavy metal lyrics.

We refilled our drinks, then settled back in for the second half with a micro-essay by cohost Eden Robins about her relationship with her grandmother. Tom Haley read posts from "Steve's Cooking Blog" and Ines Bellina had us laughing and commiserating about how much the dating life -- and the expectations and advice others have for their single friends -- sucks.

We will be back for a special Andersonville Arts Week edition of Tuesday Funk on Saturday, October 14, with readings by Kellye Howard, Karen Clanton, Aaron Cynic, Benjamin Goluboff, and Paul McComas & Maya Kuper. And then we'll be back to our usual first Tuesday with a show on November 7, featuring Parneshia Jones, Henri Harps, Melody Kamali, Gint Aras and Britt Julious. Hope to see you at both shows!