Coya Paz is a writer, director, and lip gloss connoisseur who was raised in Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, and the United States. She is the artistic director of Free Street Theater, a cofounder of the Proyecto Latina collective, and served as the founding co-Artistic Director of Teatro Luna for nine years. Coya is an associate professor in The Theatre School at DePaul University and holds a PhD in Performance Studies from Northwestern University. She is a regular commentator on race, politics, and pop culture for Vocalo.org. Her latest performance project, 100 Hauntings, is running at Free Street Theater through December 2nd. Above all, she believes in the power of poetry and performance to build community towards social change. Visit her on the web at coyapaz.com

Please join Coya and our other amazing readers on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016 in the upstairs bar at Hopleaf. Doors open at 7pm, and the show starts at 7:30. It's free, and 21-and-over. RSVP on Facebook.

Cesar Torres is the author of the 2014 supernatural thriller 13 Secret Cities, as well as the erotic LGBTQ book series How to Kill a Superhero, which he writes under the pseudonym Pablo Greene. Cesar's books cut across the genres of fantasy, sci fi and suspense, and his characters explore isolation, loss, and their elusive quests for consciousness. Cesar attended the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, where he currently serves as an adjunct professor in their graduate program. Cesar's next novel, 9 Lords of Night, a new crime thriller set in Chicago and New York City, is scheduled to release in 2017. Gold, the fourth book in the How to Kill a Superhero book series, will also launch next year. Cesar publishes all his novels through his company Solar Six, which also features two clothing lines, a podcast, and an upcoming series of short documentaries.

Please join Cesar and our other amazing readers on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016 in the upstairs bar at Hopleaf. Doors open at 7pm, and the show starts at 7:30. It's free, and 21-and-over. RSVP on Facebook.

Megan Stielstra is the author of Once I Was Cool and Everyone Remain Calm. Her work appears in the Best American Essays, New York Times, Guernica, the Rumpus, and on National Public Radio, and she performs regularly for the 2nd Story storytelling series and The Paper Machete live news magazine at The Green Mill. Her next collection, The Wrong Way To Save Your Life, is forthcoming summer 2017 from Harper Perennial.

Please join Megan and our other amazing readers on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016 in the upstairs bar at Hopleaf. Doors open at 7pm, and the show starts at 7:30. It's free, and 21-and-over. RSVP on Facebook.

Veronica Arreola is a professional feminist, writer, and mom. Veronica is contributing to Bitch Media's Campaign 2016 coverage and serves on their board of directors. Her writing has also be featured in outlets such as USA Today, New York Times, and the anthology, "Love Her, Love Her Not: The Hillary Paradox." Veronica's blog, Viva la Feminista, has been named a top political blog by Blogher and LATISM. For 10 years she worked on diversity issues at the UIC Women in Science and Engineering Program. She lives in West Rogers Park with her husband, teenage daughter and two rescue dogs.

Please join Veronica and our other amazing readers on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016 in the upstairs bar at Hopleaf. Doors open at 7pm, and the show starts at 7:30. It's free, and 21-and-over. RSVP on Facebook.

Mary Robinette Kowal is the author of The Glamourist Histories series of fantasy novels. She has received the Campbell Award for Best New Writer, three Hugo awards, and the RT Reviews award for Best Fantasy Novel. Her work has been a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards. Stories have appeared in Strange Horizons, Asimov's, and several Year's Best anthologies as well as in her collection Scenting the Dark and Other Stories from Subterranean.

Mary, a professional puppeteer and voice actor, has performed for LazyTown (CBS), the Center for Puppetry Arts, Jim Henson Pictures and founded Other Hand Productions. Her designs have garnered two UNIMA-USA Citations of Excellence, the highest award an American puppeteer can achieve. She is a member of SAG/AFTRA and records fiction for authors such as Kage Baker, Cory Doctorow and John Scalzi. Mary lives in Chicago with her husband Rob and over a dozen manual typewriters.

Please join Mary and our other amazing readers on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016 in the upstairs bar at Hopleaf. Doors open at 7pm, and the show starts at 7:30. It's free, and 21-and-over. RSVP on Facebook.

Photo © 2012 Rod Searcey.

Sure, it's starting to get chilly and blustery outside, but the upstairs lounge is warm and cozy -- just right for the November edition of Tuesday Funk! Join us for readings by Megan Stielstra, Coya Paz, Cesar Torres, Mary Robinette Kowal and Veronica Arreola. Andrew Huff hosts with special guest co-host Jasmine Davila.

Doors open at 7pm -- no earlier, please! -- and the show starts at 7:30 sharp. So get there early to grab a seat, but not too early. As always, admission is free, but you must be 21 or older. And come early or stay late after for dinner or snacks downstairs.

Please RSVP on Facebook, and bring a friend. And don't forget to become a fan so you never miss an invitation to one of our readings. Sponsored by the Chicago Review of Books.

The October edition of Tuesday Funk exemplified our mission of being an eclectic monthly reading series. We began with a story of love and loss from K.B. Jensen. Next, Henri Harps told a tale of a young jazzman who finds his sound in an unlikely source. Cohost Andrew then read a couple topical haiku, then introduced Tom Haley, who found 10 ways to explain a joke.

After the intermission, guest cohost Jasmine Davila read an essay about Filipino Heritage Month and the wait for Filipino culture to get its moment of popularity. Next, Jen Masengarb read haiku about life in the city, many paired with photos that she projected. Lastly, Kevin Smokler told a personal story about searching for a fictional town from the movies that didn't exist -- and eventually finding it.

The illustration here was drawn by Dmitry Samarov -- see the rest on our Facebook page. And if you missed the show, you can watch the readers on our YouTube channel, along with videos of past shows.

We'll be back on Tuesday, Nov. 1 with guests Megan Stielstra, Coya Paz, Cesar Torres, Mary Robinette Kowal and Veronica Arreola. Hope to see you there!

Cohost Andrew Huff only wrote three haiku for the October 4, 2016 episode of Tuesday Funk, and they were really diverse.

VP candidates
are debating each other
right now. Yeah, who cares?

The crack of the bat,
the roar of the crowd. The Cubs
may go all the way.

A friend advised me,
"Answer your oldest email."
Instant stress relief.

Put down that pumpkin spice latte and come see some live lit! Tuesday Funk is back tonight with readings by Tom Haley, Kevin Smokler, Henri Harps, KB Jensen and Jen Masengarb!

Our readings take place at Hopleaf Bar, 5148 N. Clark St. in Chicago. We get started promptly at 7:30 pm in the upstairs lounge. Arrive early if you want a seat -- but no earlier than 7:00 pm. Our readings are free, but only those 21 and over will be admitted. No food can be brought in from the restaurant. See you there!

Tom Haley divides his time between daytime, and nighttime. He has published several essays, and has previously busied himself as a grad student, writing teacher, copywriter, and book critic. He lives in Albany Park, and works as a creative director for a Chicago marketing agency called Jellyvision.

Please join Tom and our other amazing readers on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016 in the upstairs bar at Hopleaf. Doors open at 7pm, and the show starts at 7:30. It's free, and 21-and-over.