Melissa Franic is a writer and educator born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago to an Italian-American mother and a Yugoslavian-born father. She holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Creative Writing from Goddard College, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Anthropology from Northern Illinois University. Melissa currently works in academic administration (which is as boring as it sounds but pays the bills). She also teaches writing workshops throughout the Chicago area, most recently The Writer's Playground as part of The Elgin Literary Festival. She previously worked as a professional journalist at various suburban Chicago newspapers, including The West Chicago Press and The Naperville Sun. Her creative work has appeared in The Pitkin Review, where she also held the positions of Associate Editor and Critical Commentary Editor. She is married to the writer Jeff Pizek.

Please join Melissa and all our amazing readers on Tuesday, May 5, 2015, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.

Maggie Kast is the author of The Crack between the Worlds: a dancer's memoir of loss, faith and family, published by Wipf and Stock. Her first novel, A Free, Unsullied Land, is forthcoming from Fomite Press in autumn 2015. "The Hate that Chills," a story excerpted from the novel, won third prize in the Hackney Literary Contests. Maggie received an M.F.A. in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and has published fiction in The Sun, Nimrod, Rosebud, Paper Street and others. A chapter of her memoir, published in ACM/Another Chicago Magazine, won a Literary Award from the Illinois Arts Council and a Pushcart nomination. Her essays have appeared in America, Image, Writer's Chronicle and elsewhere. The spring issue of Cook's Gazette will have excerpts from her essay, "Sugar, Sex and the Andalusian Cadence," along with a recipe for coffee fudge.

Please join Maggie and all our prolific readers on Tuesday, May 5, 2015, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.

Wesley Chu is the author of five novels and a 2015 nominee for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His debut, The Lives of Tao, won the Young Adult Library Services Alex Award and was a finalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Science Fiction. His next series, Time Salvager, published by Tor books, is scheduled for release on July 7th, 2015. He hates long walks in the park and is terrified of heights.

Please join Wes and all our phobic readers on Tuesday, May 5, 2015, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with some live lit at Tuesday Funk! Your favorite eclectic monthly reading series returns to the upstairs lounge at Hopleaf, 5148 N. Clark St. in Chicago, on Tuesday, May 5, 2015, with guests Wesley Chu, Jenny Drai, Melissa Franic, Maggie Kast and Jack Silverstein! Plus, our bartender extraordinaire Mark is lining up a special Cinco de Mayo beer for us.

Doors open at 7:00 pm sharp -- no earlier, alas, but get there as close to 7 as possible to grab a table, as the room fills up quickly -- and the show begins promptly at 7:30. Andrew Huff and Eden Robins co-host. Admission is free, but you must be 21 or older.

RSVP right here and bring a friend. Don't forget to become a fan on Facebook so you never miss an invitation to one of our readings. See you May 5!

Co-host Andrew Huff only read one haiku at the April 7th edition of Tuesday Funk.

At SXSW,
a new band's sound blends into
one long muffled track.

What a show! We had a packed crowd - standing room only - for Tuesday Funk #80 last night.

Former TF co-host Sara Ross Witt started off the night with a heartbreaking story of a family in wartime, dealing with unspeakable loss. Mary Anne Mohanraj shared the introduction of her novel-in-progress, a science fiction story of aliens and war and university life modeled after the events of the Sri Lankan civil war. Co-host Andrew Huff entertained us with his current events haiku, and Christian Picciolini ended the half with a difficult story of how being bullied in school led to his involvement in the white power movement.

A powerful half, and needless to say, we all needed some booze. Mark obliged.

The awesomeness didn't end there! Co-host Eden Robins read a microessay about identifying a little too closely with her celebrity doppelgangers, and then Parker Molloy told an intimate story of transition and self-reinvention. Finally, Mikki Kendall read us a short story of a black southern woman with the power to mold minds and events with her cooking skills.

It was a Tuesday Funk for the ages. Won't you join us at our next awesome event? Tuesday Funk #81 will be on Tuesday, May 5 at 7:30pm, featuring Wesley Chu, Melissa Franic, Jenny Drai, Jack Silverstein, and Maggie Kast!

Tonight's the night! Tuesday Funk #80 is ON! Andrew Huff and Eden Robins are, as always, your faithful co-hosts. And tonight we have a stellar lineup, featuring: Mary Anne Mohanraj, Sara Ross Witt, Christian Picciolini, Parker Molloy, and Mikki Kendall!

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!

Mikki Kendall, a writer and occasional feminist divides her time between two careers, a family, and brunch. She commits acts of fiction largely focusing on black people in every situation under the sun, and a few under undefined celestial bodies.

Please join Mikki and all our impressive readers on Tuesday, April 7, 2015, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.

Parker Molloy is a writer, essayist, feminist, blogger, pseudo-journalist, and taker of naps from right here in Chicago. Her work has appeared in outlets like The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Slate, Bitch Magazine, and The Daily Beast, among others. She's written about topics ranging from LGBT issues to pop culture to sports, and she spends way too much time on Twitter. Parker recently began working full-time at Upworthy as a trends contributor, and hopes to stick around there for the foreseeable future.

Please join Parker and all our impressive readers on Tuesday, April 7, 2015, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.

After leaving the white power skinhead movement he helped build, Christian Picciolini graduated from DePaul University and became a respected entrepreneur. He executive-produced America's second-longest running music television program and launched Goldmill Group, a global entertainment firm. Most importantly, in 2010 he co-founded the peace advocacy nonprofit Life After Hate. He and his family live in Chicago.

Please join Christian and all our impressive readers on Tuesday, April 7, 2015, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.