Sara Ross Witt is the former co-host of Tuesday Funk and a graduate of The New School MFA in Creative Writing program. Her writing has appeared in Black Market Lit, Best of Ohio Short Stories, Arch City Chronicle, and Parent to Parent. Born in Ohio, Sara was raised by a mother who wrote checks to herself, served her children a shot of brandy on New Year's Eve to ward off evil spirits in the new year, and believed two of her daughters were psychic. She followed her mother to seances, new moon circles, and out of body experiences. Magic (and sometimes her mother) are a part of almost all of her stories. Sara lives Chicago's Uptown neighborhood with her husband Andrew Witt - bassist for the hard rock doom pop fish metal band Sea Lords - their 3 year old son and a cat named Perseus.

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

Mary Anne Mohanraj is author of Bodies in Motion (HarperCollins), The Stars Change (Circlet Press) and ten other titles. Bodies in Motion was a finalist for the Asian American Book Awards, a USA Today Notable Book, and has been translated into six languages. The Stars Change is a science fiction novella, and finalist for the Lambda, Rainbow, and Bisexual Book Awards. Previous titles include Aqua Erotica,Wet, Kathryn in the City, The Classics Professor, The Best of Strange Horizons, Without a Map, The Poet's Journey, and A Taste of Serendib (a Sri Lankan cookbook). Mohanraj founded the Hugo-nominated magazine, Strange Horizons, and was Guest of Honor at WisCon 2010 and Maneki Neko Con. She serves as Executive Director of the Speculative Literature Foundation, has taught at the Clarion SF/F workshop, and is Clinical Assistant Professor of English at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

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

At the March 3rd edition of Tuesday Funk, co-host Andrew Huff's thoughts turned to travel.

Flying middle seat
is made even worse when stuck
between coughers.

You always hear about
cold and flu in the fall, but
spring is often worse.

Dying the river
heralds the arrival of spring.
So do drunks in green.

If you didn't vote
in the runoff election,
you are dead to me.

The snow is finally melting and green is finally starting to reappear, but Tuesday Funk springs eternal. On April 7, Andrew Huff and Eden Robins co-host the 80th edition of Chicago's eclectic monthly reading series, with readings by Mikki Kendall, Mary Anne Mohanraj, Parker Molloy, Christian Picciolini and former Tuesday Funk host Sara Ross Witt!

The reading gets underway on Tuesday, April 7, 2015, at 7:30 pm in the upstairs lounge at Hopleaf, 5148 N. Clark St., Chicago. Doors open at 7:00 pm sharp -- no earlier, unfortunately, but get there as close to 7 as possible to grab a table, as the room fills up quickly. Our lovely bartender Mark has a beer for you, and stop downstairs before or after the show for a nice meal. Admission is free, but you must be 21 or older.

RSVP right here and bring a friend. And hey, become a fan of the show on Facebook so you never miss an invitation to one of our readings. See you on April 7!

The fluffy white snow has transitioned to hard black lumps, which means... it's almost spring! We rang in the new season with an evening of awesome readers!

Genevieve Waller warmed up the crowd with four linked essays about living with nature in the city. Danielle Susi followed that up with a series of poems from her new manuscript, and then co-host Andrew Huff got in on the poetry game with his patented seasonal haiku. Tom Underberg finished up the first half with an excerpt from his Chicago-based ghost story.

Cameron was playing the part of Mark this week, and did us proud.

After the half, co-host Eden Robins read a microessay about feeling old at a rock show, and then Mare Swallow spoke about feeling invisible as a child-free woman. Finally, Keidra Chaney made us all ravenous with her story of cooking and family legacies.

We left everyone hungry for more... and luckily there is more! Join us on Tuesday, April 7 at 7:30pm for readings by Christian Picciolini, Mikki Kendall, Sara Ross Witt, Mary Anne Mohanraj, and Parker Molloy.

February was a short month, so don't forget - Tuesday Funk #79 is tonight!! Andrew Huff and Eden Robins will be your trusty sherpas through an evening of Everest-quality readings - featuring Keidra Chaney, Danielle Susi, Mare Swallow, Genevieve Waller, and Tom Underberg! And of course, Mark will be your drinks sherpa for the, erm, hike up Beer Mountain.

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!

Danielle Susi is the author of the chapbook The Month in Which We Are Born (Dancing Girl Press). Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Knee-Jerk Magazine, Hobart, The Rumpus, Lines+Stars, DIALOGIST, and Midway Journal, among many others. Recently, Newcity named her among the Top 5 Emerging Chicago Poets. You can find her online at daniellesusi.com.

Please join Danielle and all our impressive readers on Tuesday, March 3, 2015, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.

Genevieve Sedlack Waller's career path veered dramatically when, at 10 years old, she realized that being a veterinarian would mean she'd have to put animals to sleep. Inspired by her cartoon idol, the savvy red-headed reporter Brenda Starr, she decided to become a writer instead. With gusto she carved out her first job in the late '70s as the sole founder, reporter, editor, designer and salesperson for The Claremont Review - named after the Chicago street she called home. That childhood experience shaped her professional career as a reporter for daily newspapers, the legendary City News Bureau, and Chicago's agricultural and financial markets. She founded Crooked Door Storytelling in 2011 and currently defines herself as an oral storyteller, teaching artist, essayist and fiction writer. She finds her inspiration from seemingly everyday moments and the roads she's traveled in the world. And she remains quite thrilled with her long-ago career choice.

Please join Genevieve and all our word-loving readers on Tuesday, March 3, 2015, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.

As a writer, Mare Swallow is working on her business book, Pay Attention to the Brown M&Ms. She is also a public speaking coach in Chicago. When she's not doing those two things, she is the Executive Director of the Chicago Writers Conference. Join them at their annual benefit, "Bad Poetry Night" on March 31.

Please join Mare and all our multi-talented readers on Tuesday, March 3, 2015, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.

Keidra Chaney is a Chicago-born-and-raised writer and editor who focuses on pop culture, music, and technology. She's been published in Newcity, Chicago Sun-Times, Time Out Chicago, Bitch Magazine, Paste magazine and tons of publications that don't exist anymore. A blogger since 1999, she is the co-founder and managing editor of The Learned Fangirl, a blog about pop culture and technology and an editor at JSTOR Daily. She occasionally plays bass guitar with her band Sole Heiress for beer and LOLs.

Please join Keidra and all our fantastic readers on Tuesday, March 3, 2015, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.