Christopher Sweet spent virtually his entire working life cunningly disguised as a high school English teacher in the Chicago suburbs. He blogs irregularly at Chicago Now, "Truth and Absurdity Spotting in Chicago," under his boyhood nickname, Kit.

Please join Christopher and all our incognito readers on Tuesday, January 6, 2015, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.

Winter's chill will not stop the funk! Tuesday Funk, Chicago's eclectic monthly reading series, returns in January with guests James Kennedy, Kelly Swails, John Rich, Erin Shea Smith and Christopher Sweet.

The reading gets underway on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2014, 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. Andrew Huff and Eden Robins co-host, our lovely bartender Mark will have beers at the ready, and stop downstairs before or after the show for a nice, hot meal before heading back out into the cold. 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 there on Jan. 6!

The Dec. 2nd edition of Tuesday Funk saw co-host Andrew Huff reflecting on Thanksgiving and the reason for the season.

Now that Black Friday
Stars on Thanksgiving Thursday,
watch out Black Wednesday.

Few things are better
thank leftover turkey and
racist relatives.

I had Cosby sweaters
when I was a teenager.
Bill, you let us down.

Watching bad movies
is like peeling a Band-Aid:
oh painful pleasure.

December feels like a month of Mondays. EXCEPT when it's Tuesday Funk! Hoo-wee! Then it feels, ah, funky? Anyway.

We started out the evening with a Tuesday Funk newbie, Clayton Smith, and he killed it with an excerpt from his novel involving adventure, peril, and imaginary friends. Next up was Jac Jemc, reading a lyrical, surprising story about sisters and murder from her new collection, A Different Bed Every Time. Co-host Eden Robins read an essay about a complicated relationship with her grandmother. And Karen Genelly closed out the half with fascinating tales from her time as a sex educator in Chicago Public Schools.

Mark educated us about beers, or rather, he filled our glasses for us. Not that he doesn't know about beer... the man knows about beer.

Co-host Andrew Huff read his topical haiku - skewering Thanksgiving and Bill Cosby in one fell swoop. G.P.A. (Greatest Poet Alive) blasted off in the second half with an equally cringe-worthy and heartwarming story about romantic rejection, and Jonathan Eig drove it home with a fascinating excerpt from his new book The Birth of the Pill. Yes, that pill.

It was a funky night indeed. A great end to 2014. Help us ring in 2015 with readings by Kelly Swails, John Rich, James Kennedy, Erin Shea Smith, and Christopher Sweet on January 6th!

Did Thanksgiving take a toll on your mind and body? Then come refresh yourself with beers and literature tonight at Tuesday Funk #76! It'll stuff your turkey! Or something.

Join your lionhearted cohosts Andrew Huff and Eden Robins, as well as local luminaries Jac Jemc, Clayton Smith, Karen Genelly, James Gordon (aka G.P.A.), and Jonathan Eig!

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!

G.P.A.(Greatest Poet Alive) aka James Gordon is from the South Side of Chicago. He is the author of six books of Poetry, including the award winning Readers' Favorite Poetry Book (Love and Romance) Revenge of the Orgasm and the Children's Book of the Year Hi My Name is Bobo. G.P.A. can also be seen in the movies (Animals and Persian Version) and on TV (Sirens, Shameless, Chicago Fire, and Chicago PD). He can be found at GPA MEDIA INC and on Twitter at gr8estpoetalive.

Please join G.P.A and all our superlative readers on Tuesday, December 2, 2014, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.

Jonathan Eig is a former Wall Street Journal reporter and the New York Times best-selling author of four books: Luckiest Man, Opening Day, Get Capone, and, most recently, The Birth of the Pill. Ken Burns has called Eig a "master storyteller" and The Washington Post described The Birth of the Pill as "a gripping tale" and "essential reading."

Please join Jonathan and all our essential readers on Tuesday, December 2, 2014, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.

Jac Jemc's first story collection, A Different Bed Every Time, is newly out from Dzanc Books. Her novel, My Only Wife, was a finalist for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction and winner of the Paula Anderson Book Award. She is the poetry editor for decomP and nonfiction editor for Hobart.

Please join Jac and all our accomplished readers on Tuesday, December 2, 2014, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.

Clayton Smith is a writer of speculative fiction and an avid curser of winter weather. He writes novels, short stories, and plays, mostly. His work has been featured on the popular Internet site Amazon, and his plays have been produced rather mercilessly in St. Louis and New York City. His published work includes the novel Apocalypticon, the short story collection Pants on Fire: A Collection of Lies, and the upcoming novel IF.

Please join Clayton and all our winter-cursing readers on Tuesday, December 2, 2014, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.

Karen Genelly is a native Chicagoan who has traveled a lot but always returns home. As a docent for the Chicago Architecture Foundation, she tells stories of Chicago and the people that make it a great city. Two years ago, she took an early retirement from the Chicago Board of Education and is now exploring the world beyond kids, paperwork, and her daily rant about Rahm Emmanuel. She has told stories at This Much is True, Story Lab, Do Not Submit, That's All She Wrote, Is this a Thing?, Homewood Stories, and at various open mics around the city.

Please join Karen and all our Chicago-loving readers on Tuesday, December 2, 2014, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.