Jeremy Owens is the creator and producer of You're Being Ridiculous, which has a new show coming up on May 16, 23 & 30 at Mary's Attic. He has told stories with Lifeline Theatre's Filet of Solo Festival, Story Club, Guts & Glory, Solo in the 2nd City and The Paper Machete. He's a food writer for Oy Chicago and Gapers Block and wants to be Whoopi Goldberg when he grows up.

Please join Jeremy and all our other Whoopi-loving readers on Tuesday, May 6, 2014, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.

James Finn Garner is best known as the author of the international best-seller, Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, which sold more than 2 million copies in the US and was translated into 25 languages. He has been published in Chicago Magazine, Playboy, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and TV Guide, and has been heard on NPR and the BBC. A veteran performer, he has recently read at The Paper Machete, Write Club, That's All She Wrote, Essay Fiesta and Reading Under the Influence. His current project is the seminal clown noir mystery trilogy starring Rex Koko, Private Clown: Honk Honk My Darling, Double Indignity and The Wet Nose of Danger. Babes! Bullets! Banana peels! For more dope, check out jamesfinngarner.com, pally.

Please join James and all our other wise guy readers on Tuesday, May 6, 2014, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.

Gint Aras (Karolis Gintaras Žukauskas) has been trapped on planet Earth since 1973. His writing has appeared in Square One, Antique Children, Criminal Class Review, The Hellgate Review, Curbside Splendor, Šiaurės Atėnai, Dialogo, The Good Men Project and other publications. He photographs Walls and Puddles, and is the author of the cult novel, Finding the Moon in Sugar. Aras earned his MFA in Writing from Columbia University, and a BA in English and American Literature from the University of Illinois. He currently lives in Oak Park, IL with his family.

Please join Gint and all our other prolific readers on Tuesday, May 6, 2014, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.

Melissa Wiley is a freelance writer and editor seizing every opportunity to walk barefoot with half-painted toenails through airport security and stammer in pidgin tongues. Her travel writing has been anthologized in Whereabouts: Stepping Out of Place, and she is contributing editor and columnist for the online literary magazine Storyacious. You can find her go-go dancing at the occasional craft fair and trying to hula hoop at the odd surfer-space party. She can hold her breath for only 10 seconds but can float for hours.

Please join Melissa and all our other oxygen-dependent readers on Tuesday, May 6, 2014, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.

The April 1 edition of Tuesday Funk found co-host Andrew Huff reading his ripped-from-the-headlines haiku once again.

Spring appears here now.
Well, at least in fits and spurts.
Only two months till fall!

Chicago primaries
only four percent voted.
Double-you Tee Eff?

Happy birthday, John.
May the guild remain complex
and pleasures simple.

You may have heard the
Internet is forever.
Not when your host dies.

8.0 earthquake
has struck off northern Chile.
Tsunami warning.

Chicago is finally thawing, and with any luck, by the next edition of Tuesday Funk we'll have blossoms on the trees. The 69th edition of your eclectic monthly reading series will feature James Finn Garner, Melissa Wiley, Gint Aras, Jeremy Owens and Dustin Monk. Eden Robins and Andrew Huff are your humble cohosts.

The evening gets underway on Tuesday, May 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 -- seriously. Arrive early for a table and grab a beer from Mark at the bar. As always, admission is free, but you must be 21 or older. And there's great Belgian-style food downstairs if you want to eat before or after the show.

RSVP on Facebook and bring a friend. And hey, become a fan of Tuesday Funk on Facebook so you never miss an invitation to one of our readings. See you there!

Spring might have felt like a cruel April Fool's joke, but Tuesday Funk #68 was all real, baby. Cesar Torres gave us a glimpse into his soon-to-be-released serial novel The 13 Secret Cities with a breathless chase scene in a dystopian Chicago. Letitia Moffitt read a humorous and bittersweet story of a young woman changing her appearance to forget her past, from her novel-in-stories Sidewalk Dancing. Co-host Andrew Huff shamed Chicago for its 4% primary turnout in haiku. And Amy Sumpter rounded out the first half with the true trials and tribulations of a Girl Scout roadtrip gone horribly wrong.

Beers were had.

Co-host Eden Robins made us all think about aging with her micro-essay. Brooke Wonders took the stage with two stories - a horror love story (is there any other?) and one about writing, if stories were wild animals. And finally, Jill Howe chilled us to the bone and then warmed our hearts with her scary, sweet, funny, sad tale of teaching at CPS.

We tried to hold onto the moment for as long as we could, but all good nights must end. That doesn't mean we can't have another! Join us on May 6th for Tuesday Funk #69, featuring James Finn Garner, Melissa Wiley, Gint Aras, Jeremy Owens, and Dustin Monk!

Well, slap a fish on my back and call me a poisson d'avril... tonight's Tuesday Funk is no joke! We promise, only 5-10 bad April Fool's puns per hour.

So come by Tuesday Funk #68 and see fabulous readers Letitia Moffitt, Brooke Wonders, Cesar Torres, Amy Sumpter, and Jill Howe... and of course your charming and humble co-hosts Andrew Huff and Eden Robins.

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!

Amy Sumpter is a comedic actress who has does stand-up all over the city. She is a regular performer with The Kates and Beast Women. You can find her on Rooftop Comedy.com and she will be at Zanies in May. She is also one third of She's Crafty, Chicago's all female Beastie Boy tribute band.

Please join Amy and all our other amazing and beastly readers on Tuesday, April 1, 2014, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.

Cesar Torres is the author of the 2010 short story collection The 12 Burning Wheels. His first published short story appeared in The Willows Magazine in fall of 2008. His brand new serial novel, The 13 Secret Cities, releases April 28 of this year. Cesar is also the host of The Labyrinth podcast, where he interviews authors and explores topics in writing, philosophy and publishing. He lives in New York City. For more details about The 13 Secret Cities, please visit 13secretcities.com.

Please join Cesar and all our other secret-keepers on Tuesday, April 1, 2014, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.