If you weren't at Tuesday Funk's New Year's Day edition last night, then you missed out on a most convivial evening that took unexpected turns down fantastic byways both light and dark.

We kicked things off with a hilarious and blasphemous excerpt from Christopher Sweet's science fiction novel-in-progress. Sondra Morin, mere days from moving to Massachusetts, read us several powerful poems. And Julie Ganey recounted her delightful tale of children's susceptibility to fantasy, "When the Fairies Came," featured in the 2nd Story anthology Briefly Knocked Unconscious by a Low-Flying Duck

After a break for beer, our Poem by Bill was "Smoke," an ode to writing and whiskey. Gapers Block editor Andrew Huff took us on an evocative odyssey as he gave us "Directions Home." And finally, co-host William Shunn took us on a guided tour through the Mormon temple in Salt Lake City, in his essay "The Fanatic in the Street."

It was a great evening, but don't fret if you couldn't be there. We'll be bringing you video of our readings over the weeks to come, and we'll be back February 5th with our Not Your Parents' Valentine's Day Edition. The program will feature Mary Pat Bohan, John Everson, Gina Frangello, Hanna Martine, and Patricia Ann McNair. Don't miss it!

Happy New Year! As if you didn't already have reason enough to show up for this evening's 53rd episode of Tuesday Funk, the Chicago Sun-Times today gives you one more.

Featured in today's Entertainment section is an article by David Hoekstra in which four of tonight's participants discuss the pieces they'll read tonight and suggest the perfect beer from Hopleaf's vast menu as accompaniment as you listen:

Chicago Sun-Times: Drink it in: Beers paired with the wisdom of Chicago authors

Be sure to check out the accompanying slideshow as well, with images of our readers and all the suggested beer labels. And we'll hope to see you tonight upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm!

Don't forget, Tuesday Funk has the cure for your New Year's Day hangover—a little hair of the dog, and five great anodynic acts of live literature!

We're pleased to kick off the year with the next in our series of readings from the 2nd Story essay anthology Briefly Knocked Unconscious by a Low-Flying Duck. in the person of writer/actor Julie Ganey. We'll also have Andrew Huff from Gapers Block with us, as well as Sondra Morin, Christopher Sweet and co-host William Shunn. Throw in one of our patented Poems by Bill, not to mention your pick of cold beers from around the world, and we'll have you feeling better in no time!

So "like" us today on Facebook and get set to celebrate surviving into 2013 with hosts Sara Ross Witt and William Shunn.

Hopleaf Bar is at 5148 N. Clark St. in Chicago. The reading begins at 7:30 pm in the upstairs lounge. The lounge opens at 7:00 pm. Arrive early if you want a seat. As always, the upstairs lounge at Hopleaf is 21 and over only. Remember also that no food can be brought in from the restaurant.

At our December 4th edition of Tuesday Funk, Jodi Eichelberger told us about the time he arrived at a mime performance in London only to find that he was the only one in the audience. Here's what happened next...

And if you enjoyed that, please join us at 7:30 pm tomorrow night, Tuesday, January 1st, 2013, upstairs at Hopleaf, for an evening with Julie Ganey, Andrew Huff, Sondra Morin, William Shunn, and Christopher Sweet. Happy New Year!

Besides serving as co-host of Tuesday Funk, William Shunn slinks through life as the lesser-known secret identity of hard-edged cult pulp fiction author Perry Slaughter.

Mr. Slaughter, or so the story goes, first came to prominence in the mid-1980's with slender works of genre fiction hailed as "utterly bereft of any moral center." More recently his short stories have appeared in Electric Velocipede and elsewhere. Sinister Regard Publishing has just undertaken a project to reissue some of his early novellas, including Chairman of the Board, Deus Ex Machina, and Whether We Are Mended. He divides his time between the northeastern United States and a yacht plying international waters. His passions include vinyl records, scotch whisky, and high-seas piracy.

Hear Bill (and/or Mr. Slaughter) and the rest of our outstanding readers on Tuesday, January 1, 7:30 pm, in the upstairs lounge at Hopleaf.

Christopher Sweet, a returning Tuesday Funk reader, studied writing in the Fiction Writing Department at Columbia College, Chicago, and is obsessed with problems of historiography, time, quantum stuff, and anything else that hasn't been totally monetized.

Hear Chris and the rest of our outstanding readers on Tuesday, January 1, 7:30 pm, in the upstairs lounge at Hopleaf.

At our December 4th edition of Tuesday Funk, Stephen Markley read from his long-form gonzo political essay The Great Dysmorphia, and it sounded a little like this...

And if you enjoyed that, please join us at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, January 1st, 2013, upstairs at Hopleaf, for an evening with Julie Ganey, Andrew Huff, Sondra Morin, William Shunn, and Christopher Sweet. See you there!

Sondra Morin is an essayist, poet, and social critic. She earned her B.A. in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and is an alumna of the Juniper Summer Writing Institute. Poems, prose, and commentary appear in American Public Media's Marketplace, Curbside Splendor, Two With Water, vis a tergo, The Rumpus, and more. She regularly contributes to The Naked Truth, lives in Western Massachusetts, and blogs at: Snails Are Good For The Environment, Too.

Hear Sondra and the rest of our outstanding readers on Tuesday, January 1, 7:30 pm, in the upstairs lounge at Hopleaf.

Andrew Huff is the editor and publisher of Gapers Block, a Chicago-centric news and events webzine he co-founded in 2003. A serial early adopter, Huff created his first webpage in 1996; launched his personal blog, me3dia.com, in 2001; and joined both flickr and Twitter in their infancy.

In addition to Gapers Block, he has also worked for several years as a professional blogger for corporate clients such as American Express, Kenneth Cole, A&E and Starwood Hotels, and is a sought-after consultant on content oriented web projects. He holds a journalism degree from The Ohio State University and a certificate in medical writing and editing from the University of Chicago, and spent 10 years in public relations, working primarily with clients in the healthcare and biotech industries. He has taught in the journalism departments at Loyola University Chicago and Columbia College, and is a frequent speaker at SXSW Interactive and other conferences. In 2009 he was named to the Crain's Chicago Business' 40 Under 40 list. He lives on the far North Side of Chicago with his wife and two cats.

Hear Andrew and the rest of our outstanding readers on Tuesday, January 1, 7:30 pm, in the upstairs lounge at Hopleaf.

Julie Ganey has worked as a writer and actress in Chicago for 20 years, and her original solo shows The Half-Life of Magic and Love Thy Neighbor...till it hurts have received multiple productions in the Chicago area. In the classroom, Julie is an arts educator for students of all ages through the Goodman Theatre, Lifeline Theatre, and Raven Theatre, and her bullying prevention program, Stand Up on the Schoolyard, has been presented to students and educators within the Chicago Public School system and across the country. Julie is a company member and the Director of Education for 2nd Story.

Julie will be reading as part of our mini-series featuring writers from the new 2nd Story anthology Briefly Knocked Unconscious by a Low-Flying Duck. Hear her and the rest of our outstanding readers on Tuesday, January 1, 7:30 pm, in the upstairs lounge at Hopleaf.