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.

At our November 6th edition of Tuesday Funk, co-host William Shunn read us his 2003 Salon short story "Strong Medicine," 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!

At our November 6th edition of Tuesday Funk, Kelly Swails read us her not-so-light fantasy story "Vanessa MacAvoy's Statement," 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!

Good news. Your friends at Tuesday Funk have your New Year's Day hangover cure all figured out! Just order yourself a little hair of the dog, stir in five great readers with a smidgen of fiction, some essays, and a little poetry, and you'll be feeling better in no time.

Oh, you'd like more details? Well, we'll bring you the next in our series of readings from the new 2nd Story anthology, this time featuring the great Julie Ganey. We'll also have Andrew Huff from Gapers Block on hand, together with Sondra Morin, William Shunn, and Christopher Sweet. Throw in one of our patented Poems by Bill, not to mention your pick of cold beers from around the world, and your 2013 will be off to a fantastic start.

The evening gets underway with your co-hosts Sara Ross Witt and William Shunn on Tuesday, January 1st, 2012, 7:30 pm, in the upstairs lounge at Hopleaf, 5148 N. Clark St., Chicago. Arrive early for a table and grab a beer from Mark at the bar (where credit cards are now accepted!). We start seating at 7:00 pm and no earlier. Admission is always free, but you must be 21 or older. And come early or stay late after for some great Belgian-style food downstairs.

Please bring plenty of friends, and become a fan of Tuesday Funk on Facebook so you never miss an invitation to one of our readings. See you there!

If you were at Tuesday Funk this week, then you know something very special happened. And we're not just talking about that extra closeness you experienced with your neighbors in the jam-packed upstairs lounge at Hopleaf. We're talking about what happened behind the microphone, and sister, was it something.

We started off strong out of the gate with Jodi Eichelberger's tale of being the lone audience member at a solo mime/dance performance in London. Maggie Kast followed that will a powerful novel excerpt about a young Chicago activist arriving in Alabama for the infamous Scottsboro trials of 1931. And Stephen Markley's brought the house down with his gonzo, hallucinogen-assisted reportage from the Republican debate that dashed Rick Perry's presidential hopes.

After a break for beer, co-host William Shunn busted out this month's Poem by Bill, "Like Writing a Bicycle." Then we rounded out the evening with two remarkable selections from the new 2nd Story anthology Briefly Knocked Unconscious by a Low-Flying Duck. There was not a dry eye in the house as co-editor Andrew Reilly wrapped up his story of a vacation romance in India, and every knuckle in the place was white while Julia Borcherts explained what brought her and her infant daughter to the scene of a gruesome late-night murder in 1981.

Funk #52 was truly the Funk by which all future Funks will be judged.

But if you weren't there, don't despair. We'll be bringing you video clips from the evening over the days to come, after which we'll be back January 1st, New Year's Day, with a great lineup featuring Julie Ganey, Sondra Morin, Christopher Sweet, William Shunn, and more. Don't miss it!

Come kick off the holiday season in style tonight with your friends at Tuesday Funk, Chicago's eclectic reading series where good writing and good beer mix!

It our 52nd big episode, and we're pleased to present the first in a series of readings featuring authors from the new 2nd Story essay anthology Briefly Knocked Unconscious by a Low-Flying Duck. Julia Borcherts and Andrew Reilly will be on hand to read their contributions, and we'll also have Jodi Eichelberger, Maggie Kast, and Stephen Markley with us. Throw in one of our patented Poems by Bill, not to mention your pick of cold beers from around the world, and you have the recipe for a fantastic hour or two of live literature.

So "like" us today on Facebook and get set to pour out some holiday cheer 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.