Friday 11/22 – Thursday 11/28
Local poet Lisel Mueller has written seven collections of poetry and a volume of essays; in 1981 she won the American Book Award for poetry for The Need to Hold Still. Her latest collection, Alive Together: New and Selected Poems, contains work that spans her 35-year career. Her daughter Jenny is also an accomplished poet whose work has appeared in the Atlantic Monthly and the Best American Poetry anthology in 1994. The two will read tonight at 7 at a release party sponsored by the Writer’s Voice of the Duncan YMCA Community Service Center, 1001 W. Roosevelt. It’s $6; call 312-738-5981.
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Slightly less famous poets and authors will also get a chance to read their work tonight at Fish Stories’ open mike/submission party. Editors will be accepting submissions for Fish Stories: Collective III, a national literary magazine published by the local WorkShirts Writing Center. They’ll also be accepting submissions of artwork for the journal’s cover. Participants can sign up to read from 7 to 7:30 (spots are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis and are five to ten minutes in length). The readings will run from 7:30 to 8:30, and the party ends at 9:30. It’s at Eclectic Junction, 1630 N. Damen, and it’s $3; call 773-334-8510 for more.
24 SUNDAY Once upon a time I dated a chef who cooked an all-vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner for my carnivorous family. The chef and I broke up long ago, but my family still speaks fondly about the tofu “turkey” roll they ate. You can put your own loved ones to the test at tonight’s Turkey-Free Thanksgiving Dinner, which includes a cornucopia of vegan stir-fries, eggless pasta, milk-free desserts, salads, appetizers, and last but not least tofu turkey. The event, sponsored by the Chicago Vegetarian Society, also includes a silent auction, music by Samba Bamba, and a talk about vegetarianism by Dr. Frank Sabatino. It’s from 5 to 8 in the East Grand Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 151 E. Wacker. Tickets are $46. Call 773-463-0040.
27 WEDNESDAY For the last several years student organizations at Harold Washington College have worked together to serve dinner to more than 500 homeless people from Pacific Garden Mission and Lower Wacker Drive. Today their Thanksgiving Dinner for the Homeless will include a jazz band and karaoke. If you want to help, cooking and setup starts at 11, and dinner runs from 5 to 9 in the basement of the college, 30 E. Lake. It’s free; call 312-553-6088.
