The
2nd Annual Evanston Literary Festival is here!
Celebrating Evanston’s vibrant literary community and rich history, the festival brings together more than 50 free events from May 4-14. Enjoy author talks, readings by novelists, poets, historians, and essayists, storytelling events, panel discussions on writing and publishing, storytimes for children, and a new play performance. Events are held throughout Evanston and are free and open to the public.
Interested? Then here’s a sampling of what you can expect to find at our library!
Thursday, May 5
7pm | Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Discussion Group: The Name of the Wind
Evanston Public Library, Third Floor Seminar Room, 1703 Orrington Ave.
Friday, May 6
4:30pm-6:30pm | Big Read Student Art Gallery Event
Middle school students from District 65 will be displaying their art pieces inspired by the Big Read companion book, Yes! We Are Latinos by Alma Flor Ada, and sharing their writing and thoughts focused on their family roots, history and journeys. All ages.
Main Library, The Loft (Third Floor), 1703 Orrington Ave.
Saturday, May 7
9am-6pm | Free Comic Book Day
All Evanston Public Library Locations in partnership with Comix Revolution are celebrating awesome graphic novels and comics by giving away free comic books all day at all three of our locations! There will tons to choose from like superhero comics, the classic Archie or a short story from the new series Junior Braves of Apocalypse! Stop at the Children’s Desk, the Loft, North Branch, or the Chicago Ave./Main Street Branch to get your free comic! All ages. Comix Revolution, 606 Davis St., will also have free comics.
2pm | Literary Salon: The Art of Enthusiasm
Online gurus and children’s book evangelists Travis Jonker, Colby Sharp, and John Schumacher discuss promoting your favorite literature for kids, making the most of online resources, and spreading the culture of book love and enthusiasm amongst readers of every age.
Evanston Public Library, Community Room, 1703 Orrington Ave.
4pm | The Personal and the Political in Graphic Books
The craft and stories behind writing comics memoir and comics journalism are discussed by some of the leading practitioners, Anne Elizabeth Moore, Ozge Samanci, Keiler Roberts, and Brian Cremins (moderator).
Evanston Public Library, Community Room, 1703 Orrington Ave.
Sunday, May 8
3pm | #LOVESTORIES
Inspired by BLACK LIVES MATTER by Gloria Bond-Clunie, Marsha Estell and Tania Richard, #LOVESTORIES is a play in three parts exploring the breadth of love in a world of deadly conflict. Each playwright takes her turn sharing her gift of writing to tell a story of LOVE. This is a world premiere play commissioned by Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre, and is presented as part of Piven Theatre Workshop’s Quality of Mercy Project. Join us for a special sneak peek!
Evanston Public Library, Community Room, 1703 Orrington Ave.
Monday, May 9
7pm | Amina Gautier
Award-winning writer Amina Gautier will read selections from her latest collection of short stories, The Loss of All Lost Things.
Evanston Public Library, Community Room, 1703 Orrington Ave.
Tuesday, May 10
7pm | Zoe Zolbrod
Evanston writer Zoe Zolbrod discusses her new memoir, The Telling.
Evanston Public Library, Community Room, 1703 Orrington Ave.
Wednesday, May 11
5:30-7pm | Outside the Lines Book Group: The Miseducation of Cameron Post
Outside The Lines Book Club is a new teen reading series that happens monthly at the Evanston Public Library Teen Loft. One Wednesday a month, teens grades 6-12 are invited to discuss a YA fiction title. This is a safe space for teens of all identities. Come hang out, meet new friends, eat snacks and chat about what really matters to today’s teens!
Evanston Public Library, The Loft (3rd floor), 1703 Orrington Ave.
7pm | Latin@Literature Discussion Group: The Story of My Teeth
Evanston Public Library, Seminar Room (Third Floor), 1703 Orrington Ave.
7pm | Shoes of Your Choice
This storytelling event will recreate Alison Knowles classic Fluxus work Shoes of Your Choice (1963). Participants and audience members will be invited to tell the distinctive tales of the miles their footwear has walked. Knowles participated in the New York avant-garde festivals organized by Charlotte Moorman, whose life and work is featured in exhibitions at the Block Museum of Art and Northwestern University Library. This program is cosponsored by the Evanston Public Library, the Block Museum of Art, and the Northwestern University Library.
Evanston Public Library, Community Room, 1703 Orrington Ave.
Saturday, May 14
1pm-4pm | The Great Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Swap
Give a book, take a book! Bring your unwanted new or gently-used science fiction and fantasy books to trade with other S/F fans, and get exclusive access to used books from the Evanston Public Library collection! For each book you bring in, you will receive one ticket to trade for another book.
Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington Ave.
2pm | The Art of Alfonso “Piloto” Nieves Ruiz
Evanston sculptor Alfonso Ruiz discusses and displays his socially activist art. Copies of his exhibit catalog from the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen will be available for purchase.
Evanston Public Library, Community Room, 1703 Orrington Ave.
4pm | Police Violence in the United States
Contributors to the new Truthout essay collection, Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect?: Police Violence and Resistance in the United States—including Kelly Hayes, Sarah Macaraeg, Page May, Maya Schenwar, and Monica Trinidad—read from the book.
Evanston Public Library, Community Room, 1703 Orrington Ave.
