Based on the play "The Front Page" by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur
Sex, power, institutional failure, human frailty, betrayal, dreams and madness are at the core of celebrated Cuban-American writer Maria Irene Fornes's Pulitzer-Prize nominated play What of the Night?
Dude, the 80s are like totally back at this year's Printers Row Lit Fest! Local author Laura Quinn will be signing copies of her 80s-inspired novel, Punk Charming, from 2-6 p.m. Saturday, June 11th in Tent A (located at the entrance gate at W. Congress Pkwy and S. Dearborn St).
Heralded by Windy City Reviews as 'a delightful romantic romp through the 1980s', Punk Charming is chockablock full of 80s pop culture. As part of the totally tubular signing event, Quinn will be handing out I ©80s stickers and other themed giveaways for fans. To celebrate the awesome decade, anyone wearing 80s attire (neon, favorite 80s band shirt, etc.) can purchase Punk Charming at the special discounted rate of just $12. Promotional updates will be shared on Twitter @PunkCharming80s and facebook.com/punkcharmingbook.
Quinn discovered several other 80s connections in the Lit Fest (founded in 1985) 2016 lineup, such as:
· Ethan Hawke, whose film debut was 'Explorers' in 1985, makes an appearance Saturday with Greg Ruth to discuss their graphic novel Indeh.
· Bill Kurtis discusses history-shaping events Saturday. Among his countless achievements, in 1988 Kurtis was the first American television reporter to enter Chernobyl.
· Catherine Lanigan, best-selling romance author of Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile, makes an appearance Sunday. The novels turned into 80s classics films.
· Sara Paretsky, international bestselling author, is hosting a flash fiction contest Saturday. Her V.I. Warshawski novels debuted in the 80s, leading to the film starring Kathleen Turner.
Maureen Schulman will discuss Eli's Cheesecake's tasty history Saturday, along with a food demo by The Eli Cheesecake Cookbook coauthors Diana Moles and Jolene Worthington. The legendary dessert business launched shortly after the first Taste of Chicago in 1980.
· David Swinson, author of Second Girl, appears Sunday with David Heinzmann. Early careers included being a record shop owner and a punk rock/alternative concert promoter in the 80s.
· Steve Trout, Major League pitcher throughout the 80s, will be signing his children's book Loosey-Goosey Baseball Sunday.
Punk Charming is published by Eternal Press - ISBN # 9781944579265 (print) and 9781944579005 (e-Book). It is available via Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Lulu as well as select local shops, including Bizarre Bazaar in Barrington. Punk Charming is currently being translated to be released as a Spanish-language edition and a Spanish/English edition.
Punk Charming Back Cover Blurb: '1986 - Shoulder pads are big, hair is bigger, and American college student Kate Spenser is set to embark on the biggest adventure of her life. Having been accepted to a summer study-abroad program in Oxford, England, Kate travels to Europe for the first time.
The eighteen-year-old is psyched about a summer of exploring countries on her own, experiencing new cultures, and perhaps meeting a charming young man along the way. Armed with a French-English dictionary and her Walkman loaded with Duran Duran, Kate is ready to start her adventure in France. Little does she know what awaits her when she arrives, and how she must use her wits to escape peril in Paris. Fortune favors Kate when she meets her Punk Charming, and it's love at first sight. Now, if she could only find him again.
James Barrington meets his soul mate while on the run from Paris. Mis-cues and sabotage prevent him from reuniting with Kate, but he can never forget her. If only he had told her the truth before it was too late. Or is it?
Can true love conquer all?'
Quinn is passionate about writing and traveling, and is happiest when combining the two. She has lived in the Chicago area all of her life, an undergraduate student at DePaul University and a graduate student at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago. Quinn attended British Poetry and British Literature courses at Oriel College, during a summer study-abroad program at Oxford University in 1986. In addition to writing her next two novels (a sequel to Punk Charming and a new mystery series), Quinn teaches creative writing at local colleges and is a writing coach for private clients. She welcomes visitors to her website at LauraQuinnBooks.com or email at LauraQuinnBooks@yahoo.com.
Quinn is available for interviews and appearances. Contact Publicist Shaun at 224-256-0174 or via e-mail at lauraquinnbooks@yahoo.com.
But the play is not all philosophical argument, as important as this is: it also is a love story, a family tale, and an account of the 'band of brothers' that was Gay Men's Health Crisis. And like most great playwrights who turn their attention to public events, Kramer maintains a tight relationship between these stories. Kramer's artistic control of the huge canvas on which he paints is in the end what makes the play so powerful.
The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. We've got Halloween shows this week, like 'Side Show,' 'Goblin Market,' 'One Brain More' and 'Ride The Cyclone.' There are various 'Rocky Horror' shows, concerts of 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' and 'No One Here But Us Witches,' dueling downtown concerts by Kristen Chenoweth and Leonard Bernstein, a suburban 'Avenue Q,' and the impending close of 'Million Dollar Quartet.' After how long???
More than music, the anti-establishment movement of Punk crashed onto the scene in the mid-to-late 1970s and spread like wildfire around the world. But it all started in Cleveland, Ohio. The films in AMERICAN PUNK celebrate the sub-culture with insightful rockumentaries of the early Punk scene and narratives made in the height of its popularity.
Mark Hummel again returns to Harris Center for the Arts and brings more of his talented friends with him in this tribute to Bluebird Records. The Blues Harmonica Blowout has sold out in past performances and with the caliber of talent joining this evening's activities, tickets will be in high demand!
Today, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announces its Inductees for 2015.
Mark Hummel again returns to Harris Center for the Arts and brings more of his talented friends with him in this tribute to Bluebird Records. The Blues Harmonica Blowout has sold out in past performances and with the caliber of talent joining this evening's activities, tickets will be in high demand!
Linda Shelton, Executive Director of The Joyce Theater Foundation, has announced that for its 2014 Spring Gala, the organization will honor David Herro and Jay Franke for their extraordinary support of American dance and, especially, arts education. The Joyce's Gala will take place on the Promenade of the David H. Koch Theater in Lincoln Center on Tuesday April 22 at 6pm. The black-tie event, celebrating The Joyce's commitment to arts education, will include cocktails, dinner, dancing and special performances by Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Jessica Lang Dance, doug elkins choreography Etc., Momix and the talented young performers of Dancing Classrooms Youth Dance Company. Tickets and tables for the Gala can be purchased online at Joyce.org or by calling (646) 467-8556.
The American Theatre Critic's Association announces the election of veteran Chicago theater critic Jonathan Abarbanel as Chair of the American Theatre Critics Association, at the conclusion of the Association's 40th annual conference on July 20, 2013, held this year in Shepherdstown, WV. He will serve a one-year term as Chair of the Association's nine-member executive committee and may be re-elected for up to two more years.
Gay Press, Gay Power: The Growth of LGBT Community Newspapers in America, edited and co-written by Tracy Baim, publisher of Chicago's gay publication Windy City Times, is a comprehensive overview of the past, present, and future of gay print media. Baim uses essays, interviews, and hundreds of news clips and images from both mainstream and early gay publications to describe the critical role of the gay press. Award-winning historian John D'Emilio provided the book's foreword.
Windy City Media Group, publishers of Windy City Times, is running a Facebook contest through Dec. 20, 2011, to award $7,500 in free advertising to Chicago-area non-profit LGBT or AIDS organizations, and a lucky winner will win $500 in cash.
Windy City Media Group, publishers of Windy City Times, is running a Facebook contest through Dec. 20, 2011, to award $7,500 in free advertising to Chicago-area non-profit LGBT or AIDS organizations, and a lucky winner will win $500 in cash.
Grammy, Tony, and Emmy Award-winning recording artist Barry Manilow has been proudly collaborating with the world's greatest singers whenever possible.
This year marks the 30th year of the first known cases of what would later be called AIDS. To mark this unfortunate milestone, Windy City Times newspaper will run a special 9-month series of articles, essays and photos.
This year marks the 30th year of the first known cases of what would later be called AIDS. To mark this unfortunate milestone, Windy City Times newspaper will run a special 9-month series of articles, essays and photos.
Grammy, Tony, and Emmy Award-winning recording artist Barry Manilow has been proudly collaborating with the world's greatest singers whenever possible.
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