Slippery Noodle

Releasing Today's Chicago Blues earlier this year has introduced us to the whole world of music tourism. Stores as far away as the Delta Blues Museum and Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art in Clarksdale, Mississippi, are carrying Karen Hanson's book for the many blues tourists who pass through their doors. If you want to engage in a little blues tourism of your own, you can start closer to home with downtown Indianapolis's Slippery Noodle Inn, one of the Midwest's premiere blues venues and Indiana's oldest continually-operated bar (established 1850). This place is less than a block from the Amtrak station, making the train likely a quicker, cheaper, more convenient option than driving. On the National Register of Historic Places, the club's building, in addition to housing various taverns, has also served as a stop on the Underground Railroad during the Civil War, as a bordello, and as a hangout for the Dillinger gang. As the Slippery Noodle since 1963, it has won all manner of "Best of" awards and seen top musicians on its stage. Check out their schedule.

Lecture and "Tour" of the 1893 Columbian Exposition

Storyteller, historian, and Certified Chicago Tour Guide Michael Corcoran will be giving a presentation on “The World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893” at the Ray Harstein Campus of Oakton Community College, 7701 N. Lincoln Avenue in Skokie, on April 24 at 1:00 PM as part of their “Passages” lecture series.

The Columbian Exposition was Chicago’s proof to the world that it had recovered from the Great Fire of 1871 to become a global metropolis, and is widely recognized as a pivotal event in the formation of the modern American consciousness.

Join Corcoran as he provides a brief synopsis of the genesis and construction of the Fair, followed by an extensive “virtual tour” of the buildings and grounds featuring over 300 images culled from his vast collection of 1890s era books, lithographs and pamphlets. A fascinating trip through what many believe to be the greatest peacetime event in human history. (Michael also has a popular Devil in the White City bus tour you can ask him about.)

Admission is $11 for the general public; $6 for “Passages” subscribers. Call Joan Phillips (847/635-1414) for more information.

Chicago's First Green Fest

You've been there for the auto show, now hit McCormick Place this weekend, when the Green Festival comes to Chicago and the Midwest for the first time ever. As they say on their site, Chicago is "one of the greenest cities in the nation. The Great Lakes are home to some of the most innovative and cutting-edge green technologies, products and services—the perfect place to find great ways to green your life." Sample organic food, locally-produced wines & beers, and earth-friendly cosmetics; check out eco-fashion for self and home; hear 150 speakers and local bands; investigate green careers and financial management; and learn about alternative energies and home improvement techniques. AND, stop by my twin sister's booth, Twisted Limb Paperworks, where I'll be wearing the pop-top tank top and helping to promote her company's handmade invitations. From 100% recycled paper (no-dyes), the Twisted Limb staff create unique invitations and other products for weddings, commitment ceremonies, bar/bat mitzvahs, birth announcements, bridal & baby showers, and business events in their environmentally-friendly studio in the Bloomington, Indiana, countryside.

Introducing the Chicago Baseball Museum

You’ve read about Chicago baseball in Wrigley Field’s Last World Series and A Chicago Tavern. Soon, you’ll be able to learn even more at the upcoming Chicago Baseball Museum, which will showcase the Windy City’s rich history in America’s favorite pastime. According to their most recent newsletter (sign up here), they’re currently looking for a location in neutral territory on the West Side. Check out their Web site for information on how to get involved, either by volunteering, donating, or becoming a member.

Independent Bookstores First

Supporters of independent bookstores, local businesses, brick-and-mortar bookstores, feminist materials, GLBT spaces, and extensive free literary programming: Have you been to Women & Children First lately? This 27-year-old indie bookstore, one of the country's leading feminist bookstores, needs a little boost to keep up its active events calendar packed with top authors and its shelves packed with the peerless selection they're known for.

How about making a special trip to Andersonville to pick up some cards, gifts, or books there? I have a few favorites nearby to suggest for meals, drinks, or treats afterwards: Hop Leaf, Swedish Bakery, Middle East Bakery, Simon's, M. Henry, Edgewater Lounge, Andie's...

Here are some suggestions from their MySpace site:

1. Chose to shop at our store. Besides great books, we also carry a hand-picked selection of new release independent music by women, jewelry, buttons and bumper stickers, all the cool magazines, and a children's section we are famous for.

2. Talk us up to your friends, or, better yet, bring them in.

3. When you attend free programs at our store, please buy a book! This not only supports our programming endeavors, it also supports the writer and tells the publisher that it is worthwhile to send thier authors to us.

4. Sign up on our website for our free e-newsletter to keep up to date with what's happening at the store: www.womenandchildrenfirst.com

5. Be our MySpace friend and subscribe to our MySpace blog for same reason as above.

6. Become a bookstore member. Annual membership costs $25 and gets you 10% off of all your book purchases, plus inclusion in the annual member's-only sale and a free subscription to More Books For Women (a $35 value!) a monthly round-up of recommendations from feminist bookstores around the country. Keep up with the latest new releases!

7. Show your love: put us in your top My Space friends.

8. If you are in a position to do corporate gift giving, consider our "Books by the Box" program. We offer direct to business delivery and substantial discounts on 20 or more copies of a single title.

9. Support the Women's Voices Fund, our not-for-profit programming arm, which helps sustain our active free programming schedule. Donations of over $50 are tax deductible when made out the the Crossroads Foundation (they manage the Women's Voices Fund). This also helps insure the future and diversity of feminist programming in Chicago!

10. We can offer bulk discounts to libraries, social service organizations, schools, and more. If you have a bulk book order to place, come to us first.

11. Tell us what we need to do to be your dream bookstore. If there is any way that we can serve you better, let us know. Your opinion matters to us. Our ability to meet your needs is essential right now to our survival. Help us make that happen!

12. For birthdays and holidays tell your friends and family that you want a Women & Children First Gift Card!

13. For birthdays and holidays, get your friends and family Women & Children First gift cards!

14. Place your special orders with us. Order books online 24/7 at www.womenandchildrenfirst.com

15. Repost this with your own testimonials, and share this info. with your friends, colleagues, classmates, and strangers on the street.

Sister Spit

From Lake Claremont Press author Kathie Bergquist:

Sister Spit: The Next Generation Barrels Their Way Into Chicago

An event at Women and Children First Bookstore,
co-sponsored by A Field Guide to Gay & Lesbian Chicago

On Saturday, April 21st, at 8:00 p.m., A Field Guide to Gay and Lesbian Chicago presents Sister Spit: The Next Generation at Women and Children First Bookstore, (5233 N. Clark St, 773/769-9299). This special performance featuring writers Michelle Tea, Eileen Myles, and Ali Liebegott is open to all ages. Tickets cost $10 and are available by calling or visiting the bookstore.

Sister Spit: The Next Generation is a national tour pairing five brand-new, twenty-something queer female writers with founding Sister Spit roadsters and award-winning writers Michelle Tea, Eileen Myles, and Ali Liebegott. Based on the original Sister Spit of the late 90s which influenced and inspired young female writers across the nation,

Sister Spit: The Next Generation hits the road nearly a decade after the first Spit van set sail, reviving the rowdy, raucous literary adventure with a mixture of fresh faces and seasoned road dogs.

The show, emceed by Michelle Tea (author of Rose of No Man’s Land, Valencia, The Chelsea Whistle, and more) is by turns challenging and hilarious, fierce and heartbreaking. Our heroines take on issues of class, race, gender, and sexuality—nothing is safe, and spoken word will never be the same! For more info, please visit www.sisterspitnextgen.com for complete info.

A Field Guide to Gay and Lesbian Chicago (Lake Claremont Press), written by Kathie Bergquist and Robert McDonald, is the only guidebook to tell gay travelers where to go and what to do for BIG GAY FUN in the Windy City.

Women and Children First Bookstore is Chicago’s 27 year old feminist bookstore, located at 5233 N. Clark St., in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood. They are accessible by the #22 Clark St. bus and the Red Line “Berwyn” stop, and there is free parking available behind the store.