Literary-art Events in Chicago

Check out happening literary-art events all around Chicago, IL

Chicago, IL: David Nihill at The Den Theatre

Fri, 13 Feb at 07:15 pm The Den Theatre

Authors on Tap: Margot Douaihy and Gillian Flynn

 Fri, 16 Jan at 07:00 pm Exile in Bookville Free

Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble

 Sun, 25 Jan at 08:00 pm Garcia's Chicago

Authors on Tap: Brian Raftery and Gillian Flynn

 Thu, 12 Feb at 07:00 pm Exile in Bookville Free

Author & Punisher / King Yosef / Black Magnet / Wretched Blessing at Reggies

 Sat, 21 Feb at 07:00 pm Reggies

Happy Baby & The Drop Productions Present A Dopamine Comedy Show

 Sun, 11 Jan at 09:00 pm Laugh Factory USD 34

Chicago Misconceptions • Debunking Grandma's Al Capone Stories

 Tue, 03 Feb at 07:00 pm The Bad Apple (Lincoln Park) USD 0 to 45

January Free Day at the American Writers Museum

 Sun, 18 Jan at 10:00 am American Writers Museum Free

Hershey Felder's Monsieur Chopin - A Play with Music

 Sun, 22 Feb at 04:00 pm Harris Theatre

The Poetry Brothel Chicago: DEVOTION

 Sat, 14 Feb at 07:00 pm Aloft Circus Arts USD 7 to 173

An Author Farewell Event

 Tue, 06 Jan at 06:30 pm Volumes Bookcafe USD 22

"Meet The Influencers" Networking Event & Panel Discussion: January 15th

 Thu, 15 Jan at 06:00 pm Bodega Taqueria y Tequila USD 22 to 33

Giselle | Chicago | February 17, 2026

Tue, 17 Feb at 07:00 pm Harris Theater for Music and Dance

Short Shakespeare - Hamlet at Jentes Family Courtyard Theater - Chicago Shakespeare Theater

 Sat, 31 Jan at 11:00 am Jentes Family Courtyard Theater - Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Radiohead Concert in the Dark w Live Strings WAITLIST ONLY – DATE PENDING

 Thu, 01 Jan at 07:00 pm Secret Location in Chicago USD 0 to 322

Book Launch: No More Mediocre by Laura Danger

 Thu, 08 Jan at 07:00 pm Women & Children First Free

Moon Taxi w/ Pernikoff Brothers

 Sat, 27 Dec at 08:00 pm Garcia's Chicago

Whitney Hanson - Words Never Die Tour 2026

 Sat, 07 Feb at 07:00 pm Bottom Lounge

February Free Day at the American Writers Museum

 Sun, 15 Feb at 10:00 am American Writers Museum Free

Geoffrey Baer: Emmy-Winning Host, Producer & Writer - PBS, Chicago’s WTTW

 Fri, 09 Jan at 12:00 pm Union League Club USD 0 to 695

Voices in Confluence: An Evening of Music, Poetry & Conversation

 Fri, 23 Jan at 07:00 pm Bramble Arts Loft USD 29

DOUGHBOYS Chicago

 Wed, 21 Jan at 07:15 pm 1331 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL, United States, Illinois 60622

Black History Month Celebration: Rooted in Resilience

 Wed, 04 Feb at 06:00 pm Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts Free

Belmont Tavern's NYE Fundraiser Party

 Wed, 31 Dec at 08:00 pm 3405 W Belmont Ave USD 150

Tribute to Robert Burns at Martyrs' Live

Tue, 27 Jan at 06:30 pm Martyrs'

Book Launch: A Danger to the Minds of Young Girls by Adam Morgan

 Thu, 15 Jan at 07:00 pm Women & Children First Free

The Seven Daughters of Dupree Book Signing with Nikesha Elise Williams

 Thu, 29 Jan at 06:00 pm Da Book Joint USD 6 to 32

Tuesday Funk #166 - January 6, 2026

 Tue, 06 Jan at 07:00 pm 5148 N Clark St, Chicago, IL, United States, Illinois 60640

Mindset Workshop -Chicago

 Fri, 30 Jan at 10:00 am Chicago USD 210

Chicago Artopia Presents: Grisha Goryachev

 Sun, 22 Feb at 03:00 pm West Lawn Branch, Chicago Public Library Free

Jessica Seacrest "Of Course It's Good!" Cookbook Launch

 Thu, 08 Jan at 07:00 pm Everybody's Coffee (Wilson Abbey) USD 41

Will Overman and Grady Spencer

 Sat, 07 Feb at 07:00 pm UncommonGround - Lakeview USD 18

Golden Hour Featuring Jay Tyre

 Thu, 08 Jan at 05:00 pm Epiphany Center for the Arts Free

January Blue Hour Featuring Jimin Seo and Tarik Dobbs

 Wed, 21 Jan at 07:30 pm Haymarket House Free

Authors on Tap: Sara Levine and Lindsay Hunter

 Wed, 14 Jan at 07:00 am Exile in Bookville Free

Book Talk: The Grave Robber with Tim Carpenter

 Wed, 28 Jan at 05:00 pm Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures Museum Free

Edgar Allan Poeprov

 Sat, 27 Dec at 07:00 pm The Playground Theater Free

January: Three Avenues Open Mic Night

 Sat, 31 Jan at 07:30 pm 3009 N Southport Ave Free

Ikebana Ohara Ryu [1 Day Workshop]

 Sat, 17 Jan at 03:00 pm Japanese Culture Center USD 82

February Blue Hour Featuring Jalen Eutsey and Michelle Peñaloza

 Wed, 18 Feb at 07:30 pm Haymarket House Free

A Black Queer History of the United States by C. Riley Snorton &Darius Bost

 Fri, 23 Jan at 07:00 pm Women & Children First Free

Author & Punisher

 Sun, 22 Feb at 02:00 am Reggies Rock Club

Love, War, and Diplomacy in Canaan during the Amarna Age with Eric H. Cline

 Wed, 07 Jan at 07:00 pm Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures Museum Free

Under the Table — A Chicago Mafia LARP

 Fri, 16 Jan at 07:00 pm Goblin Market Manga & Curiosities, North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, IL, USA USD 31

January Book Club w/ Three Avenues: The Slightest Green

 Sun, 25 Jan at 05:00 pm Beermiscuous Free

Dentata by Julia VanderVeen

 Thu, 05 Feb at 07:00 pm The Newport Theater USD 18

Miss Spoken: TOAST

 Mon, 29 Dec at 07:00 pm Cole’s

The Mill | variety show & open mic

 Thu, 08 Jan at 06:30 pm Burlington Bar Free

SOLO: The Book Launch!

 Mon, 05 Jan at 07:30 pm The Understudy Coffee and Books Free

Jenn Lueke "Don't Think About Dinner" Cookbook Launch

 Tue, 20 Jan at 07:00 pm Everybody's Coffee (Wilson Abbey) USD 50

Ikebana Ohara Ryu [2-Week Session]

 Sat, 21 Feb at 10:00 am Japanese Culture Center USD 136

Ikebana Ohara Ryu [3-Week Session]

 Sat, 10 Jan at 10:00 am Japanese Culture Center USD 200

Good Trouble Book Signing and Conversation with Forest Issac Jones

 Sun, 01 Feb at 02:00 pm Da Book Joint USD 0 to 27

The Poetry Open Mic at the Gallery Cabaret

 Sat, 27 Dec at 05:00 pm The Gallery Cabaret

February Book Club w/ Three Avenues: Harlem Rhapsody

 Sun, 22 Feb at 05:00 pm Beermiscuous Free

Chicago Poetry Center's Blue Hour Generative Workshop

 Wed, 18 Feb at 06:00 pm Haymarket House Free

Book Talk: ANATOMY OF A HEALER - Portraying Ancient Physicians in Fiction

 Sun, 25 Jan at 03:00 pm International Museum of Surgical Science Free

American Carnage: How Trump, Musk and DOGE Butchered the U.S. Government

 Sat, 07 Feb at 03:00 pm Nighthawk Free

December Lobo-lit Book Club: Beautyland

 Sun, 28 Dec at 07:00 pm The Understudy Coffee and Books Free

Devotionals: a writer's workshop with Tori Rego & Madeline Blair

 Thu, 08 Jan at 07:00 pm The Understudy Coffee and Books Free

Second Sunday Salon: The French Quartet, Elizabeth Marino, Lewis Achenbach

 Sun, 11 Jan at 05:00 pm Colvin House Free

Book Event: The Hitch by Sara Levine

 Wed, 04 Feb at 07:00 pm Women & Children First Free

The Death and Life of Gentrification by Japonica Brown-Saracino

 Wed, 14 Jan at 07:00 pm Women & Children First Free

The Season of You Experience

 Sat, 17 Jan at 12:00 pm 3414 W Foster Ave USD 45

Touch Me, I'm Sick: A Memoir in Essays by Margeaux Feldman

 Wed, 28 Jan at 07:00 pm Women & Children First Free

After the Burn: A Guided Journal Healing Session with Leilani Garrett

 Sun, 18 Jan at 01:00 pm Da Book Joint USD 24 to 40

SoL Book Club -- Global and Translated Lit

 Wed, 28 Jan at 06:30 pm Slant of Light Books Free

Rooted and Radical Youth Poetry Finals Showcase

 Sat, 14 Mar at 06:00 pm Ramova Theatre

Loving through Enmity — Book Event with author Marvin E. Wickware, Jr.

 Sun, 18 Jan at 12:00 pm 3325 W Wrightwood Ave Free

Chicago Artopia Presents: Tango 21 Dance Theater

 Sun, 03 May at 03:00 pm Balzekas Museum Of Lithuanian Culture, South Pulaski Road, Chicago, IL, USA Free

Movement Philosophy ::::: Winter Session

 Mon, 01 Dec at 07:00 pm bim bom studios USD 0 to 173

So you want to be a writer

 Sun, 01 Feb at 04:30 pm Theatre Momentum USD 31

Q&A Book Signing with Katie Shepard

 Fri, 16 Jan at 07:00 pm The Last Chapter Book Shop USD 27

Chicago Teachers House Party

 Sun, 18 Jan at 10:00 am 18th Street Casa de Cultura USD 0 to 25

Religion and Journalism in Chicago with Mary Ann Ahern (IN PERSON)

 Thu, 22 Jan at 06:00 pm American Writers Museum

Listening Tour Stop with Amy Kemp - Hosted by Taina Rodriguez-Encarnacion

 Wed, 21 Jan at 07:00 pm 4042 N Pulaski Rd suite 1 USD 34

Chicago Poetry Center's Blue Hour Generative Workshop

 Wed, 21 Jan at 06:00 pm Haymarket House Free

Janaury Staged Reading: A New Works Mini-Festival

 Fri, 09 Jan at 07:30 pm Augustana Lutheran Church

Lit Night

 Mon, 12 Jan at 06:00 pm 3801 W Fullerton Ave Free

Get Lit: Grown-Up Book Fair

 Tue, 10 Mar at 05:30 pm American Writers Museum USD 8 to 29

LaMP

 Sat, 21 Mar at 08:00 pm Garcia's Chicago

Great Bits: Learning from Standup Comedy’s All Time Best Performances

 Sun, 22 Feb at 01:00 pm The Lincoln Lodge USD 128

A Conversation with Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel

 Thu, 15 Jan at 03:00 pm 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza USD 25

Get Lit: Speakeasy Rhymes

 Tue, 14 Apr at 05:30 pm American Writers Museum USD 8 to 29

LaMP

 Fri, 20 Mar at 08:00 pm Garcia's Chicago

Preparing For Great Sleep for You and Your Baby (SOUTH LOOP)

 Mon, 09 Mar at 06:00 pm Weissbluth Pediatrics South Loop Free

An Evening with Patrick Radden Keefe and Gillian Flynn

 Thu, 16 Apr at 07:30 pm First United Methodist Church of Chicago USD 30 to 67

Joe Bartnick Live in Chicago - 5/1/2026

 Fri, 01 May at 10:00 pm The Lincoln Lodge USD 24

C2E2 2026

 Fri, 27 Mar at 10:00 am 2301 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL, United States, Illinois 60616

March Free Day at the American Writers Museum

 Mon, 16 Mar at 10:00 am American Writers Museum Free

Ikebana Ohara Ryu [3-Week Session]

 Sat, 07 Mar at 10:00 am Japanese Culture Center USD 200

May Blue Hour Featuring Patrycja Humienik and Soham Patel

 Wed, 20 May at 07:30 pm Haymarket House Free

Chicago Poetry Center's Blue Hour Generative Workshop

 Wed, 18 Mar at 06:00 pm Haymarket House Free

April Blue Hour featuring Diego Báez and Samyak Shertok

 Wed, 15 Apr at 07:30 pm Haymarket House Free

March Blue Hour Featuring April Gibson and Mira Cameron

 Wed, 18 Mar at 07:30 pm Haymarket House Free

April Free Day at the American Writers Museum

 Sun, 19 Apr at 10:00 am American Writers Museum Free

Chicago Poetry Center's Blue Hour Generative Workshop

 Wed, 15 Apr at 06:00 pm Haymarket House Free

Chicago Poetry Center's Blue Hour Generative Workshop

 Wed, 20 May at 06:00 pm Haymarket House Free

Rest Camp Chicago-A Day Retreat Fundraiser for Tired Grown Ups

 Sat, 28 Feb at 10:30 am Zen Yoga Garage USD 0 to 279

Q&A and Book Signing with Sarah A. Bailey

 Thu, 07 May at 06:30 pm The Last Chapter Book Shop USD 27