Literary-art Events in Chicago

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

Dance Gavin Dance with The Fall of Troy, Wolf & Bear and The Novelists

 Fri, 15 May Riviera Theatre - Chicago

The Notebook - The Musical at Nederlander Theatre Chicago

 Tue, 04 Aug Nederlander Theatre Chicago

The Chicago Renaissance Ball

 Sat, 01 Aug at 04:00 pm Stan Mansion

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

Abby Govindan: Pushing 30 Comedy Hour

 Sun, 31 May at 08:00 pm The Lincoln Lodge USD 30

22nd Annual Cavalcade of Authors - Printers Row Lit Fest Chicago

 Fri, 11 Sep at 07:00 pm SpringHill Suites Chicago Chinatown USD 0 to 266

Freddy Jones Band w/ Pino Farina (solo)

 Sat, 02 May at 08:00 pm Garcia's Chicago

Rudy Francisco Live in Chicago

 Sun, 19 Apr at 07:30 pm Color Club USD 39

Joe Bartnick Live in Chicago - 5/1/2026

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

American Writers Festival - American Writers Museum

 Sat, 06 Jun at 10:00 am American Writers Museum Free

The Moth Storyslam

 Sun, 12 Apr at 06:00 pm Heath Mainstage At The Den Theatre

CHICAGO SPOKEN WORD SHOWCASE: HOSTED BY JAMES HAMILTON

 Sun, 19 Apr at 06:00 pm Offshore Rooftop

The Merry Wives of Windsor

 Fri, 03 Apr Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Mohanad Elshieky LIVE in Chicagio

 Fri, 10 Apr 1331 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL, United States, Illinois 60622

Francis Fukuyama: The Civil Service and the Future of American Diplomacy

 Thu, 14 May at 11:30 am Union League Club of Chicago USD 57

A Conversation with Shannon Chakraborty!

 Fri, 15 May at 07:00 pm Seminary Co-op Bookstore USD 43

Poetry vs. Hip-Hop Live!

 Wed, 08 Apr City Winery - Chicago

In Conversation with Garrison Keillor at Park West

 Mon, 04 May at 07:30 pm Park West

2026 Writing Workshop of Chicago

 Sat, 20 Jun at 09:00 am Congress Plaza Hotel

Content Jam 2026 | April 22-23, 202 in Chicago, IL

 Wed, 22 Apr at 02:00 pm The Gleacher Center USD 395 to 695

Cecilia Vicuña Lecture

 Tue, 07 Apr at 06:00 pm Art Institute of Chicago

Festival of Independent Artists

 Fri, 08 May at 05:00 pm 2408 N Kedzie Blvd USD 17 to 33

Hayden Johnson LIVE at The Lincoln Lodge - one night only! 7/30/26

 Thu, 30 Jul at 08:00 pm The Lincoln Lodge USD 18

Patricia Smith, Ashley M. Jones, Donika Kelly, Aimee Nezhukumatathil

 Thu, 23 Apr at 06:00 pm Poetry Foundation Free

Tax & The City | A Big Tent Urbanist Event

 Thu, 30 Apr at 05:30 pm The iO Theater Free

Pink Floyd Concert in the Dark with Award Winning Violinist WAITLIST SHOW

 Sat, 16 May at 07:00 pm Secret Location in Chicago USD 0 to 322

LIT: A Literary Variety Show (Vol 3: Banned Books)

 Fri, 10 Apr at 09:30 pm The Newport Theater USD 29 to 39

Tuesday Funk #169 - April 7, 2026

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

Sor Juana 2026: A Presentation of My Name is Chabela with Marisol Arnot

 Wed, 29 Apr at 07:00 pm National Museum of Mexican Art Free

Gazing With Care: Black Image & Deciding What We Keep

 Wed, 08 Apr at 06:00 pm Three Cities Social Club - River North Free

Book Event: Mega Milk by Megan Milks

 Fri, 10 Apr at 07:00 pm Women & Children First Free

Get Lit: Speakeasy Rhymes

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

L’Orfeo

 Thu, 24 Sep at 07:00 pm Jarvis Opera Hall at Depaul University School of Music

Book Event: The Shipikisha Club by Mubanga Kalimamukwento

 Wed, 15 Apr at 07:00 pm Women & Children First Free

Amit Chaudhuri - "Incompleteness: New and Selected Essays" - Srikanth Reddy

 Tue, 28 Apr at 04:00 pm 5751 S Woodlawn Ave, Chicago, IL, United States, Illinois 60637

Hybrid Poetry Event with Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

 Wed, 29 Apr at 07:00 pm Women & Children First Free

Book Event: Fat Swim by Emma Copley Eisenberg

 Tue, 05 May at 07:00 pm Haymarket House USD 6 to 39

Lectures on Tap - "The Secret History of Magic and Mysticism in the West"

 Wed, 22 Apr at 06:30 pm West Loop USD 39

TRASH BASH: A BUG DRAG SHOW /POP - UP MARKET 4 YEAR ANNIVERSARY FUNDRAISER

 Sat, 25 Apr at 06:00 pm The Insect Asylum USD 0 to 49

Chicago-North Romance Writers Spring Fling '26 Book Signing

 Sat, 18 Apr at 03:30 pm The Royal Sonesta Chicago Downtown Free

Knowing Book Signing and Talk with Touré Roberts

 Thu, 16 Apr at 06:00 pm Da Book Joint USD 35

Black Single Mother Book Talk and Signing with Jamilah Lemieux

 Tue, 28 Apr at 06:00 pm NEIU Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) USD 35

April Free Day at the American Writers Museum

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

TJ Klune "We Burned So Bright" Book Signing

 Thu, 30 Apr at 07:00 pm Everybody's Coffee (Wilson Abbey) USD 43

Water to Water: Gaza Renga – Marilyn Hacker & Deema Shehabi (IN PERSON)

 Mon, 20 Apr at 06:00 pm Water to Water: Gaza Renga – Marilyn Hacker & Deema Shehabi (IN PERSON)

Speak, Easy: Higher Vibration

 Mon, 20 Apr at 06:00 pm BASSLINE || 2239 - CHICAGO USD 0 to 33

Offsite at Haymarket House: Tillie Walden

 Thu, 04 Jun at 07:00 pm Haymarket House USD 6

Cobbler's Dozen LIVE!

 Sun, 12 Apr at 07:00 pm Cornservatory Theatre USD 12

An Evening with Scott Simon

 Wed, 06 May at 07:30 pm First United Methodist Church of Chicago USD 28 to 54

Pilsen Ukulele Party (PUP) FREE!

 Sat, 09 May at 12:00 pm Pilsen Arts & Community House Free

A Conversation with Nick Cutter!

 Thu, 21 May at 07:00 pm Seminary Co-op Bookstores USD 40

Parking The Merry Wives of Windsor - Chicago

 Fri, 03 Apr Chicago Shakespeare Theatre

Nicole Stott with Sarah & Joseph Belknap on the Cosmos

 Mon, 18 May at 05:00 pm Smart Museum of Art Free

damsel. with Matthew Hawkins, Lizzie Kaniecki, Pretty Lee + more

 Sat, 16 May at 08:00 pm UncommonGround - Lakeview USD 20

Covering the New Right

 Fri, 17 Apr at 02:30 pm Franke Institute for the Humanities Free

May Free Day at the American Writers Museum

 Sun, 17 May at 10:00 am American Writers Museum Free

Erin O’Brien "Dig In!" Cookbook signing with Monique Volz

 Thu, 28 May at 06:30 pm The Book Cellar USD 42

BrooksDay 2026

 Sun, 07 Jun at 12:00 pm Harold Washington Library Center, Chicago Public Library Free

Emotional Support Animals by Nicole J. Georges with Jessica Hopper

 Thu, 30 Apr at 07:00 pm Women & Children First Free

Memory Museum: Stories by M Lin

 Sun, 03 May at 06:30 pm Women & Children First Free

June Free Day at the American Writers Museum

 Sun, 21 Jun at 10:00 am American Writers Museum Free

From Expert Contributor to Authentic Leader: Design Your Leadership Style

 Wed, 15 Apr 318 West Adams Street, Chicago, IL, USA USD 190

July Free Day at the American Writers Museum

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

5th Annual Words of Wonder Literary Festival

 Sat, 25 Jul at 11:00 am Dr. Conrad Worrill Track & Field Center Free

August Free Day at the American Writers Museum

 Sun, 16 Aug at 10:00 am American Writers Museum Free

Family Day: Zooming in and Zine-ing Out: What Does Science Mean to You?

 Sat, 13 Jun at 10:00 am Smart Museum of Art Free

Chicago Propeller Club evening with John U. Bacon author Gales of November

 Tue, 14 Apr at 05:00 pm Guinness Open Gate Brewery – West Loop USD 75 to 95

Book Event: The Edge of Space-Time by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

 Wed, 22 Apr at 07:00 pm Women & Children First Free

FLORENZER - by Phil Melanson

 Tue, 21 Apr at 07:00 pm Center on Halsted

Historic Chicago Bakeries Fun Run: Roeser's Bakery

 Sat, 11 Apr at 12:00 pm Logan Square Branch, Chicago Public Library Free

Author Talk: “Parks and Rec” by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong (IN PERSON)

 Wed, 22 Apr at 06:00 pm American Writers Museum

Book Event: Body Weather by Lorraine Boissoneault

 Fri, 24 Apr at 07:00 pm Women & Children First Free

Dorothy's Silent Book Club!

 Sun, 12 Apr at 06:00 pm Dorothy Free

43 Annual Midwest Symposium: Bowen Family Systems Theory and Therapy

 Fri, 01 May at 09:00 am 25 E Pearson St USD 100 to 260

Have Sex Like A Man Book Signing with Arnetta Randall

 Sat, 18 Apr at 03:00 pm Da Book Joint USD 0 to 27

Chicago-North Romance Writers Spring Fling 2026

 Thu, 16 Apr at 02:00 pm Royal Sonesta Chicago Riverfront

Concentration

 Sat, 11 Apr at 07:00 pm Ruth Page Center for the Arts USD 18 to 36

Book Event: The Very Definition of Love by Sophia Benoit

 Wed, 24 Jun at 07:00 pm Women & Children First Free

Water to Water: Gaza Renga - Marilyn Hacker & Deema Shehabi (IN PERSON)

 Mon, 20 Apr at 06:00 pm American Writers Museum USD 6 to 8

Vibes and Verse

 Sat, 18 Apr at 04:00 pm The Gathering USD 18

Authors on Tap: Nora Lange and Lindsay Hunter

 Fri, 24 Apr at 07:00 pm Exile in Bookville Free

Femme Gaze

 Sat, 25 Apr at 07:00 pm Logan Center for the Arts USD 29 to 55

Definition Theatre: "keerah" by Netta Walker

 Fri, 29 May at 07:30 pm Definition Theatre USD 29 to 45

2026 CHINA Town Hall at DePaul University

 Tue, 07 Apr at 05:30 pm Levan Center 100 Free

2026 Annual EDSA Conference

 Sat, 02 May at 09:00 am DePaul University - Schmitt Academic Center Free

Story Lab Chicago: Stories From your Friends & Neighbors

Thu, 16 Apr at 07:30 pm Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro

More Calm, Less Stress: An Experiential Evening with Author Megy Karydes

 Tue, 05 May at 06:00 pm Fabrik Chicago USD 55

The Art of Wagashi – Hydrangea Nerikiri Workshop

 Sat, 06 Jun at 03:30 pm Japanese Culture Center USD 74

Poesía en Abril - Diálogo y lectura de poetas "Versos en el viento"

 Sat, 25 Apr at 01:30 pm Instituto Cervantes Chicago Free

Chicago Poetry Center’s April Blue Hour Featuring Diego Baez and Samyak Shertok

 Wed, 15 Apr at 07:00 pm Haymarket House

Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right

 Sat, 18 Apr at 02:00 pm Nighthawk Free

Staff & Friends Reading

 Thu, 14 May at 06:00 pm Poetry Foundation Free

Music 4 Your Soul w/ Ken Fobs

 Sun, 19 Apr at 06:30 pm 201 S. Ashland Avenue, Chicago, IL, United States, Illinois 60607

Manuscript Meet & Greet: Banned Books Edition

 Mon, 13 Apr at 03:00 pm Regenstein Library Free

New Growth

 Sat, 30 May at 07:00 pm Public Works Gallery USD 14 to 31

the first hngout

 Fri, 08 May at 06:30 pm 3001 W Peterson Ave USD 67

LOST PROPHET: The Life & Times of BAYARD RUSTIN – by John D'Emilio - Author Coming

 Tue, 21 Jul at 07:00 pm Center on Halsted

Spiral Body: Body Deploys

 Wed, 08 Apr at 07:00 pm International Museum of Surgical Science Free

Bookish Trivia Night

 Fri, 10 Apr at 08:00 pm Passages Wine and Books Free

The Dover Road by A. A. Milne

 Thu, 16 Apr at 07:30 pm Glessner House USD 0 to 34