About this Event
We are thrilled to host artist and author Rani Ban for an event featuring her debut book: This Is Terrible, This Is Wonderful: Dispatches from the Postpartum Universe. The event will feature a poetry zine workshop for mothers and caretakers, followed by an author meet & greet and book signing.
When: Saturday, June 20th at 7:00 pm (doors open at 6:45 pm)
Where: Three Avenues Bookshop - 3009 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60657
About the Event
is not meant to tidy the complicated postpartum experience, but rather, act as a bridge between how you feel and how you think you should feel. Rani's hand-written and hand-illustrated essays and poems encapsulate her own journey through new motherhood.
"Nothing about my first year as a human mother unfolded the way I imagined. I had prepared for a baby but I had not prepared for how profoundly uncomfortable I would feel inside of the new life I had hoped for. I felt altered, disoriented and totally unsure of how to inhabit my new role. I quietly navigated waves of grief and doubt while surrounded by messages about 'bouncing back' and 'enjoying this magical time'." – Rani Ban
To foster the community of parents she hopes This is Terrible, This is Wonderful builds, Rani invites mothers and caretakers to take part in a collective act of creation: folding, stitching, writing, and decorating a low-fi poetry zine together. Each attendee will leave with a small, hand-stitched and hand-written artifact of their own inner life.
Copies of will be available for purchase during the event, and participants will have the opportunity to get their books signed by Rani Ban.
About the Book: This is Terrible, This is Wonderful
For anyone experiencing the contradictory chaos and joy of early parenthood, illustrator Rani Ban offers no-bullshit wisdom and sparks of hope from the postpartum universe.
Combining raw honesty and humor with the warmth of classic parenting memoirs, Rani Ban's debut will reassure any new parent that they are not alone.
Designed to be read in stolen moments between feedings and diaper changings, this modern take on early parenthood offers a candid but validating perspective on the highs and lows of postpartum life.
With short, hand-lettered essays and poems and Ban's evocative illustrations, This Is Terrible, This Is Wonderful is an affirming, unfiltered self-purchase or shower gift for new parents in the thick of it.
About the Author
Rani Ban is a writer and artist based in the Hudson Valley, where she owns an art supply store called The Little Art Shop. She shares an old farmhouse with her partner, toddler, and a circus of rescue animals.
Event Accessibility
Three Avenues Bookshop's goal is to be a safe, accessible, and inclusive space for all. Please email us at [email protected] to let us know if you need any accommodations for this event, and we'll do our best to meet them. Accommodations can include but are not limited to the following: space for a wheelchair or other mobility device, masks, answering questions about the space over the phone or email ahead of time, etc.
Agenda
🕑: 06:45 PM
Doors Open
🕑: 07:00 PM - 07:15 PM
Welcome
Info: Introduction to Rani Ban and her book: This is Terrible, This is Wonderful
🕑: 07:15 PM - 08:00 PM
Guided Zine Making
Info: Rani will guide participants through zine making, giving mothers and caretakers dedicated time to create something slow and intentional.
🕑: 08:00 PM - 08:30 PM
Meet & Greet and Book Signing
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Three Avenues Bookshop, 3009 North Southport Avenue, Chicago, United States
USD 0.00 to USD 24.29
