Dorothy's Silent Book Club!

SILENT BOOK CLUB breaks the barriers of a traditional book club where there's no pressure to finish a certain book, no pressure to socialize and no pressure to do anything but read! Silent Book Club is just that: a silent gathering of readers in Dorothy once a month with an option to follow our highlighted reads and an option to chat with our book club curator - or to keep on reading!

During a Silent Book Club Sundays, Dorothy will be playing instrumental music at a slightly lower volume than normal and will keep the lights at a key higher than usual. Due to the dark nature of our bar we encourage anyone to bring reading lights! Silent Book Club lasts all night: 6-11pm. Arrive early for seating and happy hour from 6-7pm.

Our Silent Book Club is hosted & curated by Charlie! Charlie is a writer, bookseller, and pop culture enthusiast who lives in Logan Square with their (cool as fuck) spouse, Beth and (demonic) cat, JJ Peppers Convenience Store. A Chicago native, Charlie knows there’s no place like (or better than) home. When they’re not in the photo booth at Dorothy or FaceTiming their friends to talk about fanfiction, they like to go out for Italian ice, visit the garlic couple at the farmers market, and howl at the moon.

For January - March 2025, Charlie has curated book suggestions which you're welcome to explore, bring to the bar or completely ignore and read whatever you want. :) Shop from our Bookshop.org Wishlist and support , Chicago's largest Black-woman owned bookstore and gallery.

JANUARY

• Dayspring by Anthony Oliveira
• The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater
• Dyke (Geology) by Sabrina Imbler

FEBRUARY

• Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby
• The Brother/Sister Plays by Tarell Alvin McCraney
• King and The Dragon Flies by Kacen Callender

MARCH

• Trans Care by Hil Malatino
• Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky
• The Deep Dark by Molly Ostertag

Alongside our event we will have pop up guests with us, including:

JANUARY: Passages Wine & Books + Chicago Books for Women in Pr*son - a great pairing to buy books and donate forward!

FEBRUARY: Chicago Public Library - register for a library card or change your name with CPL!

MARCH: Expand the Classroom - queer book swap!

Dorothy is 21+ and requires physical ID for all to enter. Dorothy is also ADA accessible with elevator access on Campbell Ave. If you are a guest who requires elevator access, please wait by the black doors on Campbell Ave and call our staff to assist: 773-770-3799

Event Venue

Dorothy, 2500 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago, United States