BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Rebecca Makkai - ECPv6.9.0//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:Rebecca Makkai
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Rebecca Makkai
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/Chicago
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0600
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:CDT
DTSTART:20200308T080000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0600
TZNAME:CST
DTSTART:20201101T070000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0600
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:CDT
DTSTART:20210314T080000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0600
TZNAME:CST
DTSTART:20211107T070000
END:STANDARD
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20200308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20201101T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20210314T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20211107T060000
END:STANDARD
TZID:Europe/Warsaw
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:+0100
TZOFFSETTO:+0200
TZNAME:CEST
DTSTART:20200329T010000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0200
TZOFFSETTO:+0100
TZNAME:CET
DTSTART:20201025T010000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20210405T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20210405T203000
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20210303T203844Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210303T203844Z
UID:2401-1617649200-1617654600@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:Speakeasy Workshop: This Will Be Character-Building
DESCRIPTION:Join Rebecca Makkai for an intimate workshop designed to help you write an original short story or the first chapter of a novel or memoir — or to continue work on one in progress. In each session\, Rebecca will teach a different aspect of writing craft: backstory\, motivation\, dialogue\, and character evolution. This event has four sessions.\n\n\nE. M. Forster wrote that “incident springs out of character\, and having occurred it alters that character.” How do we create characters who will both cause interesting things to happen and be changed by their world? How do we get a whole lifetime across without an awkward backstory dump? What differences should we consider when crafting characters for novels versus short stories? How can a memoirist get real-life characters onto the page? \nThis workshop is designed to help participants write an original short story or the first chapter of a novel or memoir — or to continue work on one in progress. Participants will work on their projects outside of the workshop sessions. \nIn each session\, Rebecca will teach a different aspect of writing craft. (In our four sessions\, we’ll focus on backstory\, motivation\, dialogue\, and character evolution.) There will be discussion of what we’re writing and what we’re reading\, but sessions will primarily focus on Rebecca’s craft lessons. Because you won’t be workshopping each other\, this class will be a friendly and challenging learning environment for writers at all levels of education and experience. \n?After the fourth session\, participants will submit their projects (no more than 12 pages) to Rebecca\, and she will provide feedback to each person in the form of a marked-up manuscript and a brief feedback letter. \nDetails\nMondays: April 5 – April 26\, 2021\n\n\n5pm PT / 8pm ET – 90 min\n\n\nLimited to 15 participants\n\n\n\n$500.00 for all four sessions\n\n\n\nCode of Conduct  \nWe look forward to building an inclusive\, supportive community of writers during our workshop and will not tolerate racist\, sexist\, or homophobic views. By signing up for this workshop\, you’re agreeing to uphold these norms. Though we don’t expect this to happen\, if someone violates these norms\, they will be removed from the workshop without a refund. \nWritten feedback from Rebecca is contingent on the writing sample you submit being coherent. You don’t need to be an experienced (or published!) writer by any means\, nor do you need to have perfect command of all aspects of English grammar\, but your writing should be comprehensible.
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/speakeasy-workshop-this-will-be-character-building/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20210401T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20210401T193000
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20210223T183444Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210225T182348Z
UID:2380-1617300000-1617305400@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:Chicago Literary Alliance Presents: One For The Books
DESCRIPTION:Throughout the first two weeks of April\, enjoy a variety of virtual events presented by The Chicago Literary Alliance that celebrate the many ways we use the tools of literacy. Take part in an online silent auction featuring unique and rare books\, as well as items for your home. One For The Books is a series of events fundraising to benefit The Chicago Literary Alliance \nJoin us on Thursday\, April 1 at 6 PM for a conversation with Rebecca Makkai to discuss her work\, her creative process\, and her view of a literate Chicago. Zoom links will be sent to all ticket holders closer to the event.
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/chicago-literary-alliance-presents-one-for-the-books/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210401
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210402
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20210222T193300Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210222T193300Z
UID:2363-1617235200-1617321599@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:Gorton’s Masterclass Series: Rebecca Makkai - A Local Writing Life
DESCRIPTION:This event is virtual\n“A Local Writing Life”: Local author Rebecca Makkai has achieved national prominence\, most recently with her novel The Great Believers — a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award\, and the winner of the ALA Carnegie Medal. Makkai was born and raised in Lake Bluff\, and has lived her adult life in Lake Forest. She will talk with Barry Benson\, Interim Executive Director of the Ragdale Foundation\, about living as a professional writer in Lake Forest\, coming of age in the community\, sustaining a life in the arts\, and the connections of her four books to both the North Shore and Chicago. \n\n\n\n\n\n \nRebecca Makkai’s latest novel\, The Great Believers\, was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award; it was the winner of the ALA Carnegie Medal\, the Stonewall Book Award\, the LA Times Book Prize\, the Clark Fiction Prize\, the Midwest Independent Booksellers Award\, and the Chicago Review of Books Award; and it was one of the New York Times’ Ten Best Books of 2018. Her other books are the novels The Borrower and The Hundred-Year House\, and the collection Music for Wartime — four stories from which appeared in The Best American Short Stories. Rebecca is on the MFA faculties of Sierra Nevada College and Northwestern University. She is Artistic Director of StoryStudio Chicago. \nBarry Benson is the Interim Executive Director of the Ragdale Foundation\, a nonprofit artists’ community located on the former country estate of architect Howard Van Doren Shaw. Nearly 200 residencies and fellowships are now offered annually to creative professionals of all types\, making Ragdale one of the largest interdisciplinary artists’ communities in the country. Ragdale residents represent a cross-section of ages\, cultures\, experience\, and mediums\, for a diverse and vibrant community. \nBy purchasing a ticket\, you will receive a link to the masterclass which will be released February 25th and sales will run through April 9th.  The link is yours to watch at your convenience. \n($25 tickets/$10 for students)
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/gortons-masterclass-series-rebecca-makkai-a-local-writing-life-6/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20210325T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20210325T200000
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20210309T192244Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210324T155013Z
UID:2412-1616698800-1616702400@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:Ellen Stone Belic Presents: In Her Infinite Wisdom Joyce Carol Oates: The (Other) You In Conversation With Rebecca Makkai
DESCRIPTION:Part of the 2021 Chicago Humanities Festival\n \nIn her latest short story collection The (Other) You Joyce Carol Oates ponders who her characters might have become if they’d chosen different paths. Through the imaginations of her contemplative protagonists\, Oates—author of contemporary classic novels like We Were the Mulvaneys and Blonde—deftly detangles the complex circumstances that dictate who we turn out to be. Join Oates and Rebecca Makkai\, author of Pulitzer Prize finalist The Great Believers\, for a discussion of destiny\, alternative realities\, and our other selves. \n\nGeneral Audience tickets are $$35\, which includes access to the virtual event and a signed copy of The (Other) You directly to your door (U.S. addresses only). ALL tickets must be purchased online via Seminary Co-op directly. Phone orders or email requests cannot be accepted.\nThis program is free to watch for CHF members at the Friends level ($125) and up\, no need to register. These members will be emailed a link to enjoy the program on the event date. Books are available for purchase.\nPlease note: this event will be livestreamed on March 25th at 7pm central time and registered guests will have a period of 7 days to enjoy the program.\nRegistered guests will receive a link to watch the program from the Chicago Humanities Festival via email on the day of the event at the email address you used to make your purchase.\nAll CHF’s virtual events have closed captions. To request another accessible accommodation\, such as ASL interpretation or audio description\, please reach out to us at access@chicagohumanities.org. We will do our best to accommodate late requests\, but to ensure a service provider is available\, please try to make your request at least 2 weeks out from the event date.\nIf you have questions about the virtual event\, please contact the Chicago Humanities Festival.\nThis event will be livestreamed with a live Q+A.\n\nThis program is generously underwritten by Ellen Stone Belic. \n*Special note about registration: To improve your experience on our website\, we are currently building a new ticketing system. In the meantime\, you’ll notice different ways of registering for upcoming winter events. We know this can be confusing and we appreciate your patience as we build a better platform. Please reach out to tickets@chicagohumanities.org with any questions–we have a small staff and promise to reply as soon as we can! \n\n\n\n\nAbout the Book:\n\n\n\nBooks will be shipped to registered guests within 7-10 business days of the event. Please be patient as you may be affected by general shipping delays occurring nationwide.\nBook purchases include shipping to U.S. addresses only.\nIf you have any questions about Seminary Co-op book fulfillment\, please contact Seminary.\nThe Chicago Humanities Festival is pleased to partner with the Seminary Co-op Bookstores\, a not-for-profit bookstore whose mission is bookselling.
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/ellen-stone-belic-presents-in-her-infinite-wisdom-joyce-carol-oates-the-other-you-in-conversation-with-rebecca-makkai/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210325
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210326
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20210222T193155Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210222T193155Z
UID:2361-1616630400-1616716799@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:Gorton’s Masterclass Series: Rebecca Makkai - A Local Writing Life
DESCRIPTION:This event is virtual\n“A Local Writing Life”: Local author Rebecca Makkai has achieved national prominence\, most recently with her novel The Great Believers — a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award\, and the winner of the ALA Carnegie Medal. Makkai was born and raised in Lake Bluff\, and has lived her adult life in Lake Forest. She will talk with Barry Benson\, Interim Executive Director of the Ragdale Foundation\, about living as a professional writer in Lake Forest\, coming of age in the community\, sustaining a life in the arts\, and the connections of her four books to both the North Shore and Chicago. \n\n\n\n\n\n \nRebecca Makkai’s latest novel\, The Great Believers\, was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award; it was the winner of the ALA Carnegie Medal\, the Stonewall Book Award\, the LA Times Book Prize\, the Clark Fiction Prize\, the Midwest Independent Booksellers Award\, and the Chicago Review of Books Award; and it was one of the New York Times’ Ten Best Books of 2018. Her other books are the novels The Borrower and The Hundred-Year House\, and the collection Music for Wartime — four stories from which appeared in The Best American Short Stories. Rebecca is on the MFA faculties of Sierra Nevada College and Northwestern University. She is Artistic Director of StoryStudio Chicago. \nBarry Benson is the Interim Executive Director of the Ragdale Foundation\, a nonprofit artists’ community located on the former country estate of architect Howard Van Doren Shaw. Nearly 200 residencies and fellowships are now offered annually to creative professionals of all types\, making Ragdale one of the largest interdisciplinary artists’ communities in the country. Ragdale residents represent a cross-section of ages\, cultures\, experience\, and mediums\, for a diverse and vibrant community. \nBy purchasing a ticket\, you will receive a link to the masterclass which will be released February 25th and sales will run through April 9th.  The link is yours to watch at your convenience. \n($25 tickets/$10 for students)
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/gortons-masterclass-series-rebecca-makkai-a-local-writing-life-5/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210318
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210319
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20210222T193017Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210222T193017Z
UID:2359-1616025600-1616111999@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:Gorton’s Masterclass Series: Rebecca Makkai - A Local Writing Life
DESCRIPTION:This event is virtual\n“A Local Writing Life”: Local author Rebecca Makkai has achieved national prominence\, most recently with her novel The Great Believers — a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award\, and the winner of the ALA Carnegie Medal. Makkai was born and raised in Lake Bluff\, and has lived her adult life in Lake Forest. She will talk with Barry Benson\, Interim Executive Director of the Ragdale Foundation\, about living as a professional writer in Lake Forest\, coming of age in the community\, sustaining a life in the arts\, and the connections of her four books to both the North Shore and Chicago. \n\n\n\n\n\n \nRebecca Makkai’s latest novel\, The Great Believers\, was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award; it was the winner of the ALA Carnegie Medal\, the Stonewall Book Award\, the LA Times Book Prize\, the Clark Fiction Prize\, the Midwest Independent Booksellers Award\, and the Chicago Review of Books Award; and it was one of the New York Times’ Ten Best Books of 2018. Her other books are the novels The Borrower and The Hundred-Year House\, and the collection Music for Wartime — four stories from which appeared in The Best American Short Stories. Rebecca is on the MFA faculties of Sierra Nevada College and Northwestern University. She is Artistic Director of StoryStudio Chicago. \nBarry Benson is the Interim Executive Director of the Ragdale Foundation\, a nonprofit artists’ community located on the former country estate of architect Howard Van Doren Shaw. Nearly 200 residencies and fellowships are now offered annually to creative professionals of all types\, making Ragdale one of the largest interdisciplinary artists’ communities in the country. Ragdale residents represent a cross-section of ages\, cultures\, experience\, and mediums\, for a diverse and vibrant community. \nBy purchasing a ticket\, you will receive a link to the masterclass which will be released February 25th and sales will run through April 9th.  The link is yours to watch at your convenience. \n($25 tickets/$10 for students)
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/gortons-masterclass-series-rebecca-makkai-a-local-writing-life-4/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20210312T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20210312T200000
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20210222T195618Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210222T195656Z
UID:2374-1615575600-1615579200@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:Magic City Books Presents: Virtual Event – Kevin Brockmeier In Conversation with Rebecca Makkai
DESCRIPTION:Magic City Books is proud to welcome Kevin Brockmeier for a virtual author event in celebration of his new collection of stories\, The Ghost Variations.  \nThe author of the acclaimed novel The Brief History of the Dead now gives us one hundred funny\, poignant\, scary\, and thought-provoking ghost stories that explore all aspects of the afterlife. These tales are by turns playful\, chilling\, and philosophical\, paying homage to the genre while audaciously subverting expectations. The ghosts in these pages are certain to haunt you well after you’ve closed the book. \nKevin will be joined in conversation by Rebecca Makkai\, author of The Great Believers. \nThis free event will be hosted on the Zoom platform and Facebook Live. To register in advance for the Zoom event visit: https://magiccitybooks.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YUhZ3OLOR1arH2OuetXH7g. \nAfter you register you will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to join the event on Friday\, March 12. \nThe Ghost Variations will be published on March 9\, 2021. To pre-order a copy you can call Magic City Books\, 918-602-4452 or visit: https://magiccitybooks.square.site/product/the-ghost-variations/437. \nAbout The Ghost Variations\nGhost stories tap into our most primal emotions as they encourage us to confront the timeless question: What comes after death? Here\, in tales that are by turn scary\, funny\, philosophic\, and touching\, you’ll find that question sharpened\, split\, reconsidered–and met with a multitude of answers. \nA spirit who is fated to spend eternity reliving the exact moment she lost her chance at love\, ghostly trees that haunt the occupant of a wooden house\, specters that snatch anyone who steps into the shadows\, and parakeets that serve as mouthpieces for the dead: these are just a few of the characters in this extraordinary compendium of one hundred ghost stories. Kevin Brockmeier’s fiction has always explored the space between the fantastical and the everyday with profundity and poignancy. As in his previous books\, The Ghost Variations discovers new ways of looking at who we are and what matters to us\, exploring how mysterious\, sad\, strange\, and comical it is to be alive–or\, as it happens\, not to be. \nKEVIN BROCKMEIER is the author of the memoir A Few Seconds of Radiant Filmstrip; the novels The Illumination\, The Brief History of the Dead\, and The Truth About Celia; the story collections The Ghost Variations\, Things That Fall from the Sky and The View from the Seventh Layer; and the children’s novels City of Names and Grooves: A Kind of Mystery. His work has been translated into seventeen languages. He teaches frequently at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and lives in Little Rock\, Arkansas\, where he was raised.
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/magic-city-books-presents-virtual-event-kevin-brockmeier-in-conversation-with-rebecca-makkai/
LOCATION:Magic City Books\, 221 E. Archer St.\, Tulsa\, OK\, 74103\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210311
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210312
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20210222T192907Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210222T192907Z
UID:2357-1615420800-1615507199@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:Gorton’s Masterclass Series: Rebecca Makkai - A Local Writing Life
DESCRIPTION:This event is virtual\n“A Local Writing Life”: Local author Rebecca Makkai has achieved national prominence\, most recently with her novel The Great Believers — a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award\, and the winner of the ALA Carnegie Medal. Makkai was born and raised in Lake Bluff\, and has lived her adult life in Lake Forest. She will talk with Barry Benson\, Interim Executive Director of the Ragdale Foundation\, about living as a professional writer in Lake Forest\, coming of age in the community\, sustaining a life in the arts\, and the connections of her four books to both the North Shore and Chicago. \n\n\n\n\n\n \nRebecca Makkai’s latest novel\, The Great Believers\, was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award; it was the winner of the ALA Carnegie Medal\, the Stonewall Book Award\, the LA Times Book Prize\, the Clark Fiction Prize\, the Midwest Independent Booksellers Award\, and the Chicago Review of Books Award; and it was one of the New York Times’ Ten Best Books of 2018. Her other books are the novels The Borrower and The Hundred-Year House\, and the collection Music for Wartime — four stories from which appeared in The Best American Short Stories. Rebecca is on the MFA faculties of Sierra Nevada College and Northwestern University. She is Artistic Director of StoryStudio Chicago. \nBarry Benson is the Interim Executive Director of the Ragdale Foundation\, a nonprofit artists’ community located on the former country estate of architect Howard Van Doren Shaw. Nearly 200 residencies and fellowships are now offered annually to creative professionals of all types\, making Ragdale one of the largest interdisciplinary artists’ communities in the country. Ragdale residents represent a cross-section of ages\, cultures\, experience\, and mediums\, for a diverse and vibrant community. \nBy purchasing a ticket\, you will receive a link to the masterclass which will be released February 25th and sales will run through April 9th.  The link is yours to watch at your convenience. \n($25 tickets/$10 for students)
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/gortons-masterclass-series-rebecca-makkai-a-local-writing-life-3/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20210304T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20210304T210000
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20210226T190504Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210226T190727Z
UID:2396-1614888000-1614891600@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:Unabridged Bookstore Presents: Zak Salih's Virtual Tour for "LET'S GET BACK TO THE PARTY" in conversation with Rebecca Makkai
DESCRIPTION:It is 2015\, weeks after the Supreme Court marriage equality ruling\, and all Sebastian Mote wants is to settle down. A high school art history teacher\, newly single and desperately lonely\, he envies his queer students their freedom to live openly the youth he lost to fear and shame. \nWhen he runs into his childhood friend Oscar Burnham at a wedding in Washington\, D.C.\, he can’t help but see it as a second chance. Now thirty-five\, the men haven’t seen each other in more than a decade. But Oscar has no interest in their shared history\, nor in the sense of be­longing Sebastian craves. Instead\, he’s outraged by what he sees as the death of gay culture: bars overrun with bachelorette parties\, friends cou­pling off and having babies. For Oscar\, confor­mity isn’t peace\, it’s surrender. \nWhile Oscar and Sebastian struggle to find their place in a rapidly changing world\, each is drawn into a cross-generational friendship that treads the line between envy and obsession: Se­bastian with one of his students\, Oscar with an older icon of the AIDS era. And as they collide again and again\, both men must reckon not just with one another but with themselves. \nZak Salih lives in Washington\, D.C. His writing has appeared in Crazyhorse\, the Chattahoochee Review\, the Millions\, the Rumpus\, and other publications. This is his first novel. \nRebecca Makkai will be joining Zak Salih to celebrate the release of Let’s Get Back To The Party. \nTo participate in this virtual event\, sign up here. To purchase Let’s Get Back to the Party\, begin an order here.
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/unabridged-bookstore-presents-zach-salihs-virtual-tour-for-lets-get-back-to-the-party-in-conversation-with-rebecca-makkai/
LOCATION:Unabridged Bookstore\, 3251 N. Broadway\, Chicago\, IL
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210304
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210305
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20210222T192713Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210222T192713Z
UID:2355-1614816000-1614902399@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:Gorton’s Masterclass Series: Rebecca Makkai - A Local Writing Life
DESCRIPTION:This event is virtual\n“A Local Writing Life”: Local author Rebecca Makkai has achieved national prominence\, most recently with her novel The Great Believers — a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award\, and the winner of the ALA Carnegie Medal. Makkai was born and raised in Lake Bluff\, and has lived her adult life in Lake Forest. She will talk with Barry Benson\, Interim Executive Director of the Ragdale Foundation\, about living as a professional writer in Lake Forest\, coming of age in the community\, sustaining a life in the arts\, and the connections of her four books to both the North Shore and Chicago. \n\n\n\n\n\n \nRebecca Makkai’s latest novel\, The Great Believers\, was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award; it was the winner of the ALA Carnegie Medal\, the Stonewall Book Award\, the LA Times Book Prize\, the Clark Fiction Prize\, the Midwest Independent Booksellers Award\, and the Chicago Review of Books Award; and it was one of the New York Times’ Ten Best Books of 2018. Her other books are the novels The Borrower and The Hundred-Year House\, and the collection Music for Wartime — four stories from which appeared in The Best American Short Stories. Rebecca is on the MFA faculties of Sierra Nevada College and Northwestern University. She is Artistic Director of StoryStudio Chicago. \nBarry Benson is the Interim Executive Director of the Ragdale Foundation\, a nonprofit artists’ community located on the former country estate of architect Howard Van Doren Shaw. Nearly 200 residencies and fellowships are now offered annually to creative professionals of all types\, making Ragdale one of the largest interdisciplinary artists’ communities in the country. Ragdale residents represent a cross-section of ages\, cultures\, experience\, and mediums\, for a diverse and vibrant community. \nBy purchasing a ticket\, you will receive a link to the masterclass which will be released February 25th and sales will run through April 9th.  The link is yours to watch at your convenience. \n($25 tickets/$10 for students)
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/gortons-masterclass-series-rebecca-makkai-a-local-writing-life-2/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210225
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210226
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20210216T001135Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210222T192402Z
UID:2346-1614211200-1614297599@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:Gorton’s Masterclass Series: Rebecca Makkai - A Local Writing Life
DESCRIPTION:This event is virtual\n“A Local Writing Life”: Local author Rebecca Makkai has achieved national prominence\, most recently with her novel The Great Believers — a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award\, and the winner of the ALA Carnegie Medal. Makkai was born and raised in Lake Bluff\, and has lived her adult life in Lake Forest. She will talk with Barry Benson\, Interim Executive Director of the Ragdale Foundation\, about living as a professional writer in Lake Forest\, coming of age in the community\, sustaining a life in the arts\, and the connections of her four books to both the North Shore and Chicago. \n\n\n\n\n\n \nRebecca Makkai’s latest novel\, The Great Believers\, was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award; it was the winner of the ALA Carnegie Medal\, the Stonewall Book Award\, the LA Times Book Prize\, the Clark Fiction Prize\, the Midwest Independent Booksellers Award\, and the Chicago Review of Books Award; and it was one of the New York Times’ Ten Best Books of 2018. Her other books are the novels The Borrower and The Hundred-Year House\, and the collection Music for Wartime — four stories from which appeared in The Best American Short Stories. Rebecca is on the MFA faculties of Sierra Nevada College and Northwestern University. She is Artistic Director of StoryStudio Chicago. \nBarry Benson is the Interim Executive Director of the Ragdale Foundation\, a nonprofit artists’ community located on the former country estate of architect Howard Van Doren Shaw. Nearly 200 residencies and fellowships are now offered annually to creative professionals of all types\, making Ragdale one of the largest interdisciplinary artists’ communities in the country. Ragdale residents represent a cross-section of ages\, cultures\, experience\, and mediums\, for a diverse and vibrant community. \nBy purchasing a ticket\, you will receive a link to the masterclass which will be released February 25th and sales will run through April 9th.  The link is yours to watch at your convenience. \n($25 tickets/$10 for students)
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/gortons-masterclass-series-rebecca-makkai-a-local-writing-life/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20210224T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20210224T200000
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20210222T192212Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210222T192212Z
UID:2352-1614193200-1614196800@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:Virtual Book Launch: THE UPSTAIRS HOUSE by Julia Fine In Conversation With Rebecca Makkai
DESCRIPTION:Join us on Women & Children First’s Crowdcast Channel for the virtual launch celebration for The Upstairs House by Julia Fine! For this event\, Fine will be in conversation with Rebecca Makkai. \nREGISTER HERE \nRavaged and sore from giving birth to her first child\, Megan is mostly raising her newborn alone while her husband travels for work. Physically exhausted and mentally drained\, she’s also wracked with guilt over her unfinished dissertation—a thesis on mid-century children’s literature. \nEnter a new upstairs neighbor: the ghost of quixotic children’s book writer Margaret Wise Brown—author of the beloved classic Goodnight Moon—whose existence no one else will acknowledge. It seems Margaret has unfinished business with her former lover\, the once-famous socialite and actress Michael Strange\, and is determined to draw Megan into the fray. As Michael joins the haunting\, Megan finds herself caught in the wake of a supernatural power struggle—and until she can find a way to quiet these spirits\, she and her newborn daughter are in terrible danger. \nUsing Megan’s postpartum haunting as a powerful metaphor for a woman’s fraught relationship with her body and mind\, Julia Fine once again delivers an imaginative and “barely restrained\, careful musing on female desire\, loneliness\, and hereditary inheritances” (Washington Post). \nJulia Fine is the author of the critically acclaimed What Should Be Wild\, which was shortlisted for the Bram Stoker Superior First Novel Award and the Chicago Review of Books Award. She teaches writing in Chicago\, where she lives with her husband and son. \nRebecca Makkai latest novel\, The Great Believers\, was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award; it was the winner of the ALA Carnegie Medal\, the Stonewall Book Award\, the LA Times Book Prize\, the Clark Fiction Prize\, the Midwest Independent Booksellers Award\, and the Chicago Review of Books Award; and it was one of the New York Times' Ten Best Books of 2018. Her other books are the novels The Borrower and The Hundred-Year House\, and the collection Music for Wartime — four stories from which appeared in The Best American Short Stories. Rebecca is on the MFA faculties of Sierra Nevada College and Northwestern University. She is Artistic Director of StoryStudio Chicago. \n\n\n\n\nEvent date:\n\nWednesday\, February 24\, 2021 – 7:00pm\n\n\n\nEvent address:\n\n\n\nVirtual via Crowdcast
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/virtual-book-launch-the-upstairs-house-by-julia-fine-in-conversation-with-rebecca-makkai/
LOCATION:Women & Children First\, 5233 N. Clark St.\, Chicago\, IL
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210216T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210216T210000
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20210113T161802Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210113T161802Z
UID:2341-1613505600-1613509200@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:PEN Out Loud: Brandon Hobson with Rebecca Makkai
DESCRIPTION:Flash sale until January 27! Use the code WINTERPOL for 50 percent off General Admission tickets.\nThe first 350 Admission With Book tickets will include a bookplate.\n \nNational Book Award finalist Brandon Hobson joins PEN Out Loud to celebrate his latest novel\, The Removed. Weaving together multiple first-person narrators and Cherokee folklore\, the novel tells the story of a Cherokee family 15 years after an unjust police shooting of one of the family’s three children. Hobson will be joined in conversation with Pulitzer Prize finalist Rebecca Makkai to discuss the novel and its “meditation on family\, grief\, home\, and the power of stories on both a personal and ancestral level.” \nThis digital event will start at 8pm ET / 5pm PT. \nPresented in collaboration with Strand Book Store and Scripps Presents. \n \nASL interpretive services are provided by ProBono ASL. \n  \nPEN Out Loud focuses on amplifying diverse voices and convening vital conversations with authors\, poets\, journalists\, artists\, and activists. \nThis winter\, these conversations shift our focus inward\, providing a necessary pause to examine who we once were\, who we are now\, and who we’d like to become. Following a fraught year in which we were challenged to reckon with our past\, confront our present\, and reimagine our future\, we turn to literature to engage our minds and reconnect with ourselves—physically\, mentally\, and emotionally. \nEach event this season explores the core of our humanity\, generously interrogating our understanding of—and capacity to experience—passion and desire\, grief and resilience\, nourishment and love\, reflection and hope. \n$20 General Admission*\n* Admission with books\, signed books\, and bookplates available at additional cost.
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/pen-out-loud-brandon-hobson-with-rebecca-makkai/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20210201T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20210201T220000
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20210112T210742Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210222T192432Z
UID:2338-1612206000-1612216800@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:Speakeasy Workshop: Chutes and Ladders: Four Pitfalls (and Solutions!) for Writing Prose
DESCRIPTION:Mondays\, February 1st\, 8th\, 15th\, & 22nd\, 5-8:00pm PT / 8-11:00pm ET \nJoin me for another digital workshop this February with Speakeasy! \nMost obstacles to writing are not psychological (writers’ block is a myth!) but structural. In narrative fiction\, it’s plot — cause and effect\, development\, change\, suspense — that propels us forward. And yet these things don’t happen by accident. There are common missteps that will tank a story or novel in its earliest pages\, and there are architectural solutions that will get us out of those traps. \nThis workshop is designed to help participants write an original short story or the first chapter of a novel. Participants will work on their projects outside of the workshop sessions. In each session\, Rebecca will teach a different aspect of writing craft. (In our four sessions\, we’ll focus on story arc\, scene shape\, momentum\, and stakes.) Some participants might share relevant parts of their projects during these sessions to get feedback from Rebecca and the group\, but these sessions will primarily focus on Rebecca’s craft lessons.? \nAfter the fourth session\, participants will submit their projects (no more than 12 pages) to Rebecca\, and she will provide feedback to each person in the form of a marked-up manuscript and a brief feedback letter. Written feedback from Rebecca is contingent on the writing sample you submit being coherent. You don’t need to be an experienced (or published!) writer by any means\, nor do you need to have perfect command of all aspects of English grammar\, but your writing should be comprehensible. \nCode of Conduct  \nWe look forward to building an inclusive\, supportive community of writers during our workshop and will not tolerate racist\, sexist\, or homophobic views. By signing up for this workshop\, you’re agreeing to uphold these norms. Though we don’t expect this to happen\, if someone violates these norms\, they will be removed from the workshop without a refund.
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/speakeasy-workshop-chutes-and-ladders-four-pitfalls-and-solutions-for-writing-prose-2/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20201214T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20201214T170000
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20201214T203352Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20201214T203455Z
UID:2332-1607932800-1607965200@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:StoryStudio Chicago Presents: The Geek-Out Book Club | Rebecca Makkai + Cristina Henriquez Discuss "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson
DESCRIPTION:The Geek-Out is writers geeking out about literature\, plain and simple! One writer will make the other read something for the first time (in this case\, Rebecca made Cristina read Shirley Jackson’s legendarily unnerving “The Lottery”) and then for about an hour they talk together about craft\, impact\, what they loved\, what they didn’t. The audience is encouraged to read the piece too\, and participate via the chat box.\nThe event is a fundraiser for StoryStudio’s Doro Boehme scholarship fund\, benefiting writers working on book-length projects. If this first go is successful\, we hope to make The Geek-Out a regular series\, inviting your favorite writers to participate and discuss other legendary stories and books.
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/storystudio-chicago-presents-the-geek-out-book-club-rebecca-makkai-cristina-henriquez-discuss-the-lottery-by-shirley-jackson/
LOCATION:StoryStudio Chicago\, 4043 N. Ravenswood\, #222\, Chicago\, IL\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20201209T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20201209T210000
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20201204T191453Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20201204T191616Z
UID:2317-1607544000-1607547600@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:2020 Is Over: A Variety With Booze Hacks\, Music\, Ribaldry\, Cobblers\, and More!
DESCRIPTION:To celebrate the paperback launch of his book “The Riots I have Known”\, Ryan Chapman is hosting a digital variety show with Rough Draft Bar & Books on December 9th\, 2020 at 8pm ET. \nInstead of a reading\, let’s have a zoom party.  A loose version of “The Tonight Show\,” with booze tips for lockdown\, ribald stories\, writing advice\, cooking segments\, psychedelics\, and a few surprises. We’ll even have a house band. Spread the word! We’ll bend zoom until it breaks. \nGuests include: Rebecca Makkai\, De’Shawn Charles Winslow\, Geoff Dyer\, Kristen Arnett\, Maris Kreizman\, Josh Gondelman\, and Rob Doyle\, with music from Sari Botton and Bran Macaluso. \nIf you want to buy a book\, please use Ryan’s local indie Rough Draft. You can get a signed and personalized copy of Riots through this link. \n \nDE’SHAWN CHARLES WINSLOW was the 2019 winner of the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize for In West Mills. He holds an MFA and BFA in creative writing\, and an MA in English literature. De’Shawn has received scholarships from the Napa Valley Writers’ Conference and the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. He lives in the New York City area. \nGEOFF DYER is the award-winning author of many books\, including But Beautiful\, Out of Sheer Rage\, Zona (on Andrei Tarkovsky’s film Stalker)\, and the essay collection Otherwise Known as the Human Condition (winner of a National Book Critics Circle Award for criticism). A fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences\, Dyer lives in Los Angeles\, where he is writer-in-residence at the University of Southern California. His books have been translated into twenty-four languages. \nREBECCA MAKKAI is the Chicago-based author of the novels The Great Believers\, The Hundred-Year House\, and The Borrower\, as well as the short story collection Music for Wartime. The Great Believers was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award\, and received the ALA Carnegie Medal and the LA Times Book Prize\, among other honors. Makkai is on the MFA faculties of Sierra Nevada College and Northwestern University\, and she is Artistic Director of StoryStudio Chicago. \nKRISTEN ARNETT is the NYT bestselling author of the debut novel Mostly Dead Things (Tin House\, 2019) which was listed as one of The New York Times top books of 2019 and was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in fiction. She is a queer fiction and essay writer. She was awarded Ninth Letter‘s Literary Award in Fiction and is a columnist for Literary Hub. Her story collection\, Felt in the Jaw\, was published by Split Lip Press and was awarded the 2017 Coil Book Award. She was a Spring 2020 Shearing Fellow at Black Mountain Institute. She has a Masters in Library and Information Science from Florida State University and currently lives in Miami\, Florida. \nMARIS KREIZMAN is the host of The Maris Review\, a literary podcast from Literary Hub. She’s the creator of Slaughterhouse 90210\, a blog and book (Flatiron Books\, 2015). Her work has appeared in the New York Times\, the LA Times\, The Wall Street Journal\, The Atlantic\, Vanity Fair\, BuzzFeed\, Publishers Weekly\, The Ringer\, The Toast\, The Hairpin\, The Cut\, Vulture\, Glamour\, Esquire\, GQ\, OUT Magazine\, and more. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband\, her dog\, and her books. \nJOSH GONDELMAN is a comedian and writer who has earned two Peabody Awards\, three Emmys\, and two WGA Awards for his work on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on HBO. He is currently a writer/producer for Desus & Mero on Showtime. In the past\, Josh has written for Billy on the Street. His writing has also appeared in the New York Times\, New York magazine\, and the New Yorker. He lives in New York City with his wife and pug. \nROB DOYLE is the author of Threshold\, published by Bloomsbury USA in March. His debut novel\, Here Are the Young Men\, was selected as one of Hot Press magazine’s “20 Greatest Irish Novels 1916-2016\,” and has been made into a film starring Dean Charles Chapman and Anya Taylor Joy. This Is the Ritual\, a collection of short stories\, was published in 2016 to widespread acclaim. He has written for the Guardian\, TLS\, Vice\, Sunday Times\, Dublin Review\, Observer and many other publications\, and throughout 2019 he wrote a weekly column on cult books for the Irish Times. He lives between Ireland and Berlin. \nSARI BOTTON is a writer and editor living in Kingston\, NY. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times and many other publications. She edited the award-winning anthology Goodbye to All That: Writers on Loving & Leaving NY and its New York Times bestselling follow-up\, Never Can Say Goodbye: Writers on Their Unshakable Love for NY and for five years served as Essays Editor at Longreads. She teaches creative nonfiction courses at Catapult and in the MFA program at Bay Path University. \n 
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/2020-is-over-a-variety-with-booze-hacks-music-ribaldry-cobblers-and-more/
LOCATION:Rough Draft Bar & Books
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20201201T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20201222T170000
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20201105T201845Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20201105T202034Z
UID:2303-1606809600-1608656400@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:Speakeasy Workshop: Chutes and Ladders: Four Pitfalls (and Solutions!) for Writing Prose
DESCRIPTION:Tuesdays\, December 1st\, 8th\, 15th\, & 22nd\, 5-6:30pm PT / 8-9:30pm ET \nJoin me for a digital workshop this December with Speakeasy! \nMost obstacles to writing are not psychological (writers’ block is a myth!) but structural. In narrative fiction\, it’s plot — cause and effect\, development\, change\, suspense — that propels us forward. And yet these things don’t happen by accident. There are common missteps that will tank a story or novel in its earliest pages\, and there are architectural solutions that will get us out of those traps. \nThis workshop is designed to help participants write an original short story or the first chapter of a novel. Participants will work on their projects outside of the workshop sessions. In each session\, Rebecca will teach a different aspect of writing craft. (In our four sessions\, we’ll focus on story arc\, scene shape\, momentum\, and stakes.) Some participants might share relevant parts of their projects during these sessions to get feedback from Rebecca and the group\, but these sessions will primarily focus on Rebecca’s craft lessons.? \nAfter the fourth session\, participants will submit their projects (no more than 12 pages) to Rebecca\, and she will provide feedback to each person in the form of a marked-up manuscript and a brief feedback letter. Written feedback from Rebecca is contingent on the writing sample you submit being coherent. You don’t need to be an experienced (or published!) writer by any means\, nor do you need to have perfect command of all aspects of English grammar\, but your writing should be comprehensible. \n? \nCode of Conduct  \nWe look forward to building an inclusive\, supportive community of writers during our workshop and will not tolerate racist\, sexist\, or homophobic views. By signing up for this workshop\, you’re agreeing to uphold these norms. Though we don’t expect this to happen\, if someone violates these norms\, they will be removed from the workshop without a refund.
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/speakeasy-workshop-chutes-and-ladders-four-pitfalls-and-solutions-for-writing-prose/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20201120T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20201120T200000
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20201026T162113Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20201026T162113Z
UID:2297-1605898800-1605902400@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:Cocktails & Conversation: Kimberly King Parsons\, Megha Majumdar & Julia Phillips with Rebecca Makkai
DESCRIPTION:What better time to host and celebrate four extremely talented National Book Award for fiction long and short listers? We believe two days after the winners of the 2020 National Book Awards winners have been announced\, that’s when. Please join us on November 20th at 7pm central as Exile in Bookville welcomes Kimberly King Parsons (Black Light: Stories)\, Megha Majumdar (A Burning) and Julia Phillips (Disappearing Earth) in conversation with Rebecca Makkai (The Great Believers).\n\nExile in Bookville is partnering with Books Are Magic\, Brooklyn for this event which will be streamed through Zoom and broadcast on Exile in Bookville’s Facebook Live as well as on the Exile in Bookville website.\n\nYou can purchase all of the books mentioned above through the Exile in Bookville website.
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/cocktails-conversation-kimberly-king-parsons-megha-majumdar-julia-phillips-with-rebecca-makkai/
LOCATION:Exile in Bookville\, 410 S. Michigan Avenue (2nd Floor)\, Chicago\, IL\, 60605\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20201013T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20201013T170000
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20201013T183029Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20201013T183030Z
UID:2292-1602576000-1602608400@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:Ragdale Talks: A Conversation with Rebecca Makkai ft. Chloe Benjamin\, Michael Zapata and Alex Kotlowitz
DESCRIPTION:Novel Affair at Ragdale Foundation was of course a no-go this year\, and so we’re doing this instead: On Wednesday\, the 21st\, I’ll be in conversation online with three brilliant authors — Michael Zapata\, Chloe Benjamin\, and Alex Kotlowitz — about writing in a time of crisis.  \n\nWAY cheaper than the actual Novel Affair\, you can watch from anywhere\, and you don’t need shoes. \nRSVP! \n\n\nAuthor and Ragdale alumna Rebecca Makkai in conversation with authors Chloe Benjamin\, Michael Zapata\, and Alex Kotlowitz.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJoin us for a very special online conversation featuring three accomplished authors in conversation with famed author and Ragdale alumna Rebecca Makkai. \nThe conversation will focus on writing in a time of crisis. \nThere is a $20 suggested donation\, but you can donate any amount of $1 or more to join what is certain to be a timely and engaging conversation that kicks off our Ragdale Talks series.
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/ragdale-talks-a-conversation-with-rebecca-makkai-ft-chloe-benjamin-michael-zapata-and-alex-kotlowitz/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20200930T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20200930T200000
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20200904T181902Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200904T181902Z
UID:2267-1601492400-1601496000@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:Lincolnwood Library Virtual Event
DESCRIPTION:Join the Lincolnwood Public Library as we welcome Pulitzer-nominated author of The Great Believers\, Rebecca Makkai. \nThis program is being offered using Zoom\, a virtual presentation/conferencing software. Please include your email address to receive instructions on how to join the Zoom event.
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/lincolnwood-library-virtual-event/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20200929T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20200929T200000
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20200825T230528Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200825T230528Z
UID:2260-1601406000-1601409600@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:Virtual Book Launch Party:  THE TALENTED MISS FARWELL by Emily Gray Tedrowe (Presented by Women & Children First)
DESCRIPTION:Join Women & Children First for the virtual launch party for The Talented Miss Farwell by Emily Gray Tedrowe. For this event\, Emily will be in conversation with Rebecca Makkai. This event will be streamed on Women & Children First’s Crowdcast channel. \n \nAt the end of the 1990s\, with the art market finally recovered from its disastrous collapse\, Miss Rebecca Farwell has made a killing at Christie’s in New York City\, selling a portion of her extraordinary art collection for a rumored 900 percent profit. Dressed in couture YSL\, drinking the finest champagne at trendy Balthazar\, Reba\, as she’s known\, is the picture of a wealthy art collector. To some\, the elusive Miss Farwell is a shark with outstanding business acumen. To others\, she’s a heartless capitalist whose only interest in art is how much she can make. \nBut a thousand miles from the Big Apple\, in the small town of Pierson\, Illinois\, Miss Farwell is someone else entirely—a quiet single woman known as Becky who still lives in her family’s farmhouse\, wears sensible shoes\, and works tirelessly as the town’s treasurer and controller. \nNo one understands the ins and outs of Pierson’s accounts better than Becky; she’s the last one in the office every night\, crunching the numbers. Somehow\, her neighbors marvel\, she always finds a way to get the struggling town just a little more money. What Pierson doesn’t see—and can never discover—is that much of that money is shifted into a separate account that she controls\, “borrowed” funds used to finance her art habit. Though she quietly repays Pierson when she can\, the business of art is cutthroat and unpredictable. \nBut as Reba Farwell’s deals get bigger and bigger\, Becky Farwell’s debt to Pierson spirals out of control. How long can the talented Miss Farwell continue to pull off her double life? \nRebecca Makkai is the Chicago-based author of the novels The Great Believers\, The Hundred-Year House\, and The Borrower\, as well as the short story collection Music for Wartime. The Great Believers was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award\, and received the ALA Carnegie Medal and the LA Times Book Prize\, among other honors. Makkai is on the MFA faculties of Sierra Nevada College and Northwestern University\, and she is Artistic Director of StoryStudio Chicago. \nEmily Gray Tedrowe is the Chicago-based author of the novels The Talented Miss Farwell\, Blue Stars\, and Commuters. She earned a PhD in English literature from New York University\, and a BA from Princeton University. She has received an Illinois Arts Council award as well as fellowships from the Ragdale Foundation\, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts\, and the Sewanee Writers Conference. A frequent book reviewer for USA Today as well as other publications\, Tedrowe also writes essays\, interviews\, and short stories. \n\n\n\n\nEvent date:\n\nTuesday\, September 29\, 2020 – 7:00pm\n\n\n\nEvent address:\n\n\n\nCROWDCAST
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/virtual-book-launch-party-the-talented-miss-farwell-by-emily-gray-tedrowe-presented-by-women-children-first/
LOCATION:Women & Children First\, 5233 N. Clark St.\, Chicago\, IL
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20200912T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20200912T200000
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20200904T160950Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200904T160950Z
UID:2264-1599933600-1599940800@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:Ragdale Ring 2020 Performance: Michael Zapata and The Herbsaint Band
DESCRIPTION:Join Ragdale Ring for a special evening of New Orleans flavor\, featuring author Michael Zapata in conversation with Rebecca Makkai\, and The Herbsaint Band. This event is outdoors\, with limited seating capacity to comply with Illinois COVID safety guidelines\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\nAbout this Event\n\n\nSeating for this outdoor event is limited to comply with Illinois COVID safety guidelines. \nWe recommend that you bring: \n\nBlankets and chairs\nBug spray\nMasks\n\nRagdale will provide: \n\nPre-packaged\, unopened food and beverages (see ticket add-ons)\nParking in our main parking lot\nSocially distant seating\nContactless check-in\nDedicated hand-sanitizing stations\n\n  \nTo keep guests\, performers\, and staff healthy and safe: \n\nPlease wear a mask when you are on campus\nDo not attend the event if you are sick\nRefrain from using Ragdale’s restrooms\n\n\n\nMichael Zapata is the author of The Lost Book of Adana Moreau and founding editor of the award-winning MAKE Literary Magazine. He is the recipient of an Illinois Arts Council Award for Fiction; the City of Chicago DCASE Individual Artist Program award; and a Pushcart Nomination. As an educator\, he taught literature and writing in high school dropout students. He is a graduate of the University of Iowa and has lived in New Orleans\, Italy\, and Ecuador. He currently lives in Chicago with his family. \nMichael will be in conversation with Ragdale alumna and Chicago-based author Rebecca Makkai\, writer of the story collection Music for Wartime and the novels The Hundred-Year House and The Borrower.
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/ragdale-ring-2020-performance-michael-zapata-and-the-herbsaint-band/
LOCATION:Ragdale Foundation\, 1230 North Green Bay Road\, Lake Forest\, IL\, 60045\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Warsaw:20200829T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Warsaw:20200829T190000
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20200729T171514Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200729T171514Z
UID:2238-1598724000-1598727600@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:Warsaw Big Book Festival
DESCRIPTION:SPOTKANIE ON-LINE Z REBECC? MAKKAI NA BIG BOOK FESTIVAL 2020 POPROWADZI MARTA DROZDZ.\n29.08 SOBOTA.  GODZ. 18:00.  REBECCA MAKKAI\nNA SPOTKANIE ZAPRASZAMY DO CENTRUM LOWICKA (UL. LOWICKA 21\, WARSZAWA)\, A DO OGL?DANIA TRANSMISJI NA WWW.BIGBOOKFESTIVAL.PL I WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/BIGBOOKFESTIVAL. PO ZAKONCZENIU SPOTKANIA DOSTEPNA TAM BEDZIE JEGO REJESTRACJA.\nSPOTKANIE DOSTEPNE BEDZIE W POLSKIEJ ORAZ ANGIELSKIEJ WERSJI JEZYKOWEJ
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/warsaw-big-book-festival/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20200806T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20200820T200000
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20200729T172055Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200729T172055Z
UID:2253-1596738600-1597953600@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:Write On Door County Presents: The Craft of Writing with Rebecca Makkai & Peter Gaye
DESCRIPTION:The Craft of Writing Series is a three-week program that takes place virtually the first through third Thursdays of each month. Each month focuses on a different genre or form of writing.\n \nThursday\, August 6: Author Conversation\nJoin acclaimed novelists Peter Geye and Rebecca Makkai for a conversation on the craft of writing the novel. \nThursday\, August 13: Interiority Complex with Rebecca Makkai\nThe great advantage of prose (over theater\, film\, and life) is that we’re privy to characters’ interior states. But how can a writer get thoughts and emotions across\, other than by stating them flat-out or by updating us constantly on breathing and heart rate? We’ll explore ways to use tangent\, gesture\, backstory\, action\, association\, and more to give characters a rich internal life without resorting to the old cardiopulmonary check-in. \nThursday\, August 20: The Quintessential Scene in Fiction with Peter Geye\nIn most novels\, stories are comprised of one scene built atop the next. A child witnesses their father commit a crime; a dinner party goes off the rails; a woman prays in a church; a storm rolls in across the range; a limousine driver kidnaps a wealthy business man; the scenes might be anything\, and they might be two paragraphs long or twenty pages\, but they all require attention to certain details. In this workshop\, we’ll look at a selection of scenes from contemporary fiction and discuss the ways in which they function and succeed. We’ll also talk about strategies for how the writer—whether beginner\, intermediate\, or advanced—might make better use of their time by strategizing and planning and\, mostly\, imagining their next scene. \nThe cost for this three-week program is $150.00. Write On members receive a 10% discount. To become a member\, please click here. To register online for this program\, please click here. For other registration options\, please call 920.868.1457.
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/write-on-door-county-presents-the-craft-of-writing-with-rebecca-makkai-peter-gaye/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200717T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200717T180000
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20200615T223352Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200615T224814Z
UID:2210-1595005200-1595008800@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:East End Books Ptown Virtual Book Event
DESCRIPTION:East End Books Ptown is very happy to welcome Award Winning Author Rebecca Makkai “The Great Believers” for a Virtual Book Event. Join us and immerse yourself in the lives of the unforgettable characters in this brilliant book. \nThe Great Believers\, listed by the New York Times as one of the Best 10 Books of 2018\, is about friendship and redemption in 1980s Chicago\, at the height of the AIDS epidemic. \nWe are huge fans of this book and have sold many copies of the hardback and paperback edition. This a book to lose yourself in and one that you’ll be sad to see end. Don’t miss this opportunity to spend some time with one of the best writers in our Country! \nClick Here for Bookstore Event Page \nClick Here to Register via Eventbrite (REQUIRED)  \nClick Here to Purchase “The Great Believers” from East End Books Ptown \nClick Here for the Facebook Event Page
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/east-end-books-ptown-virtual-book-event/
LOCATION:East End Books Ptown
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200707T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200707T200000
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20200701T235421Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200701T235759Z
UID:2226-1594148400-1594152000@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:"Becoming Duchess Goldblatt" Virtual Book Tour with Rebecca Makkai\, Alexander Chee\, and Connie Shultz\, Presented by Still North Books
DESCRIPTION:About the Event\nJoin us and beloved anonymous Twitter sensation Duchess Goldblatt on her virtual book tour. The evening will celebrate the book release of Becoming Duchess Goldblatt and will include select readings and commentary from authors Alexander Chee\, Rebecca Makkai\, and Connie Schultz. There will be an audience Q&A session followed by Duchess trivia with the opportunity to win prizes such as copies of our panelists’ books and a map of Crooked Path created by Duchess. \nRegister for the Crowdcast Event Here\nDownload Your Duchess Goldblatt cocktail recipe card and coloring book page HERE\n\nAbout the Book\nOne of the New York Times‘ 20 Books to Read in 2020 \n“Unforgettable…Behind her brilliantly witty and uplifting message is a remarkable vulnerability and candor that reminds us that we are not alone in our struggles—and that we can\, against all odds\, get through them.” —Lori Gottlieb\, New York Times-bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone \nPart memoir and part joyful romp through the fields of imagination\, the story behind a beloved pseudonymous Twitter account reveals how a writer deep in grief rebuilt a life worth living. \nBecoming Duchess Goldblatt is two stories: that of the reclusive real-life writer who created a fictional character out of loneliness and thin air\, and that of the magical Duchess Goldblatt herself\, a bright light in the darkness of social media. Fans around the world are drawn to Her Grace’s voice\, her wit\, her life-affirming love for all humanity\, and the fun and friendship of the community that’s sprung up around her. \n\nAbout the Author\nDuchess Goldblatt (@DuchessGoldblat)\, 81\, is the inspirational author of An Axe to Grind; Feasting on the Carcasses of My Enemies: A Love Story; and the heartwarming meditation on mothers and daughters Not If I Kill You First. A cultural icon\, trophy ex-wife\, friend to all humanity\, and sponsor of the prestigious Goldblatt Prize in Fiction\, she lives in Crooked Path\, NY. She’s fictional but her love is real. \nAnonymous\, the real-life person in whose mind Duchess Goldblatt lives and flourishes\, has gathered all available truth and beauty for these pages. There’s nothing else to give.
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/becoming-duchess-goldblatt-virtual-book-tour-with-rebecca-makkai-alexander-chee-and-connie-shultz/
LOCATION:Still North Books
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20200701T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20200701T160000
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20200623T191048Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200629T210912Z
UID:2216-1593615600-1593619200@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:A Mighty Blaze Presents: AUTHORS
DESCRIPTION:Join me on A Mighty Blaze’s Facebook page on Wednesday\, July 1 at 4 PM ET/3 PM CT to hear Rebecca explain what she admires about Madison Street Books\, a new indie bookstore in Chicago. We’ll talk bookstores\, books\, best pandemic reads\, and more. Hosted by Kimberly Hensle Lowrance; produced by Joe Moldover. See you there!
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/a-mighty-blaze-presents-authors-%e2%99%a5-bookstores/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20200630T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20200630T203000
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20200626T233705Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200629T212204Z
UID:2219-1593543600-1593549000@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:Women & Children First Presents:  Carter Sickels in Conversation With Rebecca Makkai
DESCRIPTION:Please join us for a virtual event with Carter Sickels for a conversation with Rebecca Makkai about Sickels’ new novel\, The Prettiest Star. This event will be streamed on Women & Children First’s Crowdcast Channel! \nSmall-town Appalachia doesn’t have a lot going for it\, but it’s where Brian is from\, where his family is\, and where he’s chosen to return to die. \nSet in 1986\, a year after Rock Hudson’s death brought the news of AIDS into living rooms and kitchens across America\, Lambda Literary award-winning author Carter Sickels’s second novel shines light on an overlooked part of the epidemic\, those men who returned to the rural communities and families who’d rejected them. \nSix short years after Brian Jackson moved to New York City in search of freedom and acceptance\, AIDS has claimed his lover\, his friends\, and his future. With nothing left in New York but memories of death\, Brian decides to write his mother a letter asking to come back to the place\, and family\, he was once so desperate to escape. \nThe Prettiest Star is told in a chorus of voices: Brian’s mother Sharon; his fourteen-year-old sister\, Jess\, as she grapples with her brother’s mysterious return; and the video diaries Brian makes to document his final summer. \nThis is an urgent story about the politics and fragility of the body\, of sex and shame. Above all\, Carter Sickels’s stunning novel explores the bounds of family and redemption. It is written at the far reaches of love and understanding\, centering on the moments where those two forces stretch toward each other and sometimes touch. \nCarter Sickels is the author of the novel The Evening Hour. He is the recipient of the 2013 Lambda Literary Emerging Writer Award\, and has been awarded scholarships to Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference\, the Sewanee Writers’ Conference\, VCCA\, and the MacDowell Colony. His essays and fiction have appeared in various publications\, including Guernica\, Bellevue Literary Review\, andBuzzFeed\, and he is the editor of Untangling the Knot: Queer Voices on Marriage\, Relationships & Identity. Carter is Assistant Professor of English at Eastern Kentucky University\, where he teaches in the Bluegrass Writers Studio Low-Residency MFA program. He lives in Lexington\, Kentucky.  \nRebecca Makkai \ns the author of the National Book Award finalist\, The Great Believerse as well as The Borrower\, The Hundred-Year House\, which won the Novel of the Year Award from the Chicago Writers Association\, and Music for Wartime. Her work has appeared in The Best American Short Stories\, Harper’s\, and Tin House\, among others. She lives outside Chicago with her husband and two daughters.  \n\n\n\n\nEvent date:\n\nTuesday\, June 30\, 2020 – 7:00pm\n\n\n\nEvent address:\n\n\n\nVIRTUAL EVENT\nTHE COMFORT OF YOUR COUCH
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/virtual-author-conversation-carter-sickels-rebecca-makkai/
LOCATION:Women & Children First\, 5233 N. Clark St.\, Chicago\, IL
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20200501T153000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20200501T173000
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20200222T001209Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200319T223540Z
UID:2145-1588347000-1588354200@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:[CANCELLED] Writing On The Door Fiction Conference: Interiority Complex with Rebecca Makkai
DESCRIPTION:THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED.\nThe great advantage of prose (over theater\, film\, and life) is that we’re privy to characters’ interior states. But how can a writer get thoughts and emotions across\, other than by stating them flat-out or by updating us constantly on breathing and heart rate? We’ll explore ways to use tangent\, gesture\, backstory\, action\, association\, and more to give characters a rich internal life without resorting to the old cardiopulmonary check-in. \n  \nAbout the Writing On The Door Fiction Conference:  \nPresented by Write On\, Door County\, The Writing On The Door Fiction Conferece features  two days of craft seminars\, workshops\, conversations\, and presentations on the art of writing fiction! Whether you have a manuscript in progress or are just beginning to think about writing short stories or novels\, this conference has something for you! World-class faculty includes Nickolas Butler\, Lan Samantha Chang\, Peter Ho Davies\, Peter Geye\, C.J. Hribal\, Rebecca Makkai\, Jennifer Morales\, and Diane Zinna. \nHeld at various locations in downtown Sister Bay\, including Sister Bay Village Hall\, Northwest Wisconsin Technical College\, Peninsula Bookman\, and elsewhere. Watch for forthcoming details about one-on-one manuscript critiques and a literary trolley tour based on Rebecca Makkai’s novel The Great Believers\, partially set in Door County. \nAbout Write On\, Door County: \nWrite On\, Door County focuses on the importance of writing and reading and the ability of people to connect through stories. We provide a beautiful and inspiring retreat for writers on 39 acres in the middle of the Door County peninsula and conduct classes\, programs\, and special events throughout the county for all ages and experience levels.
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/writing-on-the-door-fiction-conference-interiority-complex-with-rebecca-makkai/
LOCATION:Writing On The Door Fiction Conference\, Sister Bay\, WI\, United States
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20200426T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20200426T150000
DTSTAMP:20261105T165644
CREATED:20200221T235149Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200320T213402Z
UID:2136-1587902400-1587913200@rebeccamakkai.com
SUMMARY:[POSTPONED] Literature for All of Us Benefit: Spring Brunch at the Bryn Mawr Country Club
DESCRIPTION:THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED. WHEN IT IS RESCHEDULED WE WILL UPDATE THIS EVENT!\nOn April 26th\, Literature for All of Us will host its annual fundraising event\, Spring Bunch\, at the Bryn Mawr Country Club. This year\, we are deeply honored to welcome Rebecca Makkai\, author and 2019 Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist for The Great Believers\, as keynote speaker. The book also captured the 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and the L.A. Times Book Prize\, among other awards. In addition\, Makkai has written The Hundred Year House\, The Borrower\,and Music for Wartime. \n  \nThis annual event includes brunch with mimosas\, silent and live auctions showcasing travel\, restaurants\, cultural and retail opportunities\, and an exciting program highlighting our impact and work over the past year. \nIrika Sargent\, Emmy award-winning anchor of CBS2 Evening News\, will emcee. \nDescribed by author Sandra Cisneros as a “tent revival for the written word\,” the Spring fundraiser is an opportunity for the robust Literature for All of Us community to gather in support of our mission and hear about recent accomplishments. Past speakers have included such literary powerhouses as Cisneros\, U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo\, Jane Hamilton\, Cristina Henriquez\, Nami Mun\, Dawn Turner\, and Gail Tsukiyama. \nSince its founding in 1997\, the organization has worked with nearly 10\,000 participants across Chicagoland. In the 2019-2020 school year\, Literature for All of Us is providing weekly book groups at neighborhood sites in Humboldt Park\, Little Village\, Evanston\, Cicero\, Albany Park\, Rogers Park\, Back of the Yards\, South Shore\, Illinois Medical District\, and Lincoln Park.
URL:https://rebeccamakkai.com/event/literature-for-all-of-us-benefit-spring-brunch-at-the-bryn-mawr-country-club/
LOCATION:The Bryn Mawr Country Club\, 6600 North Crawford Avenue\, Lincolnwood\, IL\, 60712\, United States
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR