Chicago Humanities Festival

We've got to thank comedian Abby McEnany and writer Samantha Irby for both achieving fame and keeping it real. McEnany has adapted her Chicago's iO Theater one-woman show into the semi-autobiographical Showtime series “Work In Progress”—the “coming of age story of a 45-year-old self-identified queer dyke”. Irby's latest essay collection Wow, No Thank You, chronicles her “bourgeois life of a Hallmark Channel dream,” including turning 40, getting married, and moving out of Chicago. Come celebrate Pride and representing queer joy with McEnany and Irby. This program was livestreamed on June 25, 2020. Donate now to support programs like this: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/donate Season 1 of "Work In Progress" is streaming now on Showtime. Order Samantha Irby's book Wow, No Thank You. online at Seminary Co-Op: https://www.semcoop.com/wow-no-thank-you Explore upcoming events: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/

The slogan of Roman Mars's popular podcast 99% Invisible—“always read the plaque”—is a reminder to look for the stories lurking within. In their new book The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design, Mars and his co-author Kurt Kohlstedt focus their appreciation for the hidden dimensions of everyday design on the cityscape. Mars, Kohlstedt, and YouTuber and author Hank Green (A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor) will reveal the stories of us in the places we inhabit. This program was livestreamed on October 8, 2020. This week's programs presented with the support of Bank of America. Donate now to support programs like this: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/donate Order the book The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design online at Seminary Co-op: https://www.semcoop.com/ Explore upcoming events: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/

There are three stages of life, reflects the visionary theater director, writer, and actor André Gregory: “Youth, Middle Age, and You're-looking-great!”. In This Is Not My Memoir, Gregory (now 86 years old) shares memories from the making of his seminal film My Dinner With André and ponders having “reached the age of You're-looking-great”. Gregory is joined in conversation by stand-up comedian and SNL alum John Mulaney whose alter ego from the hit Broadway show Oh Hello! made a hilarious appearance at Film Independent's 2019 adapted table read of Gregory's My Dinner with André. This program was livestreamed on November 18, 2020. Donate now to support programs like this: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/donate Order the book This Is Not My Memoir online at Seminary Co-op: https://www.semcoop.com/not-my-memoir Explore upcoming events: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/

While many know Margaret Atwood for her dystopian novels The Handmaid's Tale (1985) and the MaddAddam trilogy, her distinguished career began via another medium: poetry. Audiences eagerly awaiting Atwood's return to the form will not be disappointed with her first collection in over a decade. Dearly is an introspective and intimate reflection on love, loss, and the passage of time. Come hear the singular voice and mind of Margaret Atwood at play, reflecting on the role of writing in helping us to understand our past and prepare for the future. Atwood is joined in conversation by CHF Marilynn Thoma Artistic Director Alison Cuddy. This program was livestreamed on November 8, 2020. This program is generously underwritten by Ellen Stone Belic. Women & Children First is Chicago's feminist bookstore, celebrating and amplifying underrepresented voices since 1979. This week's programs presented with the support of Bank of America. Donate now to support programs like this: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/donate Explore upcoming events: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/

“Black people. I love you. I love us. Our lives matter,” wrote Alicia Garza in a 2013 Facebook post after the acquittal of Trayvon Martin's murderer. The #BlackLivesMatter hashtag that emerged in response to the post, and the following movement (co-founded by Garza), remains as important today as it was then, with people across the country continuing to protest state-sanctioned violence against Black people. Garza returns to CHF to discuss her debut book The Purpose of Power, which details the two decades of organizing experience that guides her activism. Garza is joined in conversation by writer, pleasure activist, and social justice facilitator adrienne maree brown. This program was livestreamed on October 29, 2020. This annual lecture is supported by the Doris Conant Endowment for Programs on Women and Culture and is presented in partnership with 826CHI. This week's programs presented with the support of Fifth Third Bank. Donate now to support programs like this: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/donate Order the book The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart online at Seminary Co-op: https://www.semcoop.com/purpose-power Explore upcoming events: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/

Shannon Lee, daughter of iconic martial artist and actor Bruce Lee, is an executive producer on Cinemax's Warrior (Season 2 now airing Friday's at 10pm), which brings her father's vision for a TV show about Chinese immigrants during the Tong Wars to fruition. Lee is also the author of Be Water, My Friend, a book of Bruce Lee's philosophy and advice “demonstrating how martial arts are a perfect metaphor for personal growth”. Join Shannon Lee at CHF to talk about keeping her father's legacy and influence alive on our television screens and bookshelves, and what we can learn from Bruce Lee's vision. Lee is joined in conversation by sociologist and pop culture expert Nancy Wang Yuen. This program was livestreamed on October 30, 2020. Check out the trailer for Season 2 of Warrior: https://youtu.be/V_wSj_1fWtY Donate now to support programs like this: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/donate This week's programs presented with the support of Fifth Third Bank. Order the book Be Water, My Friend : The Teachings of Bruce Lee online at Seminary Co-op: https://www.semcoop.com/ Explore upcoming events: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/

Nick Hornby's latest novel Just Like You updates the meet-cute genre for a modern love story: Lucy, a 41 year old almost-divorcée, stands in line at a butcher shop watching her neighbor flirt with a much younger man behind the counter. It's not exactly the stuff of dreams, but Lucy isn't looking for romance (at least not yet). Join Hornby (High Fidelity) and Ayelet Waldman (The Mommy-Track Mysteries) for a chat about what it means for authors and characters to throw out the old scripts in order to try something new. This program was livestreamed on October 27, 2020. Donate now to support programs like this: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/don... This week's programs presented with the support of Fifth Third Bank. Order the book Just Like You: A Novel online at Seminary Co-op: https://www.semcoop.com/just-you Explore upcoming events: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/

After his high profile tenure as the Mayor of South Bend, Indiana and a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, Pete Buttigieg has turned his gaze to the future. In his new book Trust: America's Best Chance, Buttigieg identifies what he sees as a crisis of trust “in our institutions, each other, and the American project”, arguing that our success or failure depends on addressing these systemic concerns. Buttigieg is joined by Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot for a conversation about trust and distrust in this turbulent moment for American democracy. This program was livestreamed on October 16, 2020. Donate now to support programs like this: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/don... This week's programs presented with the support of Southwest Airlines. Order the book Trust: America's Best Chance online at Seminary Co-op: https://www.semcoop.com/trust-america... Explore upcoming events: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/

Popular accounts of the 1960s-era civil rights movement are often reduced to the story of two extraordinary visionaries: Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. In his book The Sword and the Shield Peniel E. Joseph argues that by focusing on their differing doctrines of self-defense versus nonviolence, we've been blind to the scope of their shared activism and communion. Join Joseph and Jonathan Eig, author of a forthcoming biography on King, for a conversation about how the legacies of these civil rights leaders informs the current struggle for racial justice. This program was livestreamed on October 14, 2020. This week's programs presented with the support of Southwest Airlines. Donate now to support programs like this: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/don... Order the book The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. online at Seminary Co-op: https://www.semcoop.com/sword-and-shield Explore upcoming events: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/

With the 2020 presidential election drawing near, Deon Taylor, the visionary film director and co-founder of Be Woke.Vote is focusing on fighting voter suppression by getting out the vote among Millennials and Gen Z communities of color. Believing that voting provides young people with voices and power, Taylor hopes to inspire the next generation to participate in both local and national elections. At CHF Taylor will discuss the importance of voting and his new film, the psychological thriller Fatale. Taylor is joined in conversation by Chakena Perry, Chairwoman of Cook County Young Democrats and Board President for Chicago Votes action fund. This program was livestreamed on October 29, 2020. This program is presented in partnership with Kennedy-King College. This week's programs presented with the support of Fifth Third Bank. Donate now to support programs like this: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/don... Explore upcoming events: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/

David Axelrod and Mike Murphy are two of the nation's foremost political observers and practitioners. Having run the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama and John McCain respectively, they've experienced the highs and lows of an election season from all the angles—front row, in the fray, and behind the scenes. Smart, witty and unconstrained by orthodoxy, Axelrod and Murphy will join in conversation with Jim Warren (NewsGuard, formerly Chicago Tribune) to analyze the internal dynamics and general mood as President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden head into the last week of a tumultuous, unprecedented and often confusing race for the White House. This program was livestreamed on October 27, 2020 Donate now to support programs like this: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/don... This week's programs presented with the support of Fifth Third Bank. Explore upcoming events: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/

In this time of social and political upheaval, poet and writer Eileen Myles is seeking to transcribe what feels like a series of ever changing moments into linguistic permanence. “Time itself has a kind of optic quality,” they note in their new book For Now (Why I Write), “it really takes so much time to become a writer and you have to be able to roll in time itself”. Join Myles and author Lynne Tillman for an intimate conversation about how the creative process can help us live in and through the present. This program was livestreamed on October 13, 2020. Donate now to support programs like this: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/don... This week's programs presented with the support of Southwest Airlines. Order the book For Now (Why I Write) online at Seminary Co-op: https://www.semcoop.com/now-5

Before Emmy award-winning filmmaker, writer, and actor Mark Duplass made a name for himself, he dreamed of producing a “genre-less anthology” series. His vision came to fruition with HBO's Room 104. Created by Mark and Jay Duplass (HBO's Animals and Togetherness), the late-night, half-hour anthology series tells a unique and unexpected tale of the characters who pass through a single room of a typical American chain motel. While the setting stays the same, every episode of the series features a different story, with the tone, plot, characters, and even the time period, changing with each installment. Join Duplass and Room 104 executive producer and director Sydney Fleischmann to talk about their passion project's final season and what they have learned throughout their creative process. This program will be moderated by Collider Film, TV & Theme Parks senior reporter Christina Radish. This program was livestreamed on September 28, 2020. Donate now to support programs like this: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/don... Explore upcoming events: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/ Connect on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ChiHumanities Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chicagohuman... Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chihumanities/

Many white Americans are ill-equipped, unpracticed, and uncomfortable talking about race. In her new book Just Us: An American Conversation, award-winning author Claudia Rankine urges her readers to break this cultural silence around race, thereby making visible the history of whiteness. She offers an imperative: we must forge restorative justice by finding the courage to acknowledge, challenge, and speak about white privilege and supremacy. Rankine is joined in conversation by author Eula Biss. This program was livestreamed on September 24, 2020. This annual lecture is presented in honor of Esther S. Saks and her 90th birthday in celebration of her lifetime commitment to culture, curiosity, and social justice and is presented in partnership with Leadership Greater Chicago. Donate now to support programs like this: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/don... Order the book Just Us: An American Conversation online at Seminary Co-op: https://www.semcoop.com/just-us-ameri... Explore upcoming events: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/ Connect on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ChiHumanities Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chicagohuman... Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chihumanities/

Homeland Elegies is Pulitzer-winning playwright and novelist Ayad Akhtar's lyrical response to post-9/11, Trump-era American politics. Drawing on his perspective as the child of Muslim immigrants, Akhtar pens an elegy to the American dream. Part memoir, part fiction, this novel about a father and son searching for belonging paints a picture of disillusionment. Akhtar is joined at CHF by Obama-administration alumnus and founder of Interfaith Youth Core Eboo Patel to discuss his latest book and what it means to call a country home. This program was livestreamed on September 23, 2020. This program is generously underwritten by Anita and Prabhakant Sinha and is presented in partnership with PEN America. Order the book Homeland Elegies: A Novel online at Seminary Co-op: https://www.semcoop.com/homeland-elegies Donate now to support programs like this: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/don... Explore upcoming events: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/ Connect on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ChiHumanities Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chicagohuman... Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chihumanities/

Comedian, actor, writer, and SNL alumnus Colin Quinn brings his signature wit to bear on the workings of representative democracy. Comparing the process to hosting a wedding, Quinn argues it involves too many people, it can't possibly live up to everyone's high expectations, and the guests with the “biggest envelopes” end up monopolizing your time. In his new book Overstated, Quinn undertakes a coast-to-coast roast of all fifty states, pointing out the hypocrisies of American ideals when compared to the reality of our union. Join Quinn (Red State Blue State and Unconstitutional) and comedian David Spade (SNL) at CHF for a big-picture, big-laughs conversation about his vision of America's true potential. This program was livestreamed on September 22, 2020. Order the book Overstated: A Coast-to-Coast Roast of the 50 States online at Seminary Co-op: https://www.semcoop.com/overstated-co... Donate now to support programs like this: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/don... Explore upcoming events: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/ Connect on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ChiHumanities Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chicagohuman... Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chihumanities/

As the Emmy-award winning host of the long-running public media program Latino USA Maria Hinojosa has focused on uncovering Latinx stories that are often rendered invisible by mainstream media. Hinojosa's new memoir Once I was You continues her reporting on two fronts: her own personal journey as an American immigrant and the larger political history of immigrant, women's and civil rights. Hinojosa will be joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas (Dear America). This program was livestreamed on September 21, 2020. Order the book Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America online at Seminary Co-op: https://www.semcoop.com/once-i-was-yo... Donate now to support programs like this: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/don... Explore upcoming events: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/ Connect on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ChiHumanities Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chicagohuman... Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chihumanities/