I'm off to the Printers Row Book Fair for all day today and tomorrow. Last year, it was a week after my graduation, and the first place I was presenting my new zine and other writing/artwork outside of school, and I was a lot more nervous than I should have been, and a lot dorkier than I should have been...Hopefully all the success, such as it is, in the intervening year should make this year a little better.
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Should I use a cliche and blame all the following on the heat? I've NEVER seen this many calendar mistakes in one week of local reading:
Chicago Journal (weekly South Loop paper) put the date on their cover as "Thursday, June 8."
Announcements from the Buddy space (I'll be at the robot party tonight!) said Thurs. 10, Fri. 11, Sat. 12.
A bookstore event was listed in the Reader as Sun. 11, while in the same section the store's ad said Sat. 11.
Time Out, in a little feature on the World Naked Bike Ride (I went last year and it was one of the most fun things I've EVER done in Chicago. But this year I 1) need the tube fixed on my bike 2) would feel too self-conscious even wearing a slip like I did last year; I want to lose 20 pounds. Which goes against the whole body-acceptance theme of the ride, I know. 3) am paranoid about getting arrested and missing the last day of the book fair.), listed it twice as Fri. 11, then listed it in Sports as Sat. 11.
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But the best mistake of the week, in a little sidebar in New City about "What I'm Reading This Summer":
Nick Hornby : "I'm reading a book called 'A Short History of Tractors' [in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka]--it's a novel. It's a real title, I swear!"
Okay, it would have worked better if New City got the title right. It's "A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian." See, he's not READING it in Ukrainian...
Well, I'm easily amused.
City of Destiny: adventures in and observations from the built environment, mostly Chicago/Midwest/Rust Belt.
1 comment:
I'm envious. I'm sitting at home with a sprained ankle. But at least I get to watch on C-SPAN2. Just watched the segment with Steve Bogira, whom I aggravated to no end when I was under his charge as a Reader intern.
Last yr. at the fair, I met Jim Warren of the Trib and told him I had feature story ideas. He welcomed me to send my stuff. As in many other instances, I just "never got around to it."
A naked bike ride, huh? What if you've got one of those vinyl seats? Doesn't that get uncomfortable?
Yeah, I guess you are kinda easily amused. ;)
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