April 2026 Debrief

The upstairs lounge at Hopleaf filled to capacity within 10 minutes of doors opening on April 7, as fans of Chicago's favorite eclectic reading series poured in. The 169th edition of Tuesday Funk was just that nice!

Krystle Ratticus started us off with the tale of the backdoor negotiations in a restaurant kitchen somewhere in Chicago. Next, Tori Rego shared poems and a short story about angels. Dave Reidy closed out the first half with an essay (mostly) about karaoke in Millennium Park.

After we refreshed our drinks, cohost Erin Watson led us in a quick toast, and then Jennifer Schaefer read a portion of her novel about a group of friends heading to a Renaissance fair. Lastly, cohost Andrew Huff shared a few topical haiku, and then Jason Narducy regaled us with stories of performing during the pandemic.

As an extra treat, author and artist Dmitry Samarov sketched all the night's readers:

Please join us on Tuesday, May 5 when we'll feature readings by Benjamin Goluboff, Kate Lechler, Victoria Montalbano, Vincent Omni, and Deborah Shapiro. Hope to see you there!