Erin Watson is a Southern person living in Chicago. Her poems appear in Anthology of Chicago and in the self-published chapbooks No Experiences, Instax Winter, and Nickels. Her poetry criticism appears on the Volta Blog. She was a finalist for the 2014 Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Award and one of New City's best emerging poets in Chicago in 2014. She's also read poems and essays at Miss Spoken, Story Club South Side, and the Private Reading Series, among others.

Please join Erin and all our amazing readers on Tuesday, July 7, 2015, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.

Cool yourself with a beer and Tuesday Funk in July as we welcome guests Erin Watson, Fred Sasaki, Norman Doucet and Lily Be -- plus cohost Eden Robins with a full-length piece -- for your favorite eclectic monthly reading series. Join us Tuesday, July 7 in the upstairs lounge at Hopleaf, 5148 N. Clark St.

Doors open at 7:00 pm sharp -- no earlier, please, but get there as close to 7 as possible to grab a table, as the room fills up quickly -- and the show begins promptly at 7:30. Andrew Huff and Eden Robins co-host. Admission is free, but you must be 21 or older.

RSVP on Facebook and, as always, bring a friend. Don't forget to become a fan so you never miss an invitation to one of our readings.

The new film Mad Max: Fury Road inspired co-host Andrew Huff's topical haiku for the June 2nd edition of Tuesday Funk.

The Blackhawks came through
and won game seven last week.
Ducks scatter on ice.

Meanwhile, Riot Fest shared
its lineup for this year's show,
exciting music fans.

Elsewhere, sci-fi geeks
prep for Nebula Awards.
What thing turns you on?

Vacation notice:
I'm leaving soon, so make sure
that all hell breaks loose.

Mad Max: Fury Road.
Oh man, Mad Max: Fury Road.
Muscle care ballet. -or-
You guys, go see it. -or-
Seriously, you guys.

It was a star-studded cast at this month's Tuesday Funk, and we tried to restrain ourselves from asking for autographs. Emily Nordling set the scene with an excerpt from her historical novel about a mysterious photograph. Next up, Mary Lorenz made us laugh about her various medical misfortunes. Co-host Andrew Huff read some seasonal haiku (as well as one about Mad Max that came with several different endings), and then Christa Desir closed out the half with a compelling excerpt from her YA novel about an alcoholic girl boxer.

Fittingly, we spent our intermission with alcohol from Mark.

Co-host Eden Robins read a microessay about the lonely art of the selfie, and then it was K.B. Jensen's turn to read a story from her collection about a beloved, decrepit house. And finally, Hannah Gamble regaled us with several poems about life, love, and loss.

By now you know the drill, right? We'll be back on Tuesday, July 7th for more! Come see Erin Watson, Fred Sasaki, Norman Doucet, Lily Be, and co-host Eden Robins... or live with the foul taste of regret.

What better way to spend a brisk, autumnal June evening than checking out some great live lit! We have a hell of a lineup for you tonight - Emily Nordling, Hannah Gamble, Christa Desir, Mary Lorenz, and K.B. Jensen, PLUS your faithful co-hosts Andrew Huff and Eden Robins!

Our readings take place at Hopleaf Bar, 5148 N. Clark St. in Chicago. We get started promptly at 7:30 pm in the upstairs lounge. Arrive early if you want a seat--but no earlier than 7:00 pm. Our readings are free, but only those 21 and over will be admitted. No food can be brought in from the restaurant. See you there!

Christa Desir writes contemporary fiction for young adults. Her novels include Fault Line and Bleed Like Me and the forthcoming Other Broken Things and Love Blind. She lives with her husband, three children, and overly-enthusiastic dog outside of Chicago. She has volunteered as a rape victim activist for more than ten years, including providing direct service as an advocate in hospital ERs. She is a founding member of the Voices and Faces Project, a nonprofit organization for rape survivors that conducts an international survivor-based testimonial writing workshop.She also works as an editor at Samhain Publishing.

Please join Christa and all our amazing readers on Tuesday, June 2, 2015, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.

Mary Lorenz writes stories for your enjoyment and her desperate need for attention. By day, she works in public relations as a corporate communications manager, which means...her guess is as good as yours. Mary has performed at Story Club, Essay Fiesta, Write Club and Guts 'n' Glory, among others. You can find her late this month competing in Snubfest at Zanies and as a featured performer at That's All She Wrote. If you like her story, it would be your honor to buy her a drink after the show.

Please join Mary and all our amazing readers on Tuesday, June 2, 2015, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.

Emily Nordling likes history, revolution, and magic (in pretty much any combination). She writes speculative fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, and is a blogger for Tor.com. She received her MA in the Humanities at the University of Chicago, where she recently returned as both librarian and collector of profound and useless information. Her poetry has appeared in Oxford Magazine and Colloquium Magazine, and also received the 2013 Carnegie Center LGBT Writing Award for a collection that included meditations on family, Veggie Tales, and, of course, Colin Firth.

Please join Emily and all our amazing readers on Tuesday, June 2, 2015, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.

K.B. Jensen is an author and journalist. Painting With Fire, an artistic murder mystery, was her debut novel last year and has been a bestseller on Amazon. She is currently finishing a second book, tentatively titled A Storm of Stories, which is about two people stranded in a car on a deserted country road in the middle of a whiteout. They tell stories to pass the time and as a way to stay alive. The themes are love, craziness and impossibility. Jensen grew up in Minneapolis and currently lives in Hyde Park with her husband, daughter and rescued border collie/lab mix. In her spare time, she enjoys teaching downhill skiing and traveling the world.

Please join K.B. and all our amazing readers on Tuesday, June 2, 2015, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.

Hannah Gamble is the 2015 winner of the Neil Postman award for metaphor from Rattle magazine. She will be giving talks this summer at the Chicago Art Institute and the 2015 Printer's Ball, and will have new poems out in Pleiades in a couple months. Follow her on twitter @hannah_gamble and on Instagram @wrath_hats.

Please join Hannah and all our amazing readers on Tuesday, June 2, 2015, upstairs at Hopleaf at 7:30 pm. This 21-and-older event is free.