Videos

A collection of 158 posts

Essays Videos

Video: William Shunn hitches a ride to Mars

At our August Tuesday Funk reading, co-host William Shunn reminisced about space exploration past and present, and it went a little bit this... And if you enjoyed that journey through and time, please join us on Tuesday, September 4th, 2012, for our Chicago Post-Worldcon Science Fiction Spectacular featuring Daryl Gregory,

Debriefings Essays

August debriefing

Every episode of Tuesday Funk at Hopleaf seems to feature some emergent, unintended theme, and Tuesday night's show was no exception.  The major theme seemed to be old men, with subthemes of brown liquor and Martian exploration.  But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Jesse Jordan

Fiction Videos

Video: Alex Shakar shows us the way to enlightenment

At our June Tuesday Funk reading, author Alex Shakar (who had the unenviable task of following Samantha Irby) read us a spellbinding passage from his L.A. Times Book Prize-winning novel Luminarium, and it sounded a little like this: And if you enjoyed that, please join us on Tuesday, August

Venues Hopleaf

Hopleaf Bar is a star!

Tuesday Funk is eternally grateful to Hopleaf Bar for giving us such an atmospheric and welcoming home every month.  In return, we'd like to congratulate Michael Roper not just on Hopleaf's recent beautiful expansion, but also on its appearance earlier this month on Food Network'

Poetry Videos

Video: William Shunn has no illusions of "Immortality"

As you know, we like to take things easy during the month of July.  Therefore on this pre-holiday morning on which we'd normally be mounting a live episode of Tuesday Funk we present instead a poem from nearly a year ago, on the subject of living forever... And

Debriefings Videos

June debriefing

Our latest edition of Tuesday Funk at Hopleaf was a real humdinger.  Were our audience members trying to hold onto their dinners because they were laughing so hard, or was there some other reason?  If you weren't there, I'm afraid, you may never know. The memorable

Fiction Videos

Video: Richard Chwedyk channels the dinosaur

At our April Tuesday Funk reading, Nebula Award-winning author Richard Chwedyk shared with us the prologue of a novel written by a dinosaur who's a character in his ... um, hey, let's just let Rich explain! And if you enjoyed that, please join us on Tuesday, June

Fiction Videos

Video: Mary Anne Mohanraj takes in "The Night Air"

At our April Tuesday Funk reading, Mary Anne Mohanraj shared her (NSFW) short story "The Night Air," and it went a little something like this... And if you enjoyed that, please join us on Tuesday, June 5th, 2012 for more great readings from Samantha Irby, Kristin Lueke, Dion

Poetry Videos

Video: William Shunn wags the dog

At our April Tuesday Funk reading, co-host William Shunn shared this short poem, "Old Man Walking an Old Dog"... And if you enjoyed that, though Bill himself will be absent, you'll get another new Poem by Bill at our very next Tuesday Funk, tomorrow night, Tuesday,

Debriefings Videos

April debriefing

We were bowled over last night at Hopleaf by the great performances at Tuesday Funk, the reading series whose eclecticism knows no bounds.  Personal essays, poetry, erotic science fiction, exotic science fiction, liquor labels (seriously!)—our delighted audience never knew what would strike next. The evening kicked off with Mare

Poetry Videos

Video: William Shunn undertakes a sacred task

At our March Tuesday Funk reading, co-host William Shunn continued his theoretically infinite series of poems with this offering, "La Sagrada Tarea," inspired by the work of Robert A. Caro... And if you enjoyed that, you'll get another new Poem by Bill at our very next

Fiction Videos

Video: Joe Weintraub charts the Cubs from home

At our March Tuesday Funk reading, the versatile Joe Weintraub pitched us this curveball, charting a Cubs pennant race from the vantage point of home... And if you enjoyed that, then by no means should you miss our next event, Tuesday, April 3, 2012, which features readings from Mary Anne

Essays Videos

Video: Why Robyn Pennacchia won't swim with the dolphins

At last week's Tuesday Funk reading, Sunday Night Sex Show impresaria Robyn Pennacchia explained in no uncertain terms exactly why she won't swim with dolphins, and it went a little like this... And if you enjoyed that, then by no means should you miss our next

Debriefings Videos

March debriefing

It was certainly a Super Tuesday last night at Hopleaf—a Super Tuesday Funk, that is!  Your humble co-host brought you election updates throughout the evening (see the video below), but the real excitement was in seeing what surprises our five candidates for literary greatness would bring us next! The

Fiction Videos

Video: Jody Lynn Nye lets out a "Howl!"

Way back at our December reading, speculative fiction writer extraordinaire Jody Lynn Nye joined us at the mike to read her short story "Howl!" (from the Esther Friesner anthology Strip Mauled), and it went a little like this... And if you enjoyed that, then by no means should

Fiction Videos

Video: Dustin Monk relates a little "Anecdote"

This past Tuesday night, science fiction writer Dustin Monk dropped by our microphone to share his whimsical, Wallace Stevens–inspired excursion through our unknowable technological future, "Anecdote of the Singularity."  It sounded a little bit like this... And if you enjoyed that, then by no means should you

Debriefings Videos

February debriefing

Everyone's talking about Tuesday Funk—at least everyone who was there at Hopleaf last night to see our terrific 42nd episode.  We do not exaggerate when we say the rapt audience were crammed in shoulder to shoulder to see our accomplished readers.  Even Johnny the Bartender commented on

Fiction Videos

Video: William Shunn is a "Stand Up" guy

At our recent January 3rd reading, co-host William Shunn ushered us into a rather unusual comedy club to enjoy a little "Stand Up"... And if you enjoyed that, please join us for our next event on Tuesday, February 7, 2012, when we'll bring you great readings

Fiction Videos

Video: Holly McDowell writes in a "Minor" key

At our recent January 3rd reading, Chicago author Holly McDowell read us this stunning excerpt from her novel-in-progress Farah Minor: And if you enjoyed that, please join us for our next event on Tuesday, February 7, 2012, when we'll bring you great readings from Julia Borcherts, Lauryn Allison

Videos Reading #41

Video: Stephen Markley explains how to "Publish This Book"

At our recent January 3rd reading, author Stephen Markley shared with us some of the secrets behind, and therefore within, his "premature memoir" Publish This Book: The Unbelievable True Story of How I Wrote, Sold and Published This Very Book: And if you enjoyed that, please join us

Fiction Videos

Video: Lawrence Santoro serves up a generous helping of "Winter Soup"

At our recent January 3rd reading, our guest Lawrence Santoro shared with us this evocative and shocking recipe for "Root Soup, Winter Soup."  You may, in fact, be able to hear the gasps from our audience... And if you enjoyed that, please join us for our next event

Fiction Videos

Video: Patricia Ann McNair is loaded for deer

This past December 6th, Patricia Ann McNair graced our podium to bring us this "Deer Story" from her new collection The Temple of Air, and it went a little like this... If you liked that, please don't miss our next event which takes place Tuesday, January

Fiction Videos

Video: Hanna Martine sends us into the doghouse

This past December 6th, Hanna Martine dropped by our microphone to bring us a bit of Blue's Clues–inspired erotica.  No, really, we're serious.  Because you never know what's going to happen "In the Doghouse"... And if you liked that, please don&

Fiction Videos

Video: John Klima dreams of life's simple pleasures

This past December 6th, Electric Velocipede mastermind and Hugo Award winner John Klima made the dangerous trek south from the Waukesha Public Library to read his short story "Life's Simple Pleasures" for us.  Attend, children... And if you liked that, be sure to pick up some

Poetry Videos

Video: Emile Ferris's mother is 1968 Chicago

This past December 6th, Emile Ferris kicked off Tuesday Funk in a big way with her poem "My Mother Is 1968 Chicago." We wish technical difficulties didn't prevent us from showing you the full work, but check out this powerful, powerful excerpt from it: And if