events

Open Mic at Pedestrian Coffee

Wednesday, July 29th, 5:30pm-8:00pm
939 W Belmont Ave

Pedestrian Coffee and the pub are hosting an open mic night on July 29th. Enjoy special edition drinks, sign up to read poetry & literature and have a great time!

Trash People x the pub: Clean-Up + “Bring Your Own Vinyl” Night!

Friday, July 31th, 5:30pm-10:00pm
939 W Belmont Ave

Trash People is joining forces with the pub to host an early evening community clean-up. We’ll start at the pub and pick up trash in the neighborhood and whatnot for about an hour an change. Afterwards, we’ll seamlessly transition (like a good DJ)  to the pub’s Bring Your Own Vinyl Night! This is a monthly hang that consists of attendees (like you?) bringing records that fit the theme (this time it’s Cookout Vibes), listening to them, and just hanging out. BYOV Night runs from 6:00pm until 10:00pm! You need to register for the clean-up but are more than welcome to swing by BYOV Night at any time!

Come through for a Friday night of Trash and Tunes!

OMWP Studios Pop-Up Shop

Weekly in June, July and August
2150 W Armitage Ave

Chicago-based OMWP Studios is a curated shop for creators and collectors who value physical media. Since 2013, they’ve specialized in the preservation of tactile tech, from the mechanical click of a vintage shutter to the nostalgic snap of a game cartridge. Come peruse their premier product line at the pub house this June, July and August.

Midwest Reading Group
Bimonthly Saturdays, 1:00-3:00pm, starting on 8/1
2150 W Armitage Ave

When you pick up the pub at a coffee shop or a bookstore, you are always in a Chicago place. An awareness of this place in which we all live can fortify our shared position as writers, readers, thinkers, and workers of the Midwest. But what exactly is this Midwest we live in now? What has this Chicago grown from? the pub’s Midwest Reading Group focuses on these questions. 

For our second rotation of Midwest Reading Group, we’ll be reading William Cronon’s “Nature’s Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West.” Finalist for the 1992 Pulitzer Prize, this history of 19th century Chicago “is the story of city and country becoming ever more tightly bound in a system so powerful that it reshaped the American landscape and transformed American culture. The world that emerged is our own.” Read the Preface and the Prologue (up to page 22) for Session 1 on August 1. Reach out to [email protected] with questions. Hosted by Lillian Lippold.

Reading Schedule:

For 8/1: Preface through Prologue—p. xv thru 22

For 8/15: Chapters 1 and 2—p. 23 thru 96

For 8/29: Chapter 3—p. 97 thru 147

For 9/12: Chapter 4—p. 148 thru 206

For 9/26: Chapter 5—p. 207 thru 262

For 10/10: Chapters 6 and 7—p. 263 thru 340

For 10/24: Chapter 8 and Epilogue—p. 341 thru end

Fall Writers Group

Weekly Saturdays and Sundays, starting on 8/1
2150 W Armitage Ave

A weekly writers’ group focused on creating community and improving craft by mutually reading and discussing each other’s work. 

Each session will begin with a free write. This is very loose and allows for some flexibility for people to arrive after the start. After this, we will jump into the critique, which will be split into two sections.

In Section One, the author cannot speak and will listen to the initial reactions from everyone else in the group for 30 minutes. In Section Two, the author will have the opportunity to respond to the critique and ask any questions they would like clarification on. Both sections are very conversational! Fiction or creative nonfiction only (1500-3000 words). Hosted by Carly Travis and Maxx Zenisek. 

Lit Night
Second Mondays, 6:00-7:30pm
2150 W Armitage Ave
Upcoming: August 10th

A monthly open mic: join us to share your poetry, short fiction, essays and other writing. Sign up for reading slots will begin 15 minutes before the event starts and we will have a brief break in the middle. We look forward to seeing you and listening to some wonderful writing. Hosted by Maxx Zenisek.

Lino Cut Workshop
Third Thursdays, 6:30-9:00pm
2150 W Armitage Ave
Upcoming: August 20th

Learn how to make your own prints with lino cut! Taught by Madi Fang, artist and illustrator of the pub’s Blue Line Column, participants will learn how to carve their own designs, roll ink, and apply their lino cut stamp to paper. This class is intended for beginners, but artists who want to review instruction or want a space to craft more intricate designs are welcome. Supplies will be provided and you can take your stamp home.

Check back closer to the event for the ticket link.

Book Swap

Friday, July 17, 7:00-9:00pm
2150 W Armitage Ave

Upcoming: August 21st

In the same vein as our Bring Your Own Vinyl Night, we want to encourage folks to share what interests them! Bring a few books that you love and are willing to swap with another attendee!

We’ll do three book swaps total, at 7:30pm, 8pm and 8:30pm. See you there!

BYOV Night

Last Friday of the Month, 6:00-10:00pm
2150 W Armitage Ave

Upcoming: August 28th

Join us for an evening of music exploration into the night. Music selection will be curated by our readers on a first come, first serve basis, and will be tied to the event’s theme. Check back later for this month’s theme. Bring a vinyl you think everyone else should hear, and be ready to be put on to something you haven’t heard before!

Movie Night

Saturday, August 15th 7:30-9:00pm
2150 W Armitage Ave

Come kick back on the couch for a relaxed projector movie night. Tickets include popcorn!

Check back closer to the event for movie details.