Come by Tuesday, December 9 from 4pm to 7pm for a StoryStudio Open House. It’s free, warm and cozy, and we’ll have pots of coffee, tea and cookies.
You’ll have a nice time writing or reading or meeting other writers or talking with us about your writing goals and how to get there. There will be details on the Winter Class Schedule and you can ask any questions you wish.
Hang out in the studio or just want to check us out, this is a great opportunity to do both!
Friends, acquaintances and significant others are welcome.
The economy’s falling apart, your writing isn’t going well, the kids are sick, the dog chewed his way through a stack of library books, there’s no way in hell you’re going to lose that five pounds before the holidays when people keep shoving cookies in your face.... BUT! The Irving Park Brown Line Station is reopening this weekend! Who cares about the economy when you have the luxury of brand new elevators swooping you up to the platform? Who needs sick kids and naughty dogs when you’ll have bike racks and braille signs?? And your writing can’t help but go well when getting to StoryStudio is more convenient than ever!
We’ve been waiting for this moment all year, and it’s almost here! With the Irving Park Brown Line station open, you have no excuse not to swing by our Prospective Student Open House on Tuesday, December 9 or our StoryStudio Holiday Party on Wednesday, December 10. You can just take the Brown Line to Irving Park and get off right there! You don’t have to travel all the way up to Montrose and walk back!
It’s happy dance time, folks. Irving Park Brown Line! Irving Park Brown Line! Hooray!!
Yesterday morning I was downtown, in a rush to cross LaSalle street to get to my appointment. Everyone around me was in a rush too and as I stood at the crosswalk waiting for the light to change, I was rehearsing in my head how I hoped to sound at my meeting. After that I was busy thinking about the rest of my day, how I was going to be on time for all my meetings and still get my work done.
The light was still red, the voice in my head was still working out my schedule, and then a new voice interjected, causing me to jump a few inches in the air.
“Do you know when the first Thanksgiving was?” it asked. But I didn’t hear it because the first voice, (my voice) was still working through the day’s to do list, way too busy to be concerned with the a silly question about a food holiday.
In slow motion my brain kicked into gear and I turned to see a young man with an earring pointing what looked to be a phone at me. He seemed nice enough and the light was still red so I said, “What?”
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted to know if you knew when the first Thanksgiving was.”
That’s what I thought he had said. And so I was disappointed. Years ago, on a trip to England, we were wandering around the beautiful city of York while young people with microphones from the BBC were interviewing passers by about their favorite fictional character. Now that was something to ask of total strangers. I mean, fictional characters are important. They guide us. They make us laugh. They make us thankful we’re not them.
Who really cares when the first Thanksgiving was!
Maybe if the interviewer had put a narrative around the question. Something like, who do you think was at the first Thanksgiving and who do you think complained about how long it took to cook and how short it took to eat?
But he didn’t. He asked his one question. When I answered honestly that I “didn’t have a clue,” he said, slightly disappointed, “1621.”
Not one to take his word for it, I did a little research myself. Turns out the original “Pilgrims” celebrated Thanksgiving in the form of religious prayer that had little to do with gorging on turkey. After the Native American Samoset stopped by for a chat and showed them how to survive in this new land, the Pilgrims did celebrate with a meal with the Indians. But we all know how that story ends.
But before you think I’m going to get all cynical and “tell the whole history not just what white men want to tell us,” I’m going to say this: the older I get, the more I realize how much I have to give thanks for. And so this Thursday I will sit eating my turkey and stuffing and really truly consider it a day to give thanks.
In preparation, I want to thank all of you who make StoryStudio such a wonderful place to work and write and be every day.
Happy Holidays to you and yours.
Write-a-Thon Update
8pm
Well, the November Write-a-Thon is winding down – only one more hour to go. There was such fabulous energy in the studio today. We had over thirty writers drop by, many of them working to meet their NaNoWriMo word counts (November’s almost over, after all – hope everyone’s word count is well underway). The clack of keyboards is getting quieter, we’re out of cookies, and the fruits and vegetable crudities are gone, too. But the words, the energy, the sense of possibility is still wafting through the air.
Be sure to keep an eye out for the next Write-a-Thon date, and enjoy your turkey (or soy turkey) this Thanksgiving!
3pm
It’s been a great day and the studio is packed. I’ve never seen this many people be so quiet that all you hear are the clicking of keyboard letters. Which turn into words. Which turn into paragraphs and then pages and then....you get the picture.
We’ve taken two breaks today to visit next door with the Serendipity folks and hear some first person narratives read aloud. What added to the whole wonderful affect was the use of music to augment the stories, in just the right places.
Then we all talked about how to get involved in their reading series (they run three of them PLUS a fantastic storytelling festival!) and that the closest deadline is December 1. It was a lot to remember so you should definitely take a look at the website: 2ndstory.serendipitytheatre.org
10:30am
Write-a-thons always feel like Christmas to me. Well, sort of. I mean I’m Jewish so Christmas used to mean chinese food and a movie. But I can imagine waking up, sure that this year Santa was going to be extra specially nice, making that last little box in the corner the perfect gift. The day seems just so full of possibility.
And that’s what these marathon writing sessions feel like. So much Possibility. 12 hours to think of me and my words. Plus, all the caffeine I can stand, chocolate hidden in plain sight, and great energy coming off all the other writers here filled with their own possibilities.
I got here about 8:30am this morning to finish set up and had the first first pot of coffee made, donut holes out on the table staring back at me and some nice quiet classical music streaming. Christina was the first to arrive at 9:10am and it’s been a steady trickle since then. But there’s still plenty of room.
So come on over! At about noon we’re going to go next door to Serendipity Theatre to take a break and listen to one of their short readings. They’ll be doing another performance later in the day.
(First Pic of the Day above feature Katie on the Futon, Jessica at the Lounge Desk and Christina in the back.)
Green Lantern, an independent press and gallery located in Wicker Park, is holding its first fundraiser tonight, November 22.
From noon to 9 p.m., the Green Lantern will be holding a silent auction featuring the work of a wide range of writers and artists; after the auction, from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m., there will be a live music show featuring Joan of Arc, The Lanterns, & lowland. Entry is $12; a $25 donation includes all you can drink at the bar, while $30 includes all you can drink and a one-year membership.
Green Lantern is located at 1511 N. Milwaukee Ave., second floor.
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