Applied Words: A Dose of Mind and Body

For this Applied Words event, we ask our featured artists to give us a dose of health-connected stories of the body and/or mind. Tonight’s line-up includes two “Writers to Watch,” Rey Andújar and Megan Stielstra, along with special guests Andrew Huff and Samantha Irby.

And to make the program more body related, we have partnered with the International Museum of Surgical Science (1524 N Lake Shore Dr) to host the event. Your admission to the reading will include admission to the museum (normally $15), and the venue will be open a full hour early so you can explore all the exhibits on hand. Click HERE for directions and parking information.

“Dose” is pay-what-you-can ($10 suggested donation). Audience contributions support honorariums for featured authors.

REMEMBER: The reading starts at 7:30 p.m., but the museum will be open to Guild Complex guests as early as 6:30 p.m. Hooray!

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Rey Andújar is a Dominican writer and dramaturgist. His books have won various awards including: The International Award from Casa de Teatro, for his book of short stories, El factor carne (IslaNegra, 2005); The Puerto Rican Pen Club Award for his novel Candela (Alfaguara, 2007); The Story Award from the International Book Fair in Santo Domingo for Amoricidio (AgentesCatalíticos, 2007); The Ultramar Letters Award (New York, 2011) for Saturnalia (7Vientos, 2011); and most recently Adújar won The Cuento y Poesía Consenso Award at Northeastern University.

Andrew Huff is the editor and publisher of Gapers Block, an award-winning Chicago-centric news and events webzine he co-founded in 2003, and the co-host of the eclectic reading series Tuesday Funk. In addition, he has worked for several years as a professional blogger for corporate clients, and is a sought-after consultant on content oriented web projects. Andrew holds a journalism degree from The Ohio State University and a certificate in medical writing and editing from the University of Chicago, and spent 10 years in public relations, working primarily with clients in the healthcare and biotech industries. He has taught in the journalism departments at Loyola University Chicago and Columbia College, and is a frequent speaker at SXSW Interactive and other conferences. In 2009 was named to the Crain’s Chicago Business 40 Under 40 list.

Samantha Irby is the author of Meaty, a collection of essays chosen by Barnes & Noble as a Discover Great New Writers selection in addition to being named one of the Big Indie Books of Fall 2013 by Publisher’s Weekly. Samantha writes the wildly hilarious blog, BITCHES GOTTA EAT, co-hosts Guts & Glory, a reading series featuring essayists, and has performed all over Chicago. She has been profiled in the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Reader, Chicago Tribune, as well as in TimeOut Chicago. Her work has appeared on The Rumpus, XO Jane, and Jezebel.

Megan Stielstra is the author of the essay collection Once I Was Cool. Her writing appears in The Best American Essays, The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Poets & Writers, The Rumpus, and elsewhere, and her essays have been recorded for NPR, Chicago Public Radio, and Radio National Australia. She’s a company member of the critically-acclaimed 2nd Story storytelling series and has told stories for all sorts of theaters, festivals, and bars (many, many bars) including the Goodman, Steppenwolf, Museum of Contemporary Art, Neo-Futurarium, and regularly with The Paper Machete live news magazine at The Green Mill. She is the Associate Director of The Center For Innovation in Teaching Excellence at Columbia College Chicago and teaches in the MFA Program at Northwestern University.

ABOUT OUR VENUE PARTNER

The mission of the International Museum of Surgical Science (IMSS) is to enrich people’s lives by enhancing their appreciation and understanding of the history, development, and advances of surgery and related subjects in health and medicine. In support of this, IMSS is committed to:

• Portraying through exhibits and other appropriate media, the art and science of surgery, and related subjects.
• Providing programs and services for the education and enjoyment of the public, students, and the medical profession.
• Preserving the IMSS collection for the education, inspiration, and aesthetic enrichment of future generations.
• Gaining recognition as a leader among medical and health museums worldwide.