5 things to do today: Sunday, June 9
Printers Row Lit Fest, 6/10/12
AROUND TOWN
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum National Tour The 20th anniversary tour of D.C.'s Holocaust Museum stops in Chicago to honor area Holocaust survivors and World War II veterans. The day of events features rare films and historic footage, the opportunity for survivors and their families to consult with researchers, and workshops and panel discussions on topics including "What if Hitler had access to the Internet?" (We're guessing he would've been a serious troll.) Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers. 10am–5pm.
BOOKS
Printers Row Lit Fest It's back: the annual bookstravaganza on the storied streets of Printers Row. Authors from around the country participate in readings and panel discussions, and a slew of publishers and bookstores hawk their wares—everything from rare books and signed first editions to the latest releases from local indie presses. Prominent guests include graphic novelist/cartoonist Art Spielgelman, young adult author Judy Blume (be still, my 11-year-old heart), Colum McCann, Julia Sweeney and more. Printers Row. 10am–6pm.
Printers Row Lit Fest: Sunday
Kathleen Rooney, author of Robinson Alone.
Our picks for what to see on Sunday, June 9, at Printers Row Lit Fest:
Hot Doug's Doug Sohn
The wizard behind Chicago's favorite fake meats emporium discusses Hot Doug's: The Book. 1pm at Good Eating Stage.
Tribute to David Hernandez and Roger Ebert with Kevin Coval and Rick Kogan
Coval (author of Schtick) and Kogan (senior writer for the Chicago Tribune) pay tribune to two beloved cultural figures who passed away this year. 1:30pm at Mash Stage.
Kathleen Rooney
Rooney, author of the dazzling novel in poems, Robinson Alone, converses with Courtney Crowder of the Chicago Tribune's Printers Row literary supplement. 2:15pm at University Center/River Room.
826CHI
Members of the nonprofit writing/tutoring center present a new collection, Longform Journalism and Creative Nonfiction by High School Students. 2:30pm at Mash Stage.
Nathan Englander
The What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank author sits down for a convo with Booklist's Donna Seaman. 2:30pm at Harold Washington University.
CM Burroughs
The poet and Columbia College professor shares her writing. 4:15 at the Arts & Poetry Stage.
Robbie Q. Telfer
The poet, Encyclopedia Show co-founder, author of Spiking the Sucker Punch and (last but not least) former poetry correspondent for TOC reads from his work. 4:15 at Center Stage.
5 things to do today: Saturday, June 8
Schubas' Backyard Bash
AROUND TOWN
World Naked Bike Ride As Jerry Seinfeld once said, there's good naked and there's bad naked. Letting it all hang out while cycling through the city probably qualifies as the latter. Don't want chafed butt cheeks? Swimwear and costumes are acceptable gear. The body-painting party at 6pm helps calm nerves. Sat 8pm–Sat 11pm. Check in starts at 6pm at 1025 W Randolph St.
BOOKS
A City So Real It's a literary weekend in Chicago, so prepare for your schedule to be BOOKED (heh heh). In addition to the Printers Row Lit Fest, Northwestern stages an adaptation of Alex Kotlowitz's Never a City So Real, the current One Book One Northwestern selection. Mary & Leigh Block Museum of Art. 7pm.
Best festivals in Chicago this weekend
Ribfest Chicago
Bellwether This city can't get enough shopping-and-food-and-booze bashes, and the newest of the bunch seems poised to be a big hit. Produced by the same folks who put on Vintage Bazaar and Renegade Craft Fair, Bellwether promises furniture, home goods, artwork, vintage finds and records, along with beer from Revolution Brewing, wine from Oliver Winery, cocktails from Death's Door and fare from food trucks and artisanal producers. Learn how to make a terrarium with Logan Square flower shop Fleur, and catch live performances from Tortoise’s Jeff Parker, the Paulina Hollers, Abraham Levitan, Ami Saraiya and the Outcome, Black Bear Combo and the Low Down Brass Band, plus DJ sets by Damon Locks, Tony Sarabia, Peter Margasak, Reckless Records and more. On Saturday, stick around for the after-hours party from 8–10pm featuring sketch-comedy show NED Talks. On Sunday, there's Adventure Sandwich for the kids and a "drunken spelling bee" for the adults. Tickets go on sale May 21 for Sunday's $50 Bellwether-hosted beer brunch at Ada St, with Revolution beer pairings. Hideout. Jun 8, noon–10pm; Jun 9, noon–8pm. Suggested donation $10, kids under 12 free; after-hours party $10.
Chicago Blues Festival 2013 Shemekia Copeland kicks off the 30th iteration of Blues Fest, expanded back to four days with a theme of "Rollin' Up the River." The body of water, of course, is the Mississippi, and the lineup traces the music migration from the delta to Chicago. Which is a roundabout way of saying "the blues." After Copeland's Thursday evening set in Millennium Park, the groove moves to its regular "joint," Grant Park. Scene regulars Bobby Rush (Friday); Otis Clay and the Bar-Kays (Saturday); and James Cotton (Sunday) headline in the Music Shell. Other locals like Big Time Sarah, Linsey Alexander, Eddie Shaw and John Primer fill up four other stages. Millennium Park, Pritzker Pavilion: Jun 6, 6:30pm; Grant Park: Jun 7–9, 11am–9:30pm.
Doughnut Day | It's been real
Sprinkles doughnut from Dat Donut
I have no idea how you personally celebrated Doughnut Day, but here's how we did it at Time Out Chicago:
We tasted pretty much every doughnut in Chicago and named our favorites.
We taste tested the new Dunkin' Donuts doughnut breakfast sandwich.
We rounded up the zaniest doughnut-imprinted products on the Interwebz.
We asked two expert copy editors to decide whether the spelling is doughnut or donut.
We reimagined our favorite movie scenes as doughnut puns.
We made a plea to bring Tim Hortons to Chicago.
We judged 15 doughnut-like pastries to determine whether they were, in fact, doughnuts.
We made a Doughnut Day playlist.
We found 15 Chicago restaurants that have doughnuts on their menus.
Thanks for reading! You can find all this coverage together in our Doughnut Day feature. And remember, if you dream it, any day can be Doughnut Day.
Man of Steel destroys Chicago, rural Illinois on the big screen
Warning: This post contains spoilers to the plot of Man of Steel.
What is it about Chicago that makes it so attractive to filmmakers bent on destruction? Is it the location, nestled in the unassuming, generically American Midwest? All those gleaming skyscrapers just begging to be smashed by extraterrestrials? Or is it simply the sweet tax credit producers get for filming here?
During one of the many fight sequences in Man of Steel, the highly anticipated (and high-octane) Superman reboot in theaters June 14, our chiseled hero is thrown through the glass roof of Chicago's Union Station. In his spandex-meets-chainmail suit and blood-red cape, Henry Cavill's Superman plummets to the floor of the train hub's magnificent Great Hall, which on a normal afternoon is quiet, save the whispers of a docent leading an architectural tour.
What to see at Printers Row Lit Fest: Saturday
Author Julia Sweeney
I wish my 10-year-old self could accompany my adult self to the Printers Row Lit Fest this weekend. That was the age I stole a copy of Judy Blume's Just as Long as We're Together from my fourth-grade classroom, read and reread it until I could quote certain lines ("I broke off a sprig of forsythia and rang Alison's bell") and decided I wanted to be a writer because of it. Well, that and Bridge to Terabithia and everything by Roald Dahl.
Ms. Blume is a special guest at this year's bookstravaganza, conversing with journalist Julia Keller on Sunday at 2pm at Harold Washington Library. (BYO inner child.) There's a lot of notable talent at this year's festival, in fact, and a slew of great literary events—from readings to panels to a more-elaborate-than-a-spelling-bee vocab quiz: "The American Heritage Dictionary Define-a-thon" (Sunday at 3:15pm on the Center Stage). When not browsing new and used books or waiting in line at Pockets, check out these events:
Saturday
The 90-Second Newbery Film Festival
Author James Kennedy hosts this screening, featuring the winners of the film fest he founded, in which kids make 90-second movies telling the entire story of a Newbery Award–winning book. 10:30am at Jones College Prep Auditorium.
Doughnut Day | The ultimate doughnut mixtape
I don't think we were ready for that jelly. I now know why donut must be spelled with an "ugh" in the middle. Doughnut Day has reached its official sugar crash phase. We have stumbled out to purchase salads and now return to our desks wondering how to make it through without napping. Music always helps. Wu-Tang Clan totally helps. So here is a mix of cream, sugar, frosting and dough jams.
MORE DOUGHNUTS
Taste test: Dunkin' Donuts doughnut breakfast sandwich
Is it doughnut or donut? The experts weigh in.
Donuts in the movies (you just have to read the post)
Where to find doughnuts at Chicago restaurants
Give Chicago a freaking Tim Horton's already!
Is it a doughnut? We ask this question to 15 similar pastries.
The zaniest doughnut-related products on the internet
Doughnut Day | Donuts in the movies
Donuts figure prominently in movie history—more so than you probably realized. We rounded up some classic examples. Let us know in the comments if there are any holes in our list.
MORE DOUGHNUTS
Taste test: Dunkin' Donuts doughnut breakfast sandwich
The zaniest doughnut-related products on the internet
Is it doughnut or donut? The experts weigh in.
Where to find doughnuts at Chicago restaurants
Give Chicago a freaking Tim Horton's already!
Is it a doughnut? We ask this question to 15 related pastries.
Doughnut or donut? We ask the experts.
Glazed and Infused
As we geared up for Doughnut Day, a.k.a. Donut Day, a.k.a. the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, we here at TOC HQ faced a conundrum: How do we refer to our fave fried dough meal? (Whoops, we mean "treat.")
D-O-U-G-H-N-U-T or D-O-N-U-T?
Staffers began to take sides, arguing for the traditional spelling (the inclusion of "dough"), or else the more casual spelling (sans the "ugh"). I found myself researching "doughnut etymology" [Entenmannsology? Sorry.—BD], one of the cooler Google searches I've done lately, and found out some revealing facts:
- The entry for doughnut on etymonline.com: 1809, American English, from dough + nut. First recorded by Washington Irving, who described them as "balls of sweetened dough, fried in hog's fat, and called doughnuts, or olykoeks." Meaning "a driving in tight circles" is U.S. slang, 1981.
- The entry for donut on etymonline.com: see doughnut.
Thus, it seems the traditional spelling is preferred. Then again, why should we let Douglas Harper from Lancaster, P.A., editor of etymoline.com, have the final word? To settle the matter once and for all, I consulted two well-respected Chicago-based copy editors:
Carol Fisher Saller (senior manuscript editor at the University of Chicago Press and author of The Subversive Copy Editor): "I'm sure you couldn't possibly have known that next to pizza, donuts are my favorite food. (Oh—maybe that's why you picked me to ask?) Anyway, as you can see from the previous sentence, I favor 'donut,' because it's easier to type, but if I were editing something, I'd go with our house dictionary, Merriam-Webster's 11th Collegiate, which calls 'donut' a variant of 'doughnut.' Either way, it's important to remember that cake donuts are superior to raised!"
Rebecca Maughan (freelance copy editor and former copy chief at Time Out Chicago): "I have had *three* doughnuts already today, so take my word for it: It's spelled 'dough' because it's got dough in it. Dunkin' Donuts may choose its brand name because it's clever and short, but that doesn't dictate how all Americans should spell the word. There's a product called Weed B Gon too, but we don't change the spelling of 'gone' because of it."
So there you have it. It's settled. Oh wait, it's not settled at all. (But neither is my stomach after consuming three old-fashioneds, two glazed and a fritter. YOLO!)
MORE DOUGHNUTS
Taste test: Dunkin' Donuts doughnut breakfast sandwich
Is it a doughnut? We ask this question to 15 similar pastries.
The zaniest doughnut-related products on the internet
Donuts in the movies (you just have to read the post)
Where to find doughnuts at Chicago restaurants
Give Chicago a freaking Tim Horton's already!
Doughnut Day playlist: the ultimate doughnut mixtape
