Reading Series Short Story Contest Finalists as Featured Readers

Tamale Hut Café’ is excited to announce the top five short stories selected for this year’s Short Story Contest. They are:

Brendan Detzner – Strays

Aaron Longoria – When You Walk Your Dog

Matt Holmes – Tom Petty is Trying to Kill Me.

Harold Holt – Jazz Swagger

Gary Doherty – The Living Room

All writers will attend the Tamale Hut Café’ Presents event on Saturday, November 23th at 7PM at the Tamale Hut Café to read their stories and unveil the final rankings and be awarded the following prizes:
1st- $300
2nd- $200
3rd- $100
Two (2) Honorable Mentions- $25 each

About Jenny Seay Our Contest Judge:

Jenny has a 2010 MFA Creative Writing degree from Columbia and 2001 Creative Writing degree from Columbia College.  She is a native Chicagoan and currently works at University of California Berkeley as a Class Giving Officer.

Jenny is the founder of the Tamale Hut Café’ Reading Series.

Please join us on November 23^rd and support these writers. Thank you

October Featured Reader Matt Bieniek

Reading Series regular (and THC Writing Group coordinator) Matthew Bieniek will be celebrating the release of his latest novel, Barnstormers Book One: The Adventures of Kiki and Bridget, at the Tamale Hut Cafe on Saturday, October 19th.

Matt’s been entertaining us over the past two years with his tale of two women pilots as they face action and adventure in the early days of aviation, and now the first volume is complete! Join us at 7pm to hear Matt read another exciting chapter in his saga, then have him sign a copy of the book for you. Open Mic will follow for all who want to share their words.

As always, there is no cover and you are encouraged to BYOB. THC — Supporting the Arts.

September Featured Reader Christopher Krazmus

Join us on Saturday, September 28th at 7:00 as we welcome Christopher Krazmus to the Tamale Hut Cafe.

Christopher Krazmus continues releasing new editions from his coffee table story-picture book collection. This time he launches

“Evidence of Existential Alien Intelligence”

You can be pretty sure you’ll hear parts of some stories and themes like these: Science fiction? You bet. Mystery and romance. Check. Comedy? Next Question. If embarrassing stories about personal failures can be funny. If doing something half-assed is worth it, then you can say everything best comes from inspiration. That’s what this coffee table short story picture-book collection means to be. That’s sexy, spiritual, and mysterious.

After Chris reads, we will open the mic to any who want to share their words. As always, there is no cover. THC — Supporting the Arts!

August Featured Readers, the Tamale Hut Cafe Writers Group

Members of the Tamale Hut Cafe Writers Group take over the microphone on Saturday, August 24th. Starting at 7:00, they will regale you with stories about song lyrics, rewritten song lyrics, and maybe some new lyrics to new songs.

After the group is finished, we will open the mic to any others who want to share their words. As always, there is no cover. THC — Supporting the arts!

July Featured Reader Harold Holt

Please join us on Saturday, July 20 at 7:00 as we welcome Zora Neale Hurston-Bessie Head Fiction Award winner Harold Holt.

Harold, a Chicago area open mic favorite will read short stories that will make you laugh and make you think.

After Harold reads, we’ll open the mic for any who want to share their words.

May Featured Reader Brendan Detzner

 

 

Tamale Hut is pleased to welcome back one of our native sons, Brendan Detzner.  Brendan will be our featured Reader on Saturday, May 18th. The festivities begin at 7:00 when he will read from his brand spankin’ new novel, Charlie Harmer Takes a Ride .

Brendan writes in a big messy pile of different genres and formats. His work is sometimes funny, sometimes scary, and usually very strange. He lives in Forest Park, IL and runs the Bad Grammar Theater reading series in Chicago.

After Brendan, we’ll open the mic for all who want to share their words. As always, there is no cover. THC — Supporting the Arts!

Christina Fugate — April Featured Reader

Mark it on your calendar, folks! The next THC Reading Series will take place Saturday, April 27th at 7:00 pm. Our Featured Reader will be Christine Fugate.

Christine is a graduate of the Story Workshop method with a BFA in Fiction Writing from Columbia College Chicago. Her work has been published in various locales and focuses on the intricacies and nuances of relationships between people. She’ll be reading from her second book, a work-in-progress, a memoir about the life of her father, who was once a carnie, a truck driver and a rascal of a man.

After Christine reads, we will open the mic to all who want to share their words.

As always, there is no cover. THC — Supporting the Arts!

March Featured Reader Bernard Cox

 

Bernard M. Cox is a graduate of 2015 Class of Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Workshop, and received an MFA in Creative Writing from Roosevelt University.

They have taught fiction writing, screenwriting, literature, and composition; curated an experimental music concert series called FeedBack; ran a staged reading series for screenwriters; served as Assistant Artistic Director for the Tamale Hut Café Reading Series in North Riverside, IL; served on the Board of Directors of the University City Arts League in Philadelphia; and volunteered in the San Diego LGBT community.

Bernie’s writing has appeared in A cappella Zoo, Blood and Lullabies, Collective Fallout, Crack the Spine, Five on the Fifth, Reckoning, Red Lightbulbs, and Up the Staircase Quarterly.

Nasty ice storms in January prevented us from enjoying Bernie’s work, so now that spring has sprung, there’s no excuse not to come out for a fabulous evening.

As always, there is no cover charge. THC — Supporting the Arts!

Featured Reader D.M. Pirone Saturday, February 23rd

Tamale Hut Cafe is pleased to announce that our Featured Reader for February will be Kirkus Prize nominee D. M. Pirone.

D.M. Pirone is the nom de plume of Diane Piron-Gelman, who works as an editor and audiobook narrator when she isn’t writing. Both books in her Hanley & Rivka historical mystery series, Shall We Not Revenge and For You Were Strangers (Allium Press of Chicago, 2014 and 2015), were named Notable Page-Turners in the Shelf Unbound Indie Novel Competition. Shall We Not Revenge was also a 2014 Kirkus Prize nominee. Ms. Pironne’s debut suspense novel, No Less In Blood (Five Star, 2011) received excellent reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly.

A Chicago native and history buff, Ms. Pirrone is a longtime member of Mystery Writers of America Midwest and Sisters in Crime Chicagoland, and also belongs to the Chicago Writers’ Association and the Society for Midland Authors.

Ms. Pirone will kick off the evening at 7:00 by reading from her novels and will be available to sign copies afterwards. Then we’ll open the microphone for any who want to share their words.

As always, there is no cover charge. THC — Supporting the Arts!

 

Bernard Cox January Featured Reader

Saturday Janauary 19^th  @ 7:00 p.m.

Bernard M Cox is a graduate of 2015 Class of Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Workshop, and received an MFA in Creative Writing from Roosevelt University.

They have taught fiction writing, screenwriting, literature, and composition; curated an experimental music concert series called FeedBack; ran a staged reading series for screenwriters; served as Assistant Artistic Director for the Tamale Hut Café Reading Series in North Riverside, IL; served on the Board of Directors of the University City Arts League in Philadelphia; and volunteered in the San Diego LGBT community.

Bernie’s writing has appeared in A cappella Zoo, Blood and Lullabies, Collective Fallout, Crack the Spine, Five on the Fifth, Reckoning, Red Lightbulbs, and Up the Staircase Quarterly.

As always, there is no cover charge. THC — Supporting the Arts!