Printers Row Lit Fest

Before you know it, summer will be upon us and it will be time for the largest free outdoor literary even in the Midwest. Booklovers of all kinds have been enjoying the Printers Row Lit Fest since 1985, when it was established to promote the Printers Row neighborhood that replaced Chicago’s bookmaking center. This year’s event will be held on June 9th and 10th.

Last year, writers who spoke at the festival included Richard Ford, Elizabeth Berg, Meredith Baxter, Edwidge Danticat, Pete Hamill, Ursula Hegi,, Terry McMillan, John Sayles, and many others.

The list of authors scheduled to participate this year is still in flux, but at this point includes Elizabeth Berg, Jane Hamilton (A Map of the World), Marianne Malone (The Sixty-Eight Rooms - a story that takes place in the Thorne Miniature Rooms of the Art Institute of Chicago), Jesmyn Ward (Salvage the Bones - Winner of the 2011 National Book Award), Edith Pearlman (Binocular Vision - Winner of the 2011 National Book Critics Circle award), and many others. The schedule of speakers will be finalized a week before the festival.

You can find more information on the website at:

Printer's Row Lit Fest Website

There you can choose from a multitude of fun activities for people of all ages. Admission to all festival events is free, but you will need to get tickets for some of the events.