Flyer for the punk-themed reading series Neutron Bomb.

Before I moved to Chicago, I thought of literary readings as tame, mannered affairs that involved an hour or so of self-serious mumblings and maybe some red wine in one of those sharp-edged plastic cups. Boy was I glad to be wrong.

There’s a big performance aspect to the lit scene in Chicago. Maybe it’s all of the theater here that gets local writers so excited about getting in front of the mic. Whatever it is, I’m pleased to say that we have a vibrant reading scene, and Columbia College Chicago feeds right into it.

Columbia’s Fiction Writing department has a unique way of teaching writing called the Story Workshop Method, which involves reading a lot of writing (yours, your classmates’ and published stuff) out loud in class. Because the writers get an immediate sense of audience, a lot of the writing that comes out of Columbia’s Fiction Writing department has a voicy, first-person narrator and a strong sense of humor. This is the type of stuff that lends itself to being read out loud.

Most of the readings that I go to take place in bars and have a social side that is downright surprising if you consider the stereotype of writers as solitary, quiet, and awkward. A reading is a reason to leave my desk, a chance to catch up with friends, and a terrific opportunity to hear what my fellow writers are working on. I rarely leave without a smile on my face, a few drinks in my belly, and some ideas in my head.

Me and my fellow grads Maggie Ritchie and Benjamin Kumming started a punk-themed reading series called Neutron Bomb. We try to capture the energy of the best punk rock by featuring brief readings by a handful of writers and storytellers, plus a short set by a local band. We do one every two months at Cal’s, a dive bar at 400 S. Wells, on the southwest corner of the Loop. The next two are on Saturday 10/15 and 12/17/11.

I was going to list off a bunch of other cool readings, but CBS Chicago blogger (and CCC Fiction Writing student, natch) Mason Johnson already did that. See his list of Best Chicago Literary Readings.

WEEK LINKS:

Since a big part of choosing an MFA program is getting a feel for the writing that it produces, I plan to share links to Fiction Writing grad students’ work every week. I’m kicking it off with “Nick the Prick” by Benjamin Kumming. Benny and I both started Columbia at the same time, and I got to hear the beginnings of this story in class. It was published in 2009 in the Chicago Reader’s annual fiction issue.