Hungry For Stories: A Chicago Book Club

Hungry for Stories is a book club about the Chicago point of view, as constructed (and demolished) by some of the city’s most divergent writers, artists, editors and publishers.


“People are hungry for stories. It's part of our very being. Storytelling is a form of history, of immortality too. It goes from one generation to another.” - Studs Terkel


For each month, subscribers receive a contemporary Chicago publication that will broaden your media horizons, build relationships to local writing and publishing communities, and help us dig deeper into which stories we value as a city.

Subscription Options

Hungry for Stories will be available by mail and locally with monthly book club discussions

Local Book Club

Book club discussions feature the author or special guest

Monthly discussions meet on a weekend afternoon at Read/Write Library (expanding to more neighborhoods soon!)

Each subscriber can bring a +1

Pick up next month's book at each book club

BYOB & local treats

Local Subscription Details ▼

Book Club by Mail

Get your subscription mailed to you

Perfect gift for former Chicagoans missing the city

Choose this option if you want to join the local discussions but have your books mailed

Books are mailed at the end of each month, shortly after the previous month's discussion

+$5 / mo media mail shipping and handling

Mail Subscription Details ▼
Local Subscription Details ▼
Mail Subscription Details ▼

12-Month Subscription

$21 / mo

or

$245 upfront

  • Choose how you want to pay
  • Pay upfront & save
  • First 20 subscribers receive a custom welcome kit ($15 value)

6-Month Subscription

$24 / mo

or

$140 upfront

  • Choose how you want to pay
  • Pay upfront & save

3-Month Subscription

$27 / mo

or

$80 upfront

  • Choose how you want to pay
  • Pay upfront & save


12-Month Subscription

$21 / mo

or

$245 upfront

  • + $5 / mo S&H
  • Choose how you want to pay
  • Pay upfront & save
  • First 20 subscribers receive a custom welcome kit ($15 value)

6-Month Subscription

$24 / mo

or

$140 upfront

  • + $5 / mo S&H
  • Choose how you want to pay
  • Pay upfront & save

3-Month Subscription

$27 / mo

or

$80 upfront

  • + $5 / mo S&H
  • Choose how you want to pay
  • Pay upfront & save


Sample Selections

The Telling

by Zoe Zolbrod
Curbside Splendor, publisher

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Zoe Zolbrod remained silent about her early childhood molestation for nearly a decade. When she finally decided to tell, she wasn't sure what to expect, or what to say. Through a kaleidoscopic series of experiences—Zolbrod hitchhikes with a boyfriend across the country, hangs out in a strip club in Philadelphia, meets and marries her husband, and gives birth to her children—she traces the development of her sexuality, her relationships with men, and the cultivation of her motherhood in the shadow of her childhood sexual abuse. Bolstered with research, Zolbrod argues passionately for the empowerment of sexual abuse victims and the courage it takes to talk about it.

The Telling is an intimate examination of one woman's reckoning with a past she can't always explain, and a life lived in search for the right words.

Color Me Rising

Created and published by
For The People Artists Collective

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For the People Artists Collective and Chicago Childcare Collective selected around 20 different campaigns, actions, and efforts that spanned from November 2014 through December of 2015 in Chicago. From the We Charge Genocide Delegation to the United Nations, to the recent street protests demanding Justice for Laquan, these coloring book pages tell stories of loss, love, collective healing, resistance and liberation.

Artists include Leila Abdelrazaq, Cairá Lee Conner, Monica Trinidad, Tyesha Thomas, Ariel Perkins-Fenwick, Jireh L. Drake, Ruby Pinto, Annan Shehadi, Vicko Alvarez Vega, Timmy Rose, Melisa Stephen, Raquel Rodriguez, Molly Costello, Grace Mattingly, Rachel Hoffman, Dan Adams, and Rachel Wallis.

This is a Dance Movie

by Tim Jones-Yelvington
Tiny Hardcore Press, publisher

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“Tim Jones-Yelvington doesn’t push the envelope. He kicks the shit out of it. If ever there was a writer who could garner a rock star following, it would be this man.”
—Roxane Gay, author of An Untamed State

“This is the short story collection as playful dance party among serious things—a remix of pop culture, gay sex and celebrity, ranging from the confectionary to the visionary. A collection of sparks for various fires, from a bold young talent finding his way forward.”

—Alexander Chee, author of The Queen of the Night

Group Subscriptions


Sign Up with 2 or More Friends & You Each Get a Discount!
We love folks who share the love of reading. Whether you're an existing book club who wants to host your own discussions of Hungry for Stories books, a group of friends who want to subscribe together, or if you're looking for a gift for your colleagues, we can work with you! Email us at [email protected] and tell us how many people you want to subscribe and we'll get back to you within 24 hours.

Q & A


Are there any time restrictions on when I can join?
Subscribers can join anytime, but must join by the 15th of the month to receive the following month's book. For instance, if you subscribe (or purchase a gift subscription) by December 15th, 2016 you'll be all set to join us for the first discussion in late January. Subscriptions purchased after December 15th will join us in February and then into 2018 (for 12-month subscribers). We do this because most of the publishers participating in this Book Club are small presses and we need a firm count each month to ensure we have enough copies and that we're not overstocked.

Do you offer month-to-month subscriptions?
While we considered and initially planned on offering month-to-month pricing, we felt that it was more critical to offer subscribers a community that they could come to know and trust regularly and who were all committed together to reading books outside of their comfort zones. By not having one-off books available each month, we hope the discussions will be more balanced among members, rather than having the author or book itself be the sole draw. This program is about discovery and the books we value, and we hope that you'll enjoy taking the risk of reading something you might never pick out for yourself.

Where and when will the discussions take place?
For now, all monthly book club discussions will take place at Read/Write Library on a Sunday afternoon. Depending on the number of subscribers, we may add additional times during the month to ensure that each discussion is comfortable and intimate enough for guests to be heard. If demand is great enough, we may also offer discussions in different parts of the Chicago area. We will keep subscribers in the loop as the program evolves to make sure we are taking your feedback on locations and timing into account.

What age is this book club appropriate for?
The Hungry for Stories book club selections are geared toward adults who are interested in literature as well as having deeper conversations about Chicago's narratives and creative expressions. While there are certainly high school students who can handle these themes and contribute to the conversation, we do suggest that you use your discretion in recommending or gifting a subscription to anyone under 18. Likewise, we ask that caregivers not bring children under 14 to the discussion so that other subscribers can feel comfortable speaking about the books' subject matter freely.

How do I give a gift subscription?
To create a gift subscription, simply enter your own information to create an account and choose to enter a different address for shipping. We're still working out the kinks with this system, so if you have any questions or hesitations, please get in touch!

Not ready to subscribe yet? No problem.

Enter your email to stay in touch for special events and more!

Sponsorship

To inquire about sponsorship opportunities, please contact [email protected]. Sponsorship packet coming soon.

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