Programs are held on the second Tuesday of the months of October to November and January to April. All programs are open to the public and reservations are not necessary.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Topic: E-books
A panel discussion on trends in electronic publishing, with Dominique Raccah, Libby Fischer Hellmann and Kelly Griffin.
Raccah is the publisher of Naperville-based Sourcebooks, the largest woman-owned trade book publisher in North America, which is known for its innovative e-books and mixed-media titles. She recently worked on BookStats, a national survey on the state of the book industry. www.sourcebooks.com.

Hellmann is an award-winning author of seven crime-thriller novels, including the recent “Set the Night on Fire.” All her work is available digitally, and some of her books have been published first as e-books without print versions, including “Toxicity” and “The Last Page” (co-written with David Walker). www.libbyhellmann.com

Griffin is a member of the Chicago Public Library’s Collections Development Division, where she helps to develop the library’s e-book collection.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Speaker: Greg Borzo, author of "The Chicago ‘L’"
Discover the world-famous Chicago “L” in all its grit and glory. Travel through time on one of Chicago's most enduring icons, a working antique that has contributed mightily to the growth and development of the city and suburbs. An award-winning journalist, Borzo was editor of Modern Railroads Magazine and has been a health and/or science writer for the American Medical Association, Harcourt Brace, Field Museum and the University of Chicago. He conducts public tours of the “L,” local history and “The Devil in the White City” for the Chicago History Museum, Chicago Cycling Club and other organizations. His most recent book is “Where to Bike Chicago: Best Biking in City and Suburbs.” www.TheChicagoL.com

Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Speakers: Dick Simpson, Don Rose and Constance A. Mixon about "Twenty-First Century Chicago"
The new anthology was edited by Simpson, a former Chicago alderman and head of the political science department at University of Illinois at Chicago, and Mixon, an associate professor of political science and director of the Urban Studies Program at Elmhurst College. Rose, an independent political consultant, is one of the contributors to the book, which includes speeches by politicians, newspaper stories, editorials, memoirs and little-known research reports advocating change in Chicago.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Topic: Romance
Chicago authors Jennifer Stevenson, Sherrill Bodine and Patricia Rosemoor discuss writing and publishing romance novels.

Stevenson’s romance and fantasy novels include “The Brass Bed,” “Fool’s Paradise” and “Trash Sex Magic.” Bodine’s books include “All I Want is You” and “A Black Tie Affair” as well as books written under the name Leslie Lynn. Rosemoor has written 86 books, including 50 for the Harlequin Intrigue series. As Patricia Pinianski, she teaches fiction writing at Columbia College Chicago. All three are members of the Chicago-North Romance Writers of America.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Historian Rick Perlstein discusses his upcoming book “The Invisible Bridge: The 1970s and the Rise of Ronald Reagan.” Perlstein is the author of the acclaimed books “Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus” and “Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America.” Perlstein is a former chief national political correspondent for the Village Voice. In 2011, The New York Times Op-Ed page published his essays about Hubert Humphrey and Betty Ford.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Topic: Film and discussion on the poetry of The Iliad
A screening of the new documentary “Poets and Profs: Looking at ‘The Iliad’” followed by a discussion with the film’s directors, Mark Eleveld and Ronald Maruszak, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 10, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago.

The 66-minute film features poets, including Robert Pinksy, Edward Hirsch and Marc Smith, performing sections of “The Iliad,” as well as scholars scholars Elizabeth Samet, Nick Rudall, James Redfield and Herman Sinaiko discussing the multitude of themes within Homer’s ancient epic. A trailer for the film is at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_p9_rs-Cl4

Eleveld and Maruszak are English teachers who co-founded EM Press (www.em-press.com). Eleveld, a Midland Authors board member, is editor of the books “The Spoken Word Revolution” and “The Spoken Word Revolution Redux.” Maruszak is producer of “Slam the Radio: Poetry” on Xm/Sirus' Book Channel.

The film begins at 7 p.m., but the Society encourages guests to arrive early for a social hour 6-7 p.m. in Theater Wit’s bar. Reservations are not required. Admission is free, but the Society will accept donations to defray the cost of programs.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012 - 6 p.m. reception and cash bar, 7 p.m. dinner
56th Annual Awards Banquet
Open to the public. $75 per person.
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Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza
LaSalle Room
350 North Orleans Street
Chicago, Illinois