Shakespeare’s First Folio: Live!

This year (in fact, TOMORROW) marks the 400th year of Shakespeare’s death. And what better way to celebrate the life of the Bard and his extraordinary works than visit his First Folio that is touring around the United States?

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., decided to honor Shakespeare by touring his First Folio around all 50 states. And I was able to catch it when it was in Illinois! Now, I would say “Chicago,” but the First Folio never made it to the city. In fact, the Folger Shakespeare Library committee planning the First Folio tour liked the programs and activities planned by the Lake County Discovery Museum out of all the other bids from museums, libraries, and universities as the Illinois host.

A Lesson on Blogging via WordPress App

If you rarely blog on the WordPress app–which does come in handy at times–then maybe starting to draft what could be a lengthy blog post should be done in a notebook or a memo pad app instead.

If you’re one of the lucky ones, you might’ve seen a work-in-progress blog post I was working on. Now, if I may…

Image Source

You’ll see the full post about my bookcase organizing experience and thoughts, but in the meantime, I should get to work! :)

Happy Saturday!

(Literary) Dreams Do Come True: How I Met My Idol

I know it’s a big blogging faux pas to point out the extended period of time that I wasn’t blogging (shame on me for not blogging and pointing it out!), but I must.

At least for this post.

Around the time that I disappeared from the blogosphere, I was busy studying for two midterms, going to my first (but definitely not my last—sorry dad) WWE event, and packing. For New York. All this madness happened within a week. While it looked like I was about to rip out all my (very pretty and curly) hair, have a panic attack, and refuse to sleep until all my work was done, I somehow managed to pull through the madness.

You see, I had been planning this trip to New York mere weeks after I posted about my Resolutions for 2014.  My friend Eric (half-) jokingly asked me if I would go see HIM in concert with him on March  14th (Bucket List #6). Obviously, I considered this heavily before I said yes. There had to be a better (read: more than one) reason to go to New York than to just see a Finnish rock-metal band; not that I didn’t want to go just for the concert or hanging out with my friend, but if I was going to drop the cash, it was going to be more than just a weekend.

Literary Adventure: Printers Row Lit Fest 2013

My reaction the first time I went to Printers Row Lit Fest two years ago was: 1. Holy moly, that’s a lot of books, and 2. How did I not know about this before?

My parents took me to Printers Row Lit Fest shortly after my college graduation. As if I didn’t come home with enough books, this ended up being an overwhelming experience for me because I wanted to buy ALL the books. It was my literary heaven-on-earth so incredibly close to home. Local universities, university presses, independent bookstores, used bookstores, writing groups, literacy programs, authors and many more come together the second weekend in June to celebrate literacy and literature. Both local and well-known authors are asked to speak and do book signings at various venues around the area too. There’s also a “Little Lit” stage area  for the tiny humans too.

I’ll be honest, I was a little disappointed when I found out I wasn’t able to go last year because I would be doing this:

Riding a camel outside of Jerusalem at a gas station. Only $5.

and this:

At the Church of Pater Noster in Jerusalem, where the Lord’s Prayer is written in every language, including this one.

But I got over it pretty quickly.

This year, however, since I knew I wasn’t flying oversees, I made plans to go no matter what. That’s why three weeks ago, I hopped on the Metra train and headed downtown. It was a bit of an overcast that day, plus there was a Cubs game, so it seemed like a lot of people were either indoors or in Wrigleyville; regardless, it wasn’t that crowded at Printers Row when I arrived. Then again, I was there by noon. On a Sunday.

By mid-afternoon, a larger crowd formed and I was having a hard time wedging my way to the tables. For a short person, this is a big deal, since usually I’m able to weave my way through crowds quite easily. Alas, when it comes to books, everyone is defensive. I had made plans with my friend Bethel to meet her at the fest, however, I wanted to make sure I had time to browse alone. I looked through several booths and made some pretty sweet deals. I bought 4 books for $12, including a hardcover of the 7th Harry Potter novel. However, let’s be real, the only reason anyone would want to go to Printers Row Lit Fest is to look at (and, of course, buy) all the pretty books.

There are two memorable moments I can take away from Printers Row this year. First, as I was browsing at a booth, I was approached by a man and his son and daughter (both adult aged). The daughter asked what kind of books I like to read and, since this is a trick question and any answer you give is wrong, I replied literary fiction. She seemed confused at that concept, so I repeated myself. The brother quickly came over to his sister’s rescue. She told him how I was a “Plain Jane” when it came to reading (to which I took much offense because that’s not how you get people to buy a book), so he took over the “sale” or lack thereof. The father had written a book and the son enthusiastically pitched it to me. “It’s a cross between sci-fi and fantasy IN SPACE,” he said. However, the father heard and stepped in to correct his son. “It’s a science-fiction, fantasy, southwest Gothic novel with a touch of romance,” he tells me. Bless you. It literally seemed like someone sneezed various genres together to come up with that. There’s a werewolf colony on the moon, need I say more?

The second memorable part of my literary adventure downtown was getting compliments on my shirt. I make sure I dress up for every occasion. Not in fancy dresses or tall heels, no. Not unless the occasion calls for that kind of attire. No, for Lit Fest, I felt that a screen printed t-shirt would do the job just right. And, boy, did it. Every couple of feet, both volunteers at Lit Fest and other literary patrons asked where I had gotten my t-shirt that read “Books Not Boys.” I told them I got it as a gift, but I directed a dozen people to TopatoCo. If I had a backpack full of these shirts and sold them, I would have made a profit. But I would never do that without permission from the original seller. (Do I at least get a reference discount on my next order for my good deed?)

My dad gave the grunt of approval after he read my shirt. Abstain from dating; read more books!

In all seriousness though. I said it in my last Printers Row post and I’ll say it again: I need a new (read: another) bookcase.

Literary Vacation: Los Angeles, Vroman’s

Last week I flew out to Los Angeles for the weekend and visited my brother, grandfather, uncles and cousins—basically my whole dad’s side of the family. No one knew I was coming (except for my brother and one uncle). When my brother and I went to visit my grandfather a few hours after I arrived (I pulled the “hide behind the tall person” tactic), I was sure the shock was going to kill him. Thankfully it didn’t, but it was definitely nice to make him happy.

I had no concrete plans when I went to California. That is, I didn’t have a set itinerary at all. In some cases that’s terrible vacation planning, but on the other hand it’s perfect. I had optimal time to visit with my grandfather whom I haven’t seen in seven years.

The only plans I really had in California (besides visiting family, which I did all 3.5 days I was there) was to go to the Hollywood Walk of Fame and be a tourist:

Which I did,

Happily.

and go to Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena.

Which I also did,

Again, happily.

Both of these things I did Monday afternoon with enough time to visit my grandfather one more time (even though I had seen him that morning) before my brother dropped me off at the never-confusing LAX airport.

Besides placing my hands where Judy Garland had placed hers almost 60 years ago (and finding out our hands are the same size!) and seeing the newly unveiled star for the Backstreet Boys (yay for getting concert tickets!), I really wanted to stop by Vroman’s. If I had to cut anything out of the non-existent itinerary, it would’ve been the Walk of Fame.

I researched bookstores and author graves I wanted to visit out in southern California. There is Book Soup in West Hollywood; Chaucer’s Bookstore in Santa Barbara; Skylight Books and The Last Bookstore both in LA. But there was something about Vroman’s. Besides it’s perfect location (to where we were staying and visiting), Vroman’s is the oldest and largest independent bookstore in So Cal. Established in 1894, Vroman’s has a perfect location on Colorado Blvd.

When my brother and I walked in from the back parking lot, it felt like the main entrance. I was too excited deciding which direction I wanted to go, but my brother put both our awe into words: “For an old bookstore, this place does a great job feeling modern.” And it did. I didn’t take any pictures inside, except for the one above, but my brother was right. Despite Vroman’s being almost 120 years old, it felt alive. There weren’t that many people walking around (It was also 6pm on Memorial Day), but there were still enough employees to cover registers in the front, the back and I believe it was a gift registry section (or something similar). Besides the books (obviously), there were Vroman’s novelty items and knickknacks, as well as Out of Print t-shirts and merch.

Initially I planned on buying a book from Vroman’s just to say I did, but after having spent a chunk of change at Barnes & Noble the day before at Americana, I told my brother to make sure I didn’t. Now, I don’t know if I’ve shared this with you yet: My initial instinct is to always go toward the fiction section and find all the Joyce Carol Oates books. of her 150+ titles, I believe there were only 5. A little disappointed, I meandered toward other shelves. Behind me was the recently released books. What tipped me off on that tidbit was seeing two or three shelves of Dear Lucy by Julie Sarkissian, which is on my reading list. The further I wandered into that aisle, I saw Oates’ latest book The Accursed. Okay, fine. I have plans on reading it anyway, but since it’s the last book of a series I wanted to hold off. Alas! The book sitting right in front had a sticker on it: Autographed Copy.

There was no way I was going to pass this opportunity. My brother could see it in my eyes how badly I wanted this book. I was near tears at the thought of owning, let alone holding, a book that Joyce Carol Oates had signed. Yes, I know, a little dramatic, but I’m a girl so I can get away with that, right? …

Behold, my newest prized possession:

The only way this could have been better is if I actually asked her for her autograph. But for now, this’ll do.

Needless to say visiting Vroman’s was the best decision of my LA adventure in addition to visiting family, of course. And seeing Star Trek. Star Trek was awesome.

Although I wasn’t able to hit up the other literary “hot spots” I had hoped, I’m beyond happy with Vroman’s. And I didn’t even see the whole bookstore yet! That only means I’ll have to visit again soon. Maybe next time I’ll give my relatives and friends a heads-up too.

English Major (and Avid Readers)’s Heaven on Earth: Printer’s Row Lit Fest

As a recent college graduate with a degree in English literature and creative writing, I imagine this is what heaven is like: hundreds of thousands of books sold inexpensively within a few blocks by numerous vendors and publishers. Why haven’t I heard about the Chicago Tribune Printer’s Row Lit Fest before? I found out about it Saturday night after the first full day of the event had ended. My mother had happily read the article from the Chicago Tribune to me while we were having dinner. Instantly, I demanded that we go the next day. (I’m not a demanding person, but when it comes to books, you better do what I say!)

The Chicago Tribune Printer’s Row Lit Fest is an annual two-day even on Dearborn Street with hundreds of vendors and thousands of books. This year it took place on Saturday and Sunday June 4^th and 5^th. Now, here is a link to the Chicago Tribune’s FAQ about the Fest, but I’m going to share what I experienced. First: the smell of books. Does that sound strange? I’m not talking about a stench sort of smell, but the experience of smelling millions of sheets of paper in one spot. If I could have made a huge pile of books and jumped in just to be overwhelmed with the smell of paper, I would have. However, I’m sure vendors would have been upset with me and passer-bys would have thought I was insane. I probably am insane if I want to jump in a pile of books like it’s a ball pit at a McDonald’s Play Place. Not to mention I’m 22 years old.

Second: the crowd. The street was already tight from the tents and tables each vendor had, but there was such closeness between the people on the street that could not be avoided. Yes, we were closely packed. I was constantly brushing against people trying to walk booth to booth and bookshelf to bookshelf. But what I enjoyed was hearing people talk about the books they were picking up. Whispers of their opinion on Samuel Becket or Willa Cather or science fiction and fantasy novels wisped around me. Perhaps I should have joined in on the conversation, but I was in too much awe from touching a grass-woven bound edition of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass (1867, if I remember the date correctly) to converse with anyone around me.

One gripe I do have though is that I did not know about this sooner. Let me tell you a little story: My mother was reading the article about the Lit Fest while she and I were having dinner. I clearly was excited over the news of something so amazing being so close. She then proceeds to tell me about how my father used to work on Printer’s Row. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, he worked out there…. And I had no idea! Why wasn’t this news brought up to me before? Because he worked there before my brother and I were born. Over 24 years ago, my father worked on Printer’s Row, but I don’t find out until I finish my degree in ENGLISH and CREATIVE WRITING. Would this have been some inspiring news had I heard it while in high school, or heck, even in college? Why, yes! How kind of you to ask. But I was denied this joy. Despite this overlook by my parents, I have found a new tradition to kick off my summers now that I am back in suburbia.

And with that being said, I need a new bookcase.