Friday, 10/7
Poetry and Translation with Kristin Dykstra
Kristin Dykstra will be lecturing on her work. She is an award-winning translator of Latin-American literature. She published three critical editions of translations of Cuban literature in 2016. Her current projects include translation of authors from Colombia and Uruguay.
Rosenwald Hall, Room 405, 1 p.m.
Max Weiss–“The Slow Witness: Syrian War Literature in Real Time”
Max Weiss in an Associate Professor of History and Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University. This lecture discusses Syrian war literature and how violence affects both journalism and fiction writing. In wartime, when decisions must be made quickly and speed is essential, how do authors maintain their code of ethics?
Wilder House, 5811 South Kenwood Avenue, 3:30–6 p.m.
Aaron Schuster–“The Trouble with Pleasure: Deleuze and Psychoanalysis”
Author and professor Aaron Schuster will be speaking about his book, which examines the philosophy of Deleuze and Lacan, and how it applies to human pleasure, negativity, and desire.
Seminary Co-Op, 6–7:30 p.m.
University of Chicago students and activist groups will join other college students and Democratic politicians at this event to begin a concerted push against Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner’s agenda on higher education. The campaign aims to make public higher education in Illinois free for all residents for the state.
UIC Forum, 725 West Roosevelt Road, 6:30–8 p.m.
The Sky Trembles and the Earth Is Afraid and the Two Eyes Are Not Brothers
The Renaissance Society will be showing The Sky Trembles and the Earth Is Afraid and the Two Eyes Are Not Brothers, a film by Ben Rivers. Based loosely on a short story by Paul Bowles, the film follows a director who abandons the set of his movie and begins to go mad in the Sahara desert.
Logan Screening Room, 7 p.m.
Saturday, 10/8
Diasporal Rhythms 2016 Home Tour: South Suburban Collections
This annual bus tour takes attendees to the homes of collectors of African art. Five members of the Diasporal Rhythms group throughout the South Side have been selected to host the tour this year, which is the 13th anniversary of the tour.
Buses leave at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. from Logan Center, tickets $25 with UCID.
Hyde Park Used Book Sale (through Monday)
The venerable Hyde Park Used Book Sale usually offers more than 30,000 books for prices ranging from 50 cents to two dollars. Proceeds go to benefit the Hyde Park–Kenwood Community Conference.
Hyde Park Shopping Center at 55th Street and Lake Park Avenue, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Monday.
South Side Civic and the IOP are teaming up to produce this all-day convention that focuses on using data to create solutions to real problems. Participants will split into teams that learn about issues facing the South Side and brainstorm potential technological applications. The event also includes speeches from local civic leaders, and a keynote address from Rayid Ghani, director of the Center for Data Science and Public Policy.
Polsky Exchange, 1452 East 53rd Street, 9:30 a.m.–7 p.m., register online.
In The South Side, journalist and author Natalie Moore looks at how segregation has shaped warped life in a third of the city of Chicago. She will present her book and sign copies in Washington Park, a neighborhood that has lived many elements of her book’s narrative.
Church of the Good Shepherd, Congregational, 5700 S. Prairie Avenue, 12 p.m.–2 p.m., $20 suggested donation, RSVP by leaving a message at (773) 684–6561.
The Hyde Park Art Center will be showing Deirdre Fox’s silent animated short, “A Constructed Poem,” which she created out of plastic waste. After the viewing, the audience members will be invited to critique the piece and discuss their own poetic interpretations.
Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 South Cornell Avenue, 2 p.m.
Hyde Park Historical Society Open House
The Hyde Park Historical Society is opening the doors to its headquarters, one of the last remnants of what was once the country’s second largest cable car systems. Come meet the society’s docents and see a collection of historical posters.
Hyde Park Historical Society, 5529 South Lake Park Ave, 2 p.m.–4 p.m.
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz: All the Real Indians Died Off
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz will discuss her new book, in which she and Dina Gilio-Whitaker challenge myths about American Indians and trace their origins. Dunbar-Ortiz has written seven other books and is the 2015 Recipient of the American Book Award and the 2015 PEN Oakland-Josephine Miles Award for Excellence in Literature.
57th Street Books, 3–4:30 p.m.
Sunday, 10/9
Carol Becker’s Losing Helen explores the experience of losing her 98-year-old mother in a first-person narrative essay. Becker, the dean of Columbia University School of the Arts, explores her grief through a mélange of cultural and spiritual references.
Seminary Co-Op, 3–4:30 p.m.
Alternative Histories of Labor: “Finally Got the News”
Detroit factory floors did not escape the ferment that swept the country in 1969. Finally Got the News follows militant black autoworkers as they challenge their employers and fellow workers. An academic and a labor organizer will frame the screening and lead a discussion afterwards.
Stony Island Arts Bank, 6760 South Stony Island Avenue, 7 p.m.
Monday, 10/10
Laura Letinsky, a professor in the visual arts department at the University of Chicago, will speak about her work at this event. Letinsky’s photographs are often compared to the tradition of still-life painting, though they incorporate modern ideas and elements.
Logan Center, Room 901, 6–7:15 p.m.
William Birdthistle: Empire of the Fund
The disappearance of pensions in favor of 401(k)s has moved America’s vast retirement savings into new financial instruments. Perhaps the most prominent of these is the mutual fund. At this event, William Birdthistle will explicate his deeply skeptical view of this pillar of the financial system.
Seminary Co-Op, 6–7:30 p.m.
Justice in the Service of Equality
Former French minister of Justice and French-Guianese politician Christine Taubira pushed both legalization of same-sex marriage in France and the recognition of the slave trade as a crime against humanity. At this lecture she will present on these issues and the high rates of incarceration for people of color in both France and the United States.
International House Assembly Hall, 6–7:30 p.m.
Lloyd Sachs: T Bone Burnett: A Life in Pursuit
At this event Lloyd Sachs will discuss his book about T Bone Burnett, the musician behind the soundtrack for the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?. His talk will be followed by a live performance inspired by Burnett’s Americana stylings.
The Hideout, 1354 West Wabansia Avenue, 7–8:30 p.m.
OMSA Heritage Series: Jeff Chang
Jeff Chang, the director of the Institute for Diversity in the Arts at Stanford, has long combined a concern with social justice with artistic work. Chang’s talk will be accompanied by musical performances and spoken word poetry.
University Church, 7–9 p.m., register online.
Tuesday, 10/11
Religion & Human Science Workshop: Kajri Jain
This year, the religion and human science workshop series is considering religion and public life. At this edition of the workshop, Kajri Jain, Associate Professor of Indian Visual Culture and Contemporary Art at the University of Toronto, will discuss public religion in the world’s largest democracy. Snacks and drinks provided.
Swift Hall, Room 208, 5–6:30 p.m.
Mark Osler, a law professor at the University of St. Thomas and a former prosecutor, started imagining how a prosecution of Jesus would play out in a modern courtroom years ago. He’s taken his moot court, and now his book about the process and what it taught him about his faith, across the country.
57th Street Books, 6–7:30 p.m.
The poems in Violent Blues quickly draw musical comparisons from reviewers. Bruce Willard, a poet and businessman, will read from his collection at this event.
Seminary Co-Op, 6–7:30 p.m.
Improvising Change: Bleep that Bleep
Come for the screening of a movie about improvisation and activism; stay for the conversation between two Second City cast members and an anthropology professor. Part of the Alternate Realities and Virtual Worlds series. Food and drink will be provided.
The Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality, Room 103, 6:15–8 p.m.
Wednesday, 10/12
Career Lunch & Learn: “Let’s Put On a Show!” How Curators Work
Emily Teeter, who runs Egyptology and special exhibitions for the Oriental Institute, will discuss how she puts together a museum exhibit. Pizza and drinks will be served.
Oriental Institute, 12–1 p.m., UCID required, register online.
Race to the Middle: How Politics Shapes & Stymies Scientific Progress
Matthew Tirrell, the dean and founder of the Institute of Molecular Engineering at the University, is presumably well equipped to speak to the influence of politics on scientific research and funding.
Institute of Politics, 4:30–5:30 p.m., register online.
Urban Readers Series: Forrest Stuart – Down, Out, and Under Arrest
In Down, Out, and Under Arrest: Policing and Everyday Life in Skid Row, Forrest Stuart, an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University, writes about how ordinary life along America’s most famously impoverished neighborhood can land its residents in prison. Stuart spent five years with Skid Row’s residents and the men and women who police them. This is the first event in UChicago Urban’s Urban Reader series.
Seminary Co-Op, 6–7:30 p.m.
Thursday, 10/13
Drop in anytime between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to unwind with some coloring, snacks, and free five-minute massages. This Student Health–sponsored event happens once a quarter.
Reynolds Club, McCormick Tribune Lounge, 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Hamilton Public Lecture with Martha Nussbaum and William Baude
Nussbaum will be discussing the emotions that drive duels, particularly the fine line between envy and ambition. Baude will also discuss ambition, but in the context of constitutional checks and balances. Students attending this lecture will be entered in a lottery for a chance to win discounted Hamilton tickets for the show’s October 20 performance.
Laird Bell Law Quadrangle, 4 p.m., register online.
Representing Mexico: The Photography of Graciela Iturbide
After a tour of the Smart Museum’s There was a whole collection made exhibit, participants will be introduced to the work of Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide. After discussing her life and work, the group will have the chance to make photo-zines inspired by her story.
Smart Museum, 5:30 p.m.
Indie City Writers: “Love, Horror and Everything In Between”
A writers’ collective is holding a reading of poems, short stories, and essays that center around the themes of love and terror. The event falls near Sweetest Day (October 15), which is a Midwestern celebration of romance, as well as Halloween. Local authors including K.B. Jensen, M.L. Kennedy, Wednesday Quansah will be reading.
57th Street Books, 6–7:30 p.m.
A City for All: The State of Accessibility in Chicago
This event will give participants a chance to discuss accessibility issues at the University and greater Chicago area with Commissioner Karen Tamley, who has led citywide accessibility campaigns during her tenure.
Reynolds Club, McCormick Tribune Lounge, 7:30 p.m.
