Listening To The Stories We Can Tell

Photo by Scott Beale/Laughing Squid,  via Flickr.

The writers group I’ve been part of for 11 years is hosting Four Minutes of Fame - A Stand-up Literary Event next Monday night at the Tokio Pub. Organized by Kym Brunner, Cherie Colyer, and Katie Sparks, it will feature authors sharing excerpts, book trailers, and illustrations. Tokio Pub, located at 1900 W. Higgins Road in Schaumburg, offers an Asian-inspired menu, but guests are not required to have dinner to attend this event. Admission is free.

“Kym’s creative mind conjured up this baby!” the trio explained in a joint email. “She was inspired by some drop-in writer events at a downtown bar. Combining the fun of a stand-up event and her passion for writing led her to think of this fun event!” 

True to its title, the get-together will give each participant a four-minute time slot to showcase his or her work. Brunner will provide a preview of her Young Adult novel Wanted: Dead Or In Love, an imaginative tale of a teenage girl and her new beau who tangle with the spirits of Bonnie and Clyde in a most unusual fashion. Wanted: Dead Or In Love is due out in 2014, as is another Brunner-penned effort, a very funny Young Adult novel tentatively titled One Smart Cookie. Colyer will read from her Young Adult/Paranormal novel, Hold Tight; the second installment in her Embrace series, which centers on a bewitching and resourceful teenager named Madison. Sparks will read from one of her latest projects. 

Patricia Kummer will unveil her latest Middle Grade work-in-progress; and Veronica Rundell will introduce the audience to her emotionally charged coming-of-age teen novel, Imperfect. Picture book authors Lori Degman and Patrick Waldron will also be on hand. I’ll present a chapter from Finding Manchester, a comedy/suspense novel set in Chicago’s alt rock scene in the mid-1980s. Other members of our writers group are likely to participate, but at this point none are confirmed.

“Attendees will be introduced to some amazing writers,” the email from Brunner/Colyer/Sparks notes. “Many are published or published-to-be, and others are active in their writing hobby. No matter what, you will come away from the event with many friends who share the same passion as you.”

Brunner, Colyer, and Sparks are literary event veterans, and their advice for the writers who’ll be reading their work before a live audience for the first time is basically to just act naturally. 

“First and foremost, HAVE FUN!!! Be yourself and you'll fit right in!”

If Four Minutes Of Fame: A Stand-up Literary Event goes well, the trio is open to staging more in the future.

“It’s a great way for readers to get a behind-the-scene look at the writing process and learn about up-and-coming books. It’s a win-win for all who attend. We would love to host these events occasionally throughout the suburbs in different locations.”

And now, here are The Everly Brothers singing “Stories We Could Tell.”