Maxim’s is a darkly lit enclave of mahogany and red velvet. Intimate and under-ground, the richness of its design serves its purpose well. The space, modeled after the iconic Paris restaurant by the same name, will host “Literary Lives,” a conversation with authors and media mavens Meghan O’Rourke and Rachel DeWoskin on October 27 from 6 to 8 p.m.
O’Rourke, author of the recent memoir The Long Goodbye, as well as the poetry collections Halflife and Once; and DeWoskin, author of the memoir Foreign Babes in Beijing and the novels Big Girl Small and Repeat After Me will be interviewed by Mark Bazer, Tribune Media columnist and host of “The Interview Show” at the Hideout. O’Rourke and Dewoskin will discuss their work, their experiences, and how to make a career as a writer in today’s changing media landscape.
Some literary lives are not reserved for printed matter. HBO is optioning DeWoskin’s Foreign Babes in Beijing for a new network series, and she is in the midst of writing a pilot episode. She is not at all unfamiliar with the ways of the small screen; the book is based on her experience bring recruited for and acting in a Chinese soap opera just after graduating from college. Her newest novel, Statutory, is set for a 2012 release from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
O’Rourke’s impressive breadth of work includes a stint as one of the youngest editors in the history of the New Yorker, the culture editor for Slate.com, and the poetry editor for The Paris Review–as well as a noted poet and memoirist. O’Rourke’s writing has been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, The Nation, Redbook, Vogue, Poetry, The Kenyon Review, Best American Poetry, and Slate. Her book The Long Goodbye, published in 2009, chronicles mourning in the aftermath of her mother’s untimely death from cancer at just fifty-five.
Both authors have made names for themselves as barometers of culture and creativity, and will fill Maxim’s with conversation on these matters and more. The discussion will be animated by the signature style of Mark Bazer, who hosts “The Interview Show,” a live monthly talk show at The Hideout in Chicago, and is a blogger for WBEZ.org. Mark is also a syndicated columnist and has written for the Chicago Reader, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Boston Phoenix, New York Observer and GQ.
Cocktails will be served before the event. The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are recommended. Please RSVP by October 24 at info@chicagopublishes.com.
Maxim’s is located at 24 Goethe Street in the Gold Coast.
