Today, the Chicago Publishers Gallery is moving to a new home. We are very happy to report that the Read/Write Library in Humboldt Park will be taking on the entire collection, cataloging it, and making it available to the public. We invite all in the literary community to be part of this next exciting phase in the life of this unique resource for Chicago’s publishers, writers, and visitors.
The three years since the Chicago Publishers Gallery opened have been a success, and it’s been an honor for us at Publishing Industry Programs to showcase the stunning and vibrant variety of publications that make up Chicago’s literary landscape. Since the Gallery’s October 2008 opening, we’ve received a constant influx of new additions and the privilege of watching Chicago grow and thrive as one of the next great hubs for publishing and literary arts. Supporting and promoting Chicago’s publishers and writers is an endeavor that we will continue to enthusiastically carry out in 2012, through our many programs, including Chicago Publishes and a full roster of publishing and literary events. And, as new publishers discover us, we will continue to include them in our Directory of Chicago Publishers and all of our other programming. If you have any questions about this change, please contact us at info@chicagopublishes.com.
In the meantime, we’re extremely grateful to Nell Taylor, Executive Director of the Read/Write Library, who many readers will know through her tireless efforts to support Chicago’s literary community, for offering us this great opportunity to keep the Gallery collection together and to make it available to the public. The Read/Write Library is an all-inclusive collection of Chicago-specific media, produced by and for the community. Through the Read/Write Library’s unique indexing of contributors and their open venue, they provide a space for individuals, organizations and ideas to come together, and creative connections to emerge. You may have heard about their exciting new space and cataloging project in one of many recent articles, including a November story in the New York Times and a story on WBEZ.
The Chicago Publishers Gallery collection will depart from the Cultural Center today, and be moved to the Read/Write Library. A special volunteer push will be orchestrated throughout March and April to catalog the entire collection, and in late April we will cohost an event at the Read/Write Library space to draw public attention to the collection’s new location, and to discuss the ways in which the Read/Write Library is creating new connections and communities in Chicago, and beyond.
Many in the community, in addition the publishers and authors we showcased, have been part of the Gallery in various ways. We thank you all for your enthusiasm and participation, and we hope that you will extend your support to the collection as it moves to the Read/Write Library. We know that countless connections have been made between readers, writers, and publishers in the past three years—and that many visitors have been stunned by the excellence and variety of the locally made books and magazines in our midst. We hope that being part of the Gallery has inspired you to make new connections with other Chicago publishers and writers, and we are excited to continue providing new venues for such creative connections to be made in 2012.
