They hosted their first virtual event last week with Jenny Brown, author of Without Apology, and Annie Finch, editor of Choice Words. The event was a fundraiser for the Chicago Abortion Fund and was cosponsored by Chicago DSA Socialist Feminists. “We’re trying to tie our virtual literary events to a group organizing on the ground in the city to both support their work financially and raise awareness of their work in the community,” Solheim says.
The Book TableThe Book Table opened in 2003 after the owners, Rachel Weaver and Jason Smith, met working at an indie bookstore in 1998 (and subsequently fell in love). The Oak Park location is closed to the public but is fulfilling web orders.
Open Books Since their opening in 2006, Open Books has been a resource for the Pilsen and West Loop neighborhoods, with their book grants, community events, and literacy partnerships. Ryan P. Jackson, the managing director of Open Books, says the bookstore is selling books online with free shipping on orders over $10 during the pandemic. There are also delivery and contactless pickup options.
Women & Children First Events are a key part of Women & Children First, which first opened in 1979, so when they were forced to immediately adapt, they did what most businesses (and people) are doing, they held a virtual event. Since their first event with more than 200 attendees, they decided to keep going and have hosted a half a dozen events on Facebook and Instagram Live. A 300-person Zoom call with comedian and author Samantha Irby and author Megan Stielstra was hugely successful. “We have been obnoxiously active on social media with Instagram,” says co-owner Sarah Hollenbeck. “Miss Linda has been doing storytime since 1984 and a global pandemic isn’t about to stop her, so we’ve moved that to video streams on Facebook and Instagram.”
Paragon Book Gallery Paragon Book Gallery began in Shanghai in 1942, moved to New York City, and settled in Chicago in 1991. In 2020, its brick-and mortar-shop opened in the Zhou B Art Center in Bridgeport.
