Literary listings

NOV. 9

•    Dominic Pacyga signs Chicago: A Biography, 7 p.m. at Borders, 1500 16th St., Oak Brook.

•    Uwem Akpan signs Say You're One of Them, 5 p.m. at The Oprah Store, 37 N. Carpenter.

NOV. 10

•    Michael J. Collins signs Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs: The Making of a Surgeon, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Books and Brunch at the Abbington, 3S002 Illinois Route 53, Glen Ellyn.

•    Authors Eric Lasher and Sam Roche (Plans of Chicago), Janice Metzger (What Would Jane Say?) and Donald Whitfield (Great Books Foundation) will discuss Daniel Burnham’s Plan of Chicago, 7 p.m. at the Cliff Dweller’s Club, 200 S. Michigan, 22nd Floor.

•    Tony Romano signs If You Eat, You Never Die: Chicago Tales, 6:30 p.m. at the Chicago Public Library Roosevelt Branch, 1101 W. Taylor.

•    David Schmahmann signs Nibble & Kuhn, 7 p.m. at the Book Stall at Chestnut Court, 811 Elm St., Winnetka.

•    Joy Harjo signs For a Girl Becoming, 7:30 p.m. at Women & Children First, 5233 N. Clark.

NOV. 11

•    Artist Jay Ryan signs Animals and Objects In and Out of Water, 7 p.m. at Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North.

•    Terry Galloway signs Mean Little deaf Queer, 7:30 p.m. at Women & Children First, 5233 N. Clark.

NOV. 12

•    Mary Beth Sammons signs Living Life as a Thank You: The Transformative Power of Daily Gratitude, 7:30 p.m. at Women & Children First, 5233 N. Clark.

•    Lowell B. Komie will read from and sign copies of The American Bookstore of Paris, 7 p.m. at the Northbook Library, 1201 Cedar Lane, Northbrook.

•    Prose, Poetry and Pints at the Pug, a queer-focused, straight-friendly open mic reading hosted by Craig Rathwell and Drew Ferguson. Sign-up begins at 7:30 p.m., readings at 8 p.m. at the WIld Pug, 4810 N. Broadway.

NOV. 13

•    Beryl Satter signs Family Properties, 7:30 p.m. at Women & Children First, 5233 N. Clark.

•    Devi Vallabhaneni signs What’s Your MBA IQ?, noon at Books a Million, Clark and Adams.

NOV. 14

•    Rachel Gies (A Foxy Tale), Tim Hall (How America Died) and Gene McCormick (Tanya, Queen of the Greasy Spoon) will sign their books in a fund-raising event, 3-5:30 p.m. at Lin’s Garden Chinese Restaurant, 2400 E. Main St., St. Charles.

•    Carlyn Berghoff signs The Berghoff Cafe Cookbook, 2 p.m. at Borders, 1500 16th St., Oak Brook.

NOV. 15

•    Billy Collins and Kay Ryan read from and sign copies of their work, 6 p.m. in the Thorne Auditorium at Northwestern University School of Law, 375 E. Chicago. Tickets: $10 in advance; $15 at the door; free for students and teachers.

•    Ru Freeman signs A Disobedient Girl, 4:30 p.m. at Women & Children First, 5233 N. Clark.

NOV. 16

•    Essay Fiesta, a new free monthly reading series to benefit the Howard Brown Health Center, kicks off at 7 p.m. at the Book Cellar, 4736-38 N. Lincoln. The mission is to showcase novelists, poets, bloggers, journalists, playwrights and other artists. Events will take place every third Monday of the month.

NOV. 17

•    Laura Caldwell (Red Hot series), Theresa Schwegel (Last Known Address) and Libby Fischer Hellmann (Doubleback) will sign copies of their latest books, 7 p.m. at the Book Stall at Chestnut Court, 811 Elm St., Winnetka.

•    Mike Huckabee signs A Simple Christmas, 8:30 p.m. at Borders, 336 Route 59, Naperville.

•    John Sibley discusses and signs BodySlick, 7 p.m. at the Aurora Public Library, 555 S. Eola Rd., Aurora.

•    Joni Hirsch Blackman signs Downtown Naperville, 7 p.m. at Anderson’s Bookshop, 123 W. Jefferson Ave., Naperville.

NOV. 18

•    Susan Messer signs Grand River and Joy, 7:30 p.m. at Women & Children First, 5233 N. Clark.

•    Jeff Corwin signs 100 Heartbeats, 7 p.m. at Borders, 1 N. LaGrange Rd., LaGrange.

•    Jonathan Safran Foer discussses and signs Eating Animals, 6 p.m. in the Cindy Pritzker Auditorium at the Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State.

•    Rick Kogan talks to author Mike Thomas about his book, The Second CIty Unscripted, 6 p.m. at Maxim’s, 24 E. Goethe. Tickets: $25. Information: www.maximschicago.org.

•    Jim Kokoris signs The Pursuit of Other Interests, 7 p.m at The Book Stall at Chestnut Court, 811 Elm St., Winnetka.

NOV. 19

•    Audrey Niffenegger will discuss Her Fearful Symmetry, in a conversation for “Writers on the Record With Victoria Lautman,” 6 p.m. in the Cindy Pritzker Auditorium at the Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State. The interview will be broadcast at noon Nov. 22 on WFMT-FM (98.7).

•    Barbara Laken signs The Cooperating Witness, 7:30 p.m. at Women & Children First, 5233 N. Clark.

•    Dan McNeill and Ed Sherman sign The Great Book of Chicago Sports Lists, 7 p.m. at Borders, 1500 16th St., Oak Brook.

•    Ralph Covert signs A Nutty Nutcracker Christmas, 7 p.m. at Anderson’s Bookshop, 5112 Main St., Downers Grove.

•    Frances Hwang will read her short story “The Old Gentleman,” from the book Even Deadlier, at a book launch party, 7 p.m. at the Book Cellar, 4736-38 N. Lincoln.

NOV. 20

•    Nancy Poling signs Out of the Pumpkin Shell, 7:30 p.m. at Women & Children First, 5233 N. Clark.

•    Mary Beth Sammons signs Living Life as a Thank You, 7 p.m. at Borders, 1500 16th St., Oak Brook.

•    Kimberly Thompson signs Toulouse on the Loose, 6 p.m. at Anderson’s Bookshop, 5112 Main St., Downers Grove.

NOV. 21

•    Mark Quinn signs The Chairman, 11 a.m. at Anderson’s Bookshop, 123 W. Jefferson Ave., Naperville.

•    Jane O’Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser sign Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas, 2 p.m. at Anderson’s Bookshop, 123 W. Jefferson Ave., Naperville.

•    Sappho’s Salon, featuring novelist Anne Laughlin (Veritas), 7:30 p.m. at Women & Children First, 5233 N. Clark. Donation: $7-$10.