Stories Matter Foundation Presents:
together with the Chicago Review of Books, StoryStudio Chicago is pleased to host the 5th Annual CHIRBy Awards, a virtual fundraising ceremony honoring the “literary gold” writers of Chicago. Join us for a night of cocktails and fundraising, with special host Claire Zulkey, producer of Chicago’s best/favorite/only literary humor reading series, Funny Ha-Ha!
Though we wish we could be celebrating together, we’re excited about the offerings we have this year online. Starting Sunday, November 29, we’ll be posting short excerpts from the nominees reading from their work. That all leads up to Thursday evening, December 3 when we’ll host our live awards ceremony on Zoom! See below for ticket information and our list of nominees.
All donations from the evening will go to support the Chicago Review of Books.
Stories Matter Foundation is the parent organization of StoryStudio Chicago, the Chicago Review of Books, and Chicago Stories Project. We build communities of storytellers trained to question, explore, celebrate, and change their worlds using the power of story.
A ticket to our virtual CHIRBy Awards can be acquired by a suggested donation of $10, but our different tiered amounts can be found below. 100% of the donations at this event will go toward supporting the CHIRB contributors.
Tier One: $1-$5 General Admission
If you’d just like access to the Thursday evening live awards ceremony, any donation between $1-$5 will get you link access. Suggested donation is $10 but we appreciate any support!
DONATE HERETier Two: $15
A donation of $15 or more will get you:
- access to the live event
- your name considered for a chance to win a prize
Two winners will receive a $50 gift certificate to either Volumes Bookcafe or Semicolon Bookstore.
DONATE HERETier Three: $100 Golden Ticket
A donation of $100 or more will get you:
- access to the live event
- your name considered for a prize
- a single-session class at StoryStudio Chicago of your choosing
- thank-you shout-out during the event and your name posted on the CHIRB website
THE NOMINEES FOR THE FICTION CATEGORY ARE:
- The Lost Book of Adana Moreau by Michael Zapata
- Everywhere You Don’t Belong by Gabriel Bump
- The Beauty of Your Face by Sahar Mustafah
- Stateway’s Garden by Jasmon Drain
- Pew by Catherine Lacey
THE NOMINEES FOR THE POETRY CATEGORY ARE:
- Central Air by Mike Puican
- So Forth by Rosanna Warren
- Too Much Midnight by Krista Franklin
- American Gun: A Poem by 100 Chicagoans by Chris Green
- Two Menus by Rachel DeWoskin
THE NOMINEES FOR THE NONFICTION CATEGORY ARE:
- Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall
- Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir by Natasha Trethewey
- Having and Being Had by Eula Biss
- Between Everything and Nothing: The Journey of Seidu Mohammed and Razak Iyal and the Quest for Asylum by Joe Meno
- Golem Girl: A Memoir by Riva Lehrer
THE NOMINEES FOR STORY OR ESSAY ARE:
- “When reporting on movement actions, revolutionary joy must be given the same space as the struggle” by Matt Harvey in The Triibe
- “For Decades, Chicago’s Black Cowboys Have Kept An Overlooked History Alive. Now, Thanks To Lil Nas X, People Are Paying Attention” by Maxwell Evans in Block Club Chicago
- “Ode to a Chicago Public School” by Nina Li Coomes in Chicago Reader
- “What Happened July 17?” by Jim Daley, Martha Bayne, and Jason Schumer, Web interactive by Bea Malsky in South Side Weekly
- “The Coyote’s Dance” by Austin Gilkeson in Tin House