Wow, what an unbelievable turnout for our 100th birthday! The World Series Champion Chicago Cubs (still love saying that) would be green with envy. To celebrate this auspicious occasion, we asked all five former co-hosts to return to the stage and delight us with their wit and prose. Connor Coyne started off the evening with a history of Tuesday Funk and an excerpt from a book he described as Les Miserables in Flint, Michigan. Hallie Paladino followed with a funny, cringe-worthy, and heartfelt story of her adolescence in an East Coast prep school. Co-host Andrew Huff read his signature haiku (ripped from the headlines!), and Reinhardt Suarez read a series of short-shorts before serenading us with an original song seeking to understand who IS Alex Trebek?

We all returned our gaping maws to their proper position, and drank some beer, courtesy of Sal behind the bar.

Co-host Eden Robins read a micro-essay about the nature of truth, and then Sara Ross Witt charmed us in the second half with an excerpt from her YA novel about a young witch, and William Shunn finished off the night with an excerpt from his first published short story (from 25 years ago) that chilled us with its uncanny political prescience.

It was quite an event, and if you weren't there, you wish you were. And you can be! Join us on Tuesday, January 3 for another excellent show, featuring James Gordon (aka G.P.A.), Dmitry Samarov, Cameron McGill, Amy Sumpter, and Kelly Swails!

Come celebrate our 100th birthday with a special lineup of 100% former co-hosts! Connor Coyne, Reinhardt Suarez, Hallie Palladino, Sara Ross Witt, and William Shunn will all be gracing our stage this fine evening.

Our readings take place at Hopleaf Bar, 5148 N. Clark St. in Chicago. We get started promptly at 7:30 pm in the upstairs lounge. Arrive early if you want a seat -- but no earlier than 7:00 pm. Our readings are free, but only those 21 and over will be admitted. No food can be brought in from the restaurant. See you there!

William Shunn is a Hugo and Nebula Award nominated writer who has lived in every time zone in the continental United States. His memoir, The Accidental Terrorist, was shortlisted this year for the Association for Mormon Letters Award--despite the stance it takes on the LDS faith. His storytelling has been featured at the legendary Throckmorton Theater in California, at Up Comedy Club in Chicago, and at The PIT Main Stage in New York City. A former host of Tuesday Funk, he currently hosts and produces the quarterly Line Break reading series in Queens, which will become monthly starting in February. He regularly accepts monetary payments from a giant corporate interest. Visit him online at shunn.net or @shunn.

Please join William and our other amazing readers on Tuesday, December 6, 2016 in the upstairs bar at Hopleaf. Doors open at 7pm, and the show starts at 7:30. It's free, and 21-and-over. RSVP on Facebook.

Connor Coyne is a novelist living and working in Flint, Michigan. He has published two novels - Hungry Rats and Shattering Glass - as well as a short story collection entitled Atlas, and his work has been included on Vox.com, Beltmag, the Santa Clara Review and many others. He is the cofounder of the Gothic Funk Nation, director of Gothic Funk Press, and was a recipient of the 2013 Our Town Grant by the National Endowment for the Arts. You can find him at connorcoyne.com.

Please join Connor and our other amazing readers on Tuesday, December 6, 2016 in the upstairs bar at Hopleaf. Doors open at 7pm, and the show starts at 7:30. It's free, and 21-and-over. RSVP on Facebook.

Sara Ross Witt is a former co-host of Tuesday Funk and a graduate of The New School MFA in Creative Writing program. Her writing has appeared in Arch City Chronicle, Parent to Parent, Black Market Lit, and Best of Ohio Short Stories volumes 1 and 2. Sara lives in Ravenswood with her husband Andrew Witt - bassist for the metal band Sea Lords - and their two sons. She often writes about Ohio, magic, and family, and she loves whiskey.

Please join Sara and our other amazing readers on Tuesday, December 6, 2016 in the upstairs bar at Hopleaf. Doors open at 7pm, and the show starts at 7:30. It's free, and 21-and-over. RSVP on Facebook.

In 2008, a crack commando unit embarked on a cockamamie plan to hold literary readings in somewhat questionable venues. One of these stalwart souls promptly (well, after two or so years) escaped from a maximum security stockade (an apartment with way too many coats of white paint) and fled into the Minneapolis underground. Today, still wanted by a number of municipal tax authorities, he survives as a soldier of fortune...cookies (but only when they contain real fortunes, not this "words of wisdom" bullshit). If you have a problem, if no one else can help, you're still better off looking elsewhere. But if you're really, really desperate, not overly concerned about quality, and if you can find him (he's usually the Asian dude in the room), maybe you can hire...Reinhardt Suarez.

Please join Reinhardt and our other amazing readers on Tuesday, December 6, 2016 in the upstairs bar at Hopleaf. Doors open at 7pm, and the show starts at 7:30. It's free, and 21-and-over. RSVP on Facebook.

Hallie Palladino is an essayist, dramatist and an original founder of Tuesday Funk. In 2008 Connor Coyne enlisted her along with Reinhart Suarez to produce a reading series as part of his Gothic Funk Nation arts collective. Hallie's plays include Infatuation which was workshopped by the Dandelion Theater this fall, Missed Connections, and Sunrise: Ardmore Beach. Her essay "Gather the Stars" appears in The Point, and her essay "Tending Imaginary Sheep" will appear in Thread this coming year.

Please join Hallie and our other amazing readers on Tuesday, December 6, 2016 in the upstairs bar at Hopleaf. Doors open at 7pm, and the show starts at 7:30. It's free, and 21-and-over. RSVP on Facebook.

Our December episode of Tuesday Funk is a very special one: We're celebrating our 100th episode! And in honor of that milestone, we've got a very special line-up: every one of the show's hosts, past and present. Please join us for readings by Connor Coyne, Reinhardt Suarez, Hallie Palladino, Sara Ross Witt and William Shunn — plus current cohosts, Andrew Huff and Eden Robins!

Doors open at 7pm -- no earlier, please -- and the show starts at 7:30 sharp. So get there early to grab a seat, but not too early. As always, admission is free, but you must be 21 or older. And come early or stay late after for dinner or snacks downstairs.

Please RSVP on Facebook, and bring a friend. And don't forget to become a fan so you never miss an invitation to one of our readings. Sponsored by the Chicago Review of Books.

The November 1, 2016 episode of Tuesday Funk happened in the midst of so much news, Andrew's haiku had to cover a lot of ground.

Cubs in World Series!
Tinker and Evers and Chance
smile down from heaven.

Win so we never
have to hear about the curse
again after this.

One week from tonight
e'll know how the next years will be:
gridlock or fascist.

We'll either elect
our first female president
or our first Russian despot.

Monday Halloween.
Kids up late on a school night,
hunting sugar highs.

With the Cubs battling their way back from behind in the World Series, the crowd was a little smaller for your favorite eclectic live lit series, but those who made it saw a fantastic show.

Veronica Arreola led us off with an essay about what her self-given title "professional feminist" entails. Then, Coya Paz told 10 personal ghost stories, inspired in part by the play, 100 Hauntings, she's currently directing at Free Street Theater. Next, Mary Robinette Kowal read an excerpt from her book Ghost Talkers.

After the intermission, cohost Andrew Huff read a few of his trademark topical haiku, then introduced Cesar Torres, who read an portion of his upcoming book 9 Lords of Night. Lastly, Megan Stielstra shared a coming of age story of sorts, featuring an encounter with a guy with a glass testicle.

We'll be back in December with a very special 100th episode — featuring every one of Tuesday Funk's cohosts, past and present! Join us on Tuesday, Dec. 6 for readings by Connor Coyne, Reinhardt Suarez, Hallie Palladino, Sara Ross Witt and William Shunn, in addition to current cohosts Andrew Huff and Eden Robins! Hope to see you there!