Susanna Lang's first collection of poems, Even Now, was published in 2008 by The Backwaters Press. A chapbook, Two by Two, was released in October 2011 from Finishing Line Press, and a new collection, Tracing the Lines, will be published by Brick Road Poetry Press in fall 2012.

She has published original poems and essays, and translations from the French, in such journals as Little Star, New Letters, The Sow's Ear Poetry Review, The Green Mountains Review, The Baltimore Review, Kalliope, Southern Poetry Review, World Literature Today, Chicago Review, New Directions, and Jubilat. Book publications include translations of Words in Stone and The Origin of Language, both by Yves Bonnefoy.

She lives with her husband and son in Chicago, where she teaches in the Chicago Public Schools.

Hear Susanna read on Tuesday, May 1st at Hopleaf's upstairs bar at 7:30 p.m.!

There's a strong spring wind blowing a great evening your way! Our 45th episode of Tuesday Funk will feature readings from Chris Mendius, B.C. Bell, Susanna Lang, Julie Rosenthal, and Tom Underberg! You'll also get a new Poem By Bill, not to mention your pick of dozens of varieties of cold beer at the bar.

The evening gets underway with your co-hosts Sara Ross Witt and William Shunn on Tuesday, May 1, 2012, 7:30 pm, in the upstairs lounge at Hopleaf, 5148 N. Clark St., Chicago. Arrive early for a seat, and grab a beer from Johnny at the cash-only bar. We start seating at 7:00 pm and no earlier. Admission is always free, but you must be 21 or older. And come early or stay late after for some great Belgian-style food downstairs.

Please bring plenty of friends, and become a fan of Tuesday Funk on Facebook so you never miss an invitation to one of our readings. See you there!

We were bowled over last night at Hopleaf by the great performances at Tuesday Funk, the reading series whose eclecticism knows no bounds. Personal essays, poetry, erotic science fiction, exotic science fiction, liquor labels (seriously!)—our delighted audience never knew what would strike next.

The evening kicked off with Mare Swallow's funny and poignant tale of, you know, the kind of stuff that happens when you're college. Charlotte Hart brought us a strong slate of poems, including several she created and illustrated for the labels of organic spirits from Koval Distillery. And J.H. Palmer related the hilarious and affecting story of the hazy weekend in Amsterdam that pointed the way back home to Chicago.

After a halftime break for beer and a Poem by Bill, Mary Anne Mohanraj brought us a tale (or was it a tail?) of furrie empowerment and eroticism on a distant planet. And Richard Chwedyk wrapped things up for us with a charming poem (see below) and a chilling story from his "Saur" series.

But if you weren't there, don't think you rolled a gutter ball! We'll be posting video from the evening's performances over the coming days and weeks so you can catch up on everything you missed. And of course Tuesday Funk will be back on May 1st with our guests Chris Mendius, B.C. Bell, Susanna Lang, Julie Rosenthal, and Tom Underberg. Be sure to join us!

Put those books back on the shelf and get on down to Hopleaf tonight for the 44th magnum opus from your friends at Tuesday Funk!

Our vaunted lineup tonight includes Richard Chwedyk, Mary Anne Mohanraj, Mare Swallow, Charlotte Hart, and J.H. Palmer, not to mention one of our patented Poems By Bill.

So "like" us today on Facebook, grab one of dozens of varieties of beer from the bar, and get set for an evening of entertaining and provocative live literature. You'll be glad you did.

Hopleaf Bar is at 5148 N. Clark St. in Chicago. The reading begins at 7:30 pm in the upstairs lounge. The lounge opens at 7:00 pm. Arrive early if you want a seat.

As always, the upstairs lounge at Hopleaf is cash-only and 21 and over. Remember also that no food can be brought in from the restaurant.

At our March Tuesday Funk reading, co-host William Shunn continued his theoretically infinite series of poems with this offering, "La Sagrada Tarea," inspired by the work of Robert A. Caro...

And if you enjoyed that, you'll get another new Poem by Bill at our very next Tuesday Funk, tomorrow night, Tuesday, April 3, 2012, which will also feature great readings from Mary Anne Mohanraj, J.H. Palmer, Charlotte Hart, Mare Swallow, and Nebula Award winner Richard Chwedyk. Be there!

Mary Anne Mohanraj is author of Bodies in Motion (HarperCollins) and nine other titles. Bodies in Motion was a finalist for the Asian American Book Awards, a USA Today Notable Book, and has been translated into six languages.

Previous titles include Aqua Erotica and Wet (two erotica anthologies edited for Random House), Kathryn in the City and The Classics Professor (two erotic
choose-your-own-adventure novels, Penguin), and The Best of Strange Horizons. Mohanraj founded the World Fantasy Award-winning and Hugo-nominated magazine Strange Horizons. She was Guest of Honor at WisCon 2010, received a Breaking Barriers Award from the Chicago Foundation for Women for her work in Asian American arts organizing,and won an Illinois Arts Council Fellowship in Prose.

Mohanraj has taught at the Clarion SF/F workshop, and is now Clinical Assistant Professor of fiction and literature and Associate Director of Asian and Asian American Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She serves as Executive Director of both DesiLit (www.desilit.org) and the Speculative Literature Foundation (www.speclit.org).

Recent publications include "Talking to Elephants" (Abyss & Apex) and "Jump Space" (Thoughtcrime Experiments). She lives in a creaky old Victorian in Oak Park, just outside Chicago, with her partner, Kevin, two small children, and a sweet dog.

Join Tuesday Funk April 3 at 7:30 p.m. at Hopleaf's upstairs bar to hear Mary Anne read!

Chicago is getting its own down-home writers conference! The Chicago Writers Conference will take place September 14-16 at Tribune Tower in beautiful downtown Chicago. Speakers and presenters include Chuck Sambuchino, Robert K. Elder, and Cinnamon Cooper, while special readings will be staged by both Essay Fiesta and your very own Tuesday Funk.

But the Chicago Writers Conference can only happen with your help! I'd explain why the conference deserves your support, but there's already a compelling plea from organizer Mare Swallow, Write Club founder Ian Belknap, and yours truly up on Kickstarter. Check us out:

So please kick in a few shekels and help support the Chicago Writers Conference. Several great incentives are available, including a story critique (up to 10,000 words) from me for a mere $175 pledge. Please help, and we'll looking forward to seeing you at Tribune Tower in September!

Charlotte Hart lives in Evanston, Illinois. Her poetry has been published in Journals such as Apparatus Magazine, Barnwood International Poetry Magazine, The Aurorean, Thema, and Dot Dot Dash. She has two books of poetry: The Pegasus Ring (2008) and a new chapbook, Organic Spirits (2011) by Finishing Line Press. Her poem, Clark Street Beach, is incised in concrete in front of the public library in Evanston, IL.

Charlotte has held solo exhibitions of her visual art at the Studio im Hochhaus in Berlin, and the Art Institute of Chicago where her work is in the permanent collection. She has been a part of group exhibitions at the Smithsonian National Museum of American Art, the New York Academy of Design and the Drawing Center. Her illustrations have accompanied titles published by Simon and Schuster. Her website is www.charlotte-hart.com.

Join Tuesday Funk April 3 at 7:30 p.m. at Hopleaf's upstairs bar to hear Charlotte read!

J.H. Palmer is a writer and storyteller, and is in possession of a range of superpowers which include the ability to use public toilets and tame feral cats (but not at the same time.)

She has performed at Story Club, Story Lab, Essay Fiesta, This Much Is True, The Moth GrandSLAM, Mortified, and 2nd Story. She is a regular contributor at Gapers Block and Chicago Theater Beat, and is pursuing a Certificate in Creative Writing at the University of Chicago.

As of this writing, she is unemployed, so hook a sister up if you can.

Join Tuesday on April 3 at 7:30 p.m. at Hopleaf's upstairs bar to hear J.H. Palmer read!

Mare Swallow is the host of the Chicago Publishes Podcast and the founder of the upcoming Chicago Writers Conference, this September in Chicago. She is also a public speaking coach who writes whenever she can.

Join Tuesday Funk April 3 at 7:30 p.m. at Hopleaf's upstairs bar to hear Mare read!