Cate Brecht is a recovering Floridian who’s been calling Chicago home for over a decade. She’s worked plenty of odd jobs to make rent and now finds herself in insurance—which pays the mortgage. She’s shared stories about her wonderfully messy brain across the city at spoken word shows like Miss Spoken, The Kates, Andrew Huff’s own 20x2, Serving the Sentence, and more. In 2019, she mounted her one-woman show, Breaking, at Second City. Cate’s also had poems published in books you haven’t heard of and you definitely can’t buy anywhere. She’s currently working toward putting her writing into a more tangible place (stay tuned!) and developing a play that she hopes to bring to a Chicago stage next year. After watching countless hours of "The Great British Bake-Off," she’s turned into quite the baker herself. So if you’re ever in need of some treats, you can find her at CupCate Bakes. If you talk to her, she would like to see photos of your pets and discuss what horror movie has you jazzed right now.

Please join Cait and our other wonderful readers on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025 in the upstairs bar at Hopleaf. Doors open at 7pm, and the show starts at 7:30. It's free, and 21-and-over. Please RSVP on Facebook.

Cean Gamalinda is a Rogers Park Swagapino Taurus with suburban characteristics. They write poetry and emails.

Please join Cean and our other excellent readers on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025 in the upstairs bar at Hopleaf. Doors open at 7pm, and the show starts at 7:30. It's free, and 21-and-over. Please RSVP on Facebook.

Howard Friedman is a writer living in Chicago. He has had poetry published in Pioneertown, Catch, Cellar Door, Combat!, Roots and Reverence, The Desperate Reader and Dissent: An Anthology To End War And Capitalism. He currently works as a Chicago Public School teacher helping kids learn to read, perform complicated math equations and be proud, contributing members of their school communities. Skills he hopes will translate into them showing up proudly to whatever communities they find themselves in next.

Please join Howard and our other great readers on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025 in the upstairs bar at Hopleaf. Doors open at 7pm, and the show starts at 7:30. It's free, and 21-and-over. Please RSVP on Facebook.

Susan Buttenwieser is the author of Junction of Earth and Sky, her debut novel, which was just published, and the short story collection, We Were Lucky With the Rain. Her writing has appeared in literary magazines as well as Women's Media Center, Rewire News Group and other publications. She has taught poetry and memoir writing for over twenty years in diverse settings, including a women’s maximum-security prison, Rikers Island, an LGBTQ youth shelter, public middle schools in the Bronx and Queens, New York City libraries, and juvenile detention facilities. Learn more at susanbuttenweiser.com

Please join Susan and our other phenomenal readers on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025 in the upstairs bar at Hopleaf. Doors open at 7pm, and the show starts at 7:30. It's free, and 21-and-over. Please RSVP on Facebook.

eri lucia kapling (it/its) is a transfeminine writer, deer, reluctant bartender, and mother in Chicago. Its poems and short stories have been published in New Session and The Pill, and in the acclaimed zines THIS DISH CANNOT BE FOUND and HURT///LOVE, among others. When eri isn’t working or writing, it is organizing trans community events or working on its podcast Animal Autism Hour with its partner, Juni. It is also the designer of the tabletop roleplaying game Do Not Give Me A Cigarette Under Any Circumstances No Matter What I Say. eri’s works can be found on its website, deerea.rs.

Please join Dan and our other fantastic readers on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025 in the upstairs bar at Hopleaf. Doors open at 7pm, and the show starts at 7:30. It's free, and 21-and-over. Please RSVP on Facebook.

See you in September... for Chicago's favorite eclectic reading series! Join us in the upstairs bar at Hopleaf on Tuesday, Sept. 2 for readings by Caitlin Brecht, Susan Buttenweiser, Howard Friedman, Cean Gamalinda, and eri lucia kapling!

Admission to Tuesday Funk is always free, but you must be 21 to attend. Doors open at 7pm sharp (tables tend to fill up fast, so don't be late!) and the show will start at 7:30pm. Please RSVP on Facebook, and while you're there, like and follow us so you get our announcements in your news stream. You can also follow us on Bluesky, YouTube and Instagram — and subscribe to our very low-volume (like, once a month) email newsletter, too!

It feels like this summer has been flying by! Fortunately we have the rhythm of Tuesday Funk to help mark the time. Our show August 5 was standing room only, demonstrating just how much Chicago loves live lit!

Courtney Justus got the evening started with a tale of dancing and teen feelings in Buenos Aires. Then Dan Baron shared a story about a summer cross-country road trip with a college friend in a beat-up car. Elizabeth Joy Levinson closed out the first half with a beautiful selection of poetry.

We refilled our drinks, and after intermission, cohost Andrew Huff read some haiku in honor of his father, and then introduced Scott Smith, who read a short piece of speculative fiction. Cohost Erin Watson toasted to backyard gardens, and Eiren Caffal ended the show with an excerpt from her novel, All the Water in the World.

Thanks to everyone who came, and hope you'll join us on September 2, when our guests will be Caitlin Brecht, Susan Buttenweiser, Howard Friedman, Cean Gamalinda and eri lucia kapling. See you there!