Programs and Events

These events took place in 2008.

Quicklinks: Featured Events | DePaul University | Shimer College | Harold Washington College

Featured Events

Grant Park Film Screening: The Right Stuff
Thursday, August 14, 8:00 p.m./sunset; rain or shine
Grant Park (Monroe Street between Columbus and Lake Shore drives)
On the eve of the 50th annual Chicago Air and Water Show, come see the best film about pilots and flight ever made! The award-winning 1983 adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff will be screening in the open air at Grant Park. Runtime 185 minutes.

Far Out Friday: 50 Years of NASA
Friday, October 3, 5:00 p.m. to closing
Adler Planetarium
1300 S. Lake Shore Drive
Celebrate NASA’s 50th anniversary at the Adler! Come as early as 5:00 p.m. for activities and stay for a lecture and a screening of the award-winning film The Right Stuff.

• 7:00 p.m.: Northwestern University’s Abigail Foerstner will discuss her new book, James Van Allen: The First 8 Billion Miles, a biography of the space pioneer who was a driving force behind early satellites and space probes as he helped remap the solar system.
• 8:15 p.m.: View the award-winning 1983 adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff, starring Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Sam Shepard, Barbara Hershey and others, directed by Philip Kaufman. Runtime 185 minutes.
• Ongoing activities all evening include educational programs for children and families, telescope viewing of the night sky, unlimited shows in the historic Sky Theater and the world’s first StarRider Theater, and Doane Observatory tours.

Admission to the film and lecture are included in Far Out Friday admission. For admission prices and more information on Far Out Friday, go to adlerplanetarium.org or call (312) 922-7827.

The Right Stuff—On Stage and in the Media
Monday, October 6, 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Steppenwolf Upstairs Theatre
1650 N. Halsted Avenue
Join ensemble actors from Steppenwolf Theatre for a reading of selections from Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff. The actors bring his words to life while archival footage from NASA shows how the global news media of 50 years ago covered the manned space launches of Project Mercury. See President Kennedy awarding a medal to Alan Shepard, John Glenn’s three orbits of Earth, Scott Carpenter’s return home and meeting with his family, and more. Come for the performance, stay for discussion! This program is presented through a partnership between the Chicago Public Library and Steppenwolf Theatre.
Free event; reservations required! Call (312) 335-1650.

Film Screening: The Right Stuff
Wednesday, October 8, 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Beverly Arts Center
2407 W. 111th Street
Mark the 25th anniversary of this exceptional film, starring Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Sam Shepard, Barbara Hershey and others, directed by Philip Kaufman. All are welcome to the morning screening for students, which will be followed by a speaker. The evening screening will be preceded by a speaker starting at 6:30 p.m. Runtime 185 minutes.
Tickets available at the door: $3 with a library card/$5 BAC members/$7 for nonmembers. For more information, call (773) 445-3838, Ext. 200.

Exhibits and More: Looking to the Future of Space Exploration
Friday, October 10, all day
(PLEASE NOTE: This event was originally scheduled for October 9 but has been moved to October 10.)
Adler Planetarium
1300 S. Lake Shore Drive
To celebrate NASA’s 50th, the Adler Planetarium will host special guests from NASA and a special NASA traveling exhibit that looks ahead to the future of space exploration. Visitors can see scale models of the next-generation Ares I and Ares V rockets and the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, spin the Spinoff Wheel and discover how NASA innovations have improved our lives, and take part in demonstrations and activities about exploring the earth, moon, solar system and beyond. Lectures and events are currently being planned for October 10. The Adler Planetarium will also showcase a variety of events, activities and downloadable materials related to The Right Stuff throughout October. For more information, including admission information, go to www.adlerplanetarium.org or call (312) 922-7827.

Panel: The Right Stuff and the Life of an Astronaut
Saturday, October 11, 11:00 a.m.
Museum of Science and Industry–West Pavillion theater
57th Street and Lake Shore Drive
How accurate was Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff in chronicling the personal and professional lives of the first astronauts? And how does the life of today’s astronaut compare with those of the Mercury 7? Moderated by Paul Meincke of ABC 7, panelists include Roger Launius, senior curator in the Division of Space History at the National Air and Space Museum; Wayne Hale, former head of the space shuttle program with NASA; Chicago Public Library commissioner Mary Dempsey; and Ken Ham, commander of the recent STS-124 mission to the International Space Station. This program is presented through a partnership between the Chicago Public Library, the Museum of Science and Industry, Science Chicago and NASA.
Free event; reservations required! Call (312) 747-8191. Admission to the museum is not required for the event, but for more information on the museum and admission prices, go to msichicago.org. Free parking on the east side of the museum.

Panel: Journalism, New and Now—How to Tell Our Stories
Tuesday, October 14, 6:00 p.m.
Chicago Public Library
Harold Washington Library Center
Cindy Pritzker Auditorium
400 S. State Street
Tom Wolfe once declared, in his famous essay “The New Journalism,” that nonfiction would always be superior to fiction in getting to the heart of a situation. Join a group of writers, filmmakers and journalists as they pick up on Wolfe’s argument. What is the best way to capture our collective story? Participants include journalist Alex Kotlowitz (There Are No Children Here), Pulitzer Prize finalist Luis Alberto Urrea (The Hummingbird’s Daughter, The Devil’s Highway), filmmaker Steve James (Kartemquin Films, Hoop Dreams), and Alison Cuddy, senior producer of Chicago Matters and co-host of Eight Forty-Eight for Chicago Public Radio. Moderated by Lisa Lee, director of the Jane Addams Hull House Museum.
Free event; no reservations required.

Carl Sandburg Literary Award to Honor Tom Wolfe
Wednesday, October 15, 6:00 p.m.
Chicago Public Library
Harold Washington Library Center
Winter Garden
400 S. State Street
The Carl Sandburg Literary Award, presented annually by the Chicago Public Library and Chicago Public Library Foundation at a fundraising dinner, honors a significant body of work that has enhanced the public’s awareness of the written word. This year marks the first time that a One Book, One Chicago author will receive this prestigious honor. Edgar Award-winning crime fiction writer Theresa Schwegel will receive the 21st Century Award. Table sponsorships from $10,000 and individual tickets at $1,000, which are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law, are now available by calling the Chicago Public Library Foundation at (312) 201-9830 or online www.chicagopubliclibraryfoundation.org.

Tom Wolfe in Conversation with Carol Marin
Thursday, October 16, 6:00 p.m.
Chicago Public Library
Harold Washington Library Center
Winter Garden
400 S. State Street
Join renowned Chicago journalist Carol Marin as she engages author Tom Wolfe in conversation about his legendary career as a journalist and novelist.
Free event; reservations required! Call (312) 747-1194. Reservations for this event will only be held until 5:45 p.m. on October 16.

Special Exhibit: The Right Stuff—X-Vehicles and Spacecraft Then and Now
August through October
Chicago Public Library
Harold Washington Library Center
Congress Corridor, and sixth and eighth floor exhibit cases
400 S. State Street
Take a walk through the Harold Washington Library Center for an exhibition that provides a rare glimpse of the Boeing experimental aircraft developed for NASA from the era of The Right Stuff to today. These innovative and exceptional craft have served to redefine again and again our knowledge of aerospace and what is possible.
Free exhibit; no reservations required.

Exhibit: The Aurora 7 Mercury Spacecraft
Ongoing Exhibit
Museum of Science and Industry
57th Street and Lake Shore Drive
Aurora 7 was the second manned orbital flight following that of John Glenn and the fourth Project Mercury mission. Manned by Commander Scott Carpenter, this exceptional spacecraft was the first spaceflight to carry scientific experiments on board.
No reservations required. For more information on the museum and admission prices, go to www.msichicago.org.

DePaul University

Topics in Literature: Chicago’s One Book—Issues and Perspectives
Wednesdays, 5:45 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., beginning September 10
DePaul University
2250 N. Sheffield Avenue
DePaul University invites adults to take the opportunity to read the city’s book selection in a setting that reaches beyond the limits of a book discussion group. This interdisciplinary, graduate-level, 10-week course begins on September 10. (Prerequisite: bachelor’s degree.) This is a paid course. To enroll, details about tuition are available at www.depaul.edu/~oboc.

Panel Discussion: Outer Space, MySpace and the Distance in Between—Redefining Exploration of Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff for the 21st Century
Wednesday, October 15, 6:00 p.m.
DePaul University Student Center, Room 120
2250 N. Sheffield Avenue
Join a panel of distinguished DePaul faculty who will examine Wolfe’s book from interdisciplinary perspectives. How did Wolfe’s achievement help to open up new narrative and stylistic possibilities for serious journalistic history? How might a fuller knowledge of America’s post-war period enhance our appreciation of The Right Stuff? In what ways do some aspects of The Right Stuff seem dated now? What are the possibilities of reshaping the definition of the right stuff for today’s leaders and trailblazers, especially women? A discussion with the audience will follow the panelists’ presentations.
Free and open to the public; no reservations required.

Film Screening and Lecture—When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions
Wednesday, October 29, 6:00 p.m.
DePaul University Student Center, Room 120
2250 N. Sheffield Avenue
Come to DePaul to view the opening installment of the Discovery Channel’s recent miniseries, When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions, featuring never-before-seen material from NASA’s archives. A brief lecture will introduce the screening, and a discussion with the audience will follow.
Free and open to the public; no reservations required.

Shimer College

Lecture: Visiting the Astronaut’s World—The Dry, Fearsome Beauty of Space
Monday, October 6, 6:00 p.m.
Shimer College
3424 S. State Street
Using a mix of photographs and interactive exercises, Dr. James Donovan, professor of natural sciences, will give participants a taste of what astronauts experience—celestial objects, including the earth, are majestically beautiful, while space itself is a fearsomely empty desert.

Book Discussion: Irony as a Journalistic Device in The Right Stuff
Monday, October 13, 6:00 p.m.
Shimer College
3424 S. State Street
Join a discussion of the tone and rhetorical devices that Wolfe uses to engage the reader.

Lecture: Another Side of Tom Wolfe—The Painted Word: From Bauhaus to Our House
Saturday, October 25, 7:00 p.m.
Shimer College
3424 S. State Street
In Wolfe’s discussion of modern art he displays another approach to his continuing observations of modern life. Eileen Buchanan, professor of humanities, will lead a program with readings from The Painted Word and a slide presentation.

All events take place at Shimer College, 3424 S. State Street. For more information, call (312) 235-3510 or email b.stone@shimer.edu.

Harold Washington College

Seminar(s): Exploring Issues and Perspectives in The Right Stuff
Monday, October 13 and Wednesday, October 22
11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. each day
Harold Washington College
30 E. Lake Street, Room 605
These seminars are free and open to the public, and no advance registration is required. For more information, call Judith Van Schagen at (312) 553-5883 or email jrivera-vanschagen@ccc.edu.

For more information on One Book, One Chicago programming, call (312) 747-8191.