Programs and Events

These programs took place in spring 2008.

Quicklinks: Lectures, Films and Performances | OBOC at DePaul University | OBOC at Harold Washington College | OBOC at Shimer College | Teen Volume Book Discussions and Programs | Discussion Groups

Lectures, Films and Performances

Raymond Chandler Night at Weegee’s
Monday, April 7; performance at 8:00 p.m.
3659 W. Armitage Avenue
(773) 384-0707
If Philip Marlowe lived in Chicago today, he’d surely drink his gin gimlets at this great spot named for black-and-white crime scene photographer Arthur Fellig, aka “Weegee.” Acclaimed local actor Mark Grapey reads a short scene from Chandler’s novel, sure to set the mood. Must be 21 or older.

Noir Novelists in Hollywood: An Overview with Film Scholar James Naremore
Thursday, April 10, 6:00 p.m.
Chicago Public Library
Harold Washington Library Center
Cindy Pritzker Auditorium
400 S. State Street
Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and James Cain all had an indelible influence on Hollywood films of their era. Join scholar James Naremore, professor emeritus of film studies at Indiana University-Bloomington and author of the acclaimed More Then Night: Film Noir in Its Contexts, as he explores how the work of these authors was adapted by Hollywood.

Judith Freeman—The Long Embrace: Raymond Chandler and the Woman He Loved
Monday, April 14, 6:00 p.m.
Chicago Public Library
Harold Washington Library Center
Cindy Pritzker Auditorium
400 S. State Street
Before Raymond Chandler died in 1959, he burned all correspondence with his wife, Cissy, who was 18 years his senior. Los Angeles-based novelist Judith Freeman (Red Water) pieces together his unconventional marriage in an attempt to learn more about this mysterious man of letters. The result is the critically acclaimed The Long Embrace, named one of the best books of 2007 by Salon.com, Newsweek and the Los Angeles Times.

Virtual Discussion with the Outfit Collective
Want to know what local Chicago crime writers think of The Long Goodbye? Well, the best of them will be writing about it online from April 14-28! The Outfit Collective, a group of noted Chicago-based crime fiction authors that includes Sean Chercover, Libby Hellmann, Sara Paretsky, Marcus Sakey, Kevin Guilfoille, Barbara D’Amato and Michael Allen Dymmoch, will take part in a “virtual discussion” of the book and Raymond Chandler’s legacy at their blog, theoutfitcollective.blogspot.com.

Chandler’s Influence: A Panel Discussion
Tuesday, April 15, 6:00 p.m.
Chicago Public Library
Harold Washington Library Center
Cindy Pritzker Auditorium
400 S. State Street
He created some of the most vibrant settings, most memorable characters and sharpest dialogue in 20th century fiction. Join a panel of writers as they talk about why no one does it quite like Raymond Chandler. Moderated by Peter Sagal, host of Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me! and author of The Book of Vice, panelists include author Judith Freeman (The Long Embrace), Chicago journalist, fiction writer and poet Achy Obejas (Havana Noir) and travel writer and frequent contributor to Time and Harper’s Pico Iyer (The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama).

Raymond Chandler Fild Series at the Music Box
Music Box Theatre
3733 N. Southport Avenue
(773) 871-6604
The Music Box Theatre has chosen films written by Raymond Chandler or adapted from Chandler’s novels as the focus for its weekend matinee series in April. All tickets are $7.25, available at the door only.

• Murder, My Sweet
  Starring Dick Powell, based on Chandler’s Farewell, My Lovely.
  April 5-6, 11:30 a.m.
• The Blue Dahlia
  Starring Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake, with a screenplay by Chandler; film scholar James Naremore will introduce the film.
  April 12-13, 11:30 a.m.
• The Big Sleep
  Starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall; directed by Howard Hawks.
  April 19-20, 11:30 a.m.
• The Long Goodbye
  Starring Elliot Gould, directed by Robert Altman.
  April 26-27, 11:30 a.m.

OBOC at DePaul University

The following events at DePaul are free and open to the public. For more information, please call Mary Miritello at (773) 325-7839 or email mmiritel@depaul.edu. For details about course tuition, please visit www.depaul.edu/~oboc. Events and course are sponsored by DePaul University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

DePaul University Course on The Long Goodbye
Enroll in the interdisciplinary, graduate-level course “Topics in Literature: Chicago’s One Book—Issues and Perspectives.” DePaul University invites adults to take this opportunity to read the city’s book selection, Raymond Chandler’s The Long Goodbye, in a setting that reaches beyond the limits of a book discussion group. This 10-week course meets on Wednesday evenings, beginning April 2 (Prerequisite: bachelor’s degree).

Chandler’s Cultural Vista: A Panel Discussion
Wednesday, April 16, 6:00 p.m.
DePaul University
Student Center, Room 120
2250 N. Sheffield Avenue
Join a panel of distinguished DePaul faculty who will explore Chandler’s The Long Goodbye from literary and historical perspectives. How does the character of Philip Marlowe demonstrate Chandler’s social goal: to make justice prevail in a corrupt world that no longer cares about justice or conscience? How do urban landscapes shape the imagination of Raymond Chandler? What distinguishes The Long Goodbye from Chandler’s other writing and from the works of other writers in this genre? A discussion with the audience will follow the panelists’ presentations.

Marlowe’s Long Goodbye: The Pretty People, Predators and Places of Chandler’s L.A.—A Film Screening, Lecture and Dramatic Reading
Wednesday, April 23, 6:00 p.m.
DePaul University
Student Center, Room 120
2250 N. Sheffield Avenue
Come to DePaul for a stimulating evening that will plunge the audience into Chandler’s world. The evening will begin with a film screening of Raymond Chandler’s L.A. Next; a lively lecture, accompanied by a dramatic reading, will bring Chandler’s people and places to life. This threefold adventure is intended for those who have never sampled detective fiction as well as for those who have long enjoyed the writing of Raymond Chandler. A discussion with the audience will conclude the evening.

OBOC at Harold Washington College

OBOC at Harold Washington College
This spring Harold Washington College will host its first set of seminars exploring issues and perspectives in The Long Goodbye. These classes are free and open to the public, and no advance registration is required. The class will take place on the following dates:

• April 14, 16, 21 and 23: 11:00 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.
  30 E. Lake Street, Room 605
• April 15, 17, 22 and 24: 2:00 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.
  30 E. Lake Street, Room 605
• April 15, 17, 22 and 24: 5:30 p.m. – 6:50 p.m.
  30 E. Lake Street, Room 621

For more information, call Judith Van Schagen at (312) 553-5883 or email jrivera-vanschagen@ccc.edu.

OBOC at Shimer College

All below events will take place at Shimer College, 3424 S. State Street. For directions and more information, please contact s.patterson@shimer.edu or call (312) 235-3529.

Reader’s Theater—Trouble Is My Business
Saturday, April 26, 7:00 p.m. and Tuesday, April 29, 2:00 p.m.
The Shimer College Theater Program revives the thrill of “radio noir” with a live dramatic production of Trouble Is My Business. Based on one of Raymond Chandler’s later short stories, Shimer’s original adaptation will recall the edgy pace and moody atmosphere of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, the top-rated radio drama of the late 1940s. A reception and discussion with the cast and director will follow the Tuesday performance.

Film Screening and Discussion—Double Indemnity
Wednesday, April 23, 6:00 p.m.
See Billy Wilder’s classic Double Indemnity, for which Raymond Chandler collaborated on the Oscar-winning screenplay, and stay for a discussion following.

Teen Volume Book Discussions and Programs

Make some noise at the library! Join teens ages 14 and up from throughout your library district in a lively Teen Volume Book Discussion of Raymond Chandler’s The Long Goodbye. Make new friends, share opinions or argue about opinions that aren’t shared. Love it? Hate it? We want to know.

• Monday, April 14, 6:00 p.m.
  Roden Branch
  6083 N. Northwest Highway
  (312) 744-1478
• Thursday, April 17, 5:00 p.m.
  Vodak-East Side Branch
  3710 E. 106th Street
  (312) 747-5500
• Wednesday, April 23, 4:30 p.m.
  Daley Branch
  3400 S. Halsted Street
  (312) 747-8990

Teen Volume Crime Writing Workshop
Saturday, April 5, 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Harold Washington Library Center
Multi-Purpose Rooms
400 St. State Street
“… And then the skirt sauntered in the room…” Ever had a desire to write crime fiction in classic noir/pulp fiction style? This crime-fiction writing workshop for teens in high school, ages 14-18, will give you the skills and opportunity to do just that! Offered by The Outfit: A Collective of Chicago Crime Writers. (For more information, see theoutfitcollective.com/.)

Discussion Groups

Reservations are not required for the below One Book, One Chicago discussion groups.

Barnes & Noble Webster Place
Presented by the Great Books Foundation
Tuesday, April 15, 7:30 p.m.
1441 W. Webster Avenue
(773) 871-3610

Barnes & Noble Skokie Old Orchard
Presented by the Great Books Foundation
Tuesday, April 22, 7:30 p.m.
55 Old Orchard Center, Skokie
(847) 676-2230

Wright College
Wednesday, April 23, 7:00 p.m.
Faculty Lounge, Science Building
4300 N. Narragansett Avenue
(773) 777-7900

Loyola University Chicago Book Discussion
Thursday, April 24, 2:00 p.m.
Lewis Library, Water Tower Campus
25 E. Pearson Street, Room 713
(773) 508-2641

Harold Washington College
Thursday, April 24, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
30 E. Lake Street, Room 1001
(312) 553-5883

Gerber/Hart Library
Thursday, April 24, 7:00 p.m.
1127 W. Granville Avenue
(773) 381-8030

Shimer College Book Discussions
All of the following discussions at Shimer College take place at 3424 S. State Street. For more information, call (312) 235-3529 or email s.peterson@shimer.edu.

• The Mystery as Literature
  Tuesday, April 8, 6:00 p.m.
  Join a discussion on what distinguishes The Long Goodbye as Chandler’s most ambitious attempt to take mystery writing into the realm of serious literature.
• The Simple Art of Murder
  Wednesday, April 9, 6:00 p.m.
  Join a discussion on Chandler’s famous essay in relation to what he achieved—on his own terms—in The Long Goodbye.
• The Reluctant Hero
  Wednesday, April 30, 6:00 p.m.
  Join a discussion of the novel’s paradoxical central figure and how he may relate to the figure of the writer.