Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: bbc, Comics, neil gaiman, stage, tv

Neverwhere Returns To Chicago by Greg Baldino

Greg Baldino writes for Bleeding Cool

"Chicago is the London of the West."- Harry Stephen Keeler

Neverwhere returns to Chicago in full force this spring, as Mayor Daley has announced Neil Gaiman's urban fantasy novel as spring 2011's chosen subject for "One Book One Chicago."

One Book, One Chicago seeks to cultivate a culture of reading in our city by reinforcing the importance and fun of reading and highlighting the benefits of reading together as a community. Twice annually—once in the spring and again in the fall—a book is selected and promoted to all of Chicago. Discussions of the selected book take place in more than 50 library locations as well as outside locations, and several public programs are created to further enrich the experience of reading the book. –Chicago Public Library website

Gaiman's novel- following hapless office worker Richard Mayhew on an adventure through a strange parallel London with murderers, charlatans, rats, monks, a portero abridor ,and more- is no stranger to Chicago, having been adapted in 2010 for the stage by Rob Kauzlaric and Paul Holmquist for Lifeline Theater. (More on that here, here, and here)

The city of Chicago has planned a whole month's worth of events, including subterranean tours, discussion groups, art contests, lectures, and two events with Mr. Gaiman himself: A discussion with Chicago fantasist and graphic novelist Audrey Niffenegger on Tuesday April 12th in the Harold Washinton Library Center at 6pm, and a reading at the University of Chicago on the following day at 7pm. Both events are free, and both events will likely fill up quick.

I like the idea of One Book. Books are
unique experiences, reader to reader, after all.
Each of us builds a different world out of the
words we have been given by the author. But
with all those differences, it is still the same
book, still a perfect place to begin a conversation with a stranger, still a shared experience. –Neil Gaiman

For more information, including a PDF copy of the programming guide, visit the Chicago Public Library Greg Baldino is not even remotely tired of writing about Neverwhere events in Chicago. NOT EVEN. He lives and writes in Chicago(Above), reporting on arts and culture. His writing has appeared in print internationally. Contact him at greg.baldino@gmail.com

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