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SOUTH LOOP — The Midwest’s biggest free outdoor lit fest will bring award-winning author Colson Whitehead to the South Loop in September.
The Printers Row Lit Fest runs 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 11-12 on Printers Row, roughly covering Dearborn Street between Polk Street and Ida B Wells Drive. Attending is free.
Dawn Turner, an award-winning journalist and novelist, will open the festival 10 a.m. Sept. 11 with a presentation of her memoir, “Three Girls from Bronzeville: A Uniquely American Memoir of Race, Fate, and Sisterhood.”
Whitehead, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, will close out the festival with a discussion of his new book, “Harlem Shuffle,” Sept. 12 alongside Northwestern University English professor Ivy Wilson. There will be 400 pre-signed copies of “Harlem Shuffle” given to attendees.
The closing event starts 4 p.m and requires pre-registration, proof of vaccination and valid photo ID. Registration starts Friday.
Attendees will be able to shop from vendors in tents, ensuring the event goes on even if there’s rain.
Special programs will include a “BookTok” panel that will explore the rise of book reviews on TikTok, and there will be commemorative events for the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and 150th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire.
Masks will be required at all times when guests are not eating or drinking, and indoor events will require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 48 hours of the event. Unmasked children will not be permitted at indoor events.
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