April is a time to mark Earth Month, English Language Month, Jazz Appreciation Month, National Humor Month, National Month of Hope, National Poetry Month, and Stress Awareness Month, as noted in the literary offerings below.
To further book this bookish lineup, explore May’s National Get Caught Reading Month and National Library Card Sign-Up Month in September.
Writer Events
In celebration of National Poetry Month and Jazz Appreciation Month, the American Writers Museum opens its doors for Get Lit: Speakeasy Rhymes (April 14). The evening calls back the Roaring Twenties with a secret password and jazzy atmosphere. Artistic expression will fill the space as guests partake in Poems While You Wait, Open Mic and the Blackout Poetry Bar. The night promises to be the bee’s knees since funds raised will benefit the museum’s youth education programs.
Also honoring National Poetry Month (and Earth Month) is the Chicago premiere of Iris Trio’s Project Earth (April 22-23) at Guarneri Hall. Through chamber music and poetry, the nature-themed performance touches on humanity’s connection to the planet.
“Women have been the key to my success,” notes Michael Kutza, whose mother introduced him to films as a child. Since then, he penned Starstruck: How I Magically Transformed Chicago into Hollywood for More Than Fifty Years (2022). Now, the local author will be awarded the Honorary Badge “Meritorious for Polish Culture” at the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Chicago (April 14). Presented by Consul General Regina Jurkowska, the accolade is in recognition of Kutza’s decades-long dedication to promoting Polish cinema and culture in the United States. As the founder and longtime director of the Chicago International Film Festival, Kutza screened Polish films, including Agnieszka Holland’s Europa Europa (1990). The war drama relays resilience of the human spirit; a sentiment indicative of April’s National Month of Hope.
Emerging in the shadow of National Humor Month, Remy Bumppo Theatre continues its Readings on Ravenswood series (May 4-June 15) at the Company’s rehearsal space. The free sessions include Tom Stoppard’s witty play Arcadia (May 4) and Alexis Scheer’s comic caper Laughs in Spanish (May 18). “Our specially curated series gives attendees an insight into some of the works we are excited about at Remy Bumppo,” says Artistic Director Marti Lyons. “I can’t wait to hear what audiences and artists think about the scripts we’ve programmed. They are all sure to generate exciting conversations and Readings on Ravenswood is a special opportunity to get to hear immediate responses and reflections,” adds Creative Producer Christina Casano.
Meet the Author
Those who need to de-stress this Stress Awareness Month can pick up The Art of Loving You by Natasha Bishop. The viral romance author will discuss her book—which tackles grief, chronic health issues and how to reinvent oneself—with writers Asia Monique and JL Seegars at Call & Response Books (April 14).
Just in time for National Get Caught Reading Month, Stephanie Fairyington and her culturally historic memoir “Ugly: A Letter to My Daughter”(2026) will be at the Women & Children First bookstore in Andersonville (May 21). This personal account of queer motherhood explores how the author’s sense of self was formed by personal and societal influences and how being viewed as unattractive unfairly affects the lives of women and girls.
More reasons to get caught reading can be had at the Chicago Humanities Spring Festival 2026 when Northwestern alum/bestselling author Veronica Roth visits the University’s Norris Center Louis Room (May 17) to talk about Seek the Traitor’s Son (2026). Like her #1 bestseller Divergent (2014), this new book is an epic dystopian fantasy. Next, New York Times bestselling author Ann Patchett makes her Chicago Humanities debut at the Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture (June 28) to go over her latest novel Whistler (2026) which centers around the reconciliation of a woman and her stepfather.
Upcoming Releases
On the heels of Earth Month comes Climate Wayfinding: Healing Ourselves and the Planet We Call Home (May 5) by Dr. Katharine K. Wilkinson. The green guide imparts the wisdom of Nobel laureate Dr. Wangari Maathai, climate scientist Dr. Kate Marvel, and justice strategist Colette Pichon Battle to help readers escape climate ache by using a climate compass to reach the ecosystem of transformation.
There’s no better way to bookmark English Language Month than by ordering Aimee Pokwatka’s haunted house novel Accumulation (May 5). Then by National Library Card Sign-Up Month, readers can check out An Inconvenient Woman: The Extraordinary Life of Lillian Smith, the Southerner Who Defied Jim Crow (Sept. 29) by historian Keri Leigh Merritt.