Community of Artists at Recent Book Fair

As part of the programming for the Pop-Up Book Fair at the Ernest Hemingway Museum in Oak Park last Saturday, comic book artist Chris Ware and author Hilary Chute discussed the art of comics and the valuable role of Chicago to his works

Chris Ware and Hillary Chute at the Hemingway Museum on April 12.

When I asked Ware, most recently the author of Building Stories, about what inspired him most about the city, he answered, “humility.” He talked about the amount of writers and artists in Chicago, and how they express themselves through their art works.  “There is a certain honesty in Chicago,” he said.  He and a lot of artists can feel comfortable with sharing their works in the community.  They connect with one another on their passion for the arts.

I was able to see this community because I came to the fair with the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame.

As part of my internship, I assisted CLHOF founder Don Evans at its information table, answering questions and offering insight into the organization to people browsing through our literature. The fair introduced me to this community of writers, readers, artists, publishers, editors, and others with an interest in the arts.

Here were people taking the time and effort to reconnect with those who share their passion for literature and art.  There were well-established magazines like the Chicago Quarterly Review and Another Chicago Magazine; publishers like Half Letter Press, Fifth Star, Dream of Things, Allium Press and Curbside Splendor (one of the event’s primary sponsors); authors like Scott Jacobs, William Hazlegrove, Frances McNamara and Delphine Pontvieux; booksellers like Magic Tree Bookstore and 57th Street Books; and an assortment of others spanning the literary community’s spectrum.

The information tables, like ours, were set up in the lobby of the building on Oak Park Ave.; programs were conducted at regular intervals throughout the day in the museum space behind the lobby.

Conni Irwin, the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park’s Volunteer Coordinator, was impressed by the turnout at the museum and said, “This is the first time we are doing [the fair] here…and three-hundred people signed up.”

Ware and Chute also talked about the future of comics in the digital age.

Based on his own experience, Ware values print for its ability to make contact with people.  Ware said that when writers and artists combine with digital print, they “cancel each other out.” Chute talked about Ware’s idea of a “print culture manifesto,” or the creation of “something people can hold onto.” Ware agreed about the importance of having the story on something physical to make a connection.  He commented on his own printed book that “it is a book where you can enter at anytime and still get the story.”  Ware and Chute advocate print because it leads to more interaction.

As a writer myself, I hope to reach people by putting my works into print as well.  Whenever I read a story, I like to have something physical to solidify this relationship between the text and the reader.  I feel more engaged when I’m turning the pages—absorbing the words, the crinkle of paper, and even the smell of the ink on the page.  I would like to give my readers the same experience.  

Ware also discussed how Chicago is a good place for many writers and comic artists.  He named Chicago as one of those rare places that can fulfill his love of architecture for his comics.  He discussed how the Chicago landscape greatly changed after the Chicago Fire.  The city rose and with the help of architects like Daniel Burnham, “grew” into a center of rich architecture, he said.  He includes Chicago’s setting, particularly Oak Park, in his works.  For one section of his book, he spent all day on a street in Oak Park, “making sure to capture all the details” in his art, he said.  By coming out to Oak Park, I was able to see this art, in the residences and public buildings I drove past.  He said that Oak Park “should not only be known for Hemingway” but also for its art and architecture.

As I saw the smiles of people at the fair, we acknowledged one another as fellow artists and literature enthusiasts in the city.  Chicago can be the place where artists support each other and people celebrate literature. As Ware said, “New York is the brain [of the U.S.]…Chicago is the heart.”

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Julia Jakubow is a senior at DePaul University, majoring in English/Creative Writing and minoring in Screenwriting and Digital Cinema.  She has interests in fiction writing, editing, and journalism.  She writes short stories in the fiction and science fiction genres.  She is also working on her own novel.  She is an intern at the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame, working on the Fuller Award Project and taking photos of CLHOF events.  She hopes to write and edit for magazines.