Bookworms, prepare to head to Chicago for the Midwest’s largest literary event, on June 4 and 5.
This two-day event draws together authors, journalists, chefs and thousands of lit lovers, so there’s a lot to choose from. Here are our top author picks for fiction, non-fiction and cooking, as well as a list of North Shore authors to support.
Fiction
Elizabeth Berg
Noon, Saturday
The New York Times best-selling author, who lives in Chicago, will discuss her latest book, “One Upon a Time, There Was You.”
Ann Packer
1:45 p.m., Saturday
Packer, author of the award-winning national bestseller “The Dive From Clausen’s Pier,” will discuss her new book, “Swim Back to Me.”
Nonfiction
Kim Barker
Noon, Saturday
Barker is the author of “The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” about her eight years spent as an international correspondent for the Chicago Tribune.
Marya Hornbacher
4 p.m., Sunday
Hornbacher, a journalist and teacher in the graduate creative writing program at Northwestern, wrote “Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia” when she was 23 and since then, it has been published in 16 languages. Her second book, “Madness: A Bipolar Life,” made the New York Times best-seller list.
Cooking
Chef Ryan Poli of Tavernita
3:30 p.m., Sunday
This chef, whose Latin-inspired restaurant is opening this summer in Chicago, will be putting on a cooking demo. Poli’s recipes have been featured in Food & Wine and the Chicago Sun-Times picked him as a “Chef to Watch” in 2005.
Heather Lalley
11:45 a.m., Saturday
Reporter-turned-pastry-student Heather Lalley is the author of “The Chicago Homegrown Cookbook” as well as a blog, appropriately titled “Flour Girl.”
The Hearty Boys
2 p.m., Sunday
If you’re a Food Network fan you might recognize Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh as the original winners of “The Next Food Network Star.” Together they run The Hearty Boys catering business and Hearty restaurant in Chicago, and have written a cookbook called “Talk With Your Mouth Full.”
Children’s (All from the North Shore!)
Carolyn Crimi
11 a.m., Saturday
This children’s book author currently lives in Evanston, and has written several children’s books, including “The Louds Move In” and “Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies.” Crimi has also been published in Highlights, Child Life and American Girl magazines.
Nili Yelin
Noon, Saturday
You might know Wilmette resident and storyteller as “The Storybook Mom.” Yelin worked as an actress and regularly appeared on “Saturday Night Live” before combining her love for children and literature as an interactive storyteller.
Brenda Ferber
Noon, Saturday
This North Shore native grew up in Highland Park and is author of several books for young readers including “Julia’s Kitchen,” “Jemma Hartman,” “Camper Extraordinaire” and a picture book, “The Yuckiest, Slinkiest, Best Valentines’ Day Ever,” which will be published next year.
