Ian Belknap: Write Club

Chicago has one of the most active and prolific "live lit" scenes in the country. Leading that vanguard is WRITE CLUB, the salty and subversive competitive reading series founded by noted monologist, former stand-up comedian, and everybody's favorite curmudgeon Ian Belknap. Each 90-minute show consists of three "bouts" that pit two opposing writer/performers against each other to advocate on behalf of an assigned idea: think "Guts vs. Glory" or "Liberty vs. Death." Combatants have seven minutes to make their case and the audience selects the winners. Join us for a special CHF evening of lively dialectics and raucous repartee. The gloves are off! (And stay tuned to CHF social media—Facebook and Twitter—in August for the chance to help choose the topics for the bouts.)

Ian Belknap is a Chicago writer/performer and founder/curator/host of WRITE CLUB, the nation's premiere competitive philanthropic readings series. His work has been featured in such live lit shows as This Much is True, Tuesday Funk, Stories at the Store, Here's the Story, Story Club Chicago, 2nd Story, Essay Fiesta, and the Rhino Theater Festival. Ian has been a presenter and panelist at TEDx Greenville, Arts & Business Council of Chicago, League of Chicago Theatres, Printers' Row Book Fair, and Chicago Writers' Conference.