Skip to main content
photo of Emma Copley Eisenberg reading event
PastAuthor EventReadingBook SigningFictionLGBTQQueerFree

This event has passed

Offsite: Fat Swim by Emma Copley Eisenberg at Haymarket House

Featured Book

cover of Fat Swim

Fat Swim

An electrifying collection of linked stories following a cast of characters navigating bodies, queerness, power, and sex—with radical results—from the bestselling author of Housemates.

This book will be available for purchase at the event.

About This Event

We are thrilled to welcome back Emma Copley Eisenberg for an off-site event at Haymarket House (800 W Buena Ave) to celebrate the release of Fat Swim! For this event, Emma will be joined in conversation by Rebecca Makkai.

Featured Author

Emma Copley Eisenberg

Emma Copley Eisenberg is the bestselling author of the novel Housemates, nominated for a Lambda Literary Award and the VCU Cabell First Novelist Prize, as well as the nonfiction book The Third Rainbow Girl, a New York Times Notable Book and Editor’s Choice and a finalist for an Edgar Award and an Anthony Award. Her fiction, essays, and criticism have appeared in such publications as Granta, Esquire, VQR, The New Republic, and The Cut, and she writes the popular Substack Frump Feelings. She lives in Philadelphia, where she co-founded Blue Stoop, a community hub for the literary arts.

In Conversation With

Rebecca Makkai

Rebecca Makkai is the author of the New York Times bestselling I Have Some Questions For You as well as four other works of fiction. Her last novel, The Great Believers, one of the New York Times’ Best Books of the 21st Century, was a finalist for both the 2019 Pulitzer Prize and the 2018 National Book Award, and was the winner of the ALA Carnegie Medal and the LA Times Book Prize among other honors. A 2022 Guggenheim Fellow, Rebecca teaches graduate fiction writing at Middlebury College, Northwestern University, and the Bennington Writing Seminars, and she is Artistic Director of StoryStudio Chicago.

About the Venue

Haymarket House

Presented by Women & Children First

Uptown

800 W. Buena
Chicago, IL 60613

Open in Maps

More at Women & Children First

Sep17
serena chopra event image
Author EventMemoirAndersonville

A Catalog Of Future Mercies by Serena Chopra

7:00 PM • Thursday, September 17, 2026Women & Children FirstFree

Please join us on Thursday, September 17th to celebrate the poetry collection A Catalog of Future Mercies by Serena Chopra. The author will be joined by Aditi Machado and Divya Victor. Please register for this free event. Advance registration is appreciated. In ghost stories and family history, this lyrical memoir explores mercy as resistance to generational violence.

Sep18
Graphic for event with Kristen Vale on 9/18/26
Author EventRomanceAndersonville

A Spell of Heart & Havoc by Kristen Vale

7:00 PM • Friday, September 18, 2026Women & Children FirstFree

We are excited to host local author Kristen Vale for a launch event celebrating the release of A Spell of Heart & Havoc ! For this event, Kristen will be joined in conversation by Danielle Jackson . The thief, the noblewoman, and the secrets they hide. Maerryl Kirim, a surly half-dwarf with the world on her shoulders, will do anything to save her deathly ill brother. Joining a guild of thieves to gather enough coin for his cure, she agrees to infiltrate a noble family. But acting as bodyguard for their haughty, spoiled daughter is no walk in the enchanted forest. Dove Wistrallo yearns for independence, not a babysitter. As the uncouth Maerryl loves to remind her, she lives a charmed life. . . though few know of the risky magical ability that Dove hides. Spending every moment together is infuriating—at first. But before long, the friction between the rogue and the lady becomes a spark they can’t ignore. Yet the clock is ticking for Maerryl to secure the family’s riches. Does their growing love stand a chance against Maerryl’s ruse, Dove’s secrets, and a den of thieves? Kristen Vale writes queer cozy fantasy romcoms filled with sweetness & spice. When not reading or writing, she can usually be found thrifting, playing D&D, or staring lovingly at trees. She lives in Chicago with her partner and her frenemy black cat, Opal. Danielle Jackson is an author, avid reader, lackluster-yet-mighty crafter, and accomplished TV binge-watcher. Danielle has had the unique experience of working on almost every side of the book business—as a publicist at a publisher, a managing editor of a book review website, a pop culture podcast co-host, an events coordinator at an independent bookstore, and now, an author. When she’s not writing, Danielle moderates and participates on industry panels and hosts a book club. Danielle lives in Chicagoland with her husband and daughters. Follow her on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky, @DJacksonBooks. Accessibility: This event is hosted at the bookstore, which is a wheelchair accessible space. Masks are strongly encouraged for this event. We have one industrial air purifier, two smaller air purifiers, and four ceiling fans throughout our space. Seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. To request ASL interpretation for this event, please email events@womenandchildrenfirst.com by no later than 14 days before the event. For other access needs please email events@womenandchildrenfirst.com .