We are pleased to announce the generous gifts donated to support our "Best Of" print edition. Thanks to Merz Apothecary, Writers’ Theatre, Infuse Yoga Spa, Old Town School of Folk Music, Ewing Eugene Baldwin, Anne Unger, and Literary Writers Network members, we are able to offer these wonderful prizes to help defray publishing costs. Join us Friday, March 23, 7-9pm, at The Book Cellar in Chicago to bid on these wonderful gifts starting as low as $5, get your copy of our newly released magazine and listen to five great readings.
Auction item #1: Two Tickets to see The Blonde, The Brunette, and the Vengeful Redhead at The Writers’ Theatre, from May 22 – July 29, 2012.
Thwarted housewife Rhonda Russell loses herself in a heated moment of passion, setting into motion an unbelievable series of events that ripple through the lives of everyone around her. One performer intricately weaves together the many different sides of Rhonda's story with engrossing narrative, wit and compassion. An international hit, The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead is a surprising and touching tale of loss and ultimate redemption.
Writers’ Theatre • 664 Vernon Ave., Glencoe, IL 60022
Item Value: $110
Bidding starts at $15
**************************************************************
Auction Item #2: A beautifully wrapped gift box full of natural health and beauty products from Merz Apothecary.
Gift box includes Caswell-Massy hand and body wash, lulu lemondrop body lotion, Sen Tara 1 facial cream, Kamill hand cream for men, organic vegan green tea—free of gluten, dairy and soy, soaps and more!
Merz Apothecary • 4716 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago
Merz Downtown • Palmer House Hilton, 17 E. Monroe St., Chicago
Item Value: $100
Bidding stats at $10
***********************************************************
Auction Item #3: Daily Spa Gift Set from Infuse Yoga Spa in Lincoln Park
Ever wish you could hit the “Refresh” button on yourself? Enjoy this sampling of botanical spa products that are pure, safe and beneficial. The set includes shampoo, conditioner, sea salt scrub, body lotion and a candle—all vegan. Free of chemical dyes, fragrances and parabens.
Plus visit Infuse Yoga Spa for a free do-it-yourself facial that you can re-create at home using botanically based premium skin care products. Gift also includes a $50 gift certificate for addition products.
Infuse Yoga Spa • 713 W. Wrightwood Ave., Chicago, IL
Item Value: $100
Bidding starts at $10
***********************************************************
Auction Item #4: Either 1) a 1.5 hour general yoga class for up to 10 of your friends, either in your Chicago home or at Focus Yoga in Brookfield, OR 2) a 75 minute private one-on-one yoga session for flexibility, weight management, stress, depression, low back, or simply yoga basics 101, in your home with Anne Unger, RYT (registered yoga teacher), and teacher trainer—yes, our editor is also a yoga instructor!
Looking for a fun night out… with the girls or with a group of couples? Or do you need to relieve tension, alleviate aches & pains, build strength and flexibility, clear your mind, or simply relax? Then this is the package for you.
This yoga offering will be designed to meet your needs and experience level. Anne has been teaching yoga since receiving her 200-hour certification in 2006. She teaches weekly classes in yoga basics, all-levels and intermediate to advanced levels at Focus Yoga in Brookfield, where she also provides instruction for teacher trainees and a monthly philosophy class to the community. She teaches private and group sessions, as well as floor or chair yoga for the corporate environment. Anne also offers special classes and workshops, including: Finding Creative Inspiration through Yoga, A Four-part Series on the Chakras, Yoga for True Beginners—a five-week series, a Focus on Shoulders workshop, Developing a Home Practice, Yoga for Gardeners, and Rock ‘n’ Yoga.
Scheduling is flexible—open for day, evening, and weekend sessions—but subject to availability. Offer expires March 2013.
Item Value: $100
Bidding stats at $15
**************************************************************
Auction item #5: a Pre-form (un-notched) Ovate Burlington chert knife.
Used for butchering or skinning of game. Archaic Period, 8,000-1,000 BC. Found in Jersey County, Illinois, and donated by "Watchers" author Ewing Eugene Baldwin.
This item is fragile, may chip or scratch if handled.
Item Value: $50
Bidding starts at $10
*************************************************************
Auction item #6: a Complimentary New One-Year Household Membership to the Old Town School of Folk Music—for New Members Only!
· Member price for Group & Private Lessons
· Advance Concert Ticket Purchases
· Member price for most Concert Tickets
· 10% off most merchandise in the School's Music Store
· Discounts on Smithsonian Folkways CDs
· Invitation to Member Sales, Special Offers and Appreciation Events
· Gift Certificate for an Old Town School t-shirt or hat
· Free admission to Paydates
Old Town School of Folk Music • 4544 N. Lincoln & 909 W. Armitage, Chicago, IL
Item Value: $125
Bidding starts at $10
*************************************************************
Auction Item #7: A Basket of Several Gently Used Books
Several LWN members donated their gently used books to be auctioned off. Give yourself the perfect excuse to take a break and relax with this wonderful selection of great books…
The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
Travels With My Aunt – Graham Green
Angela’s Ashes – Frank McCourt
The Hippopotamus – Stephen Fry
Bee Season – Myla Goldberg
Almost French – Sarah Turnbull
Small Victories – Sallie Bingham
The Book of Joe – Jonathan Tropper
The Light of Day – Graham Swift
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle – David Wroblewski
Time Will Darken It – William Maxwell
Our "Best Of" 2012 print edition of 10,000 Tons of Black Ink
Item Value: PRICELESS
Bidding starts at $5
Stay and enjoy readings by…
Anne Unger is the editor and co-founder of 10,000 Tons of Black Ink, and the founder of Literary Writers Network, an organization dedicated to the advancement and promotion of literary writers. She is a freelance writer and editor working in various industries, including health care, real estate development, education, law, behavioral health, and others. She was recently awarded an Illinois Arts Council grant based on the opening of her current novel, The Weight of Tomorrow. Anne will be reading Hannah Lackoff’s story from the “Best Of” publication.
Jerry Long was a writer, editor and director of communications in several Chicago not-for-profits, the last being Illinois Institute of Technology, before retiring. He wrote annual reports, articles and speeches for management, including the president. Upon retirement, Jerry decided “enough already with writing for others” and began writing short stories and poetry. 10ktobi published his first story, which was also included in the magazine’s inaugural print edition in 2007. Since then, he has had other stories and some poems published in other journals.
Ewing Eugene Baldwin will be reading his story from the “Best Of” publication. He has had over 20 short stories published and 15 plays produced, including Off Broadway in New York and at the former Body Politic Theatre, in Chicago. His play, “Water Brought Us and Water’s Gonna Take Us Away,” about the Underground Railroad in Illinois, was commissioned by the U.S. Forest Service and produced at Prop Theatre and Columbia College. A commission by the U.S. Department of the Interior allowed him to act as Chicago producer of the National Tuskegee Airmen Oral History Project. He taught for 30 years as a theater artist-in-residence in the Illinois Arts Council's Artists-in-Education program. Part Shawnee Indian and an avocational archaeologist, he has found thousands of Indian artifacts in rural southwest Illinois, the setting for his fiction. “Watchers” is one of 14 short stories in his new book, Confluence.
Alexander Slagg has been writing and editing for various publications for more than 10 years. He’s been an LWN member since 2007 and serves as an editorial assistant for its literary publication 10,000 Tons of Black Ink. His short fiction and nonfiction work has been published in a number of magazines, most recently in the Q4 2011 issue of EdTech. Currently, he’s looking for a publishing home for his debut novel Guitar of the Gods.
Willy Nast graduated from Northwestern University, where he studied creative non-fiction. He loves beer, boxing, and greyhounds, though not necessarily in that order. He updates (far too infrequently) his own blog about writing at trustmeimawriter.blogspot.com. His greatest accomplishment is being the only Willy Nast on Facebook.
