Chicago Cultural Center Hosts Book Reading Event With Siobhan Fallon, 3/20

The Chicago Cultural Center hosts a special book reading by renowned author Siobhan Fallon on Tuesday, March 20, 6:30-8:30 p.m.  We're Waiting for You: Encountering the Homefront, includes a Q&A event with the author in addition to Fallon reading from her collection of stories You Know When the Men Are Gone. Presented by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) in partnership with the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture (COTC), in association with DCA Theater and Chicago Fusion Theatre, Fallon's short stories describe the experiences of families of service members.  The event takes place in the 1st floor Garland Room of the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington Street. Admission is free; doors open at 6 p.m.

Guests are invited to show their support for families of service members by writing a letter to our troops extending thanks and support. Materials will be provided. The letters will be distributed to the recipients via Blue Star Families' Operation Appreciation.

Siobhan Fallon's debut collection of stories, You Know When the Men Are Gone, was listed as a Best Book of 2011 by The San Francisco Chronicle and by Janet Maslin of The New York Times. It has been called "the explosive sort of literary triumph that appears only every few years" by New York Journal of Books, "a terrific and terrifically illuminating book" by The Washington Post, and a "searing collection" by Entertainment Weekly. Her stories and essays have appeared in Salamander, Woman's Day, Good Housekeeping, New Letters and Publishers' Weekly, among others, and she writes a fiction series for Military Spouse Magazine. Fallon is a proud Army spouse and lives with her family in Falls Church, Virginia. More can be found at her website siobhanfallon.com.

The event is hosted in conjunction with Chicago Fusion Theatre's Chicago premiere of the award-winning work, Las Hermanas Padilla, by New York playwright Tony Meneses, directed by Juan Castañeda of Urban Theater Company. Las Hermanas Padilla (The Padilla Sisters) is a poetic and fantastical tale of ten sisters-in-law who, while their husbands are at war, find solace, humor and grace in their unexpected sisterhood.

Las Hermanas Padilla runs now through April 1 at the DCA Storefront Theater, 66 E. Randolph Street, in the heart of Chicago's downtown theater district. Tickets are $25 for general admission; $15 for seniors and students with a valid ID. Military personnel tickets are $20 and ADA accessible tickets are available for $12.50.

All tickets are available by calling 312.742.TIXS (8497), visiting dcatheater.org, or stopping by the Chicago Cultural Center Ticket Office in the Chicago Cultural Center at 78 E. Washington Street, open Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. and Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. When available, tickets go on sale one hour before each performance at the DCA Storefront Theater.

Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is dedicated to promoting and supporting Chicago's arts and culture sector. This includes, but is not limited to: fostering the development of Chicago's nonprofit arts sector, independent working artists, and for-profit arts businesses; presenting high-quality, free or low-fee cultural programs accessible to residents and visitors; and marketing the City's cultural assets to local, regional, and global audiences. DCASE produces nearly 2,000 public programs, events and support services annually, generating millions in economic benefits for the City of Chicago.

Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture
The Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture markets Chicago as a premier cultural destination to domestic and international leisure travelers; provides innovative visitor programs and services; and familiarizes visitors and residents with the city's vibrant neighborhoods, cultural attractions and creative industries. The Chicago visitor industry serves 40 million visitors annually, generates $11 billion in direct spending and $616 million in taxes, and sustains 124,000 jobs. For more information, visitwww.ExploreChicago.org.

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