Chicago's Ladies Who Lit turns book club into a cultural event
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Ladies Who Lit founder Kaylen Ralph talks to attendees at last month's event at All Together Now. Photo: Courtesy of Brie Hines.
What started as a book club has become a chic happening centered on a love of literature, stories by and about women, and celebrating Chicago's cultural scene.
The big picture: Ladies Who Lit founder Kaylen Ralph selects a new book each month written by a woman and hosts the discussion at a place or around an activity that aligns with the book's theme.
- The first event in 2018 was at the Colombian restaurant Las Tablas to discuss "Fruit of the Drunken Tree" by Ingrid Rojas Contreras.
- The discussion about "Daisy Jones and The Six" was at the '70s-themed bar Heavy Feather.
Driving the news: On March 24, LWL will discuss "The Vanishing Half" after a screening of the film "Roman Holiday," referenced early in the book.
Flashback: Ralph, a writer and journalist, started Ladies Who Lit in 2018 after a tough breakup. Rather than sulk in her sadness, she posted on Instagram a photo of her overflowing book shelf asking if anyone wanted to join a book club. She said the response was overwhelming.
- The club took a break during the pandemic and re-emerged in 2022. Last year she teamed up with the Hoxton to host regular events.
What they're saying: "I've always been passionate about women's stories. In 2013, as a senior in college, I co-founded The Riveter Magazine, a longform women's lifestyle magazine that featured originally reported longform journalism and essays by women," Ralph tells Axios.
If you go: Tickets are still available for Ladies Who Lit event on March 24 at Povos Gallery in West Town. The event is co-hosted by film critic and writer Cortlyn Kelly.