Pull out your writing utensils and put on your reading glasses, we’re talking about literature on this edition of the Saturday Night Special with Amy Guth.

But it’s not just any literature. We’re talking Chicago Lit with those who know it best: the writers and experts that make Chicago’s literature scene one of the best in the world.

University of Chicago professor and “urbanologist” Max Grinnell joins us on the phone to talk about Chicago’s rich literary pedigree and some of the influential works that have come out of the city’s literary community.

Founder of the Chicago Writer’s Studio Cole Lavalais returns to the program to talk about her work at the studio and its effect on the Chicago literary community. Her and Amy discuss the difficulties that all writers face when working on their craft and the stereotype of the “Chicago Writer”.

Roseamund Lanin leads the Miss Spoken “lady live lit” show which focuses on the many woman-identifying writers here in Chicago. Each show focuses on a different topic that is unique, or perhaps not so unique, to the inter-sectional experience of women. Rosamund explores the wide appeal of seemingly everyday topics and how Miss Spoken gives voice to the voiceless.

Finally, author Michele Weldon talks about the art of the memoir and shares her advice on how to write about oneself.