April Window Artist-In-Residence Bianca Xunise!

Published on April 7, 2024 0 Comments

Calling all punk city rats! Check out these amazing banners in our window by our April artist-in-residence, Chicago-based cartoonist Bianca Xunise! We could not love them more! Bianca will be here to celebrate the release of their book Punk Rock Karaoke on Saturday, April 27th at 3:30pm when they’ll be in in conversation by director, producer and author Jessica Hopper and on Independent Bookstore Day nonetheless!



Bianca Xunise’s work primarily focuses on the plight, joy, and daily struggles of misfits within the black community. In 2017 Xunise earned an Ignatz for Promising New Talent for their comic Say Her Name, an autobiographical story of police brutality and social justice. In 2020 Xunise earned their second Ignatz for their contribution to Be Gay, Do Comics published by IDW. Xunise has collaborated with Vogue, The Washington Post, The Nib, and Believer Magazine. They are also a contributor to the book How We Fight Supremacy: A Field Guide to Black Resistance along with Ta-Nehisi Coates, Tarana Burk, and Harry Belafonte. Bianca became the first nationally syndicated non-binary cartoonist when they joined the comic strip Six Chix in 2020 as their first black creator. More info at https://linktr.ee/biancaxunise

Poster for event by Casoline Cash.

New Stuff This Week

Published on April 6, 2024 0 Comments

 

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Zines

In Loving Memory of Spring Hill Mall October 1st, 1980-March 22nd, 2024 by Bee Ebben $2

Zip Codes by Jason Valenzuela $10

Zines by Juelule, $1 each: Vagabunda y Bandolera #3 It’s Not Your Room That’s a Prison It’s Yourself, Vagabunda y Bandolera #2 and If You Missed a Day There Was Always the Next

Ars Moriendi by Joe Donlevy $6

Mounds by Andrew Conti $10

Zines from Happy Tapir Press, $5 each: No Fairy Queen: A Coloring Poem by GM Palmer, Beasts: Poetry and Prose by Kate O’Brien Wooddell

Sunflowers by Keezy Young (Silver Sprocket) $7.99

Comics

Frogs and Their Friends by Oona Taper $5

Beefy Mag #1 by Finn $12

San Expedito by Raul Higuera (Silver Sprocket) $14.99

Everything Sucks Noahs Millions by Michael Sweater (Silver Sprocket) $7.99

Nose Bleed #1 by Derick Jones $10

Desert Rats #1 by Nick Bunch $10

New titles from Davidt Dunlop: Small $1, Baphometta Coincidental Fish $6.40, Crumpled: A Self Anthology Comic Full of Bits and Bobs $8

Graphic Novels

Barking by Lucy Sullivan (Avery Hill) $22.99

A Brief History of Feminism by Patu & Antje Schrupp (MIT Press) $16.95

Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne & Travis Dandro (Drawn & Quarterly) $29.95

Pure Trance by Junko Mizuno (Last Gasp) $19.95

Won’t Back Down: An Anthology of Pro-Choice Comics by Trina Robbins (Last Gasp) $25

Influenca by Jade LFT Peters (Silver Sprocket) $16.99

Adversary by Blue Delliquanti (Silver Sprocket) $15.99

Viscera Objectica by Yugo Limbo (Silver Sprocket) $14.99

When I Arrived at the Castle by Emily Carroll (Silver Sprocket) $16.99

Mayhem & Outer Limits Books

Divination: Elements of Wisdom by Jewels Rocka $8.95

Essay Books

Theres Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib $32

Secret Life vol 2 1925-1940 by Salvador Dali (Deicide Press) $19.95

Film Books

Naked Theater and Uncensored Horror: A Memoir by Stuart Gordon (Fab Press) $27.95

Fiction

I Love You So Much It’s Killing Us Both: A Novel by Mariah Stovall $28

Books from House of Vlad Productions, $15.95 each: Violent Candy Stories by Tex Gresham, Farsickness a Novel by Joshua Mohr, People Scare Me Poems by Cash Compson, Hobbies You Enjoy a Novelty by Brian Alan Ellis & more.

Magazines

Tape Op #160 $5.99

RFD #197 $11.95

Lit Journals & Poetry

Overtime Hour 67 the Line Keeps Turning by Thomas Nicholson $2

Fruitless: A Poetic Story by Daniel, to music by Ogi, with illustrations by Tanate $15

After Hours #47 $12

McSweeney’s #73 Manifesto: A Collection of Manifestos $28

79 Nonets by Caleb Bouchard (Suburban Drunk Press) $8

Ant Dodger: Poems by Bill Knott and Drawings by Dash Shaw $2

Books from selva oscura press $15-$18 each: Daykeeping by Rachel Blau DuPlessis, Shekhinah Speaks by Joy Ladin, Mood Indigo by Jeanne Heuving & more.

Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl, Independent Bookstore Day, April 27th

Published on March 31, 2024 0 Comments
Apr
27
12:00 pm

Independent Bookstore Day – Saturday, April 27, 2024

Quimby’s is celebrating Independent Bookstore Day this year in 2 great ways! We’re a stop on the annual IBD Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl, and we’re also featuring an in-store event with Bianca Xunise in discussion with Jessica Hopper to celebrate the release of PUNK ROCK KARAOKE.

About the 2024 Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl

Yet again, Chicagoland proves itself to be the dream destination for book lovers and readers of all ages! More than 40 independent bookstores in the greater Chicago area—from Lake Forest to Beverly, and Naperville to the Loop—are collaborating on our annual Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl, which encourages book lovers to indulge in bookstore tourism by visiting 10 or more stores in a single day.

The annual challenge is being held again on Independent Bookstore Day (IBD), which is a one-day national party celebrating indie book stores on the last Saturday in April. Each store creates its own unique events—including guest authors, special kids’ story times, readings, contests, giveaways, and special sales.

How to Participate…
Select your first bookstore and receive a passport and your first stamp.

Now check out the map—which lists all the participating stores—and start planning your route!

Additional bookstores you visit throughout the day will provide you with a stamp with no purchase required! (However, showing them some love today, too, would of course be a very cool thing to do.)

And to remind you of the goals:

• Visit TEN stores in one day and get 10% off at all participating bookstores for an ENTIRE YEAR!

• Visit FIFTEEN stores in one day and get 15% off at all participating bookstores for an ENTIRE YEAR!

After visiting 10 or 15 participating bookstores, on your last bookstore visit show your passport and receive a limited edition pin!

Readers are encouraged to post a snapshot of themselves and their Independent Bookstore Day haul on social media with the hashtag #TEAMINDIE and #ChiLoveBooks.

See chilovebooks.com for more info about IBD in Chicago, including info about tickets for 3 bus routes to different stores.

Stay posted for more #IBD24 surprises!

 

New Stuff This Week

Published on March 30, 2024 0 Comments

 

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Zines

On a Stroll with Dan Gleason $3

Concessions: A Break Up Zine by Tin Diaz Rodriguez $2

Past Present #4 $15

Stacks #7 by Lennon McCrea $6.66

Wild Payphones of North America by P. Hofstad, N. Hardy and G. Lovera $9

The Anarchist Review of Books #7 $6

Comics

Scorpio Venus Rising #1 by Corinne Halbert $8

The Plot #6 Home by Neil Brideau (Radiator) $8

Bubbles #19 An Independent Fanzine About Comics and Manga editd by Brian Baynes $8

Dear You Written and Drawn by Giles Crawford $10

Rimki Comix #1 Land of the Dead by Rimki $4

Cat Gang Comix #1 by Ellen Chao $12

Graphic Novels

Light It Shoot It by Graham Chaffee (Fantagraphics) $24.99

Merriment by Joe Steinhardt and Marissa Paternoster (Don Giovanni Records) $24.95

Isle of Elsi vol 2 the Egalliv Examiner by Alec Longstreth (Phase 7 Comics) $24.95

Igaguri: Young Judo Master by Fukui Eiichi (Bubbles Publication) $21.99

Art Books

Vivienne Westwood: The Story Behind the Style, Unofficial and Unauthorised by Jessica Bumpus $19.99

FOLK PORN: Anonymous 1940s Sex Drawings by Anonymous edited by Alison M. Gingeras $20

Politics & Revolution Books

City Is Up for Grabs: How Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Led and Lost a City in Crisis by Gregory Royal Pratt $28.99

How to Abolish Prisons: Lessons From the Movement Against Imprisonment by Rachel Herzing and Justin Piche (Haymarket) $18.95

The Black Antifascist Tradition: Fighting Back From Anti-Lynching to Abolition by Jeanelle K. Hope & Bill V. Mullen (Haymarket) $24.95

Music, Film & TV Books

Neue Deutsche Welle (33 1/3 Genre Series) by Claudia Lonkin $19.95

Math Rock (33 1/3 Genre Series) by Jeff Gomez $19.95

Cinema Speculation by Quentin Tarantino $21

Companions of Doctor Who edited by David Bushman and Ken Deep $19.99

Weird Music That Goes on Forever: A Punk’s Guide to Loving Jazz by Bob Suren, illustrated by Brian Walsby (Microcosm) $16.99

Live: Why We Go Out by Robert Elms (Unbound) $26.95

Mayhem & Outer Limits

Queens of the Underworld: A Journey into the Lives of Female Crooks by Caitlin Davies $21.99

Encyclopedia of Rootical Folklore: Plant Tales From Africa and the Diaspora by Natty Mark Samuels (Scorched Earth Press) $24.95

Fiction

Stitches: Short Stories by Hirokatsu Kihara, art by Junji Ito $18

Rainbow Black: A Novel by Maggie Thrash $18.99

The Snow Ghost and Other Tales: Classic Japanese Ghost Stories edited by Lafcadio Hearn, Yei Theodora Ozaki and Richard Gordon Smith $29.99

More books in The British Library series:
Flaw In the Crystal and Other Uncanny Stories edited by May Sinclair $16.99
Holy Ghosts: Classic Tales of the Ecclesiastical Uncanny edited by Fiona Snailham $16.99
Penny Bloods Gothic Tales of Dangerous Women edited by Nicole C. Dittmer $24.99

Bikes, the Universe, and Everything: Feminist, Fantastical Tales of Bikes and Books by Elly Blue (Microcosm) $12.95

Bloodline: A Novel by Jenn Alexander $18.95

DIY Books

Unfuck Your Business Workbook: Using Math and Brain Science to Run a Successful Business by Joe Biel and Dr. Faith G. Harper (Microcosm) $14.99

Essay Books

No Judgment: Essays by Lauren Oyler $28.99

Like Love: Essays and Conversations by Maggie Nelson $32

Christian Atheism: How to Be a Real Materialist by Slavoj Zizek $19.95

Chap Books

Micropoetry for Microplanets by Brian U Garrison and Gowri Savoor $6

Rob Drew Celebrates Unspooled: How the Cassette Made Music Shareable, June 22nd

Published on March 24, 2024 0 Comments
Jun
22
3:00 pm

Rob Drew Celebrates
Unspooled: How the Cassette Made Music Shareable,
In Conversation with Liz Mason
at Quimby’s Bookstore
1854 W. North Ave
Saturday, June 22nd, 3pm

Quimby’s welcomes Rob Drew to celebrate the release of his book Unspooled: How the Cassette Made Music Shareable on Saturday, June 22nd at 3pm, in conversation with Quimby’s manager Liz Mason.

Well into the new millennium, the analog cassette tape continues to claw its way back from obsolescence. New cassette labels emerge from hipster enclaves while the cassette’s likeness pops up on T-shirts, coffee mugs, belt buckles, and cell phone cases. In Unspooled, Rob Drew traces how a lowly, hissy format that began life in office dictation machines and cheap portable players came to be regarded as a token of intimate expression through music and a source of cultural capital. Drawing on sources ranging from obscure music zines to transcripts of Congressional hearings, Drew examines a moment in the early 1980s when music industry representatives argued that the cassette encouraged piracy. At the same time, 1980s indie rock culture used the cassette as a symbol to define itself as an outsider community. Indie’s love affair with the cassette culminated in the mixtape, which advanced indie’s image as a gift economy. By telling the cassette’s long and winding history, Drew demonstrates that sharing cassettes became an acceptable and meaningful mode of communication that initiated rituals of independent music recording, re-recording, and gifting.

“Offering a comprehensive history of the cassette from its origins in post-World War II taping technologies to the recent revival of the music cassette as a hipster artifact, Unspooled is the first book to give an extended account of the various ways that cassettes have transformed musical culture. This wonderfully engaging, clear, and witty book will appeal to a wide audience of music fans and critics interested in mixtapes, cassettes, and cassette culture and will become a classic in many fields.” -Will Straw, Professor of Urban Media Studies, McGill University

“Rob Drew is one of my favorite writers on music, and I wish more people knew about his work. This is the definitive cultural history of indie music’s tangled but fascinating love affair with the audiocassette.” -David Hesmondhalgh, author of Why Music Matters

“Any readers who have ever received or created a mixtape will appreciate this narrative. A solid blend of history and nostalgia about cassette tapes that’s perfect for Gen Xers.” -Tina Panik, Library Journal

“The story of the cassette tape Drew and Masters tell is compelling: how a lo-fi, accident- and deterioration-prone, and more-or-less parasitic audio technology not only achieved market dominance but captured a permanent place in the imaginations and practices of music-makers, labels, distributors, and fans the world over. Unspooled and High Bias show readers that the peculiar technology of the cassette tape exemplifies the inherent contradictions of popular music perhaps better than any other medium.” — David Pike, Popmatters

“Divided into six sharp chapters, Unspooled walks readers through the rich history of music nerds who used cassettes in ever-evolving ways. By following the chronology, Drew provides a detailed exploration of the cassette in terms of format, medium, and artifact.” — Adam P. Newton, Treble Zine (Read the full review here.)

Rob Drew is Professor of Communication at Saginaw Valley State University and author of Karaoke Nights: An Ethnographic Rhapsody. Follow him at @slobster48602

Liz Mason is the manager of Quimby’s Bookstore, a zine publisher, a mix tape aficionado and a karaoke enthusiast. Follow her at @caboosezine

Want the Facebook event invite for this? Here ya go!

Watch Rob on the “Cassette Books Mixtape” panel with Marc Masters (High Bias: The Distorted History of the Cassette Tape), Jerry Kranitz (Cassette Culture: Homemade Music and the Creative Spirit in the Pre-Internet Age), moderated by Tom McCourt.