Book Club Run of Last Summer on State Street

Join Read & Run Chicago for a ~5-mile, easy-paced (11:00 min/mile) Book Club Run in Bronzeville inspired by Toya Wolfe's novel, Guide Cynthia Okechukwu will guide runners through various points of interest related to Wolfe's novel and discuss the protagonist's friendships and family life, as well as the rise and fall of Chicago's public housing and Dan Ryan Construction as they relate to the story. Following the running route, we'll end at The Chicago Bee Library Branch (3647 S. State) for snacks and a book club discussion.

Be sure to read the novel ahead of time! .

Not planning to run? Cyclists, rollers, rollerblades, scooters, and more welcome (take care of your own safety, please!). All registered readers & runners will receive email reminders prior to the event.

MEET: Doors open on Saturday, May 31 to check in at 9:45am at the Chicago Bee Library Branch. The program will begin promptly at 10:00am. Readers & runners/movers are able to leave items in the store during the run.

ROUTE: We'll run an easy-paced (11:00 min/mile), 5-mile route with several stops starting and ending at the library.

END: We'll host a post-run group discussion of the novel along with snacks and drinks, giveaways, and social time.

If you love this topic but prefer to join only for the conversation only, meet at the library around 11:45am!

Please note that the exact starting time for the discussion is heavily dependent on route conditions, and those arriving for this portion only are expected to be patient.

INCLEMENT WEATHER PLAN: If it becomes unsafe to run outside, we will hold a modified version of the event at the venue starting at 10:00am. You will be notified via email no later than 9am on Saturday, May 31 if there are any changes to the event.

All ticket holders will receive reminder emails and details 2 days and 4 hours prior to the event.

About Cynthia Okechukwu: Cynthia (she/her) is the founder and organizer of Black Girls Read Book Club. A lawyer by day, history buff, and Uptown transplant, Cynthia enjoys reading and learning more about this city that she has called home for nearly a decade.

Read & Run Chicago is a chapter of Read & Run Tours, LLC, the country’s first and only organization that hosts running events inspired by books. Founded in 2021 by queer educator, freelance writer, and runner Allison Yates, the mission of Read & Run Tours, LLC and the city chapters is to use movement and stories to explore locations. Our community-focused run programming includes running tours, book club runs, author talks, and other literary-themed fun runs all inspired by books set in the cities where chapters are located, written by local authors. While connecting runners to the city’s stories, we also actively support literacy programs, public libraries, independent bookstores, and local authors.

In Chicago, we have hosted more than 100 events (in English and Spanish) for over 300 Chicagoans, featuring over 30 authors or local experts, and we have been featured in various media outlets including CNN, Runner’s World, Midwest Living, NBC’s Chicago Today, Fox32 Good Day Chicago, WGN Radio, Block Chicago, and more.

More information at readandrunchicago.com, Instagram, and Facebook.

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Also check out other Arts events in Chicago, Literary Art events in Chicago.