Running Tour of The Girls in 3-B with Gerber/Hart Library and Archives

Celebrate Pride Month this June with a celebration of legendary pulp fiction author Valerie Taylor on this 4-mile running tour in the Gold Coast/River North/Loop area starting and ending at Vuori (1003 N Rush Street). Taking inspiration from Taylor’s novel , Read & Run Chicago guide Quinn Sluzenski will stop at real-life queer hangouts from Chicago history and discuss characters from ! Following the running tour, we'll end at Vuori (1003 N Rush Street) for a post-run snacks and lecture with Gerber/Hart Library and Archives Community Outreach and Strategic Partnerships Manager Jen Dentel. A portion of all ticket sales will be donated to Gerber/Hart Library and Archives.

Not planning to run? Cyclists welcome (take care of your own safety, please!) and ticket option to attend only the lecture portion.

All attendees will receive a mini-zine with a self-guided version of this running tour.

About : Iconic lesbian pulp author Valerie Taylor presents the story of three small-town Midwestern girls–Annice, Pat, and Barby–as they move to 1950s Chicago to seek work, love, and independence. A subversive exploration of relationship and workplace dynamics, The Girls in 3-B offers a perspective grounded in the limitations of 1959 but searching for a bolder portrayal of women and sexuality.

MEET: Doors open on Tuesday, June 24 to check in between 5:45pm at Vuori (1003 N Rush Street). The program will begin promptly at 6:00pm. Readers & runners/movers are able to leave items in the store during the run.

BRING: Seating for the lecture portion of the event is limited, so please BYO-seat. Camping chairs, yoga mats, towels all welcome.

ROUTE: We'll run an easy-paced (11:00 min/mile), 4-mile route with several stops starting and ending at Vuori (1003 N Rush Street).

END: After the running tour, we'll hang at Vuori (1003 N Rush Street) for snacks, a lecture on Lesbian Pulp Fiction and Valerie Taylor and giveaway time. The event will officially end by 8:30pm.

If you love this topic but prefer to join only for the conversation only, meet at Vuori around 7:15pm!

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

OPTIONAL PREPARE: Due to the potential triggers (sexual assault, racist mentality) found in the book, it is optional to read the novel by Valerie Taylor prior to attending this event. You can borrow a copy from your local branch of the Chicago Public Library (here's how to get a card if you don't have one) or at Gerber/Hart Library in Rogers Park. If you wish to purchase, please purchase on Allstora via this link. We'll also have a small number available at Vuori at the event from Women & Children First.

Content warning: This is a book written by a white woman in the 1950s. It has value as a relic of its era of queer literature and as a peek into the experiences of (white) queer women in pre-Stonewall Chicago—it also contains language and attitudes that are a relic of its time, especially regarding race. Please be aware that this book contains racist language and multiple depictions of sexual assault. As this is a running tour, we will give an overview of the book at the beginning of the run in consideration of anyone who chooses not to read it, and will discuss both the work’s significance and shortcomings.

INCLEMENT WEATHER PLAN: If it becomes unsafe to run outside, we will hold a modified version of the event at the venue starting at 6:00pm. You will be notified via email no later than 5pm on Tuesday, June 24 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.

Quinn Sluzenski: Quinn (she/they) is a digital librarian with a passion for queer history, theater, digital humanities, and anything that can combine all three at once. They spend their time working in metadata, volunteering at Gerber/Hart Library and Archives, and managing two black cats.

About Jen Dentel: Jen (she/her) is the Community Outreach and Strategic Partnerships Manager at Gerber/Hart Library and Archives. In addition to planning programming, Jen runs Gerber/Hart’s social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook. Jen received her BA in History from the University of Chicago and is currently enrolled in UIUC’s MSLIS program. Jen’s independent research on Chicago pulp author and activist Valerie Taylor, "Midwestern Farmers’ Daughters: Heartland Values and Cloaked Resistance in the Novels of Valerie Taylor," was published in 2021’s Queer Between the Covers from University of London Press. Jen is a co-creator of Gerber/Hart's 2022 podcast Unboxing Queer History. She has co-curated several exhibits at Gerber/Hart, including exhibits on pre-Stonewall activism, the history of drag, and lesbians and feminism in the 1970s and 80s.

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.

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