Book Club Run of Cold Girls with author Maxine Rae

Join guide Quinn Sluzenski for our June Book Club Run on Saturday, June 7. Starting at , our 3-mile route takes us around Evanston through the lens of by Maxine Rae—a gripping young adult novel exploring grief, identity, and healing. After the run, stick around for an intimate in-person Q&A with the author, Maxine Rae.

This Book Club Run is perfect for fans of coming-of-age stories, complex friendships, and heartfelt reads that hit close to home—especially for those familiar with the North Shore.

Read the novel ahead of time for the best experience, since we'll be discussing along the route and will give away a few spoilers. Purchase your book here.

MEET: Doors open on Saturday, June 7 to check in at 9:45am at Gearhead Outfitters (1600 Sherman Ave). 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), 3-mile route with several stops starting and ending at Gearhead Outfitters.

END: We'll host a post-run author Q&A with Maxine Rae, along with snacks and drinks, giveaways, and social time.

If you love this book and want to hear from Maxine but prefer to join only for the conversation only, meet at Gearhead Outfitters around 11:15am!

Please note that the exact starting time for the Q&A 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, June 7 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.

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 Evanston, Literary Art events in Evanston.