Dandelion Bookshop works to foster a vibrant literary community by providing a curated selection of books, inspiring events, and a welcoming atmosphere that nourishes the love of reading in Oak Park and beyond.
Upcoming Events
Join us for at our next poetry reading in collaboration with Erie Street Press! We're delighted to host local poets Patrick T. Reardon, Viola Lee, and Paul Martinez Pompa. Stick around after the readings to meet the authors and celebrate our local literary scene.
Return to the courts of Prythian with treats and other surprises. Meet fellow ACOTAR fans for theorizing and discussion. Then, receive your book at the stroke of midnight. Fae Court attire encouraged! Preorder your copy before October 20 to attend.
Join us to as we celebrate Molly Sturdevant's new historical fiction novel, The Sleepers. Molly will be in conversation with James Madigan, author of Political Prisoners USA and Other Poems. These Oak Park authors will discuss the power of fiction and poetry as witness, resilience, and archive-making. Enjoy readings from both authors and hear about Sturdevant’s unique process of researching Pinkerton spy surveillance in union archives.
Do you crave impossible worlds, morally gray characters, dangerous magic, and stories that ruin your sleep schedule? The Romantasy Society is a book club for readers who disappear into books and forget the real world exists. Join us as we discuss This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews. When Maggie wakes up cold, filthy, and naked in a gutter, it doesn’t take her long to recognize Kair Toren, a city she knows intimately from the pages of the famously unfinished dark fantasy series she’s been obsessively reading and re-reading while waiting years for the final novel. Her only tools for navigating this gritty world of rival warlords, magic, and mayhem? Her encyclopedic knowledge of the plot, the setting, and the characters’ ambitions and fates. Registration is free. Get a 10% discount for your copy of the book.
You’ve got an idea that would make an excellent children’s book. Now what? How do you decide on a format? Know you’re on the right track? Are there any tips or tricks to make the drafting and revising easier? Join veteran author Barb Rosenstock as she takes you on a brief journey from initial idea through finished book, with stops at deciding on audience, drafting and shaping your manuscript, and thinking about visuals (even if you’re not an artist). Presented in collaboration with the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Membership is not required to attend -- all are welcome!
Join local author Claire Barner as she discusses how her sci-fi novel, The Red Woman on Mars, uses a Pride and Prejudice framework to critique pressing modern issues, including bodily autonomy, climate change, human rights, and AI. Nineteenth Century Charitable Association enrichment programs are free and open to the public. No registration required.
Spend an evening with Wailin Wong from Planet Money's The Indicator. Hear fun facts and ask your pressing questions about economics. Copies of Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life will be available for purchase and signing.
Join us as we discuss On the Calculation of Volume by Solvej Balle. Tara Selter has involuntarily stepped off the train of time: in her world, November eighteenth repeats itself endlessly. Balle is hypnotic and masterful in her remixing of the endless recursive day, creating curious little folds of time and foreshadowings: her flashbacks light up inside the text like old flash bulbs. Tickets are free. Register now and receive a 10% discount on your copy of the book.
There’s something inspiring about writing among other writers--and while surrounded by books! Join us for an after-hours write-in at the bookshop. There will be time to chat for a bit at the start, followed by quiet writing with an optional prompt in case you need something to get your pen moving. Bring your laptop or notebook and we’ll make progress on our writing projects together.