Two Cookie Hits the 5 Year Mark

Two Cookie Minimum has been going strong for 5 years and to celebrate will hold an anniversary reading on Tuesday, July 14.

Through the years, the series has been home to Chicago’s self-publishing community, supporting the work of comics artists and illustrators, independent publishers, students, authors, poets, visual storytellers, and musicians.

The night's performers Include: Comics artist and illustrator Leslie Perrine, Zine publisher and writer Ben Spies, and Independent author and zine publisher Jonas. Hosted by Johnny Misfit.

To give a bit back to the Two Cookie audience, other having free cookies available at every reading, this anniversary will feature the second issue of the self-published zine Cookie Crumbs. The first issue featured the work of resident Two Cookie artist, Chicago cartoonist Alex Nall, who included sketchbook drawings depicting the readings. The new issue will supplement Nall’s artwork with essays from past performers and readers, commentary from host Johnny Misfit, and various photos and flyers from the past year.

The reading begins at 8pm at the Comfort Station, 2579 N Milwaukee Ave. Donations will be accepted at the door benefiting CHIPRC. Two Cookie continues on the second Tuesday of every month at the Comfort Station through September. And it wouldn’t be a party without free cookies. The event is all ages.

A bit of history:
Two Cookie Minimum held its first reading in 2010 at Lakeview’s Fritz Pastry. It held residency at Roscoe Village staple The Hungry Brain until that establishment closed its doors in the winter of 2014. Its current home is the historic Chicago Park District space The Comfort Station in Logan Square. These five years have seen more than 45 shows featuring over 200 readers, boasting a few out of town guests to boot. Recognized in press outlets Chicago Literati, Gapers Block and Newcity, the series has carved out a niche for itself.

Two Cookie’s ties to the independent literary community are clear from past readings that have supported Chicago Zine Fest, Chicago Alternative Comics Expo, Columbia College’s Fiction Writing department, and numerous literary presses. Their many themed readings showcased all female artists, local comics and illustrators, Chicago’s Polish community, and students from academic programs. The series is now supported by Chicago Publishers Resource Center (CHIPRC), a literary nonprofit, that helps its patrons share their work through the reading series.