(And some days it takes more Stones than others...) Where Mythical Bestiary meets Contemporary Culture and Chews On Its Leg Until Covered with Slobber.
The Red Lion Pub on Lincoln in Chicago will be closing its doors for complete renovation, opening again sometime in 2008. The Twilight Tales Writers' Group, of which I are one, will hold its Monday Night readings at Mix: The Lakeview Lounge at 2843 N. Halsted, starting October 8 at 7:30 PM. The Red Lion has always emulated the great pubs of England, like the Cheddar Cheese around the corner from Hodge and Dr. Johnson's house, but the timbers of boomtown Chicago are not the oaks of England and nostalgia ain't what it used to be. The floor tilts crazily, and whoever imported British style plumbing was no friend of the working man.
The Red Lion is one of the oldest buildings in the neighborhood, having gone up when Lincoln Park was just a field on the outskirts of town. The upstairs lounge, where the writers meet, was a hook shop in the 19th century, kitty-corner from the Biograph alley where Dillinger met his end. There are ghosts, at least three, who presumably will learn the new floor plan after renovation. I have an unsold story about one of them, the ghost who sometimes jams the upstairs ladies' bathroom door. Sadly, the market for toilet ghosts is rather more limited than I'd anticipated.
One of the Twilight Tales writers, Mary, has posted some photos of the creaky old place as was, here, including pictures of Eric Cherry, Martel Sardina, the Other Michael, and others. A last big blowout is planned Monday Night for insomniac, night driving authors and others.
