The Lit 50

The Lit 50, Newcity Chicago's annual roundup of the city's literary movers and shakers, while largely shying away from writers in favor of institutional figures, still includes several of my personal favorites:

8. Joe Meno
The Chicago literary punk—author, teacher, playwright, journalist—scored huge with "Hairstyles of the Damned" a few years ago and again with last year’s "The Boy Detective Failed." Both are currently getting the Hollywood treatment, as Meno continues to play a major role in Columbia College’s fiction-writing department, which is emerging as one of the most convincing in the city, if not the country. Look for his next book, "Demons in the Spring," on shelves in 2008.

18. Jessa Crispin
The city’s popular book blogger is a daily read for anyone who’s lit-obsessed, as Bookslut.com has become a leading location for book news, reviews and author features. The monthly reading series at Hopleaf has expanded the Bookslut reach beyond the keyboard.

28. Aleksandar Hemon
The author of "The Question of Bruno" and "Nowhere Man"—also a frequent contributor to The New Yorker—plays a major part in Northwestern University’s creative-writing program as one of its instructors.

30. Ivan R. Dee
Founded in 1988, Ivan R. Dee Publishing group publishes trade books in history, politics, biography, literature, philosophy and theater that are thought-provoking and controversial. The company, a model for successful small-press publishing, has been owned by The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group since 1997, but still operates out of Chicago where Ivan’s son, Alexander, serves as vice president of marketing.

35. Gina Frangello
The ambitious Frangello—author of "My Sister’s Continent"—also acts as literary magazine Other Voices’ executive editor as well as for its brand new fiction imprint, OV Books.

46. Jonathan Messinger and Zach Dodson
Proof that your local DIY doesn’t go unnoticed—Messinger and Dodson, co-founders of Featherproof books, put out their first two perfect-bound novels last year. They also release frequent mini-books, which are downloadable for free on their Web site. Messinger also hosts The Dollar Store, the monthly reading series at Hideout, and oversees the books section at Time Out Chicago.

But a Lit 50 without Studs Terkel? Blasphemy!