Today we’d like to introduce you to John Wawrzaszek .
John, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have been part of the local zine community, self-publishing my work for more than a decade. In that time, I have been involved with different aspects of supporting that community, such as being on the organizing committee for the Chicago Zine Fest to hosting Two Cookie Minimum a zine friendly reading series. At the same time, I was also obtaining a second degree in fiction writing. I went to Portland and saw the resources available to their self-publishing community and wanted to do something similar in Chicago. I got the idea and then put up my own capital and collected reused items to furnish and open the space.
Has it been a smooth road?
It’s been a tough journey learning how to juggle all the pieces of running a non-profit organization. There’s event programming, administration, finances, fundraising, promotion. And then there’s the physical space, where simple things add up like cleaning, stocking supplies, and being there to staff our open hours. It’s a full-time job on top of the full-time job I already have (plus being a new parent as of 2017). I don’t want to underscore the great support CHIPRC receives. But in the end, it’s on my shoulders.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
At CHIPRC we support artist and literary work. I see what we do in three buckets: process, production and exhibition. We host workshops that focus on the craft, such as fiction and poetry workshops, printing on our Risograph, etc. For production, our Open Hours allow people to use our workspace to get work done and create a physical object like a zine, comic or chapbook. And then the exhibition aspect focuses on sharing of the work, something all too often neglected by artists who are focused on creating the work. We host art exhibits, live readings, screenings and at times some musical performances. It’s great to see how all things interconnect. Our flagship writing workshop Wasted Pages is a perfect example of what we do. What begins as a workshop that focuses on the craft if writing, is turned into a print anthology and then shared publicly through a live reading. I’m really proud of the work we’ve done like that, be it a workshop, artist residency or the public using our workspace.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Chicago has a great literary history and an amazing arts scene. Anyone looking to support those overlapping communities would definitely have an audience. The up and downside of living in a major city will always be how much there is happening at any given time. It can be overwhelming, especially if you are in the business of creating such events. I take solace in knowing that we work with our community to provide programming and events that they are interested and involved in attending or hosting.
Contact Info:
- Address: 858 N. Ashland Ave. Chicago IL 60622
- Website: http://chiprc.org
- Email: chicagoprc@gmail.com
- Instagram: .instagram.com/chicagoprc/
- Facebook: facebook.com/chi.prc
- Twitter: twitter.com/chiprc
- Other: chiprc.tumblr.com
Image Credit:
Personal photo credit Eric Bartholomew. All other photos credit CHIPRC.
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
