Join Read & Run Tours and journalist Malissa Rodenburg in Chicago on September 9 for a three-mile run with author Martha Engber followed by a live Writers Who Run interview!
Malissa Rodenburg, the journalist behind the Writers Who Run column.
Tickets:
RSVP below. You also have the option to give a donation for Malissa Rodenburg’s coffee fund!
About the event:
Kick off Printer’s Row Lit Fest weekend with Read & Run Tours and journalist Malissa Rodenburg during this special evening celebrating writers and books.
Join us on Wednesday, September 9 at 6:00 PM at the American Writers Museum (180 N Michigan) for a casual three-mile run (12:00 minute per mile pace) with author Martha Engber through the Chicago streets that inspired her books’ settings, followed by the first-ever live taping of the next Writers Who Run column. Learn about Martha’s work and how running and movement fit into her practice.
After the Q&A, we’ll have book sales and signing of Martha’s Chicago-based novels, Winter Light andits sequel, Scattered Light.
Here’s the schedule:
5:45 PM Doors open - drop your stuff and mingle
6:00 PM Event kickoff
6:10 PM Run with author Martha Engber
7:00 PM Writers Who Run interview
Author Martha Engber.
Not running? Join us for the live Writers Who Run interview at 7:00 PM only. We’d love to have you!
All registered attendees will receive further details via email prior to the event.
Meet your hosts
About Malissa Rodenburg: Malissa Rodenburg (she/her) is an independent science journalist, poet, and writer of fiction. She’s made a career of translating science for general audiences in a way that’s informative, fun, and sometimes even artsy. Her work has been published in national and regional publications such as Health, Science, Outside, Well + Good, among others. From 2019 to 2022 she served as an editor for Women’s Running Magazine before leaping off into the world of freelancing. And in 2024 she launched the Writers Who Run column in collaboration with Read & Run Tours. In that time, she’s had the privilege of interviewing poets, novelists, and non-fiction authors about their writing and running pursuits. Additionally, she’s had her own poetry published in numerous literary magazines including Aphor, Hog River Press, and Steam Ticket. Learn more on her website.
About Read & Run Tours: Read & Run Tours is home of the book-themed guided run where the story takes place, turning literature into immersive, moving experiences. Founded by Allison Yates in Chicago in 2021, Read & Run Tours manages the community organization Read & Run Chicago, as well as a program of independently organized, Read & Run Tours-style events across the U.S. called Read & Run on the Road.
About Martha Engber: Martha Engber (she/her) is the author of the historical novel, THE FALCON, THE WOLF AND THE HUMMINGBIRD, published by Histria Books. Her memoir BLISS ROAD, has a 4.5-star Goodreads and Amazon rating and was awarded a 5-star Readers' Favorite rating. Her YA novel, WINTER LIGHT, was awarded the 2021 IPPY Gold Medal Winner in Young Adult Fiction. The sequel, SCATTERED LIGHT, will be published Nov. 25, 2025. Her other books include THE WIND THIEF, a literary novel, and GROWING GREAT CHARACTERS FROM THE GROUND UP. A screenwriter, Martha and her two writing partners also recently sold a sci-fi thriller TV series, THE RECORD SHOP, to a studio. A speaker and workshop facilitator, she's had a play produced in Hollywood and fiction, poetry and essays published in Watchword, the Berkeley Fiction Review, Iconoclast and other literary magazines. She received her Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri — Columbia and worked as a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and other national publications. An activist, Martha is also a member of Braver Angels and hosts the blog VIGILANT POSITIVITY, which seeks to depolarize America by uniting citizens through civil discussion and active problem solving. She lives in California with her husband, where, when not writing, she bikes, hikes and surfs.