Hey all y’all!

Winter is stupidly and grumpily trudging our way, but Cafe Ballou’s events will keep you warm/entertained.

Literally, though: the more people who show up, the warmer it gets in there.

(THIS FRIDAY!) Fri, 11/20 - Cafe Cabaret - 7pm, $10 suggested donation - A monthly slew of characters, jokes, monologues, songs, and probably tap-dancing routines… FOR THE WIN.

Tue, 11/24 - Two With Water reading series & open mic - 7pm, free - TWW is in hot pursuit of the release of its first issue (first week of December!), so now’s the time to check it out! (And get ready for their release party on the 8th down the street at the Empty Bottle). http://www.twowithwater.com

Fri 12/4 - Chicago Poetry Love-in - 7pm, free - Join http://www.chicagopoetry.com curator/poet CJ Laity and the crew from the new issue of Cram - Cram 7: The Poetry of Celebration. Check out the site, come to the show, feel the love.

Sun 12/6 - Caffeine and Rhyme Schemes open mic - 7pm, free - We don’t stop because we can’t stop.

Thu 12/10 - Turmeric + Others TBA - 7pm, donations encouraged -  Turmeric blew our minds a few months ago with their guitar/cello combination that features a surprising number of metal-style breakdowns, time-signature shifts and skewed melodies. Seriously amazing music! http://www.myspace.com/turmericsound … Oh, and while the backup acts are TBA, they’re guaranteed to be amazing.

Fri 12/11 - Alliance for Lupus Research beneft show with John Darragh & others - 7pm, donations go to ALR - John Darragh and another slew of talented folks will come in and do something good with our time & space! Check out John at http://www.myspace.com/johndarragh

Other things include a battle of the sexes poetry slam, songs about Pikachu, a night of covers, and holiday spice drinks that are totally worth the cheese factor because they are so delicious.

Remember: our free events stay free when you buy stuff, so hook yourself up with some tea or a snack while you’re in.

Keep up-to-date by following us on Twitter (twitter.com/cafeballou) or Tumblr (cafeballou.tumblr.com).

Check those out, y’all! And have a good thanksday!