🌱 Patch AM: How is Oak Park helping fund South Asian speculative fiction writers?

Hi there, Oak Park! We've got your morning read ready! Read on to stay connected. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

• How is Oak Park helping fund South Asian speculative fiction writers?
• How far has Oak Park’s own Emery Lehman come toward Olympic gold?

Also on today's calendar: Threading Community and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: I am on a seafood diet. 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Sunday: Breezy; morning snow showers, with a high of 35 and low of 29 degrees.
• Monday: Partly sunny and breezy, temps: high: 42, low: 35.
• Tuesday: Breezy with a shower or two, with a high of 47 and low of 30 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• SLF's 2026 A.C. Bose Grant for South Asian Speculative Literature Open for Submissions (file770.com) — Writers in Oak Park and beyond can now apply for the Speculative Literature Foundation’s 2026 A.C. Bose Grant, which supports South Asian and Desi speculative fiction with a $1,500 award. The program is partially funded by the Oak Park Area Arts Council, the Village of Oak Park, and the Oak Park River Forest Community Foundation.
   

• Entering fourth Olympics, Oak Park speedskater Emery Lehman nears finish line (chicagotribune.com) — Oak Park native Emery Lehman has officially secured a spot in his fourth and final Olympics, capping a 20-year journey that began with drives from Oak Park to Milwaukee’s Pettit Center. Now 29, he’s targeting a gold medal in team pursuit at the Milan Cortina Games while preparing to retire from competition and return to the Chicago area for a new chapter off the ice.
   

📸 Around Oak Park

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Oak Park

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

Monday January 12

• Baby Storytime
  River Forest Public Library , 735 Lathrop Avenue , River Forest
  10:00 am
• Threading Community
  The Nineteenth Century Charitable Association , 178 Forest Ave , Oak Park
  1:15 pm
• JV Boys' Basketball Playoffs @ Unity
  Unity Junior High School , 2115 S 54th Ave , Cicero
  4:30 pm
• Oak Park Meditation Group
  Oak Park Public Library , 845 Gunderson Ave. , Oak Park
  6:30 pm

Tuesday January 13

• Tuesday Tales (Ages 0-6)
  River Forest Public Library , 735 Lathrop Avenue , River Forest
  10:00 am

Friday January 16

• Jazz Prayer - Where Jazz Meets Spirit
  Good Shepherd Lutheran Church , 611 Randolph St , Oak Park
  7:10 pm
• Dinner + a Show with Comedian Joe Kilgallon
  Salerno's Pizza & Pasta of Oak Park , 7128 Roosevelt Rd , Oak Park
  8:00 pm
• Dinner + a Show with Comedian Adam Burke
  Salerno's Pizza & Pasta of Oak Park , 7128 Roosevelt Rd , Oak Park
  8:00 pm

Saturday January 17

• Dixon's Violin LIVE!
  Belle's Lounge by Valentine Distilling Co. , 161 Vester Ave , Ferndale
  4:00 pm
• Abstract Mystical Forest Sip and Paint 🎨
  Toast To Paint , 7185 W Bloomingdale Ave , Chicago
  7:00 pm

Sunday January 18

• Create Your 2026 Vision: A heart-centered vision board + visualization workshop
  Unity Oak Park Spiritual & Family Center , 405 N Euclid Ave , Oak Park
  11:00 am
• Rembrandt Chamber Musicians: Philippe Quint plays Chausson
  Chicago Temple Building , 77 W Washington St , Chicago
  3:00 pm

📣 Oak Park Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Oak Park PatchAM possible:

• Art Studio 928 - Oak Park, IL — (312) 371-9526
  From Team Off-Sites to Parties – Host It at Studio 928!
• Doug Lalli - Pianist/Composer/Teacher — (708) 228-7150
  Call 708-228-7150 to arrange for your first FREE lesson!
• Oak Park Conservatory — (708) 725-2400
  Discover Oak Park’s Hidden Gem – A living world of beauty
• Doug Lalli - Jazz Musician, Composer and Teacher — (708) 228-7150
  Call 708-228-7150 to arrange for your first FREE lesson!
• Mindsee.it — (646) 663-8317
  Teach your kids they can achieve the impossible!
• Laurie Christofano, Realtor | RE/MAX In The Village — (630) 248-1976
  Moving doesn’t have to be overwhelming…

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

🪧 Patch Classifieds

• BHHS Chicago’s Kindness Foundation Granted $35,000 to Philanthropic Organizations in 2025
  The Kindness Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Chicago real estate brokerage Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago, made 2025 year-end grants... (More info)

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Domino's Pizza, Inc. posted a job opening for Assistant Manager(02777) - 329 Chicago Ave in Oak Park. Apply here.
• Ulta Beauty, Inc. posted a job opening for Prestige Beauty Advisor in River Forest. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Oak Park here.

🗞 Nearby News

Forest Park

• Mayor Adams Let Drivers Back into Forest Park — and Mayor Mamdani Can Fix It (streetsblog.org)

Cicero

• Evening downpours causes flash flood warning, advisory until 11 p.m. (chicagotribune.com)
• Ludington man survived worst Great Lakes maritime disaster, on the SS Eastland (masoncountypress.com)

Chicago

Ok Oak Park! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I see food and I eat it.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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