First •chance operations• Book Swap on Monday, July 25, at Duff's

"Spreading the Disease" by By Paul Friswold, Riverfront Times

William S. Burroughs postulated that speech was a virus -- the original communicable disease, if you will. And it's true that words spread seemingly of their own accord; how else to explain the proliferation of slang? But words can spread via means other than speech; Books are one of the great word-delivery vectors. Monday, July 25, at Duff's (392 North Euclid Avenue), Chance Operations presents its first-ever book swap and reading, providing a double-dip of the dreaded disease. Simply show up at 7:30 p.m. and bring a gently-used book, then swap it for one someone else brings. Try to keep this exchange on a one-for-one basis, please; there's no need to OD on words, because Erin Goss, Christy Calahan and Sam Davis will read from their respective works starting at 8 p.m., and an open mic follows. Admission to the reading and book swap is $3.