Hopefully you’ve been following our recent comics journalism pieces on art and artists created by Reader contributor and former Chicagoan Coco Picard (her latest, an interview with artist and professor Nick Cave, was in our August 18 issue). If you’re intrigued by Picard’s comics style, check out her debut novel The Healing Circle, a magical tale including a terminal diagnosis, motherhood, Munich, and an aloe plant called Madame Blavatsky. The book was released this month by California’s Red Hen Press, and Picard is back in town tonight to celebrate at the Comfort Station (2579 N. Milwaukee). The event includes a discussion led by writer Suzanne Scanlon with Picard, writer and violinist Tricia Park, and artist Anna Martine Whitehead, as well as a performance from musician and artist Todd Mattei and a “plant performance” from artist Dao Nguyen. The event runs from 6-9 PM, and it’s free to attend. (SCJ)