“The Mayor of Maxwell Street” Program at the October Market with Avery Cunningham
Author Avery Cunningham came to the Maxwell Street Market on October 5th, 2025 to present a book reading and signing. Her novel, The Mayor of Maxwell Street, tells the story of an ambitious Black debutante who enlists a speakeasy manager to help her identify the head of a crime syndicate in Prohibition era Chicago. Her main characters frequent the neighborhood nightlife and the Sunday Market in the 1920s.
Laura Kamedulski, the President of the Maxwell Street Foundation, interviewed Avery Cunningham about the novel, the setting, the characters, and the author’s inspirations. Cunningham held the crowd by illuminating the complex characters in her book who are fighting for their right to exist in spite of the constraints of their era. Da Book Joint, Your African American Book Source in Chicago, sold The Mayor of Maxwell Street as a vendor that day.
Cunningham is no stranger to Chicago, as she received her Masters degree from DePaul University. Cunningham provided a wonderful program, and we are very grateful to her for sharing her perspectives and the nuances of her work! We’re also grateful to the city of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events for making this program possible.