Chicago Literary Hall of Fame Board of Directors

Donald G. Evans (soft “e” in Evans)

Founding Executive Director

Donald G. Evans (he/him) founded the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame in 2010 as a project of the Chicago Writers Association, where he had been a board member. The CLHOF branched out and became its own nonprofit organization in 2013. As executive director of CLHOF, he conceives and enacts the diverse endeavors of the organization—providing educational programming, mounting literary exhibits and events, collaborating with other literary and arts groups, and most notably, leading the planning and production of CLHOF’s annual induction and Fuller Award ceremonies.

Don serves on the American Writers Museum’s programming committee and the Near South Planning Board's committee to select ts annual Harold Washington Literary Award winner. He recently served on the City of Chicago's committee to select our first Poet Laureate. Don cultivates CLHOF’s many partners through his active membership in an array of organizations, including Chicago Writers Association, Society of Midland Authors, Cliff Dwellers, Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature, and Associated Writers Programs. Don is the author of the novel Good Money After Bad and the short story collection An Off-White Christmas, as well as editor of Cubbie Blues: 100 Years of Waiting Till Next Year and Wherever I'm At: An Anthology of Chicago Poetry. He was named to the Newcity Lit 50: Who Really Books in Chicago Hall of Fame.

Jane Hseu (Hseu is pronounced “shoe” like a tennis shoe)

President

Jane Hseu (she/her/hers) is a writer, teacher, scholar, and organizer. She is Professor of English at Dominican University, where she teaches and does research about racial minority US literatures and also creative writing. Jane has published academic essays on Asian American and Latine literature, and personal essays on funky Chinese American names, growing up in her mother’s Shiseido cosmetics store, and mental health and creativity. She is currently shopping around a full-length memoir manuscript about a family history of mental illness affected by immigration, race, and evangelical Christianity. Jane is the middle daughter of three sisters, so a lifelong mediator and connector, who helps build literary community by being a core organizer for Banyan: Asian American Writers Collective and facilitating and organizing readings by her brilliant writer friends, established writers, and newer writers who seek to dialogue with listeners and readers. She believes that our strength is our diversity and commUNITY.

Ugochi Nwaogwugwu (Oo-gō-chē  Wa-ō-gwoo-gwoo)

Secretary

Ugochi Nwaogwugwu (she/her/hers) is a multidisciplinary creative. An internationally renowned poet, singer, writer, poetry instructor and founder of Spirit Speaks, Inc., Ugochi has executive produced, written and co-arranged three album projects; African Buttafly, A.S.E. (Afro Soul Effect) and Love Shot. Chicago Music Awards named Ugochi and her band African Soul Ensemble (A.S.E.) “Best African Entertainer in 2005, 2022 & 2023.” Her poems have been published in Storm Between Two Fingers and Too Young, Too Loud, Too Different, both international anthologies released in the UK; Golden Shovel Anthology, honoring Gwendolyn Brooks, The Eternal Year of African People, and Wherever I’m At, released nationwide. Ugochi is a beloved member of her poetry community in Chicago and a member of Malika’s Poetry Kitchen in London, England. Ugochi has created an original pan African poetry form called, “Ike,” (pronounced EE-kay) #Ikepoem, paying homage to her Igbo heritage of Nigeria and fostering Black/African appreciation worldwide. She has written newsworthy blogs and essays for publication including, Not My President, published by Third World Press in 2017. She released her first book of poetry & prose entitled Seasons of Separation, (S.O.S.) An Igbo Family Tale, in 2023. In addition, Ugochi is a playwright, activist, Treasurer of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and Recording Academy Chicago Chapter Secretary.

Cristian D. Stoicescu (Stow-Che-Coo)

Treasurer

Cristian D. Stoicescu is originally from Romania. He loved reading as a child, but once he changed countries and his language, he fell for the charms of television. Now as an adult, Dragos is a financial advisor; as such he likes to help people at a professional and personal level. Now grateful to be in a position to help causes dear to him, Dragos volunteered at the most recent Printers Row Lit Fest. His interactions with the literary community rekindled his love for books and desire to learn more about the literary process.

Arthur Ade Amaker (Ah Day)

Arthur Ade Amaker (he/him) is an English Professor at Chicago City Colleges and an African-American Studies teacher at Southland College Preparatory Charter High School. He has been a teacher and "literary activist" promoting literacy for Chicago youth and adults for over 27 years. He is a published poet and  his work has appeared in In Defense of Mumia and Roll Call: A Generational Anthology of Social and Political Black Literature and Art. He is the founding editor or Oyster Knife Publishing and has edited What It is: Poems and Opinions of Oscar Brown Jr. and Sons of Lovers: An anthology of Love Poems by Black Men. His most recently published works are an essay in Third World Press' recent release: Not Our President, an anthology of political essays about life and politics in the age of Donald Trump and a poem in American Gun: A Poem by 100 Chicagoans. He is an educational consutltant who can be reached at Amaker Consulting on Facebook. 

Heidi Bloom (HI-Dee Bloom; like the flowers)

Heidi Bloom (she/her/hers) has twenty-five years of not-for-profit experience with a variety of organizations in Chicago and Washington, DC, as well as eight years of corporate experience with Wolverine World Wide in Rockford, Michigan and London, UK. Prior to joining National Louis University in 2022 as Director of Foundation Relations, she held similar positions managing foundation relations and donor communications for Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center and The Cradle adoption agency in Evanston. Early in her career, she served in development roles with organizations including The Three Arts Club of Chicago, Field Museum of Natural History, and Northwestern University. Heidi earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and French from Williams College, Phi Beta Kappa, participated in the Hamilton College Junior Year in Paris program, and completed graduate coursework in Literature at Northwestern University.

In her non-working life, Heidi has completed three marathons (including one in Alaska), traveled to every continent except Australia and Antarctica, and read a lot of fiction (her preferred literary genre). Her volunteer experience includes serving on the Evanston Arts Council for six years, two years as co-chair.   

Terry Cottrell (Tear-ree Cot-trell)

Terry Cottrell (he/him) is Vice President for Information Technology and Planning at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois. In addition to 25 years of practitioner expertise in various levels of IT management and academic governance, his career includes 15+ years of teaching work, numerous publications, and presentations about cybersecurity, research trends, budgeting, the effects of media on cognition, hands-free AR tools, copyright, library management, diversity in the workplace, and IT leadership. He has served on numerous non-profit boards and provided angel investments to four successful startups. He has designed and taught a variety of courses at Colorado State University-Global Campus, the University of St. Francis, Northern Illinois University, Northwestern University, and serves as an associate in the School of Professional Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York. Terry spends as much time outside and with family as he can, travels, writes, and is never far from very good coffee.

Carlos Cumpián (Car-los Cumpi’an; Cou-pae-on)

Carlos Cumpián (he/him/el) is a poet, editor and teacher. His latest book Human Cicada (Prickly Pear Publishing) marks his fifth poetry collection: Coyote Sun (March Abrazo Press), Latino Rainbow (Children’s Press/Scholastic Books) Armadillo Charm (Tia Chucha Press), and 14 Abriles: Poems. In 2000, he was recognized with a Gwendolyn Brooks Significant Illinois Poet Award. He is a member of Texas-based Macondo literary organization, and a new board member of The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame. Cumpián is the co-founder of March/Abrazo Press, the first Chicana, Indigenous and Latino/a/x small press in Illinois which was established in 1982. His ancestry as a Chicano is Spanish and Coahuiltecan Carrizo Comecrudo Esto’k Gna Somi Se’k. Cumpián has been included in more than thirty poetry anthologies, including the Norton Anthology Telling Stories. Before becoming a teacher, he worked with various social service organizations such as ASPIRA and public relations for the Chicago Public Library. Cumpián has taught creative writing and poetry through community arts organizations including the National Museum of Mexican Art, Urban Gateways and as a writer-in residence funded by the Illinois Arts Council. Cumpián taught in the English Department of Columbia College Chicago and for the Chicago Public School and Charter school system.

Richard Guzman (accent on last syllable: guz-MAN)

Dr. Richard R. Guzman (he/him/his) is professor emeritus at North Central College where he taught writing, literature, race/ethnicity, and social change, and led in establishing programs that shaped virtually every aspect of college life. He twice won awards for outstanding teaching and leadership. He has published music, poetry and essays. His first book, Voices and Freedoms: A History of Jazz, was made into a nationally syndicated radio series, while a more recent one, Black Writing from Chicago, was hailed as a "work of great importance and a sheer delight." He has volunteered in homeless shelters for decades, currently leading his church's homeless program, and led in bringing a diversity plan to one of Illinois' most prominent school districts, a project for which he was honored by the state. He is consultant on racial justice and equity initiatives for the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church and headed the committee that produced the Becoming the Beloved Community anti-racism workshop. He is active in his family's foundation Emmanuel House. Founded by his eldest son Rick and his wife Desiree in memory of Dr. Guzman's youngest son Bryan Emmanuel, it was named one of the Top 100 Most Innovative social change organizations in the world in 2016. Now The Neighbor Project, it leads families, many of which are families of color, towards financial stability and onto the path of home ownership. Lack of equitable home ownership opportunities is the single greatest factor in our country's immense racial wealth gap. He has been involved with the CLHOF nearly from its beginning, being on the first panel of nominators and giving several of the Hall's induction speeches.

Vincent Francone

Vincent Francone (he/him) is the author of Like a Dog, The Soft Lunacy, and A Book No One Wants. He edited Open Heart Chicago: an Anthology of Chicago Writing and is Editor-in-Chief of Jabber Literary. His stray poems, essays, and stories have popped up online and in print thanks to various journals (New City, Southword, Three Percent, Akashic Books, to name a few). Visit his website to buy a book, read his blog, or say hi.

Dipika Mukherjee (Dhee-Pee-Kah Moo-Kher-Jee)

Dipika Mukherjee (she/her) is a sociolinguist and the author of eight books, most recently the collection of travel essays, Writers' Postcards. She is the author of the novels Shambala Junction and Ode to Broken Things, and the story collection, Rules of Desire. Her award-winning fiction and poetry is translated into nine languages and she received an Esteemed Artist Award from the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. She has been mentoring Southeast Asian writing for over two decades; in 2015, she founded the Dutt Award for Literary Excellence and she has edited five anthologies of Malaysian stories. She holds a PhD in English and has held faculty positions at universities in the US, China, Netherlands, Singapore, India, and Malaysia. She teaches at the Graham School at University of Chicago, serves as the Literary Life Ambassador for the Chicago Poetry Center, and is a new board member of The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame.

Kenyatta Rogers (Ken-ya-ta)

Kenyatta Rogers (he/him) is a Cave Canem Fellow and has been awarded scholarships from the Breadloaf Writers’ Conference. His work has been previously published or is forthcoming in The Academy of American Poets, Poetry Magazine, Jubilat, Vinyl, Bat City Review, The Volta, PANK, MAKE Magazine among others. A Pushcart and Best of the Net nominee, he is a co-host of the Sunday Reading Series with Simone Muench and is the Creative Writing Department Head at The Chicago High School for the Arts.