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. 

Amy Danzer (Aim-ee Dan-zer, like Dancer with a “z”)

President of the Board of Directors

Amy Danzer (she/her/hers) is the Director of Programming for Printers Row Literary Festival, the largest and longest-running free outdoor literary showcase in the Midwest. She serves as President for the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors and is on the selection committee for the Harold Washington Literary Award. She directs the Northwestern University Summer Writers' Conference and has managed several master’s programs at Northwestern University, including the MFA in Prose and Poetry and MA in Writing programs; she has taught literature and writing classes around the city; and has interviewed authors at bookstores and literary festivals, for Los Angeles Review of Books, Newcity and The Rumpus.

Rebecca Borowicz (Boar-o-witz )

Vice President

Rebecca (she/her/hers) completed an MFA in Painting and Drawing at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn in 2011. She has participated in various exhibitions around the U.S., and has held various positions in higher education throughout the past fifteen years. In 2019, she completed a J.D. at DePaul College of Law, and soon after was admitted to the IL State Bar. Rebecca currently practices family law in the western Chicago suburbs. She’s an avid reader, yogi, and artist. She recently completed her first marathon and enjoys spending time with her mini goldendoodle, Maude.

David Stern (Stern, like the back of a boat)

Treasurer

David Stern (he/him) is the co-founder and publisher of Eckhartz Press, and the author of The Balding Handbook. He previously worked more than twenty years in sales and marketing, and ten years as a principal in a Chicago advertising agency. Stern is also one of the officers of Eckhartz Press’ parent company Just One Bad Century, Inc, and proud to call himself a lifelong (“City Boy”) Chicagoan.

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

Secretary

Jane Hseu (she/her/hers) is Professor of English at Dominican University. Her areas of specialization include racial minority US literatures, creative writing–especially creative nonfiction, and public speaking. She has published academic essays, and personal essays on funky Chinese American names, growing up in her mother’s Shiseido cosmetics store, and mental health, literature, and community. She is currently working on a memoir about being an academic who has bipolar disorder. Jane enjoys being in creative community and is a core organizer for Chicago-based Banyan: Asian American Writers Collective. She has told stories many times for Ada Cheng’s storytelling series, NAMI Metro Suburban, and the Gift Theatre. She regularly organizes literary events to bring diverse audiences together at colleges/universities, libraries, and community organizations.

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.

Barbara Egel (Last name is pronounced like Eagle)

Barbara Egel (she/her) is a teacher, writer, editor, and communication consultant. She has degrees in literature from the University of Illinois and Northwestern with concentrations in performance studies, poetics, early modern literature, and modernism. She has published a number of children’s books as well as creative work in various journals including Northeast Corridor, Lavender Review, and Katherine Mansfield Studies. Barbara reviews books for Light, an online journal of light verse, and for Booklist, and she teaches at Harold Washington College and Northwestern University. In her previous career as a qualitative consumer research consultant, Barbara specialized in sensitive topics and worked globally for Fortune 100 clients. Her non-profit affiliations include being named to the Newcity Players 50 for her work with High Concept Labs and a long stretch of volunteer work with Inspiration Corporation as a breakfast server and writing tutor.

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.

Michele Morano (Mish-el Mo-rah-no; long Os, accent on rah)

Michele Morano (she/her/hers) is an essayist, memoirist, and travel writer (Grammar Lessons: Translating a Life in Spain and Like Love). Her work has been honored by the Rona Jaffe Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council, the MacDowell Foundation, and the American Association of University Women, among others. She is a professor of English at DePaul University and a three-year member of the CLHoF Board of Directors.

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

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.