Monday, January 23, 2023
Stuart Dybek and Edward Hirsch were born eight years apart, Dybek on April 10, 1942 and Hirsch on January 20, 1950. Dybek was a South Sider, raised in Little Village and Pilsen; Hirsch a North Sider, his earliest years spent in Irving Park and North Park before his family settled in Skokie. Both would depart Chicago in their adulthood,…
Wednesday, November 23, 2022
Dear Friends,
Don’t let the name of our organization fool you. Although one of the signature initiatives of the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame (CLHOF) is to celebrate the city’s rich literary legacy by inducting past writers into the Hall of Fame, it’s not all we do. We also develop programming, events, and awards to honor Chicago’s living writers and to help foster new and…
Monday, November 7, 2022
by Brian Clancy
Chicago is a city rich with identity, stemming from its long and complicated history and the multitudinous people who have populated it. In Wherever I’m At: An Anthology of Chicago Poetry, various poets from different backgrounds and literary styles ruminate on the Windy City, often mingling their own individual identity with that of Chicago.
Poet Mark Turcotte (author of “Hawk Hour,”…
Thursday, October 13, 2022
Rick and I meet—where else?—in the Billy Goat Tavern. Rick’s choice. And appropriate—not only because for decades it has been a home away from home for newspaper people before they drag off to their real homes after a long day, nerves still buzzing despite the shots and beers. And not only because Rick has frequently been among them—at least until corporate “progress” resulted in closing the…
Thursday, October 13, 2022
by Floyd Sullivan
The publication of the Chicago International Film Festival schedule each fall was one of the most anticipated events of the year for me, kind of like when the Sears Christmas Catalog arrived in the mail when I was a kid. I would pore over each film's listing, black marker in hand, and circle those I wanted to see, much as I would page…
Friday, September 30, 2022
by Dan Burns
I became a writer because of Ray Bradbury.
Over thirty years ago, I first dreamed of becoming a writer. As often happens, life got in the way for so many years.
But on Thursday, May 6, 2004, I was struck by lightning, my brain seared, my heart jolted, and life changed forever.
On that fateful day, I had the opportunity to…
Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Chicago is a city tied with identity, its eight million residents hailing from all different backgrounds, cultures, and countries. Wherever I’m At: An Anthology of Chicago Poetry is the cross-section of that city-wide identity, exposing slices of life from a variety of angles.
I reached out to Marianne Boruch, who contributed her poem Once at Berghoff’s (115) to the anthology. Boruch was born and raised in…
Thursday, August 11, 2022
By Dan Baron
During a career as a journalist who covered major social movements, a teacher, and a nonprofit executive dedicated to telling the story of grassroots groups, Henry W. DeZutter was also a creative soul who wrote a children’s book. Mr. DeZutter passed away in Chicago on July 14. He was 80 years old.
Oh, to hell with it. I can’t do this. Henry…
Tuesday, June 28, 2022
by Vincent Francone
1.
I once told a pro-lifer that if anyone opposes abortion they should adopt a kid or shut up. They said, “Why should I be forced to raise a kid I don’t want.”
2.
Talking to a libertarian friend the other day, he makes a comment regarding the gender
nonconforming and pontificates about the impossibility of their…
Wednesday, June 22, 2022
By Donald G. Evans
From the Logan Center’s 9th floor, you can look out across Hyde Park all the way to the skyline, watch the horizon twinkle and roar and blush. But I wasn’t looking. I stationed myself in the small room outside the penthouse—a kind of vestibule with no windows—to greet guests as they arrived for the launch of Wherever I’m At: An Anthology of…
Chicago Literary Hall of Fame
Email: Don Evans
4043 N. Ravenswood Ave., #222
Chicago, IL 60613
773.414.2603
