Author: Lori Rader-Day Publication Date: January 6, 2026 Publisher: Minotaur Books   by Donald G. Evans There are many variations of “country music,” just as there are many different kinds of “Chicago.” We learn this from Dahlia “Doll” Devine, a 26-year-old…

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by Donald G. Evans Though Winesburg, Ohio is not a Chicago book, Sherwood Anderson was, to a large extent, a Chicago author. Anderson first came to Chicago around 1896, after his mother’s death; he stayed with his artist brother, Karl, and worked as an advertising copywriter until he left the…

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by Reese Plagenz There is a dedication in documentation that comes not with rigor, but with care and attention. As a native of Connecticut, there was no specific relation that brought Jesse Raber to Chicago, but as with most people that spend time here, it drew him in, asking him to unravel its…

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by Donald G. Evans There was a time, long past, when my son, Dusty, considered himself an artist. He also, in prior incarnations, considered himself a detective, and inquired about what it would take to become a TV star. Nevertheless. Art, for a fleeting time, meant something to Dusty. He scribbled…

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by Kayleigh McNamara While this brutal winter drags on (and on and on) into February, fear not, the Chicago literary scene is just heating up for the year. Whether you are willing to venture into the tundra, or prefer to hibernate within your own home and keep up via Zoom, there are ample…

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by billy lombardo Full disclosure: I’ve had a few narrow escapes in my life, and Marc Smith is one of them. I went to the dress rehearsal of his one-man show on January 21. The start of the first act of Marc Kelly Smith’s one-man show begins in a set that represents the living room of…

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By Kayleigh McNamara Photos by Don Seeley There are moments we return to, both in literature and in life. Sometimes pivotal, sometimes mundane, but for whatever reason they stick with us. I can crack open a new novel and smell my third-grade bookfair, or hear Prince’s “Purple Rain”…

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by Donald G. Evans (with Michael Antman and Susan Dennison) Best Of lists are built on the false premise that the author has exhaustively consumed all the possibilities and judged the entire field on its merits. Nobody has read all the books (or seen all the movies, or tasted every pizza, or hiked…

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By Jasminum McMullen Writuals explores how our city's rich literary heritage, cultural diversity, and iconic spaces inspire routines that fuel the work of local authors.     Jā. R. Macki is the author of Linus Baby (Pie Face Child Press, 2023). Her essay "He & I" was nominated…

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