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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…

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Mark Turcotte: Looking Carefully

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,…

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Interviewing the Interviewer: Rick Kogan’s Life in Words (Rick Kogan and Randy Albers in Conversation)

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…

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Chicago Film Festival Founder Michael Kutza Pens a Rollicking Memoir

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…

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Ray Bradbury’s Influence on My Writing Career

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…

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An Interview with Marianne Boruch

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…

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Hank DeZutter– July 23, 1941-July 14, 2022

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…

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Irony and its Discontents

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…

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Storm Takes Logan Center by Poetry Anthology

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…

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Reginald Gibbons in Conversation with Alex Kotlowitz

Wednesday, June 1, 2022

This conversation is clarified from the discussion that took place at the Fuller Award ceremony to Reginald Gibbons, which took place September 21, 2021 via Zoom. Alex Kotlowitz:  I wish I was seeing you in person—I miss our Furama days! I loved your talk. Everybody talks about your…

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