A Lucky Gold Miner: Alex Kotlowitz Stakes His Claim

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

by Miles Harvey What Alex Kotlowitz remembers about his first apartment in Chicago is lugging dozens of cinderblocks up three flights of stairs to build makeshift bookshelves for his growing library. He remembers the downstairs neighbor who ran an informal bike-repair shop out of his first-floor…

Spoon River House Festival Gets Inside Edgar Lee Masters’ Old Home

Monday, September 16, 2024

by Michael Antman “Where are Elmer, Herman, Bert, Tom and Charley, The weak of will, the strong of arm, the clown, the boozer, the fighter? All, all are sleeping on the hill. “One passed in a fever, One was burned in a mine, One was killed in a brawl, One died in a jail, One…

One-Man Royko Show at Chopin Theatre

Monday, September 9, 2024

By Robert Chiarito Mike Royko: The Toughest Man in Chicago, writer and actor Mitchell Bisschop’s nostalgic love letter to Mike Royko, opened this weekend and provided a feast for those who grew up reading and loving the legendary columnist. For others who are not familiar with Royko, it may…

“There is nothing that can’t become a poem”: The Work of Patricia Smith

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

by Barbara Egel I couldn’t stop writing. I wrote myself angled and tress-topped …

Don De Grazia (January 3, 1968-June 13, 2024)

Friday, June 21, 2024

by Donald G. Evans Chicago means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. It’s personal, how you think about it. We mentally form a composite sketch that includes iconic buildings, beloved restaurants and bars, L stops, historical events, places where we grew up or grew old,…

Tangible Books Comes to Bridgeport

Sunday, June 2, 2024

by Dmitry Samarov In 2021 I wrote about a bookstore coming to Bridgeport; in 2024, I personally move a majority of its 60,000 titles next door to a new location. It’s been a voyage of discovery, as ad-copy might put it. Artwork by Dmitry Samarov. I stop by the window and watch the…

1st place, Prose in the Randall Albers Young Writers Award: “Harboring” by Hazel Brown

Thursday, May 9, 2024

Harboring I remember it was a Sunday when I discovered I was pregnant because Franz went off to church and I stayed home. Franz was never gone. All except for Sundays of course. He’d set off in the mornings, then extend his leave into the late afternoon when he’d luncheon with the other…

1st place, Poetry in the Randall Albers Young Writers Award: “The Herring Net - Winslow Homer” by Liam Benham

Thursday, May 9, 2024

The Herring Net - Winslow Homer my spine ached parallel to the sea surface, clashing to the sides of the sailwood, Welch’s fingers in between the fish-filled net, in exhaustion as dusk rose my hands slippery hanging off the rim tilting the boat slightly left, With rain tingling on my hat, the…

2nd place, Prose in the Randall Albers Young Writers Award: “Inviolable” by Charlotte Hensley

Thursday, May 9, 2024

Inviolable I brought out a silver platter loaded with poached eggs, toast, glistening cherries, and sugar-coated pastries—much more than she was ever able to eat. Still, I made it for her, as always, with precision and care. We were alone here, the two of us, except for the endless cycle of…