By Donald G. Evans

In the course of his tireless advocacy of literature and writers—a frenzied, decades-long career in which he has taught young writers, published great books, run literary festivals, and so much more—Jotham Burrello stole some hours to create his own novel. For the past ten years, as Jotham kept all his appointments, accepted still more projects, became a flower farmer, raised three…

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By Donald G. Evans

Dusty did not want to do it, I could tell. He is 16 and until this past spring his days were packed—academic work, rigorous soccer training and games (often playing on two teams simultaneously), the ping pong club, babysitting gigs, outings with friends. Sunup until sundown activity. But the health crisis shut down everything for Dusty as it did for all…

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By Donald G. Evans

Volumes Bookcafe hosts award-winning writer, rapper, educator, and editor Nate Marshall this Thursday, Aug. 27, in celebration of his new poetry collection, Finna. Nate will be joined by his friend and fellow poet, José Olivarez.

This night of poetry and discussion will be on Zoom and FB live. Details are on the Volumes website. Copies of…

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By Donald G. Evans

Al DeGenova writes poetry in a shed he built himself (“every nail and screw”), out back of his second home in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, where he has long been associated with the Clearing Folk School. Al fell in love with Door County even earlier than that first workshop with Norbert Blei nearly a quarter century ago—he and his family…

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By Donald G. Evans

The Summer 2020 Chicago Fit/Lit Challenge

July 13–Aug. 17, 2020

Middle Schoolers and High Schoolers (maybe adults, too—if you are interested, contact me)

Through Zoom and Discord. Site visits are self-guided. (Make it a family outing).

$75; Register Now!; scholarships available, just ask.

Whenever I find myself in a strange place, or even a…

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By Randall Albers

Recent events have rendered our nation’s history of racism highly visible—once again. Of course, for those families losing loved ones in Chicago and elsewhere, and for those who daily walk the streets fearing violence, the pain of racism is and always has been a persistent and highly charged reality. Our nation’s pandemic of racism is deeply entrenched and has been for centuries. The…

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By Donald G. Evans

Joe Meno quietly, relentless produces literature of dazzling variety and ferocity. Big, important novels. Serial comic strips. Anthologies. Pop culture explorations. Experimental stories. Plays. Even a musical. He often—I’m not kidding, often—gets compared to the likes of William Faulkner and Cormac McCarthy, sometimes he even winds up in the same breath as Toni Morrison. Joe Meno started publishing at a high…

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By Donald G. Evans

When you hear the phrase, “How the sausage is made,” it’s usually in the vicinity of another phrase: “You don’t want to know.” The insinuation is that it’s messy, unsanitary, and the organs that get ground together would appall us.

With books, it’s the opposite: we do, exactly, want to know. Jim Garner is spearheading Inside For Indies, a video…

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By Donald G. Evans

Literary prizes mean something only when they come from a place of absolute integrity. The Pulitzer Prize started to mean something 70 years ago today when Gwendolyn Brooks became the first Black author to capture the prize. This was 1950 and the collection was Annie Allen. It catapulted Brooks into the upper stratospheres of important poets and helped…

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