Some guy on ESPN the other day was complaining again about men who bring a mitt to Major League Baseball games, and I just don’t get it. Maybe that’s because I still […]
Essay: The Sights and Sounds of Baseball, Fans Optional
Essay: Streaming Theater in the Age of Covid — and Beyond
By guest author W.C. Turck On Sunday, February 21, from 1-3pm CST, Kerri Kendall and Bill Turck will hold a radio roundtable on streaming theater one year into the COVID-19 pandemic. Their show, […]
Essay: The Rise (and Fall) of a Charismatic Leader in a Post-Truth Era
Post-truth is pre-fascism, and Trump has been our post-truth president. Historian Timothy Snyder characterizes our past president and describes his followers vividly in his essay, “The American Abyss: Trump, the Mob and […]
Call It by Its Name: Wednesday Was a Fascist Riot
Wednesday left us in shock. Rioters stormed up the steps, climbed up the walls of the U.S. Capitol, broke windows and battered through doors to get into the building. Then they meandered […]
Interview: Poor Calvin, Back in Action, “Get” Ready for a New Year
Well, they’re back! November marked the one-year anniversary of Optimism Inc. by the soulful, modern indie rock band, Poor Calvin. Last Friday marked their newest single, “Get,” on all platforms and special […]
Socially Distanced Chicago Christmas Gift Guide 2020
2020 is weird, and there’s no sense not acknowledging the differences between this and most other holiday seasons, if even just because it hasn’t really snowed here yet. But different and weird […]
Report: How Virtual Theater Can Expand the Influence of Local Theaters Post-Pandemic
Virtual theater has come in many forms during the last eight pandemic months. Our most recent theater review was actor/clown Bill Irwin’s new version of his bravura performance of On Beckett adapted […]
Fall Museum Guide, Part Two: More on How to Enjoy Chicago’s Museums Safely This Fall
UPDATE: Due to the sharply rising number of COVID-19 cases in Cook County, the city of Chicago is returning to Tier 3 mitigation beginning Friday, November 20th. Details of what Tier 3 […]
Preview: History Museum to Celebrate Halloween With “Lovecraft Chicago: History, Horrors & Afrofutures”
“Lovecraft Chicago: History, Horror & Afrofutures” is the theme of Chicago History Museum’s Halloween celebration on Saturday, October 31. Virtual tours and events will focus on the HBO series, “Lovecraft Country,” set […]
Preview: Be a Good Nerd and Nerd Out for Good at the First Ever Digital Chicago Nerd Comedy Festival
Stage 773’s Chicago Nerd Comedy Festival is a staple in Chicago’s nerd/pop culture scene. In fact I’ve been covering it since its inception in one form or another. It’s always a homebrewed, […]
Fall Museum Guide: What’s Open, How to Stay Safe, and How to Enjoy Chicago’s Museums From Home
UPDATE: Due to the sharply rising number of COVID-19 cases in Cook County, the city of Chicago is returning to Tier 3 mitigation beginning Friday, November 20th. Details of what Tier 3 […]
Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death, A Story of Plague and Dissipation for Our Day
In 1842, Edgar Allan Poe published one of his most famous stories, which turns out to be a parable for 2020. The Masque of the Red Death concerns a prince who gathers […]
