2020 was hard for us even before the pandemic. Save for a working vacation that was fulfilling on a professional level and fun because I got to do it with my husband […]
Eight Things I Learned From Cooking My Grandma’s Gołąbki
Essay: Haircuts, Prison, Love and Sheltering in Place
Cathy gave me a haircut today on the back porch. In our 37 years of marriage, that hasn’t happened before, but we’re not leaving the house for haircuts or much anything else, […]
Shelter in Place: Staying Sane and Productive, with Terry Galvan (Part 3)
In 2013-14, I spent nine months in the provincial capital of Latacunga, Ecuador, on a Fulbright grant. Social-cultural norms meant that daily life had a lot in common with today’s “shelter in […]
Shelter in Place: Staying Sane & Productive, with Terry Galvan (Part 2)
A series with contributor Terry Galvan. For FAQs on why I chose this lifestyle, please see part 1. In 2013-14, I spent nine months in the provincial capital of Latacunga, Ecuador on […]
I Voluntarily “Sheltered in Place” for Nine Months. It Went Surprisingly Well. Here Are My Tips
In this series, writer Terry Galvan has volunteered to share their experiences with extended alone time in Ecuador and the things they learned about how to handle isolation. In this installment, they […]
Viewpoint: How Beethoven 250 Made Me Relive Beethoven 9/11
I approached Monday’s Symphony Center concert of Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos, and Yo-Yo Ma performing Beethoven piano trios by with some trepidation. For nearly 20 years those piano trios have held a […]
Trump Delivers ‘Greatest Hits’ Speech to Conference Before Fundraiser, Thousands Protest Throughout the Day
President Donald Trump finally came back to Chicago – a city he loves to hate – on Monday morning for his first official visit since he took the oath of office. The […]
Viewpoint: Fringe FOMO and the Decline of Arts Journalism
I went to Edinburgh this August with the goal of reviewing a small part (namely circus, my professional specialty) of the famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival in a mad rush. Maneuvering through the […]
Viewpoint: Art and Politics Tangle Around the Irish Troubles … in Books, on Stage and Screen
The Irish are known for their devotion to language and their love of talking. In his one-man show, On Beckett, multitalented artist Bill Irwin pays homage to the Irish playwright with whose […]
The Unbearable Whiteness of Hollywood: Thoughts on Asian American Representation in Pop Culture
One of the first times I remember seeing myself represented in an American film was in the early 2000s remake of Charlie’s Angels. Lucy Liu’s character Alex Munday was an iconic character […]
The Printer’s Devil Asks: What’s a Neighborhood? Right now, Lincoln Yards Is Not.
We don’t have to look far for a definition of a neighborhood. Jane Jacobs, the famous architecture writer who faced down Robert Moses’ efforts to demolish part of Greenwich Village to build […]
Reflecting on Stan Lee: A Superhero of Storytelling
Earlier this week, the world lost Stan Lee, aged 95. Hailed for his role as the creator of such characters as Spider-Man, Black Panther, and the Fantastic Four, Lee had by the […]
