I have a secret, neither dark nor deep. Never have I ever smoked pot. You kids still call it pot, right? Marijuana is pejorative. Grass, Mary Jane, and reefer seem dated, evoking […]
How Do You Smoke a Weed?—Graphic Novel Review
Certain American States Has Captivating Writing Wrapped In Ennui—Book Review
Certain American States is peculiar. Catherine Lacey’s first short story collection has a similar feel to her last published book, the understated satire The Answers. With a subtle flair for corporate criticism […]
Books-a-Seven-Thousand: Pilsen Community Books to Host First Annual Book Sale, October 5–6
Mary Gibbons, co-owner of Pilsen Community Books says her store had a bevy of books… Nay—a surfeit of books… Strike that—a profound profusion, if not potential plethora of books in storage, doing no […]
Da Sacred and Profane: The Best of Royko: The Tribune Years—Review
I met my good friend, Flats Slobnik—tuck pointer, softball shortstop, and professional Chicago everyman—at our favorite watering hole, Brzbchynski’s Tavern on Pulaski and Lower Wacker Drive. Karol Brzbchynski, a 300-pound ex-steelworker who […]
Third Coast Audio Festival Puts Chicago at the Center of Podcasting for Two Weeks
Long before the podcast, there was Third Coast International Audio Festival. Since 2000, Third Coast has been a leader in audio storytelling, paving the way for this craft back when our ears […]
She Wore Red Shoes by the Newsstand: An Interview with The Gold Pawn Author L.A. Chandlar
New York-based writer L.A. Chandlar is the author of The Silver Gun and the just-published The Gold Pawn, the first two books in her Art Deco Mystery series. I spoke with her by […]
Interview: Jessica Hopper Shares Her Chicago in Night Moves
It’s 2004 through 2008. We’re taken through Chicago through Jessica Hopper’s eyes, to a show, to a nighttime tour of the city by bike, to a warehouse party. We’re given a vantage […]
Review: The Boys of Fairytown: Sodomites, Female Impersonators, Third-Sexers, Pansies, Queers, and Sex Morons in Chicago’s First Century
Do you know: The first gay rights advocacy group in the United States was formed in Chicago in 1924? There was a legally recognized same-sex marriage in Chicago in 1923? That Cab […]
Review: Barrel-Aged Stout and Selling Out Offers Well-Reported Story of Goose Island’s Rise and Sale
Until very recently, I rode the Green Line to work every day. Occasionally, I would notice the billboards at a stop on the West Side were experiencing an advertising blitz, where one […]
Rebecca Makkai’s The Great Believers: Review by Carr Harkrader
When you hear a particularly eerie or scary story as a child, your consciousness is muddled, but your senses are heightened: you hear every creak and you wonder about every shadow on […]
“It’s almost a cruel question”: An Interview with Camille Bordas by Jennifer Solheim
I didn’t know who Camille Bordas was until last summer, when her novel How To Behave in a Crowd was published. I learned she was a Chicago resident, and friends swore to […]
Preview: Watch Sandburg’s “Skyscraper,” Streaming on PBS’ “Poetry in America”
The 12-part PBS series, “Poetry in America,” features one significant work of poetry in each segment. “Skyscraper” by Chicago poet Carl Sandburg was the star of episode 5 and is now streaming […]
