Gumbo Life: Tales from the Roux Bayou, Rich in History and Flavor
By Clay Purdy Chicagoan Ken Wells has invented an alternate form of autobiography: a memoir with recipes. Gumbo Life: Tales from the Roux Bayou is 250 pages of nothing but […]
Review: Author, Auteur John Waters and the Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder
Iconoclastic film- and filth-maker John Waters told interviewer Michael Phillips that the first time he came to Chicago was with a “drive-away” car. He couldn’t believe a stranger trusted him […]
Arte Agoraphile—An Interview with Arte Agora Author Daniel X. O’Neil
Daniel X. O’Neil sees art everywhere, but not in that Bob Ross on ’shrooms sort of way. Mr. O’Neil is a connoisseur and curator of what he calls Arte Agora, […]
Donate Books; Spark Joy (In Others)
A few months back, there was a gross misunderstanding on the Internet. No, really. Noted tiny organizer lady Marie Kondo, filled with an unquenchable thirst for bibliocide, commanded everyone to […]
Interview: Beyond Kaploom: Author T.J. Martinson on Chicago, Super Heroics, and More
T.J. Martinson’s debut novel, The Reign of the Kingfisher (Flatiron Books) came out March 5. Born in Kankakee, IL, and a current Bloomington, IN resident, he is currently pursuing a […]
Book Review:“The Beauty of Inclusion,” Chicago Treasure by Larry Broutman, Rich Green, and John Rabias
Chicago Treasure by Larry Broutman, Rich Green, and John Rabias Lake Claremont Press Is Chicago a fairy-tale city? Wait a minute. I’ve asked that before. But it’s a question worth […]
Interview: The Juicy Details and Dirty Secrets of Science Fiction’s Youth
Hugo-Finalist Alec Nevala-Lee shares a behind-the-books perspective on SFF’s foundational authors Conducted by Terry Galvan Alec Nevala-Lee is a Hugo Award finalist for the group biography Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac […]
Review: The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt by Ken Krimstein
The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt: A Tyranny of Truth By Ken Krimstein Bloomsbury Publishing Am I intelligent enough to critique the life’s work of philosopher and political theorist Hannah […]
Book Review—Go Down, Moser: Way Down in Chicagoland
Chicago: From Vision to Metropolis By Whet Moser Reaktion Books Ltd. Does full-disclosure apply to Twitter acquaintances? If so, I know Whet Moser from the internet. I don’t follow many […]
All You Need Is Lovecraft—Bucket O’ Blood’s 3rd Annual Lovecraft Death Day Soirée
Plenty of writers have mastered their craft, but few have fostered a genre. Howard Phillips Lovecraft—purveyor of pulp fictional cosmic terror—did both. Dying at age 46 on March 15, 1937, […]
VGA Limned the Video Star—Interview with Tiffany Funk of the Video Game Art Reader
What’s the status of art in state of the art video games? Do pixelated citizens have a sense of aesthetics? Will we find a Van Gogh or Basquiat skin among […]
All the Dery Details—Born to Be Posthumous: The Eccentric Life and Mysterious Genius of Edward Gorey—Book Review
Born to Be Posthumous: The Eccentric Life and Mysterious Genius of Edward Gorey by Mark Dery Little, Brown and Company If cartoonist Edward Gorey didn’t exist, we would have had […]