Review: Maggie Andersen Writes a Highly Readable Memoir in No Stars in Jefferson Park
When I open a book to review it, I view it as an assignment. Read it as thoroughly as practical, and perhaps skim over some sections. But by the time […]
Dialogs: Apers vs. Woo: Giano Cromley’s American Mythology Event at the Seminary Co-Op
While author Giano Cromley currently lives on the Southside of Chicago and teaches as an English professor at Kennedy-King College, he was born in Montana and is a certified wildlife […]
Review: In the Carnival of Love: Monsters, Clowns, and the Holy Fool, by Satori
Review by Tori Rego. Since making their publishing debut in 2024, local independent arts magazine and press, Raging Opossum, has sought to distinguish itself through gathering emerging voices that share […]
Dialogs: Just an Emotion—Horror Writing and Religion at the American Writers Museum
The American Writers Museum (AWM)’s exhibit American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture will look “through the pages of American history to explore the influence of religion and spirituality on writers […]
Review: Just Imagine: Leaf Town Forever, by Kathleen Rooney and Beth Rooney, Illustrated by Betsy Bowen
The 8-year-old inside me perked up early in my reading of Leaf Town Forever when two friends are hired by Lucinda at the Treasure Shop to search for treasures, such […]
Review: Imposing the Human Mark on the Landscape, Earth Shapers, by Maxim Samson
Early on in Earth Shapers: How We Mapped and Mastered the World, From the Panama Canal to the Baltic Way, Maxim Samson writes, “Every landscape tells a story—the challenge is […]
Dialogs: Young Readers and Lawn Lobsters—Kate McKinnon Discusses Secrets of the Purple Pearl at CHF
My afternoon at Illinois Tech’s Hermann Hall started off with a hearty welcome by speaker Kate McKinnon to young readers. She was sure to bring them into the realms of […]
The Art of Survival: Chicago Creatives Fight Fascism and De-Funding
This is the fourth and final article in our series, The Art of Survival. See links and info about the series at the end of this article. Sexpert Dan Savage […]
Interview: Patrick T. Reardon and the Poetry of Every Marred Thing
Writer Patrick T. Reardon has applied his chops to everything from journalism to regular book reviews for TCR. But his latest work returns to one of his favorite literary forms—poetry. […]
Commentary: Accompanying the Misunderstood, Vulnerable and Maligned, Pioneers of Latino Ministry, by Deborah E. Kanter
As a 13-year-old, I left my family’s home on Chicago’s West Side to study for the Roman Catholic priesthood at a high school seminary about 50 miles away in Momence, […]
Banned Books Week: Writers Recall the “Forbidden” Books of Their Youth
It’s Banned Books Week, and while it’s not a week to celebrate, per se, it’s one to faithfully observe. Those who would ban books offer different reasons for their desire […]
Words of Survival: Chicago Bookstores Respond to COVID and Book Bans
This is the third in our series of articles on The Art of Survival, in which we explore how small Chicago arts organizations are surviving post-COVID and weathering the anti-humanist and anti-diversity […]