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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Review: Crumbs from the Master’s Table, Crumb: A Cartoonist’s Life, by Dan Nadel
Cartoonist Robert Crumb is, inarguably, a master of his craft. For 60 years he’s created a distinctive style and memorable characters, while inspiring generations of artists. He’s also a polarizing […]
Review: The Fabric Closest to Our Skin, The Virtues of Underwear, by Nina Edwards
In Jane Russell’s first movie role in 1943, her bra was the star, even though it barely seemed to be there. The publicity posters for The Outlaw, directed by Howard […]
Review: Dissenters on a Sacred Mission, Making No Compromise, by Holly A. Baggett
Early in Making No Compromise, Holly A. Baggett asks how it was that two young Midwestern women from the late 19th-century American Midwest—uncloseted lesbians and lovers, at that—became the international […]
Review: Seeing Older Adults through a Literary Lens, Winter Dreams, by Barbara H. Rosenwein
Barbara H. Rosenwein’s Winter Dreams: A Historical Guide to Old Age is a deep dive into the feelings humanity has held towards older adults over the last two millennia—as seen through […]
The Journey Isn’t About the Destination for Lindsay Welbers’ Chicago Transit Hikes
I own a car (don’t tell anyone). I live a very car-free life and promote a car-free existence to the point that my children at the age of two were […]
Review: Fear Like a River, The Perils of Girlhood, by Melissa Fraterrigo
Growing up and living female in America is a perilous endeavor. There is the gropey swimming coach, the miscarriages, the catcalls as you ride your bike, the malicious male colleague, […]
Chicago Lit/Arts Zine The Ground Is Uneven Seeks Contributors
When it came time to choose between literature and the law, Adam Kaz went with the written word. Now the writer, editor, and critic (and regular contributor to Third Coast […]