CHIRP Radio’s “First Blood” at Martyrs’
CHIRP Radio will be presenting its quarterly storytelling event The First Time with its newest incarnation First Blood January 14 at Martyrs’. The event will include a collection of talented […]
Kerosene Stars Stay Lit in New EP “Burn the Evidence”
Even a bitter cold Chicago can’t refuse the soft, tight and warm embrace of the Kerosene Stars’ latest EP Burn the Evidence. Collectively, the four-track list breathes a consistent, silky-smooth […]
An Uncertain Future: Homage to David Bowie
Thoughts on the death of David Bowie (1947-2016), by Chicago author June Skinner Sawyers. An Uncertain Future We weren’t prepared. ‘A horrible shock,’ one friend said. The very weekend that […]
All Them Witches’ Michael Parks Talks Mysticism, The Hero’s Journey, and Why He Bows To The Microphone
I graduated from Vanderbilt University in May. Besides my degree, the best thing I took away from my time in Nashville might be the music of All Them Witches, a psychedelic-blues […]
Sympathy, Said the Shark: POV Thriller Premieres at Facets
Sympathy, Said the Shark, a new POV thriller produced by Chicago native Casey Morris, will premiere in Chicago at Facets Cinematheque in Lincoln Park tonight at 7:30pm. The film, which was written and directed by […]
R.O.W.E. Week 1: A Question of Apology
I’m Brianna Kratz, a Chicago poet and reader. For 2016 I am reading only women authors for my Read Only Women Experiment (R.O.W.E.). For weekly updates on challenges, conversations, and […]
Dorothy Milne on Chicago’s Vibrant Storytelling Scene and the 19th Year of Fillet of Solo
Fillet of Solo is an annual three week, multi-venue festival celebrating Chicago’s storytelling and live lit scene. Originally produced by Live Bait Theatre, the festival now takes place in Rogers […]
The Chicago Review of Terrible Books: OINK on the Farm!
In the last two years, the literary world was stunned by two unexpected—indeed, unasked for—sequels to literary classics. The first, 2015’s “Go Set a Watchman,” set off a firestorm of […]
Chicago’s “SketchFest,” the Largest of Its Kind, Runs Its 15th Festival
Chicago may be mocked as the second city, but one thing the city excels at is comedy — especially sketch and improv-based comedy. In fact, the Chicago Comedy Sketch Fest (“SketchFest”) […]
Q&A With Story Sessions’ Jill Howe and Rachael Smith
Like the Poetry Slam of the ’90s and early aughts, storytelling is having its live lit moment in the sun in recent years. Popularized by shows such as The Moth […]
Chicago’s Music Meccas: Subterranean
Chicago has one of the most vibrant music scenes in the country, and a major reason for that is the plethora of incredible venues strewn across the city. Too often, […]
The Revenant, Anomalisa, The Forest, Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict, Diablo, Drone, The Emperor’s New Clothes, Western & The Mask
THE REVENANT I suppose if you walk into The Revenant thinking director and co-writer Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel, 21 Grams) is pretentious about being an artist and a creative force […]