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Happy Stories: Jac Jemc’s “False Bingo”
Jac Jemc's second story collection is another imaginative foray that offers a follow-up to her critically-acclaimed “The Grip of It."
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Irresistible Destruction and Building Understanding: A Review of Nathanaël’s...
Nathanaël’s writing resists simple interpretation. While American literary culture often prizes directedness and transparent soul-baring, the Quebecois writer chooses a different path.
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The Late, the Great, the Front and Side Players: A Review of “Blues Legacy:...
“Blues Legacy: Tradition And Innovation In Chicago” is David Whiteis’ third book on the blues. In it, he weaves the stories of Chicago bluesmen (and women).
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Decay and Death: A Review of Landis Blair’s “The Envious Siblings: And Other...
Landis Blair is to be commended for the ambition in this tribute to a peerless master, Edward Gorey.
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The Power of Noticing: A Review of Spencer Tweedy’s “Observations: Year One”
A reminder that even the most mundane days can be memorable, and sometimes, a moment in a day can reveal a nugget of truth.
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Melancholic Beauty: A Review of Tom Palazzolo’s “Clark Street”
There’s as much Proust as Nelson Algren in Tom Palazzolo’s “Clark Street,” his bittersweet photo book of the Near North Side skid row in the 1960s.
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Lit Top 5: January 2020
This month hear from: E. Patrick Johnson with Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Edwidge Danticat, Kristiana Rae Colón and Patrick Durgin, Emily Jungmin Yoon and Billy Lombardo.
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Hanging By a Thread: Johanny Vazquez Paz Explains “I Offer My Heart As a Target”
Talking with the author about the painful origins of her new award-winning book, ties to homeland, duende and the powerful women who inspired her.
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A Fragile Life: A Review of “Degrees of Difficulty” by Julie E. Justicz
Every family faces challenges, but the Novotny family seems to have more than they can bear.
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With New Eyes: A Review of “Surround Sound: Reflections and Profiles by The...
A quick, entertaining read that brims with personality in each of its individual pieces.
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Lit Top 5: February 2020
This month brings an eclectic mix of poetry, mystery, erotica and comics.
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To Make Something Good: An Interview with Audrey Niffenegger on Artists Book...
It's no surprise that an author has a relationship with books, but Audrey Niffenegger has a deeper one than most.
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Urban Insight: A Review of Gabriel Bump’s “Everywhere You Don’t Belong”
Gabriel Bump's debut novel offers a coming of age story about young Claude McKay Love, a young black boy raised in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood.
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Respect the Game: An Interview with Scoop Jackson About His Book “The Game Is...
ESPN writer and commentator Scoop Jackson's latest book discusses how sports are a crucible for issues of race, gender and wealth.
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Cloud Cover: A Review of Kay Ulanday Barrett’s More Than Organs
Kay Ulanday Barrett got their start as a poet here in Chicago and was deeply involved with Asian spoken word community in the nineties.
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Social Distancing: Virtual Readings for Literary Fans At Home
If you're looking for some literary inspiration during this period of lockdown, here's a compilation of upcoming readings in March and April.
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Ode to An Icon: A Review of John F. Hogan’s The Chicago Water Tower
By skillfully mixing historical facts with local lore, Hogan takes the reader back to shortly after the Civil War when Chicago was the new frontier.
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Creepy Men: A Review of Lori Rader-Day’s The Lucky One
Creepy men populate Lori Rader-Day’s new novel and not just garden-variety creepy men. They come in all shapes and sizes. Something bad is about to happen.
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Open-Hearted: A Review of Sahar Mustafah’s The Beauty of Your Face
This novel is as much about Chicago as the individuals inside the city.
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Get Inside Yourself: A Review of Rachel DeWoskin’s Two Menus
Language—not just barriers, but its inadequacy—hisses its way thematically through Rachel DeWoskin’s poetry collection.
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