Recent Contributions
Studs Terkel Getting New Life Online
by LORI ROTENBERK | May 14, 2010
If someone was an important figure in American culture in the 20th century, chances are he or she was interviewed by Studs Terkel. Conversations with Rosa Parks, Bob Dylan, Martin Luther King Jr. and Louis Armstrong are among the nearly 6,000 hours of interviews conducted by Mr. Terkel, the colorful Chicago author and oral historian,
At Evanston Train Depot, the Play Is the Thing
by LORI ROTENBERK | Apr 23, 2010
It was 9:06 on a weeknight in early April, and the bell of an approaching commuter train clanged loudly. Brakes whining, the train came to a halt and passengers spilled onto the wooden platform of Main Street station in Evanston. Inside the depot, a far different scene unfolded: The late wives of Henry VIII, spending
Trying to Bridge a Gap in Bridgeport Neighborhood
by LORI ROTENBERK | Feb 21, 2010
Times are changing in the South Side enclave of Bridgeport, the longtime power base of the Daley family. Elderly men who gathered to klatch over Dunkin’ Donuts each morning have migrated to the Bridgeport Coffee House. The younger crowd frequents the old neighborhood tavern in the blue-collar area once known as Hardscrabble.
A Small Addition to Backyard Farms
by LORI ROTENBERK | Jan 22, 2010
Residents who have brought a bit of the rural life to Chicago with backyard beehives and chicken coops have lately turned their attention to another barnyard staple: goats. Pygmy goats, valued for their milk and size (around 17 inches tall), are finding their way to homes from the Gold Coast to Cicero, said Peggy Jonas,
Local Theaters Are Pulling Strings
by LORI ROTENBERK | Jan 15, 2010
The humble puppet, often crafted from rags, paper or even wire, is having its moment in Chicago theater. Once relegated to puppet-specific stages, the use of marionettes alongside actors in mainstream productions is “exploding,” said Roell Schmidt, the director of Links Hall performance space. Puppets have been used in the past year to depict children,
Looks Like a Library, but No Best Sellers
by LORI ROTENBERK | Jan 1, 2010
For those who disregard the best-seller lists, there is the Chicago Underground Library, a haven for handmade volumes, prints and almost anything else that cradles the printed word. Nell Taylor, a video artist’s assistant, began archiving material in a box in her apartment in 2006. After collecting nearly 1,500 items, including poems hung from trees