Apr 082011
 
Simple Gifts in Hard Times

That black plumed Old Coot paddling the North Branch of the Chicago River in the rain is her best friend at work. He swims among and yet separate from the other waterfowl patrolling the river. He’s hard to see. Black feathers merging with the dark waters. Dodging the tour boats. Riding the waves. Looking for […]

Apr 012011
 
Steve Goodman's Cubs

‘Do they still play the blues in Chicago?’ He sings that line. Just that one line. And the musical progression. The sound sums up the place. Algren and James T. Farrell, and Bellow and Royko. They all wrote stories and books that dazzled in the billion different ways they summed up the place. Studs asked […]