Just got word that Melinda Mitchell, a long-time member of the “Me, Myself & I” memoir-writing class I used to lead at the Chicago Cultural Center, has died. Some of you long time Safe & Sound blog followers might remember Melinda — I wrote about her back in 2014 in a post called Waking Up […]

I already published a post earlier this week letting you know that to help celebrate the return of Printers Row Lit Fest this year Seeing Eye dog Luna and I will be sitting in front of Sandmeyer’s, our favorite local bookstore at 1:00 p.m. today (Saturday) signing books alongside Regan Burke, author of In That […]

I have one fake eye. Eye surgeons did all they could to restore my vision when retinopathy set in 35 years ago. One of my eyes is still intact, but the other one shrunk so much from all the surgeries that I can’t hold that eyelid open. I wear a prosthesis in that eye. Every […]

I’m pretty sure ableism wasn’t even a word when I lost my sight in 1986. Don’t get me wrong here: ableism existed 35 years ago, but back then we just called it discrimination. The 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act is coming on July 26, so now seems a good time to acknowledge […]

I am pleased to introduce Al Hippensteel as our Saturdays with Seniors guest blogger today. Raised on the far south side of Chicago, Al has been a White Sox fan since 1957, he’s been married to his wife Donna since 1972, and says he “has never met a donut he didn’t like.” After years working […]