I read an enlightening, if somewhat saddening, piece in the New York Times over the weekend. Times staff reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones pointed out that for all the hubbub about Kamala Harris busting Joe Biden for opposing busing, there has been no discussion about what it really was—or that, it actually worked. She writes: That we […]

Some Sunday reading brought me back to last week’s topic of immigration. This Sun-Times piece, about White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito being outspoken about his opinions, illustrated how his personal experience shaped his views on immigration, legal and illegal. Giolito grew up in affluence—his mother a successful actress and his father an executive at a […]

Every once in a while a writer in my memoir classes will suggest a writing prompt for me to consider. I like that — their ideas clue me in on what they’re especially interested in writing. Only problem? Too often their prompts are too specific. A prompt one of my writers suggested during our recent […]

Chicago friends who read Mondays with Mike this week have been asking what I thought of the inauguration ceremony for our new mayor. Monday was the very first time I have ever attended an inauguration ceremony of any kind, and if they’re all like that one, I’m going again! I hadn’t even thought of attending […]

Two weeks ago I posted about the burgeoning phenomenon of people walking—forward and backward—while glued to their cell phones. Kind of the pedestrian equivalent of texting and driving, and by my lights, nearly as  abhorrent. I trimmed the post and sent it to the Chicago Tribune, which published it in the Voice of the People […]