I assured the standing-room-only crowd at our Getting Your Memoir Off the Ground session at Printers Row Lit Fest Sunday morning that their wait for 95-year-old panelist Wanda Bridgeforth would be worth it. “Funny thing was, Wanda Jr. was waiting for me upstairs,” Wanda told me later. “And I was waiting for her downstairs!” My […]

Those of you who have read Writing Out Loud know that essays by the writers in the memoir classes I lead are sprinkled throughout the book. This week you have a couple of opportunities to meet some of those writers in person: Bruce and Anne Hunt (Writing Out Loud readers will know them from Ch. […]

Whitney the Seeing Eye dog and I will be signing copies of my new book Writing Out Loud from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday, June 3, 2017 at The Bookstore, 475 N. Main in Glen Ellyn, one of Chicago’s western suburbs. Reviews on amazon.com of my new book about the colorful cast of […]

You may recall the poignant post Mike wrote last year eulogizing Hackney’s, our favorite local tavern. Their seemingly sudden decision to close last September took regulars like us by surprise, and a well-written article in this week’s New City helps explain the owners’ thinking. From the article: Back in 2008, the owners Jim and Ed Hebson and […]

My last post shared both sad and happy news. My loveable retired Seeing Eye dog Hanni died Wednesday, and the book I’ve been working on for more than a decade had been released just the day before. It’s been an emotional week for sure, but in the end, so much good to think about. Hanni […]