Let our summer readfest begin! Though it may be a while before I come up for air again. I’m in the midst of reading three 500 – 700+ page books! Almost finished with Franzen’s Crossroads. Next will be Verghese’s new book (see below)…

All musical forms progress as new instruments, new technology, and new innovators come on the scene. Modern opera has bad rap because some of it contains music written using the 12-note scale, uncomfortable to most ears…

In March, I was honored to moderate a panel of memoir writers at the Tucson Festival of Books. Meeting and interacting with these authors was memorable. Adiba is as funny and direct as her book. Asked by an audience member…

Last spring, I wrote about the explosion of black on the live stage. In 2022, all the new plays opening on Broadway were written by black playwrights and starred black performers. Locally, in Chicago, the explosion is sustained by the four-to-six-week schedule of new performances throughout the year. All Black Productions Most theater groups average […]

Living in Chicago, you automatically qualify as a Frank Lloyd Wright (FLW) fan. Many of his famous commissions still stand, some owned by single families, or open to the public and owned by churches (Unitarians), communities…

If theater is about the suspension of disbelief, then puppetry is a double suspension of disbelief – the story is told not by an actor, but by a doll or costume controlled by a puppeteer. Done well, it works in a magical way. The creative skill…

As we crossed the well-named Blue River Bridge over the St. Clair River from Port Huron, MI to Sarnia, ON Canada, we breathed the clean gun-less air of our northern neighbor. Sister-in-law, Norah, and I were on a five-day jaunt from Chicago…

This reading binge takes me down the rabbit hole of 17th century history, European and American. I’m amazed reading European history that the colonies are mentioned as an afterthought. They were successful commercial…

Since reading is a great pastime for women our age – and for anyone, really – here’s another list that I was able to complete and review…

Have you had those days when you just can’t stop reading? It seems I’m in just such a period! Spurred by a client who writes humorous short essays, I keep finding wonderful, funny women to share. And there are lots of other women…