By Storie Devereaux
Poetic Interpretations: Volume 1.
Spoken Word Demo Collaborations. J’s Bistro. Chicago, IL, 98th Western.
Posted on February 20, 2012
What The Sun-Times Left Out Of Its Fond Remembrance Of Jeffrey Zaslow
By Steve Rhodes
“Jeffrey Zaslow – a former Chicago Sun-Times columnist who went on to sell millions of books with themes of compassion, inspiration and empathy – was killed Friday in a car crash in northern Michigan,” the Sun-Times reported over the weekend.
“Mr. Zaslow teamed up with some of the country’s most inspirational people to help tell their stories, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger and Randy Pausch, the subject of Zaslow’s huge hit The Last Lecture, which has been translated into 48 languages and sold more than five million copies in English.
“He was a columnist at the Wall Street Journal at the time of his death. He was 53.”
Zaslow famously – and accidentally – won a contest to replace Ann Landers, resulting in the Sun-Times’s “All That Zazz” feature.
“He brought together a group of readers called the Regular Joes who would chime in with advice. He held an annual singles party that drew national attention – and led to many marriages,” the paper recalled.
“Mr. Zaslow launched school supply drives in his column. He also raised untold sums for the Sun-Times charity.”
Ah, yes, the charity. Here’s what the Sun-Times left out of its report.
Posted on February 13, 2012
When Walter Payton Danced On Soul Train
“Just like Rerun!”
It happened. From Jeff Pearlman’s Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton:
“If [Mary ‘Bullet’ Jones] was Jackson State’s Ginger Rogers, its Fred Astaire was Walter Payton. Throughout a freshman year noteworthy for gridiron excellence, Payton generated equally rave reviews for his improvisational dance talents. Wherever one looked, he could find Walter dancing. Inside classrooms. Within the corridors of Sampson Hall. Standing in line for lunch. On the bus rides to away games. ‘He danced just like Rerun from What’s Happening!!‘ said Jackie Slater, an offensive lineman who went on to a twenty-year NFL career. ‘The moves were crazy and wild and extremely athletic.’
“‘There was a porch in front of our field house, and as we were getting ready to play the football games Walter would stand there and dance, dance, dance, dance,’ said Porter Taylor, a quarterback. ‘Coach Hill would walk by, take a look at Walter moving all around and say, ‘OK, we’re ready.'”
Posted on February 10, 2012
(I am) MORE
By NiqKush
“NiqKush (Niq James & Kush Thompson) at Young Chicago Authors’ WordPlay, a weekly open mic every Tuesday at 1180 N. Milwaukee.”
Posted on February 9, 2012
Found Poem: Vomiting
By Tim Willette
Vomiting
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
“Emesis” redirects here. For the butterfly genus, see Emesis (genus).
“Heaving” redirects here. For the up-and-down motion, see Heave.
“Puke” redirects here. For the district in Albania, see Pukë District. For the town in Albania, see Pukë.
Posted on February 1, 2012
Books As Art
By New_Bound.Media
Uploaded by ianissitt on Jan 29, 2012
“ArtDrift is series of artist interviews presented by NEW_BOUND.MEDIA featuring working artists in the Midwest.
“Clifton Meador is a book artist. He has been making books-as-art for thirty years, and still finds the codex, as an artistic form, deeply engaging. His books frequently combine photography, writing, and design as part of a unified whole: the book as an original experience in art.
“Clifton is the Director of the Interdisciplinary MFA program in the Book & Paper department of Columbia College Chicago.”
Posted on January 30, 2012
Words From Chicago’s Cipher
Uploaded to YouTube by Kevin Coval
“feat. Defcee, Virus, QSolar, and that first dude (whose name i don’t know, my bad)
“EVERY TUESDAY we at 1180 N. Milwaukee at 6pm all-ages open mic http://youngchicagoauthors.org/”
Posted on January 26, 2012
Honk If You Love Libraries More Than Rahm Does
Librarians Refuse To Sit Down And Shut Up
“I spent a shivering couple of hours Monday morning with Chicago Public Library workers protesting outside the Bucktown-Wicker Park Branch,” Mark Brown writes for the Sun-Times in “Libraries Have Become More Than Just A Quiet Place To Read.”
“There was hot chocolate and picket signs. ‘Honk if you love libraries,’ was the most popular, judging by the constant refrain of horns sounding along Milwaukee Avenue.
“The library, of course, was closed, as all branch libraries will continue to be closed on Monday mornings in Chicago for the foreseeable future.
“Closing them was Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s call, although this particular location is among the half of branch libraries always closed on Monday and Wednesday mornings under the alternating schedule instituted by Mayor Daley two years ago.
“That was when the library system first slashed its hours to 48 a week from the previous 64 in a cost-cutting move.
“It’s a sorry state of affairs for a great city, a problem not even half-solved by Emanuel’s announcement over the weekend that he will reopen the branches for half-days on Monday afternoons starting next month.”
Posted on January 24, 2012
Rahm Plays Library Card
By Keep Chicago Working/AFSCME Council 31
Thank you, friend of the Chicago public libraries! You are making a real difference.
Earlier this week we announced that library staff and supporters will hold the People’s Library Hours outside three branch libraries on Monday, January 23. The response was immediate and enthusiastic from library lovers like you all across Chicago.
[On Saturday] Mayor Emanuel also responded. He announced that he is altering his plan to shut down all branch libraries on Mondays – and that the branches will now be open on Monday afternoon.
Undoubtedly this is a step in the right direction. But we can’t stop now. Details of the mayor’s plan are still unclear, but we do know that less than half of the hours are being restored and less than half of the laid-off library staff are being called back.
Posted on January 23, 2012
The Constitutional Substitute For Revolution
By The Beachwood Occupation Affairs Desk
“It never fails. The G8 or some similar international summit comes to town and local officials invoke something akin to martial law. They call out massive officer brigades, engage in surveillance and covert acts, and cordon off public spaces where protest is permitted so that attendees can be kept safe from the rabble. Now came Mayor Rahm Emanuel,” writes Timothy Zick, author of Speech Out of Doors: Preserving First Amendment Liberties in Public Places.
“[Rahm’s new protest ordinance instates] an increased number of surveillance cameras; closing of parks and beaches until 6 a.m.; parade restrictions and higher fees for parades and protests. The police supt. is also empowered to ‘deputize’ out-of-state law enforcement personnel experienced in handling civil unrest. If the past is a reliable guide (and I’m betting it is), these and other measures will lead to substantial limits on public protest, many lawsuits, and settlement liability imposed on the City of Chicago.
“This is not the 1968 DNC. It’s too bad we have progressed so little in terms of how we often characterize, and how officials treat, lawful protest activity. Before the first parade has hit the streets, the Mayor is seeking emergency powers and police are preparing to do battle with boots on the ground. It’s true that mass protests come with some threat to public safety. So do state fairs, holiday parades, and large conventions. But the act of public protest is not itself a threat. Chicago officials would do well to keep that in mind as they prepare for May.”
Posted on January 20, 2012