February 19, 2016
Hungry? You should be. For what it’s worth the authors Daniel R. Block and Howard Rosing, the men behind the new book Chicago: A Food Biography, are coming to Evanston Public Library on Sunday, February 21st at 3:00 p.m. to the Community Meeting Room (it’s bound to be popular so please register online or call […]
February 16, 2016
Lots of people want to write and/or illustrate books for kids, but how do you actually go about doing so? What are some of the pitfalls and perks of the job? What should you avoid? What are the common myths? This past Saturday, attendees of Evanston’s monthly Literary Salon (an event for adults with an […]
February 12, 2016
Sometimes these blog posts feel a bit like dares. The Challenge: Locate as many literary podcasts that are based out of the Chicago area as possible. Special Bonus Points: Find one that’s recorded in Evanston, IL proper. The search was on. By which I mean, the Google search. The iTunes search as well. I love […]
February 10, 2016
Dig deep enough into the stacks of Evanston Public Library and you’ll find book jackets long since forgotten. Today’s pick is that classic summer paean, Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. A beautiful novel and one that I return to constantly when the cold winds of February blow (like today), I thought I knew all its […]
February 8, 2016
Well . . . sorta. Small impediment to getting Shakespeare here in the States is the somewhat unavoidable fact that he is dead. As a proverbial doorknob. But that doesn’t mean that pieces of him don’t go walkabout from time to time. Case in point, the national touring exhibition First Folio! The Book that Gave Us […]
February 5, 2016
This month for Poetry 365 we’re highlighting Dean Young’s excellent new book Shock by Shock. Influenced by the New York School poets and Surrealists such as Andre Breton, this twelfth collection from the Pulitzer Prize finalist is his first of all-new work since undergoing a life-saving heart transplant in 2011. Slightly more meditative while still […]
February 5, 2016
A question for you today, ladies and gents. Where might you find the nation’s largest environmental film festival? Would that be in New York? In Los Angeles? In Chicago proper? NO! As it just so happens, the largest environmental film festival happens right here in our very own Evanston, IL. Called The Wild and Scenic […]
February 4, 2016
Adult services librarian Lorena discovered the following local history websites. She says: I’ve come across a few good websites for local history questions recently, and thought I would share them here. First up is Explore Chicago Collections website, http://explore.chicagocollections.org/. You can search by major historical events, by neighborhood, by city (including Evanston), by name, by […]
February 2, 2016
I don’t ask for much out of life. The occasional Grande Iced Chai Latte from Starbucks. A small child who doesn’t wake me up before 6 a.m. Shoes with zero holes in them. Simple stuff. But there is one thing I do demand of my job and it is this: Consistently amusing discoveries. I don’t […]
January 28, 2016
Look at the internet today. Things are happening online right now that would have been inconceivable even five years ago. With that in mind I have to say I can think of few topics more timely than the ones that will be raised at the upcoming Social Media Institute in Skokie at National Louis University. […]
