Laurence Gonzales’s impressive list of literary achievements just got even longer. Already the winner of two prestigious National Magazine Awards and the Distinguished Service Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, the bestselling Evanston author recently had the honor of seeing his acclaimed book Flight 232: A Story of Disaster and Survival adapted for the Chicago stage. Titled “United Flight 232,” the House Theatre of Chicago production opened to rave reviews on March 11 and runs through May 1 at the Chopin Theatre. But that’s not all. On March 21, Gonzales was also named a Miller Scholar of the Santa Fe Institute (SFI) – an award previously received by author Neal Stephenson and actor-playwright Sam Shepard and given annually to “highly accomplished, creative thinkers who make profound contributions to our understandings of society, science, and culture.” In celebration of all his good news, we recently spoke with Gonzales via email about the origins of Flight 232 and its journey to the stage, his plans for his twelve months at SFI, and his appreciation of the poet James Wright.
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We last talked with author Christine Sneed back in early 2011 shortly after she published her first short story collection 
Maya Schenwar is Editor-in-Chief of 
Lorna Galich is a retired corporate consultant and the next Evanston artist to be featured in our ongoing exhibition series Local Art @ EPL. Her show – which is dedicated to the memory of her daughter and EPL librarian Gigi Galich – is currently on display on the 2nd floor of EPL’s Main Library where you can catch it through August 31st. Featuring stunning watercolors, colored pencil drawings, and multi-layered portrayals of animals, her exhibit conveys her fascination with “all things natural, most particularly wild life.” We recently spoke with Ms. Galich via email about her artistic origins, unique style, and future plans.
Edward Ravine is a practicing psychotherapist, local painter, and the next featured artist in our ongoing exhibition series Local Art @ EPL. His show – Live Life Like a River – is currently on display on the 2nd floor of EPL’s Main Library where you can catch it through May 31st. Representing 15 years of artistic study under Leslie Hirshfield at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, Ravine’s striking watercolors capture his quiet moments spent in the peace of wild places like Utah’s Big Cottonwood Canyon and Glencoe’s Skokie Lagoons. We recently spoke with him via email about how the Vietnam War influenced his art, Winslow Homer, his forthcoming book, and his need for time in the wilderness.