Category Archives: Writing

The Arts of the Essay

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Richard Guzman

This is the lead post in a series on The Arts of the Essay, a list of series items appearing below, beginning with thoughts on Bonnie Rough’s essay “Notes on the Space We Take Up.” “Oh, yes, THAT essay,” said … Continue reading →

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Embracing and Fearing the Void: The Root of Racism

Posted on June 21, 2017 by Richard Guzman

James Baldwin once called America a nation “dedicated to the death of the paradox,” a people particularly fond of the straight-forward answer: the Yes-No, the Black-White, the Just-The-Facts, Ma’am, reply.  Which could make reading Baldwin particularly difficult.  As Raoul Peck, … Continue reading →

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Mike Royko: Controversy…and the Cubs

Posted on April 25, 2017 by Richard Guzman

When Mike Royko died in 1997, Chicago mourned.  Granted, a few of the many people he confronted in his no-nonsense manner may have secretly celebrated, but his death was seen by many as the end of an era, when newspaper … Continue reading →

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