Category Archives: Writing
Ben Hecht: A Town Where You Could Stay Yourself
This article is part of a continuing series on Chicago Writers, most of whom are contained in two of my Chicago books: Black Writing from Chicago, and, with David Starkey, Smokestacks and Skyscrapers. Go to complete lists of Chicago and … Continue reading
Finley Peter Dunne: “Is th’ race dyin’ out?”
Finley Peter Dunne was born on the West Side of Chicago in 1867 and graduated at the bottom of his high school class. That’s a funny and appropriate fact given the shape of his career. At 17 he began working … Continue reading
Red Wolves and Black Bears
This is part of a series on The Arts of the Essay, and also continues the Earth Day theme of “Thinking Globally, Acting Locally?” The short review below was written for The Virginia Quarterly Review in the late 70’s (a … Continue reading