Podcasts about Chicago Public Library

Jungian Psychoanalysts Laura Tuley and John White discuss Jungian Analysis in a World on Fire: At the Nexus of Individual and Collective Trauma, a volume of essays, all authored by practicing Jungian psychoanalysts, of which they were the editors. It examines and illuminates ways of working with individual analytic and therapeutic clients in the context of powerful and current collective forces, in the United States and beyond. Our Spring Fundraising Drive is live! Support this podcast by making a donation today. The first $7,000 in donations will be matched! Laura Camille Tuley, PhD (USA) is a Jungian Psychoanalyst in private practice in Madison, Wisconsin. She is the co-editor of Jungian Analysis in a World on Fire: At the Nexus of Individual and Collective Trauma (Routledge, 2024) and has contributed to Psychological Perspectives, Exploring Depth Psychology and the Female Self: Feminist Themes from Somewhere, Mothering in the Third Wave, Art Papers, Hypatia, the New Orleans Review and the APA Newsletter on Feminism and Philosophy. Tuley is a faculty member of the New Orleans Jung Seminar of the IRSJA and the co-editor of the “Clinical Commentaries” and “Film and Culture” features of the Journal of Analytical Psychology. John R. White, PhD's training was in philosophy and he was a philosophy professor for twenty years. As he moved into midlife, he began training as a psychotherapist. He has a Masters in mental health counseling from Franciscan University of Steubenville. He is also a psychoanalyst in the tradition of Carl Jung. He is a member of the Interregional Society of Jungian Analysts (IRSJA) and an associate member of the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis (NAAP). He practices psychotherapy according to psychodynamic, classical Jungian and archetypal approaches and more broadly in all approaches associated with “depth psychology”. Learn more at johnrwhitepgh.org. Edited by Laura Camille Tuley and John R. White: Patricia Martin, MFA, is the host of Jung in the World. A noted cultural analyst, she applies Jungian theory to her work as a researcher and writer. Author of three books, her work has been featured in the New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Huffington Post, and USA Today. She holds an MFA in writing and literature from Bennington College and an MA in cultural studies at the University College, Dublin (honors). In 2018, she completed the Jungian Studies Program at the C. G. Jung Institute Chicago where she is a professional affiliate. A scholar in residence at the Chicago Public Library, for the last decade she's been studying the digital culture and its impact on the individuation process. Patricia travels the world giving talks and workshops based on her findings, and has a private consulting practice in Chicago. Be informed of new programs and content by joining our mailing list! Support this free podcast by making a donation, becoming a member of the Institute, or making a purchase in our online store! Your support enables us to provide free and low-cost educational resources to all. This podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. You may share it, but please do not change it, sell it, or transcribe it.Executive Producer: Ben LawHosts: Patricia Martin, Judith Cooper, Daniel Ross, Adina Davidson, and Raisa Cabrera2024-2025 Season Intern: Kavya KrishnamurthyMusic: Peter Demuth

Creating isn't just about what you make…it's about who you become. We're back with the brilliant Nana Brew-Hammond for her second visit to Reframe to Create, and this time, it's a full-circle moment.  In Episode 21, Nana shared “How to Stay Committed to an Imperfect Creating Journey.”  And in this episode, we see how that commitment has blossomed.  Nana walks us through the very different experiences she had while writing her two latest books: ✨ Blue– a children's picture book that dives into the rich history of a single color ✨ My Parents' Marriage – an adult novel that explores the complex dynamics of family, love, and identity.   The process of creating each of these works taught Nana different things.  And in this conversation, she shares two key lessons she learned along the way.  Lessons about transformation, flexibility, and what it really means to grow alongside your work. Honestly? This conversation lit something in me. It reminded me that no matter how smooth or bumpy the road, the journey itself is doing something deep and lasting in us.  If you want to experience the joy and power of Nana's work, you can check out both books at nanabrewhammond.com.  You'll be glad you did.   About my guest: Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond is an American-Ghanaian writer of novels, short stories and a poet.   In 2014 she was chosen as one of 39 of Sub-Saharan Africa's most promising writers under the age of 40, showcased in the Africa39 project.  Nana has been featured on MSNBC, NY1, SaharaTV, ARISE TV, and has been published in Ebony Magazine.   Her latest novel for adult readers, My Parents' Marriage, was featured in The New York Times Book Review's July 7, 2024 “...Also Out Now” column, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Booklist, and more.  The author Melissa Rivero called it “a propulsive read that will take hold of you with its honesty, determination, and heart,” while the author Vanessa Walters described it as “an arrestingly evovative story…which dismantles immigrant clichés. Her children's picture book BLUE: A history of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky, illustrated by Caldecott Honor artist Daniel Minter, was named among the best of 2022 by NPR, New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, Kirkus Reviews, The Center for the Study of Multicultural Literature, Bank Street College of Education, and more.  BLUE is on the 2023-2024 Texas Bluebonnet Master List; it has been honored with the NCTE Orbis Pictus Award® recognizing excellence in writing of non-fiction for children; and it is an NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Literature for Chidlren.  It was named to the American Libary Association's 2023 Notable Children's Books and nominated for a 2025 Georgia Chidlren's Book Award.   Brew-Hammond also wrote the young adult novel Powder Necklace, which Publishers Weekly called “a winning debut”, and she edited RELATIONS: An Anthology of African and Diaspora Voices.  Kirkus Reviews called the anthology “smart, generous…a true gift” in its starred review.   Nana is also co-founder of Exit 14, a made in Ghana lifestyle line that has been featured in Vogue.     About: The Reframe to Create podcast is hosted by Joy Spencer, an Executive Leadership and Storytelling Coach, Speaker, and Organizational Development Consultant working with professionals and leaders at all levels within organizations.  Joy leverages over 17 years of experience she gained while working to champion change in social justice movements, including those related to global access to essential medicines and consumer advocacy for online privacy.  This work required a dogged commitment to not merely challenging the status quo, but to reimagining and working towards creating an ideal future.  It is this commitment to creating that has shaped Joy's coaching philosophy and approach today. Using her signature C.R.E.A.T.E. framework, Joy guides her clients through a process to become incomparable in work so they can get paid to be themselves.   Follow Joy on LinkedIn  - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joy-spencer  

April 23, 2025 - With the ever-growing need to understand ourselves and humanity as a whole, it is necessary to examine the concepts of morality, ethics and universal values as guiding principles of the human condition. With generous support from Y.T. Hwang Family Foundation, The Korea Society presents a Series on Ethics and Common Values. This series promotes the understanding of central themes of our human existence - morality, ethics, personal responsibility, compassion and civility - through a series of lectures by distinguished speakers and conversation with extraordinary individuals who exemplify the universal values in line with the mission of Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation and The Korea Society. The Korea Society and Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation is proud to present Ilyon Woo in a conversation with Ed Park. Ilyon Woo is the New York Times best-selling author of Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom, which won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Biography. Time Magazine called Master Slave Husband Wife an “edge-of-your-seat drama”; The Wall Street Journal pronounced it: “A narrative of such courage and resourcefulness it seems too dashing to be true.... a ‘genuine nail-biter.'” It was one of the New York Times's “10 Best Books of 2023” and People Magazine's “Top Ten Books of 2023,” also named a best book of the year by The New Yorker, Time, NPR, Smithsonian Magazine, Boston, Chicago Public Library, and Oprah Daily. A finalist for a Kirkus Prize, the book was long-listed for the Carnegie Medal, nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards, and supported by a Whiting Creative Nonfiction Writing Grant. Woo is also the author of The Great Divorce: A Nineteenth-Century Mother's Extraordinary Fight Against Her Husband, the Shakers, and Her Times. Her writing has appeared in The Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, and The New York Times. Woo has traveled the country to speak at bookstores, museums, schools, and book festivals, and she has been featured on such programs as NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and CBS Sunday Morning. She holds a BA in the Humanities from Yale College and a PhD in English from Columbia University. Ed Park is the author of the novels Same Bed Different Dreams (2023), a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and Personal Days (2008), a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. His fiction, essays, and reviews have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, Harper's, The Atlantic, Bookforum, McSweeney's, and many other publications. He is a founding editor of The Believer and the former literary editor of The Village Voice, and has worked in newspapers and book publishing. He currently teaches writing at Princeton University. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/item/1980-y-t-hwang-family-foundation-series-on-ethics-common-values-a-conversation-with-ilyon-woo

NOTE: Repost of our second most popular episode of the year, Happy Holidays! New York Times bestselling author, Ann Napolitano, spoke with me about overcoming rejection early on, how grief transformed her writing process, and getting that fateful call from Oprah about Hello Beautiful. Ann Napolitano is the New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful which was selected as Oprah's 100th Book Club pick; Dear Edward, an instant New York Times bestseller, a Read with Jenna selection, and an Apple TV+ series; A Good Hard Look, and Within Arm's Reach. Hello Beautiful has been called a “powerfully affecting” (People) family story that asks: Can love make a broken person whole? The Washington Post said of the book, “Another tender tearjerker . . . Napolitano chronicles life's highs and lows with aching precision.” It was named Chicago Public Library's Ten Best Books of the Year and a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times Book Review, NPR, The Washington Post, Time, Vogue, Glamour, Harper's Bazaar, New York Post, She Reads, and Bookreporter. Ann was the associate editor of the literary magazine One Story for seven years, and she received an MFA from New York University. [Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm] [If you're a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file Ann Napolitano and I discussed: Her long and rocky road to success How an illness early in life helped her realize she was a writer Why her first published book felt like a proving ground The nine-month approach to planning your next novel How to write the truest sentence possible Why you need to string together as many Xs as you can And a lot more! Show Notes: AnnNapolitano.com Hello Beautiful (Oprah's Book Club): A NOVEL By Ann Napolitano (Amazon) Ann Napolitano Amazon Author Page Ann Napolitano on Twitter Ann Napolitano on Instagram Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we're heading to Chicago to spend some time with Suzanne Karr Schmidt (PhD Yale) at The Newberry Library. Suzanne is their Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts, she also researches for and creates exhibits, and helps lost books find their way back home. So, if you need a break from the holiday busyness curl up with a steaming mug, close your eyes and imagine a magical world where curiosity can be both inspired and sated, there is a portal that reaches back 5,000 years and contemplates the future, and most importantly has 27.5 miles of bookshelves. Fika will take you there, on this 100th episode. About the Newberry Library - Our collections, programs, and exhibitions are a portal to more than six centuries of human history, from the 15th century to the present. The Newberry welcomes anyone who is eager to learn about who we are, where we came from, and where we are going. Our community of learning includes historians, genealogists, visual and performing artists, writers, graphic designers, teachers, students, and many, many others. A Brief History of the Newberry Walter L. Newberry, a businessman and civic leader in Chicago who died in 1868, left a provision in his will calling for the creation of a “free public library.” Newberry was light on details. He couldn't predict how the library might best serve Chicago by the time it opened. As a result, Newberry staff shaped the institution around the needs of the city. To complement the Chicago Public Library, which had been established in 1872, the trustees decided to found a non-circulating reference library that would be free and open to the public. Before the Newberry opened in 1887, it had no collection to offer visitors. Walter Newberry's own book collection, which might have served as a foundation for the library, had been destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. And so the Newberry's first librarians grew the library's collection from the ground up. Today, the Newberry collection extends across 27.5 miles of shelving in the library stacks. And it's still growing. We acquire and preserve materials that represent a range of perspectives and experiences—including those that historically have been marginalized, misrepresented, or silenced. Learn more about the Newberry at - www.newberry.org About Suzanne Karr Schmidt PhD: Suzanne Karr Schmidt (PhD Yale) is the Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts at Chicago's Newberry Library, where she adds books to the collection and curated exhibitions. Currently also serving as the director of the Movable Book Society, she publishes widely on unusual printed things, particularly on the “Renaissance Pop-Up Book.” She most recently curated the playful Newberry exhibition, Pop-Up Books Through the Ages (March-July, 2023). Previous shows include her co-curated 2020 Newberry exhibition Renaissance Invention: Stradanus's Nova Reperta (including a Renaissance beer collaboration with Sketchbook Brewing), and her 2011 Art Institute of Chicago exhibition Altered and Adorned: Using Renaissance Prints in Daily Life. She is currently working on an upcoming Newberry exhibition about premodern printing on fabric for September 2026. Learn more about Suzanne at - @drkarrschmidt (Bluesky) @Ladydisdaine (Instagram) If you enjoyed this episode of Fika with Vicky please follow us @ - Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/FikawithVicky YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@FikawithVicky Blueskye - https://bsky.app/profile/davehs.bsky.social Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/fikawithvicky/

Are you looking for a page-turner of a book? Tune in for an inspiring discussion with Ava Dellaira on her new novel Exposure. Moments with Marianne airs in the Southern California area on KMET1490AM & 98.1 FM, an ABC Talk News Radio affiliate! Ava Dellaira is the author of the critically acclaimed young adult novels In Search of Us and Love Letters to the Dead, which was named Best Book of the Year by Apple, Google, BuzzFeed, the New York Public Library and the Chicago Public Library. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where she was a Truman Capote Fellow, and the University of Chicago. She grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and now lives in Altadena, CA with her husband and their two young children.  https://avadellaira.comFor more show information visit: www.MariannePestana.com#book #newbook #bookclub #mustread #fiction #ZibbyBooks

In this KEEN ON Andrew Keen special, guest host David Masciotra interviews Andrew about his controversial book Cult of the Amateur. While David generously describes it as prescient, Andrew focuses more on what the 2007 book got blatantly wrong - like dismissing Google's $1.5 billion acquisition of YouTube. Duh. What both David and Andrew agree on, however, is that the book'sn focus on the damage that the supposedly “democratizing” Web 2.0 revolution did to both our culture and politics is still of massive significance. Perhaps it might be time for a 20th anniversary rewrite, a Cult of the Amateur 2.0 for our brave new AI world. Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.David Masciotra is an author, lecturer, and journalist. He is the author of I Am Somebody: Why Jesse Jackson Matters (I.B. Tauris, 2020), Mellencamp: American Troubadour (University Press of Kentucky), Barack Obama: Invisible Man (Eyewear Publishers, 2017), and Metallica by Metallica, a 33 1/3 book from Bloomsbury Publishers, which has been translated into Chinese. In 2010, Continuum Books published his first book, Working On a Dream: The Progressive Political Vision of Bruce Springsteen. His next book, Exurbia Now: Notes from the Battleground of American Democracy, is scheduled for publication from Melville House Books in 2024. Masciotra writes regularly for the New Republic, Washington Monthly, Progressive, the Los Angeles Review of Books, CrimeReads, No Depression, and the Daily Ripple. He has also written for Salon, the Daily Beast, CNN, Atlantic, Washington Post, AlterNet, Indianapolis Star, and CounterPunch. Several of his political essays have been translated into Spanish for publication at Korazon de Perro. His poetry has appeared in Be About It Press, This Zine Will Change Your Life, and the Pangolin Review. Masciotra has a Master's Degree in English Studies and Communication from Valparaiso University. He also has a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from the University of St. Francis. He is public lecturer, speaking on a wide variety of topics, from the history of protest music in the United States to the importance of bars in American culture. David Masciotra has spoken at the University of Wisconsin, University of South Carolina, Lewis University, Indiana University, the Chicago Public Library, the Lambeth Library (UK), and an additional range of colleges, libraries, arts centers, and bookstores. As a journalist, he has conducted interviews with political leaders, musicians, authors, and cultural figures, including Jesse Jackson, John Mellencamp, Noam Chomsky, all members of Metallica, David Mamet, James Lee Burke, Warren Haynes, Norah Jones, Joan Osborne, Martín Espada, Steve Earle, and Rita Dove. Masciotra lives in Indiana, and teaches literature and political science courses at the University of St. Francis and Indiana University Northwest. Keen On is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

So how can The Dude and The Boss save America? According to the cultural critic, David Masciotra, Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski and Bruce “The Boss” Springsteen, represent the antithesis of Donald Trumps's illiberal authoritarianism. Masciotra's thesis of Lebowski and Springsteen as twin paragons of American liberalism is compelling. Both men have a childish faith in the goodness of others. Both offer liberal solace in an America which, I fear, is about to become as darkly surreal as The Big Lebowski. Transcript:“[Springsteen] represents, as cultural icon, a certain expression of liberalism, a big-hearted, humanistic liberalism that exercises creativity to represent diverse constituencies in our society, that believes in art as a tool of democratic engagement, and that seeks to lead with an abounding, an abiding sense of compassion and empathy. That is the kind of liberalism, both with the small and capital L, that I believe in, and that I have spent my career documenting and attempting to advance.” -David MasciotraAK: Hello, everybody. We're still processing November the 5th. I was in the countryside of Northern Virginia a few days ago, I saw a sign, for people just listening, Trump/Vance 2024 sign with "winner" underneath. Some people are happy. Most, I guess, of our listeners probably aren't, certainly a lot of our guests aren't, my old friend John Rauch was on the show yesterday talking about what he called the "catastrophic ordinariness" of the election and of contemporary America. He authored two responses to the election. Firstly, he described it in UnPopulist as a moral catastrophe. But wearing his Brookings hat, he's a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, described it as an ordinary election. I think a lot of people are scratching their head, trying to make sense of it. Another old friend of the show, David Masciotra, cultural writer, political writer. An interesting piece in the Washington Monthly entitled "How Francis Fukuyama and The Big Lebowski Explain Trump's Victory." A very creative piece. And he is joining us from Highland Indiana, not too far from Chicago. David. The Big Lebowski and Francis Fukuyama. Those two don't normally go together, certainly in a title. Let's talk first about Fukuyama. How does Fukuyama explain November the 5th? DAVID MASCIOTRA: In his. Well, first, thanks for having me. And I should say I watched your conversation with Jonathan Rauch, and it was quite riveting and quite sobering. And you talked about Fukuyama in that discussion as well. And you referenced his book, The End of History and the Last Man, a very often misinterpreted book, but nonetheless, toward its conclusion, Fukuyama warns that without an external enemy, liberal democracies may indeed turn against themselves, and we may witness an implosion rather than an explosion. And Fukuyama said that this won't happen so much for ideological reasons, but it will happen for deeply psychological ones, namely, without a just cause for which to struggle, people will turn against the just cause itself, which in this case is liberal democracy, and out of a sense of boredom and alienation, they'll grow increasingly tired of their society and cultivate something of a death wish in which they enjoy imagining their society's downfall, or at least the downfall of some of the institutions that are central to their society. And now I would argue that after the election results, we've witnessed the transformation of imagining to inviting. So, there is a certain death wish and a sense of...alienation and detachment from that which made the United States of America a uniquely prosperous and stable country with the ability to self-correct the myriad injustices we know are part of its history. Well now, people--because they aren't aware of the institutions or norms that created this robust engine of commerce and liberty--they've turned against it, and they no longer invest in that which is necessary to preserve it.AK: That's interesting, David. The more progressives I talk to about this, the more it--there's an odd thing going on--you're all sounding very conservative. The subtitle of the piece in the Washington Monthly was "looking at constituencies or issues misses the big point. On Tuesday, nihilism was on display, even a death wish in a society wrought by cynicism." Words like nihilism and cynicism, David, historically have always been used by people like Allan Blum, whose book, of course, The Closing of the American Mind, became very powerful amongst American conservatives now 40 or 50 years ago. Would you accept that using language like nihilism and cynicism isn't always associated--I mean, you're a proud progressive. You're a man of the left. You've never disguised that. It's rather odd to imagine that the guys like you--and in his own way, John Rauch too, who talks about the moral catastrophe of the election couple of weeks ago. You're all speaking about the loss of morality of the voter, or of America. Is there any truth to that? Making some sense?DAVID MASCIOTRA: That's a that's a fair observation. And Jonathan Rauch, during your conversation and in his own writing, identifies a center right. I would say I'm center left.AK: And he's--but what's interesting, what ties you together, is that you both use the L-word, liberal, to define yourselves. He's perhaps a liberal on the right. You're a liberal on the left.DAVID MASCIOTRA: Yes. And I think that the Trump era, if we can trace that back to 2015, has made thoughtful liberals more conservative in thought and articulation, because it forces a confrontation and interrogation of a certain naivete. George Will writes in his book, The Conservative Sensibility, that the progressive imagines that which is the best possible outcome and strives to make it real, whereas the conservative imagines the worst possible outcome and does everything he can to guard against it. And now it feels like we've experienced, at least electorally, the worst possible outcome. So there a certain revisitation of that which made America great, to appropriate a phrase, and look for where we went wrong in failing to preserve it. So that kind of thinking inevitably leads one to use more conservative language and deal in more conservative thought.AK: Yeah. So for you, what made America great, to use the term you just introduced, was what? Its morality? The intrinsic morality of people living in it and in the country? Is that, for you, what liberalism is?DAVID MASCIOTRA: Liberalism is a system in and the culture that emanates out of that system. So it's a constitutional order that creates or that places a premium on individual rights and allows for a flourishing free market. Now, where my conception of liberalism would enter the picture and, perhaps Jonathan Rauch and I would have some disagreements, certainly George Will and I, is that a bit of governmental regulation is necessary along with the social welfare state, to civilize the free market. But the culture that one expects to flow from that societal order and arrangement is one of aspiration, one in which citizens fully accept that they are contributing agents to this experiment in self-governance and therefore need to spend time in--to use a Walt Whitman phrase--freedom's gymnasium. Sharpening the intellect, sharpening one's sense of moral duty and obligation to the commons, to the public good. And as our society has become more individualistic and narcissistic in nature, those commitments have vanished. And as our society has become more anti-intellectual in nature, we are seeing a lack of understanding of why those commitments are even necessary. So that's why you get a result like we witnessed on Tuesday, and that I argue in my piece that you were kind enough to have me on to discuss, is a form of nihilism, and The Big Lebowski reference, of course--AK: And of course, I want to get to Lebowski, because the Fukuyama stuff is interesting, but everyone's writing about Fukuyama and the end of history and why history never really ended, of course. It's been going on for years now, but it's a particularly interesting moment. We've had Fukuyama on the show. I've never heard anyone, though, compare the success of Trump and Trumpism with The Big Lebowski. So, one of the great movies, of course, American movies. What's the connection, David, between November 5th and The Big Lebowski? DAVID MASCIOTRA: Well, The Big Lebowski is one of my favorite films. I've written about it, and I even appeared at one of the The Big Lebowski festivals that takes place in United States a number of years ago. But my mind went to the scene when The Dude is in his bathtub and these three menacing figures break into his apartment. They drop a gerbil in the bathtub. And The Dude, who was enjoying a joint by candlelight, is, of course, startled and frightened. And these three men tell him that if he does not pay the money they believe he owes them, they will come back and, in their words, "cut off your Johnson." And The Dude gives them a quizzical, bemused look. And one of them says, "You think we are kidding? We are nihilists. We believe in nothing." And then one of them screams, "We'll cut off your Johnson." Well, I thought, you know, we're looking at an electorate that increasingly, or at least a portion of the electorate, increasingly believes in nothing. So we've lost faith.AK: It's the nihilists again. And of course, another Johnson in America, there was once a president called Johnson who enjoyed waving his Johnson, I think, around in public. And now there's the head of the house is another Johnson, I think he's a little shyer than presidents LBJ. But David, coming back to this idea of nihilism. It often seems to be a word used by people who don't like what other people think and therefore just write it off as nihilism. Are you suggesting that the Trump crowd have no beliefs? Is that what nihilism for you is? I mean, he was very clear about what he believes in. You may not like it, but it doesn't seem to be nihilistic.DAVID MASCIOTRA: That's another fair point. What I'm referring to is not too long ago, we lived in a country that had a shared set of values. Those values have vanished. And those values involve adherence to our democratic norms. It's very difficult to imagine had George H. W. Bush attempted to steal the election in which Bill Clinton won, that George H. W. Bush could have run again and won. So we've lost faith in something essential to our electoral system. We've lost faith in the standards of decency that used to, albeit imperfectly, regulate our national politics. So the man to whom I just refered, Bill Clinton, was nearly run out of office for having an extramarital affair, a misdeed that cannot compare to the myriad infractions of Donald Trump. And yet, Trump's misdeeds almost give him a cultural cachet among his supporters. It almost makes him, for lack of a better word, cool. And now we see, even with Trump's appointments, I mean, of course, it remains to be seen how it plays out, that we're losing faith in credentials and experience--AK: Well they're certainly a band of outlaws and very proud to be outlaws. It could almost be a Hollywood script. But I wonder, David, whether there's a more serious critique here. You, like so many other people, both on the left and the right, are nostalgic for an age in which everyone supposedly agreed on things, a most civil and civilized age. And you go back to the Bushes, back to Clinton. But the second Bush, who now seems to have appeared as this icon, at least moral icon, many critics of Trump, was also someone who unleashed a terrible war, killing tens of thousands of people, creating enormous suffering for millions of others. And I think that would be the Trump response, that he's simply more honest, that in the old days, the Bushes of the world can speak politely and talk about consensus, and then unleash terrible suffering overseas--and at home in their neoliberal policies of globalization--Trump's simply more honest. He tells it as it is. And that isn't nihilistic, is it?DAVID MASCIOTRA: Well, you are gesturing towards an important factor in our society. Trump, of course, we know, is a dishonest man, a profoundly dishonest--AK: Well, in some ways. But in other ways, he isn't. I mean, in some ways he just tells the truth as it is. It's a truth we're uncomfortable with. But it's certainly very truthful about the impact of foreign wars on America, for example, or even the impact of globalization. DAVID MASCIOTRA: What you're describing is an authenticity. That that Trump is authentic. And authenticity has become chief among the modern virtues, which I would argue is a colossal error. Stanley Crouch, a great writer, spent decades analyzing the way in which we consider authenticity and how it inevitably leads to, to borrow his phrase, cast impurity onto the bottom. So anything that which requires effort, refinement, self-restraint, self-control, plays to the crowd as inauthentic, as artificial--AK: Those are all aristocratic values that may have once worked but don't anymore. Should we be nostalgic for the aristocratic way of the Bushes?DAVID MASCIOTRA: I think in a certain respect, we should. We shouldn't be nostalgic for George W. Bush's policies. I agree with you, the war in Iraq was catastrophic, arguably worse than anything Trump did while he was president. His notoriously poor response to Hurricane Katrina--I mean, we can go on and on cataloging the various disasters of the Bush administration. However, George W. Bush as president and the people around him did have a certain belief in the liberal order of the United States and the liberal order of the world. Institutions like NATO and the EU, and those institutions, and that order, has given the United States, and the world more broadly, an unrivaled period of peace and prosperity.AK: Well it wasn't peace, David. And the wars, the post-9/11 wars, were catastrophic. And again, they seem to be just facades--DAVID MASCIOTRA: We also had the Vietnam War, the Korean War. When I say peace, I mean we didn't have a world war break out as we did in the First World War, in the Second World War. And that's largely due to the creation and maintenance of institutions following the Second World War that were aimed at the preservation of order and, at least, amicable relations between countries that might otherwise collide.AK: You're also the author, David, of a book we've always wanted to talk about. Now we're figuring out a way to integrate it into the show. You wrote a book, an interesting book, about Bruce Springsteen. Working on a Dream: the Progressive Political Vision of Bruce Springsteen. Bruce Springsteen has made himself very clear. He turned out for Harris. Showed up with his old friend, Barack Obama. Clearly didn't have the kind of impact he wanted. You wrote an interesting piece for UnHerd a few weeks ago with the title, "Bruce Springsteen is the Last American Liberal: he's still proud to be born in the USA." Is he the model of a liberal response to the MAGA movement, Springsteen? DAVID MASCIOTRA: Well, of course, I wouldn't go so far as to say the last liberal. As most readers just probably know, writers don't compose their own headlines--AK: But he's certainly, if not the last American liberal, the quintessential American liberal.DAVID MASCIOTRA: Yes. He represents, as cultural icon, a certain expression of liberalism, a big-hearted, humanistic liberalism that exercises creativity to represent diverse constituencies in our society, that believes in art as a tool of democratic engagement, and that seeks to lead with an abounding, an abiding sense of compassion and empathy. That is the kind of liberalism, both with the small and capital L, that I believe in, and that I have spent my career documenting and attempting to advance. And those are, of course, the forms of liberalism that now feel as if they are under threat. Now, to that point, you know, this could have just come down to inflation and some egregious campaign errors of Kamala Harris. But it does feel as if when you have 70 some odd million people vote for the likes of Donald Trump, that the values one can observe in the music of Bruce Springsteen or in the rhetoric of Barack Obama, for that matter, are no longer as powerful and pervasive as they were in their respective glory days. No pun intended.AK: Yeah. And of course, Springsteen is famous for singing "Glory Days." I wonder, though, where Springsteen himself is is a little bit more complex and we might be a little bit more ambivalent about him, there was a piece recently about him becoming a billionaire. So it's all very well him being proud to be born in the USA. He's part--for better or worse, I mean, it's not a criticism, but it's a reality--he's part of the super rich. He showed out for Harris, but it didn't seem to make any impact. You talked about the diversity of Springsteen. I went to one of his concerts in San Francisco earlier this year, and I have to admit, I was struck by the fact that everyone, practically everyone at the concert, was white, everyone was wealthy, everyone paid several hundred dollars to watch a 70 year old man prance around on stage and behave as if he's still 20 or 30 years old. I wonder whether Springsteen himself is also emblematic of a kind of cultural, or political, or even moral crisis of our old cultural elites. Or am I being unfair to Springsteen?DAVID MASCIOTRA: Well, I remember once attending a Springsteen show in which the only black person I saw who wasn't an employee of the arena was Clarence Clemons.AK: Right. And then Bruce, of course, always made a big deal. And there was an interesting conversation when Springsteen and Obama did a podcast together. Obama, in his own unique way, lectured Bruce a little bit about Clarence Clemons in terms of his race. But sorry. Go on.DAVID MASCIOTRA: Yeah. And Springsteen has written and discussed how he had wished he had a more diverse audience. When I referred to diversity in his music, I meant the stories he aimed to tell in song certainly represented a wide range of the American experience. But when you talk about Springsteen, perhaps himself representing a moral crisis--AK: I wouldn't say a crisis, but he represents the, shall we say, the redundancy of that liberal worldview of the late 20th century. I mean, he clearly wears his heart on his sleeve. He means well. He's not a bad guy. But he doesn't reach a diverse audience. His work is built around the American working class. None of them can afford to show up to what he puts on. I mean, Chris Christie is a much more typical fan than the white working class. Does it speak of the fact that there's a...I don't know if you call it a crisis, it's just...Springsteen isn't relevant anymore in the America of the 2020s, or at least when he sang and wrote about no longer exists.DAVID MASCIOTRA: Yes, I agree with that. So first of all, the working class bit was always a bit overblown with Springsteen. Springsteen, of course, was never really part of the working class, except when he was a child. But by his own admission, he never had a 9 to 5 job. And Springsteen sang about working class life like William Shakespeare wrote about teenage love. He did so with a poetic grandeur that inspired some of his best work. And outside looking in, he actually managed to offer more insights than sometimes people on the inside can amount to themselves. But you're certainly correct. I mean, the Broadway show, for example, when the tickets were something like a thousand a piece and it was $25 to buy a beer. There is a certain--AK: Yeah and in that Broadway show, which I went to--I thought it was astonishing, actually, a million times better than the show in San Francisco.DAVID MASCIOTRA: It was one of the best things he ever did.AK: He acknowledges that he made everything up, that he wasn't part of the American working class, and that he'd never worked a day in his life, and yet his whole career is is built around representing a social class and a way of life that he was never part of.“Not too long ago, we lived in a country that had a shared set of values. Those values have vanished. And those values involve adherence to our democratic norms.” -DMDAVID MASCIOTRA: Right. And he has a lyric himself: "It's a sad, funny ending when you find yourself pretending a rich man in a poor man's shirt." So there always was this hypocrisy--hypocrisy might be a little too strong--inconsistency. And he adopted a playful attitude toward it in the 90s and in later years. But to your point of relevance, I think you're on to something there. One of the crises I would measure in our society is that we no longer live in a culture of ambition and aspiration. So you hear this when people say that they want a political leader who talks like the average person, or the common man. And you hear this when "college educated" is actually used as an insult against a certain base of Democratic voters. There were fewer college-educated voters when John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan ran for president, all of whom spoke with greater eloquence and a more expansive vocabulary and a greater sense of cultural sophistication than Donald Trump or Kamala Harris did. And yet there was no objection, because people understood that we should aspire to something more sophisticated. We should aspire to something more elevated beyond the everyday vernacular of the working class. And for that reason, Springsteen was able to become something of a working-class poet, despite never living among the working class beyond his childhood. Because his poetry put to music represented something idealistic about the working class.AK: But oddly enough, it was a dream--there's was a word that Springsteen uses a lot in his work--that was bought by the middle class. It wasn't something that was--although, I think in the early days, probably certainly in New Jersey, that he had a more working-class following.DAVID MASCIOTRA: We have to deal with the interesting and frustrating reality that the people about whom Springsteen sings in those early songs like "Darkness on the Edge of Town" or "The River" would probably be Trump supporters if they were real.AK: Yeah. And in your piece you refer to, not perhaps one of his most famous albums, The Rising, but you use it to compare Springsteen with another major figure now in America, much younger man to Ta-Nehisi Coates, who has a new book out, which is an important new book, The Message. You seem to be keener on Springsteen than Coates. Tell us about this comparison and what the comparison tells us about the America of the 2020s.DAVID MASCIOTRA: Well, Coates...the reason I make the comparison is that one of Springsteen's greatest artistic moments, in which he kind of resurrected his status as cultural icon, was the record he put out after the 9/11 attack on the United States, The Rising. And throughout that record he pays tribute, sometimes overtly, sometimes subtly, to the first responders who ascended in the tower knowing they would perhaps die.AK: Yeah. You quote him "love and duty called you someplace higher." So he was idealizing those very brave firefighters, policemen who gave up their lives on 9/11.DAVID MASCIOTRA: Exactly. Representing the best of humanity. Whereas Ta-Nehisi Coates, who has become the literary superstar of the American left, wrote in his memoir that on 9/11, he felt nothing and did not see the first responders as human. Rather, they were part of the fire that could, in his words, crush his body.AK: Yeah, he wrote a piece, "What Is 9/11 to Descendants of Slaves?"DAVID MASCIOTRA: Yes. And my point in making that comparison, and this was before the election, was to say that the American left has its own crisis of...if we don't want to use the word nihilism, you objected to it earlier--AK: Well, I'm not objecting. I like the word. It's just curious to hear it come from somebody like yourself, a man, certainly a progressive, maybe not--you might define yourself as being on the left, but certainly more on the left and on the right.DAVID MASCIOTRA: Yes, I would agree with that characterization. But that the left has its own crisis of nihilism. If if you are celebrating a man who, despite his journalistic talents and intelligence, none of which I would deny, refused to see the humanity of the first responders on the 9/11 attack and, said that he felt nothing for the victims, presumably even those who were black and impoverished, then you have your own crisis of belief, and juxtaposing that with the big hearted, humanistic liberalism of Springsteen for me shows the left a better path forward. Now, that's a path that will increasingly close after the victory of Trump, because extremism typically begets extremism, and we're probably about to undergo four years of dueling cynicism and rage and unhappy times.AK: I mean, you might respond, David, and say, well, Coates is just telling the truth. Why should a people with a history of slavery care that much about a few white people killed on 9/11 when their own people lost millions through slavery? And you compare them to Springsteen, as you've acknowledged, a man who wasn't exactly telling the truth in his heart. I mean, he's a very good artist, but he writes about a working class, which even he acknowledges, he made most of it up. So isn't Coates like Trump in an odd kind of way, aren't they just telling an unvarnished truth that people don't want to hear, an impolite truth?DAVID MASCIOTRA: I'm not sure. I typically shy away from the expression "my truth" or "his truth" because it's too relativistic. But I'll make an exception in this case. I think Coates is telling HIS truth just as Trump is telling HIS truth, if that adds up to THE truth, is much more dubious. Yes, we could certainly say that, you know, because the United States enslaved, tortured, and otherwise oppressed millions of black people, it may be hard for some black observers to get teary eyed on 9/11, but the black leaders whom I most admire didn't have that reaction. I wrote a book about Jesse Jackson after spending six years interviewing with him and traveling with him. He certainly didn't react that way on 9/11. Congressman John Lewis didn't react that way on 9/11. So, the heroes of the civil rights movement, who helped to overcome those brutal systems of oppression--and I wouldn't argue that they're overcome entirely, but they helped to revolutionize the United States--they maintained a big-hearted sense of empathy and compassion, and they recognized that the unjust loss of life demands mourning and respect, whether it's within their own community or another. So I would say that, here again, we're back to the point of ambition, whether it's intellectual ambition or moral ambition. Ambition is what allows a society to grow. And it seems like ambition has fallen far out of fashion. And that is why the country--the slim majority of the electorate that did vote and the 40% of the electorate that did not vote, or voting-age public, I should say--settled for the likes of Donald Trump.AK: I wonder what The Dude would do, if he was around, at the victory of Trump, or even at 9/11. He'd probably continue to sit in the bath tub and enjoy...enjoy whatever he does in his bathtub. I mean, he's not a believer. Isn't he the ultimate nihilist? The Dude in Lebowski?DAVID MASCIOTRA: That's an interesting interpretation. I would say that...Is The Dude a nihilist? You have this juxtaposition... The Dude kind of occupies this middle ground between the nihilists who proudly declare they believe in nothing and his friend Walter Sobchak, who's, you know, almost this raving explosion of belief. Yeah, ex-Vietnam veteran who's always confronting people with his beliefs and screaming and demanding they all adhere to his rules. I don't know if The Dude's a nihilist as much as he has a Zen detachment.AK: Right, well, I think what makes The Big Lebowski such a wonderful film, and perhaps so relevant today, is Lebowski, unlike so many Americans is unjudgmental. He's not an angry man. He's incredibly tolerant. He accepts everyone, even when they're beating him up or ripping him off. And he's so, in that sense, different from the America of the 2020s, where everyone is angry and everyone blames someone else for whatever's wrong in their lives.DAVID MASCIOTRA: That's exactly right.AK: Is that liberal or just Zen? I don't know.DAVID MASCIOTRA: Yeah. It's perhaps even libertarian in a sense. But there's a very interesting and important book by Justin Tosi and Brandon Warmke called Why It's Okay to Mind Your Own Business. And in it they argue--they're both political scientists although the one may be a...they may be philosophers...but that aside--they present an argument for why Americans need to do just that. Mind their own business.AK: Which means, yeah, not living politics, which certainly Lebowski is. It's probably the least political movie, Lebowski, I mean, he doesn't have a political bone in his body. Finally, David, there there's so much to talk about here, it's all very interesting. You first came on the show, you had a book out, that came out either earlier this year or last year. Yeah, it was in April of this year, Exurbia Now: The Battleground of American Democracy. And you wrote about the outskirts of suburbia, which you call "exurbia." Jonathan Rauch, wearing his Brookings cap, described this as an ordinary election. I'm not sure how much digging you've done, but did the exurbian vote determine this election? I mean, the election was determined by a few hundred thousand voters in the Midwest. Were these voters mostly on the edge of the suburb? And I'm guessing most of them voted for Trump.DAVID MASCIOTRA: Well, Trump's numbers in exurbia...I've dug around and I've been able to find the exurbian returns for Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Arizona. So three crucial swing states. If Kamala Harris had won those three states, she would be president. And Trump's support in exurbia was off the charts, as it was in 2020 and 2016, and as I predicted, it would be in 2024. I'm not sure that that would have been sufficient to deliver him the race and certainly not in the fashion that he won. Trump made gains with some groups that surprised people, other groups that didn't surprise people, but he did much better than expected. So unlike, say, in 2016, where we could have definitively and conclusively said Trump won because of a spike in turnout for him in rural America and in exurbia, here, the results are more mixed. But it remains the case that the base most committed to Trump and most fervently loyal to his agenda is rural and exurban.AK: So just outside the cities. And finally, I argued, maybe counterintuitively, that America remains split today as it was before November the 5th, so I'm not convinced that this election is the big deal that some people think it is. But you wrote an interesting piece in Salon back in 2020 arguing that Trump has poisoned American culture, but the toxin was here all along. Of course, there is more, if anything, of that toxin now. So even if Harris had won the election, that toxin was still here. And finally, David, how do we get rid of that toxin? Do we just go to put Bruce Springsteen on and go and watch Big Lebowski? I mean, how do we get beyond this toxin?DAVID MASCIOTRA: I would I would love it if that was the way to do it.AK: We'll sit in our bathtub and wait for the thugs to come along?DAVID MASCIOTRA: Right, exactly. No, what you're asking is, of course, the big question. We need to find a way to resurrect some sense of, I'll use another conservative phrase, civic virtue. And in doing--AK: And resurrection, of course, by definition, is conservative, because you're bringing something back.“Ambition is what allows a society to grow. And it seems like ambition has fallen far out of fashion.” -DMDAVID MASCIOTRA: Exactly. And we also have to resurrect, offer something more practical, we have to resurrect a sense of civics. One thing on which--I have immense respect and admiration for Jonathan Rauch--one minor quibble I would have with him from your conversation is when he said that the voters rejected the liberal intellectual class and their ideas. Some voters certainly rejected, but some voters were unaware. The lack of civic knowledge in the United States is detrimental to our institutions. I mean, a majority of Americans don't know how many justices are on the Supreme Court. They can't name more than one freedom enumerated in the Bill of Rights. So we need to find a way to make citizenship a vital part of our national identity again. And there are some practical means of doing that in the educational system. Certainly won't happen in the next four years. But to get to the less tangible matter of how to resurrect something like civic virtue and bring back ambition and aspiration in our sense of national identity, along with empathy, is much tougher. I mean, Robert Putnam says it thrives upon community and voluntary associations.AK: Putnam has been on the show, of course.DAVID MASCIOTRA: Yeah. So, I mean, this is a conversation that will develop. I wish I had the answer, and I wish it was just to listen to Born to Run in the bathtub with with a poster of The Dude hanging overhead. But as I said to you before we went on the air, I think that you have a significant insight to learn this conversation because, in many ways, your books were prescient. We certainly live with the cult of the amateur now, more so than when you wrote that book. So, I'd love to hear your ideas.AK: Well, that's very generous of you, David. And next time we appear, you're going to interview me about why the cult of the amateur is so important. So we will see you again soon. But we're going to swap seats. So, David will interview me about the relevance of Cult of the Amateur. Wonderful conversation, David. I've never thought about Lebowski or Francis Fukuyama, particularly Lebowski, in terms of what happened on November 5th. So, very insightful. Thank you, David, and we'll see you again in the not-too-distant future.DAVID MASCIOTRA: Thank you. I'm going to reread Cult of the Amateur to prepare. I may even do it in the bathtub. I look forward to our discussion.David Masciotra is an author, lecturer, and journalist. He is the author of I Am Somebody: Why Jesse Jackson Matters (I.B. Tauris, 2020), Mellencamp: American Troubadour (University Press of Kentucky), Barack Obama: Invisible Man (Eyewear Publishers, 2017), and Metallica by Metallica, a 33 1/3 book from Bloomsbury Publishers, which has been translated into Chinese. In 2010, Continuum Books published his first book, Working On a Dream: The Progressive Political Vision of Bruce Springsteen.His 2024 book, Exurbia Now: Notes from the Battleground of American Democracy, is published by Melville House Books. Masciotra writes regularly for the New Republic, Washington Monthly, Progressive, the Los Angeles Review of Books, CrimeReads, No Depression, and the Daily Ripple. He has also written for Salon, the Daily Beast, CNN, Atlantic, Washington Post, AlterNet, Indianapolis Star, and CounterPunch. Several of his political essays have been translated into Spanish for publication at Korazon de Perro. His poetry has appeared in Be About It Press, This Zine Will Change Your Life, and the Pangolin Review. Masciotra has a Master's Degree in English Studies and Communication from Valparaiso University. He also has a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from the University of St. Francis. He is public lecturer, speaking on a wide variety of topics, from the history of protest music in the United States to the importance of bars in American culture. David Masciotra has spoken at the University of Wisconsin, University of South Carolina, Lewis University, Indiana University, the Chicago Public Library, the Lambeth Library (UK), and an additional range of colleges, libraries, arts centers, and bookstores. As a journalist, he has conducted interviews with political leaders, musicians, authors, and cultural figures, including Jesse Jackson, John Mellencamp, Noam Chomsky, all members of Metallica, David Mamet, James Lee Burke, Warren Haynes, Norah Jones, Joan Osborne, Martín Espada, Steve Earle, and Rita Dove. Masciotra lives in Indiana, and teaches literature and political science courses at the University of St. Francis and Indiana University Northwest. Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.Keen On is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, we look into a crucial topic that intersects social work and library services—how libraries can navigate crises and ensure the safety of both staff and patrons through trauma-informed de-escalation techniques. Joining us is Dr. Margaret Ann Paauw, an assistant professor at Eastern Michigan University and a licensed clinical social worker with over a decade of experience. Dr. Paauw has a rich background in working with individuals experiencing homelessness, housing insecurity, and serious mental illness. She served as a library social worker for the Chicago Public Library for several years and was a founding member of the PLA Social Work Task Force. She co-authored the bestselling PLA publication “A Trauma-Informed Framework for Supporting Patrons” and also delivers crucial training and support to library staff across the country. Dr. Paauw's new book, “Navigating Difficult Situations in Public Libraries: The PLA Guide to Trauma-Informed De-Escalation,” (available in late 2024/early 2025) will serve as a comprehensive guide for library staff on addressing trauma and mental health issues among patrons. Here we explore key concepts from her book, such as trauma-informed care, the escalation cycle, and effective de-escalation techniques to maintain a safe environment for everyone in the library. We also discuss how library staff can recognize and manage burnout and compassion fatigue, and much more.

On this episode, Emily McClanathan, a Chicago Public Library superuser, discusses her love of character-driven stories and excellent prose. She also talks about how reading has helped her become a better writer, as she writes both book reviews and theater reviews in Chicago. We get into some shared loves and Emily gets to share a hot take about a book she thinks is overrated.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  The God of the Woods by Liz Moore  Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay  Headshot by Rita Bullwinkle    Books Highlighted by Emily::  The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield  The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Paterson Joseph  Nerd: Adventures in Fandom from This Universe to the Multiverse by Maya Phillips  My Mess is a Bit of a Life: Adventures in Anxiety by Georgia Pritchett  Born to be Mild: Adventures for the Anxious by Rob Temple Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller by Oliver Darkshire Everybody's Favorite: Tales From the World's Worst Perfectionist by Lillian Stone One in a Millenial: On Friendship, Feelings, Fangirls, and Fitting In by Kate Kennedy  This is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch: The Joy of Loving Something - Anything - Like Your Life Depends on It by Tabitha Carvan  The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez Pure: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free by Linda Kay Klein    Other Books Mentioned in the Episode: All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray  Better the Blood by Michael Bennett  Return to Blood by Michael Bennett  Any Human Heart by William Boyd  Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell  The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell  All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr  Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen  Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen  The Eye of the World: Book One of the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan  David Copperfield by Charles Dickens  Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson  The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein  Zorrie by Laird Hunt  Wolf Hall by Emily Mantel  Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally  Washington Black by Esi Edugyan 

On this episode, Mawuli Grant Agbefe and I discuss his love for fascinating non-fiction, including one of my absolute favorite books ever that he recommended to me in January! We also discuss our shared love of being readers in Chicago, based on the gorgeous places to read and the incredible resource the Chicago Public Library is.    Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  The Nix by Nathan Hill  The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne    Books Highlighted by Mawuli:  The Official Preppy Handbook by Jonathan Roberts, Carol McD. Wallace, Mason Wiley, and Lisa Birnbach The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People's Economy by Stephanie Kelton  Grace Will Lead Us Home: The Charleston Church Tragedy and the Hard, Inspiring Journey to Forgiveness by Jennifer Berry Hawes  Mean Girl Feminism: How White Feminists Gaslight, Gatekeep, and Girlboss by Kim Hong Nguyen  Ordinary Notes by Christina Sharpe Your Face Belongs to Us: A Secretive Startup's Quest to End Privacy as we Know it by Kashmir Hill How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith  Bullshit Jobs: A Theory by David Graeber    Other Books Mentioned in the Episode: All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   How the Other Half Banks: Exclusion, Exploitation and the Threat to Democracy by Mehrsa Baradaran  Take Ivy by Shosuke Ishizu and Toshiyuki Kurosu His Name is George Floyd by Toluse Olorunippa and Robert Samuels  Columbine by Dave Cullen  The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff

We go searching for the oldest book in circulation at the library, and find out how a title avoids the book “weeding” process.

Carolyn Kassnoff is an illustrator who creates artwork under the name It'll Glow On You. She was the Chicago Public Library's Maker in Residence, and has studied almost every kind of art under the sun, including papercutting and neon sign bending. She is currently working on a Chicago music venue journal. She has about 200 close dog best friends, and you've probably seen her on the north side walking dogs sized anywhere from a yorkie to a newfoundland. She DJs occasionally on CHIRP, designs shirts and graphics for the station, and is also the person who picks up your donated records and cds. The First Time is a live lit and music series recorded at Martyrs in Chicago's North Center neighborhood. Each reader tells a true first tale, followed by any cover of the storyteller's choosing, performed by our house band, The First Time Three. The First Time is hosted by Jenn Sodini. Production provided by Andy Vasoyan, Noah Janes, and Executive Producer Bobby Evers. Podcast produced by Andy Vasoyan. Recorded by Tony Baker.

Send me your writing and publishing questions!Ava Dellaira's adult debut novel, Exposure, comes out with Zibby Books on September 10th, 2024. She is also the author of the critically acclaimed young adult novels In Search of Us and Love Letters to the Dead, which was named Best Book of the Year by Apple, Google, BuzzFeed, the New York Public Library and the Chicago Public Library. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where she was a Truman Capote Fellow, and the University of Chicago. She grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and now lives in Altadena, CA with her husband and their two young children.INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTSThe challenges of writing in identities that aren't your own (and the risks involved in writing outside your own point of view)Where Ava's story ideas originate, and what she aimed to tackle through writing ExposureAva's editing process preferences, including how she views the editing process and ensures she receives feedback most positivelyDifferent approaches for when to start one's next book CONNECT WITH AVAWebsite: https://avadellaira.comInstagram: @ava.dellairaExposure  (Zibby Books, Sept 2024) Love Letters to the Dead  (Square Fish, 2015)In Search of Us  (Square Fish, 2020)WHAT AVA'S READINGAll Fours by Miranda July Victim by Andrew BorygaWHAT ELIZABETH'S READINGThe New Menopause by Marie Claire HaverELIZABETH'S BOOK REC OF THE WEEKCutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese MOCKUP SHOTS DEALI've used MockUp shots for years to create attention-grabbing images great for social media. It usually costs $207, but they're offering a 60% discount on lifetime access with lifetime updates. It's a great way to get an unheard-of price on a product that will make you money and that you will end up using all the time.Click Here for 60% off >>Write the Damn Book Already is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with authors as well as updates and insights on writing craft and the publishing industry. Available wherever podcasts are available: Apple PodcastsSpotify YouTube Let's Connect! InstagramWebsite Email the show: elizabeth [at] elizabethlyons [dot] comThe podcast is a proud affiliate partner of Bookshop, working to support local, independent bookstores.To see all the ways we can work together to get your book written and published, visit publishaprofitablebook.com/work-with-elizabeth

In Episode 95, Call Number highlights ways libraries are practicing and promoting sustainability. First, American Libraries Managing Editor Terra Dankowski pays a visit to the Sulzer Regional branch of Chicago Public Library, which hosts a repair café every month. At these events, participants bring household items in need of mending to the library. Volunteers with toolkits fix the items, sparing them from the landfill. Next, members of ALA's Sustainability Round Table share what their libraries do to help the environment. Finally, American Libraries Associate Editor and Call Number host Diana Panuncial speaks with Dan Wilson, deputy director of Claude Moore Health Sciences Library at University of Virginia in Charlottesville. They discuss one-page disaster plans—what they are and why your library might need one. Is there a story or topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know at callnumber@ala.org. You can also follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter), SoundCloud, or Spotify and leave a review on iTunes. We welcome your feedback.

Jennifer Donnelly discusses her newest book Beastly Beauty.Jennifer Donnelly is the author of A Northern Light, which was awarded a Printz Honor and a Carnegie Medal; Revolution, named a Best Book by Amazon, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and the Chicago Public Library; and many other books for young readers, including Lost in a Book, which spent over 20 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. She lives in New York's Hudson Valley. 

Nat Cummings has been doing cosplay for half their life. From appearing at C2E2 as Fiona from Adventure Time in 2016, to creating a themed mini-collection for their fashion class at Whitney Young Magnet High School, Nat has taken their love for costumes and clothing to bold new realms. In this episode, Nat joins Elle to talk about their internship at the Chicago Public Library Teen Gamer's Guild, their excitement for the upcoming conventions, and how all this time with their hobbies and classes fits in to next year's college plans.Links to the Chicago Teen Gamer's Guild, and to event information for Gamer's Universe at the Harold Washington Library are in the full show notes at hoorfpodcast.comSubscribe to Hoorf! Radical Care in a Late Capitalist Heckscape wherever you listen to your favorite podcast:Apple | Spotify | YouTubeBecome a Patron:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hoorfpodcast/membershipConnect with Elle Billing:Website: www.hoorfpodcast.com / www.elleandwink.comInstagram: instagram.com/hoorfpodcastSupport the show

According to David Masciotra, the real battleground for the future of American democracy lies in that no-man's land between suburban and rural America - what he calls the “exurb”. It's here, Masciotra argues in his new book EXURBIA NOW, that we can find the pathologies of a 21st century American totalitarianism. The America that Masciotra finds in these outer suburbs is the antithesis of Tocqueville's small town America - a fragmented, alienating place without public space or communal interaction. What Masciotra uncovers is Marjorie Taylor Greene's America and this grey often overlooked zone between suburb and countryside, he suggests is the Gettysburg of American democracy, the battleground which will determine the fate of the Republic in the 2020's and beyond.David Masciotra is an author, lecturer, and journalist. He is the author of I Am Somebody: Why Jesse Jackson Matters (I.B. Tauris, 2020), Mellencamp: American Troubadour (University Press of Kentucky), Barack Obama: Invisible Man (Eyewear Publishers, 2017), and Metallica by Metallica, a 33 1/3 book from Bloomsbury Publishers, which has been translated into Chinese. In 2010, Continuum Books published his first book, Working On a Dream: The Progressive Political Vision of Bruce Springsteen. His next book, Exurbia Now: Notes from the Battleground of American Democracy, is scheduled for publication from Melville House Books in 2024. Masciotra writes regularly for the New Republic, Washington Monthly, Progressive, the Los Angeles Review of Books, CrimeReads, No Depression, and the Daily Ripple. He has also written for Salon, the Daily Beast, CNN, Atlantic, Washington Post, AlterNet, Indianapolis Star, and CounterPunch. Several of his political essays have been translated into Spanish for publication at Korazon de Perro. His poetry has appeared in Be About It Press, This Zine Will Change Your Life, and the Pangolin Review. Masciotra has a Master's Degree in English Studies and Communication from Valparaiso University. He also has a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from the University of St. Francis. He is public lecturer, speaking on a wide variety of topics, from the history of protest music in the United States to the importance of bars in American culture. David Masciotra has spoken at the University of Wisconsin, University of South Carolina, Lewis University, Indiana University, the Chicago Public Library, the Lambeth Library (UK), and an additional range of colleges, libraries, arts centers, and bookstores. As a journalist, he has conducted interviews with political leaders, musicians, authors, and cultural figures, including Jesse Jackson, John Mellencamp, Noam Chomsky, all members of Metallica, David Mamet, James Lee Burke, Warren Haynes, Norah Jones, Joan Osborne, Martín Espada, Steve Earle, and Rita Dove.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

rich past and vibrant culture. As the CEO and chief storyteller at Chicago Mahogany Tours, he's turned his love of everything Chicago into an Emmy Award-winning celebration of his mission to make sure history doesn't repeat itself. He shares with Jeanne how his devotion to Chicago history started: why he compares his child-raising philosophy to bowling; how he uses the power of history to cross bridges; how history hurts and his goal to change it; and why he feels he owes Chicago more than he could ever give back. Shermann "Dilla" Thomas is an urban historian and CEO/Chief Storyteller at Chicago Mahogany Tours as well as a contributor to WBEZ-Radio. He uses his passion and insider knowledge of Chicago's history, architecture, and culture to bring the city to life with his captivating storytelling. Dilla is an Emmy Award-winning, self-taught historian who was named the City of Chicago's Tourism Ambassador of the Year by Choose Chicago; Public Narrative named Dilla the 2022 Studs Terkel Uplifting Voice recipient and The Chicago Public Library awarded Dilla the 21st Century Award for his recent achievements in promoting Chicago to the world. Dilla has been independently studying the history of Chicago for over 20 years, and his candid and truthful reflection of that history can be felt in his videos and presentations. He embodies the essence of the city and reverberates his message everywhere that "Everything Dope About America Comes From Chicago".x - @6figga_dilla IG- @6figga_dilla TikTok- @6figga_dilla FB- 6figga_dilla

Thursday is the deadline to apply to run for your local school council. The councils help drive big decisions across Chicago's schools like approving how funds are allocated and evaluating and selecting principals. They're also one of the main ways students, parents, and neighbors can get involved. That's why we're revisiting our conversation from the fall with Chalkbeat Chicago editor Becky Vevea to learn about why having robust LSCs is important. Some Good News: Apply to be a Chicago Public Library maker-in-residence Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter.  Follow us @citycastchicago You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246 Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New York Times bestselling author, Ann Napolitano, spoke with me about overcoming rejection early on, how grief transformed her writing process, and getting that fateful call from Oprah about Hello Beautiful. Ann Napolitano is the New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful which was selected as Oprah's 100th Book Club pick; Dear Edward, an instant New York Times bestseller, a Read with Jenna selection, and an Apple TV+ series; A Good Hard Look, and Within Arm's Reach. Hello Beautiful has been called a “powerfully affecting” (People) family story that asks: Can love make a broken person whole? The Washington Post said of the book, “Another tender tearjerker . . . Napolitano chronicles life's highs and lows with aching precision.” It was named Chicago Public Library's Ten Best Books of the Year and a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times Book Review, NPR, The Washington Post, Time, Vogue, Glamour, Harper's Bazaar, New York Post, She Reads, and Bookreporter. Ann was the associate editor of the literary magazine One Story for seven years, and she received an MFA from New York University [Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm] [If you're a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file Ann Napolitano and I discussed: Her long and rocky road to success How an illness early in life helped her realize she was a writer Why her first published book felt like a proving ground The nine-month approach to planning your next novel How to write the truest sentence possible Why you need to string together as many Xs as you can And a lot more! Show Notes: AnnNapolitano.com Hello Beautiful (Oprah's Book Club): A NOVEL By Ann Napolitano (Amazon) Ann Napolitano Amazon Author Page Ann Napolitano on Twitter Ann Napolitano on Instagram Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While you're picking up your next cozy read at your local library, don't forget all the other things your library card can get you: passes to city attractions, seeds for starting a garden, and more. To remind you, we're revisiting a conversation we had earlier this summer with Patrick Molloy, government and public affairs director for the Chicago Public Library, and Manning branch manager Alejandra Santana. Some Good News: “What Time Is It?” opens Friday at Chicago Art Department in Pilsen. Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter.  Follow us @citycastchicago You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246 Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Which stories are left out of the history books? What's in the documents omitted from the “official” record? And what happens when we go in search of people's hidden lives? Today's book is  No Way, They Were Gay? Hidden Lives and Secret Loves (Zest Books, 2021), by Lee Wind, in which he reminds us that “history” was crafted by the people who recorded it. And sometimes, those historians were biased against, didn't see, or couldn't even imagine anyone different from themselves. That means that history has often left out the stories of LGBTQIA+ people: men who loved men, women who loved women, people who loved without regard to gender, and people who lived outside gender boundaries. Historians have even censored the lives and loves of some of the world's most famous people, from William Shakespeare and Pharaoh Hatshepsut to Cary Grant and Eleanor Roosevelt. Throughout the text, Lee Wind shares primary sources—poetry, memoir, news clippings, and images of ancient artwork—and explores the hidden (and often surprising) Queer lives and loves of two dozen historical figures. No Way, They Were Gay was honored as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection, and was selected for the Chicago Public Library's 2021 Best of the Best Books list. Our guest is: Lee Wind, who writes stories that center marginalized kids and teens and celebrate their power to change the world. Closeted until his 20s, Lee writes the books that would have changed his life as a young Gay kid. His Masters Degree from Harvard didn't include blueprints for a time machine to go back and tell these stories to himself, so Lee pays it forward with a popular blog with over 3 million page views (I'm Here. I'm Queer. What The Hell Do I Read?) and books for kids and teens. He is the author of No Way, They Were Gay? His day-job is for the Independent Book Publishers Association (as their Chief Content Officer), and for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (as their official blogger). Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, who holds a PhD in history, which she uses to explore what stories we tell and what happens to those we never tell. She is the producer and show-host of the Academic Life podcasts. Listeners to this episode may be interested in: Read These Banned Books: A Journal and 52-Week Reading Challenge, by the American Library Association Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep, edited by Melissa Stewart Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators This conversation with Dr. Anya Jabour about Sophonisba Breckinridge Gay on God's Campus: Mobilizing for LGBT Equality at Christian Colleges and Universities, by Jonathan Coley Welcome to Academic Life, the podcast for your academic journey--and beyond! Join us to learn from experts inside and outside the academy, and around the world. Missed any of the 175+ Academic Life episodes? You'll find them all archived here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Which stories are left out of the history books? What's in the documents omitted from the “official” record? And what happens when we go in search of people's hidden lives? Today's book is  No Way, They Were Gay? Hidden Lives and Secret Loves (Zest Books, 2021), by Lee Wind, in which he reminds us that “history” was crafted by the people who recorded it. And sometimes, those historians were biased against, didn't see, or couldn't even imagine anyone different from themselves. That means that history has often left out the stories of LGBTQIA+ people: men who loved men, women who loved women, people who loved without regard to gender, and people who lived outside gender boundaries. Historians have even censored the lives and loves of some of the world's most famous people, from William Shakespeare and Pharaoh Hatshepsut to Cary Grant and Eleanor Roosevelt. Throughout the text, Lee Wind shares primary sources—poetry, memoir, news clippings, and images of ancient artwork—and explores the hidden (and often surprising) Queer lives and loves of two dozen historical figures. No Way, They Were Gay was honored as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection, and was selected for the Chicago Public Library's 2021 Best of the Best Books list. Our guest is: Lee Wind, who writes stories that center marginalized kids and teens and celebrate their power to change the world. Closeted until his 20s, Lee writes the books that would have changed his life as a young Gay kid. His Masters Degree from Harvard didn't include blueprints for a time machine to go back and tell these stories to himself, so Lee pays it forward with a popular blog with over 3 million page views (I'm Here. I'm Queer. What The Hell Do I Read?) and books for kids and teens. He is the author of No Way, They Were Gay? His day-job is for the Independent Book Publishers Association (as their Chief Content Officer), and for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (as their official blogger). Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, who holds a PhD in history, which she uses to explore what stories we tell and what happens to those we never tell. She is the producer and show-host of the Academic Life podcasts. Listeners to this episode may be interested in: Read These Banned Books: A Journal and 52-Week Reading Challenge, by the American Library Association Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep, edited by Melissa Stewart Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators This conversation with Dr. Anya Jabour about Sophonisba Breckinridge Gay on God's Campus: Mobilizing for LGBT Equality at Christian Colleges and Universities, by Jonathan Coley Welcome to Academic Life, the podcast for your academic journey--and beyond! Join us to learn from experts inside and outside the academy, and around the world. Missed any of the 175+ Academic Life episodes? You'll find them all archived here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Which stories are left out of the history books? What's in the documents omitted from the “official” record? And what happens when we go in search of people's hidden lives? Today's book is  No Way, They Were Gay? Hidden Lives and Secret Loves (Zest Books, 2021), by Lee Wind, in which he reminds us that “history” was crafted by the people who recorded it. And sometimes, those historians were biased against, didn't see, or couldn't even imagine anyone different from themselves. That means that history has often left out the stories of LGBTQIA+ people: men who loved men, women who loved women, people who loved without regard to gender, and people who lived outside gender boundaries. Historians have even censored the lives and loves of some of the world's most famous people, from William Shakespeare and Pharaoh Hatshepsut to Cary Grant and Eleanor Roosevelt. Throughout the text, Lee Wind shares primary sources—poetry, memoir, news clippings, and images of ancient artwork—and explores the hidden (and often surprising) Queer lives and loves of two dozen historical figures. No Way, They Were Gay was honored as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection, and was selected for the Chicago Public Library's 2021 Best of the Best Books list. Our guest is: Lee Wind, who writes stories that center marginalized kids and teens and celebrate their power to change the world. Closeted until his 20s, Lee writes the books that would have changed his life as a young Gay kid. His Masters Degree from Harvard didn't include blueprints for a time machine to go back and tell these stories to himself, so Lee pays it forward with a popular blog with over 3 million page views (I'm Here. I'm Queer. What The Hell Do I Read?) and books for kids and teens. He is the author of No Way, They Were Gay? His day-job is for the Independent Book Publishers Association (as their Chief Content Officer), and for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (as their official blogger). Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, who holds a PhD in history, which she uses to explore what stories we tell and what happens to those we never tell. She is the producer and show-host of the Academic Life podcasts. Listeners to this episode may be interested in: Read These Banned Books: A Journal and 52-Week Reading Challenge, by the American Library Association Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep, edited by Melissa Stewart Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators This conversation with Dr. Anya Jabour about Sophonisba Breckinridge Gay on God's Campus: Mobilizing for LGBT Equality at Christian Colleges and Universities, by Jonathan Coley Welcome to Academic Life, the podcast for your academic journey--and beyond! Join us to learn from experts inside and outside the academy, and around the world. Missed any of the 175+ Academic Life episodes? You'll find them all archived here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies

Which stories are left out of the history books? What's in the documents omitted from the “official” record? And what happens when we go in search of people's hidden lives? Today's book is  No Way, They Were Gay? Hidden Lives and Secret Loves (Zest Books, 2021), by Lee Wind, in which he reminds us that “history” was crafted by the people who recorded it. And sometimes, those historians were biased against, didn't see, or couldn't even imagine anyone different from themselves. That means that history has often left out the stories of LGBTQIA+ people: men who loved men, women who loved women, people who loved without regard to gender, and people who lived outside gender boundaries. Historians have even censored the lives and loves of some of the world's most famous people, from William Shakespeare and Pharaoh Hatshepsut to Cary Grant and Eleanor Roosevelt. Throughout the text, Lee Wind shares primary sources—poetry, memoir, news clippings, and images of ancient artwork—and explores the hidden (and often surprising) Queer lives and loves of two dozen historical figures. No Way, They Were Gay was honored as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection, and was selected for the Chicago Public Library's 2021 Best of the Best Books list. Our guest is: Lee Wind, who writes stories that center marginalized kids and teens and celebrate their power to change the world. Closeted until his 20s, Lee writes the books that would have changed his life as a young Gay kid. His Masters Degree from Harvard didn't include blueprints for a time machine to go back and tell these stories to himself, so Lee pays it forward with a popular blog with over 3 million page views (I'm Here. I'm Queer. What The Hell Do I Read?) and books for kids and teens. He is the author of No Way, They Were Gay? His day-job is for the Independent Book Publishers Association (as their Chief Content Officer), and for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (as their official blogger). Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, who holds a PhD in history, which she uses to explore what stories we tell and what happens to those we never tell. She is the producer and show-host of the Academic Life podcasts. Listeners to this episode may be interested in: Read These Banned Books: A Journal and 52-Week Reading Challenge, by the American Library Association Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep, edited by Melissa Stewart Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators This conversation with Dr. Anya Jabour about Sophonisba Breckinridge Gay on God's Campus: Mobilizing for LGBT Equality at Christian Colleges and Universities, by Jonathan Coley Welcome to Academic Life, the podcast for your academic journey--and beyond! Join us to learn from experts inside and outside the academy, and around the world. Missed any of the 175+ Academic Life episodes? You'll find them all archived here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

Which stories are left out of the history books? What's in the documents omitted from the “official” record? And what happens when we go in search of people's hidden lives? Today's book is  No Way, They Were Gay? Hidden Lives and Secret Loves (Zest Books, 2021), by Lee Wind, in which he reminds us that “history” was crafted by the people who recorded it. And sometimes, those historians were biased against, didn't see, or couldn't even imagine anyone different from themselves. That means that history has often left out the stories of LGBTQIA+ people: men who loved men, women who loved women, people who loved without regard to gender, and people who lived outside gender boundaries. Historians have even censored the lives and loves of some of the world's most famous people, from William Shakespeare and Pharaoh Hatshepsut to Cary Grant and Eleanor Roosevelt. Throughout the text, Lee Wind shares primary sources—poetry, memoir, news clippings, and images of ancient artwork—and explores the hidden (and often surprising) Queer lives and loves of two dozen historical figures. No Way, They Were Gay was honored as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection, and was selected for the Chicago Public Library's 2021 Best of the Best Books list. Our guest is: Lee Wind, who writes stories that center marginalized kids and teens and celebrate their power to change the world. Closeted until his 20s, Lee writes the books that would have changed his life as a young Gay kid. His Masters Degree from Harvard didn't include blueprints for a time machine to go back and tell these stories to himself, so Lee pays it forward with a popular blog with over 3 million page views (I'm Here. I'm Queer. What The Hell Do I Read?) and books for kids and teens. He is the author of No Way, They Were Gay? His day-job is for the Independent Book Publishers Association (as their Chief Content Officer), and for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (as their official blogger). Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, who holds a PhD in history, which she uses to explore what stories we tell and what happens to those we never tell. She is the producer and show-host of the Academic Life podcasts. Listeners to this episode may be interested in: Read These Banned Books: A Journal and 52-Week Reading Challenge, by the American Library Association Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep, edited by Melissa Stewart Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators This conversation with Dr. Anya Jabour about Sophonisba Breckinridge Gay on God's Campus: Mobilizing for LGBT Equality at Christian Colleges and Universities, by Jonathan Coley Welcome to Academic Life, the podcast for your academic journey--and beyond! Join us to learn from experts inside and outside the academy, and around the world. Missed any of the 175+ Academic Life episodes? You'll find them all archived here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life

Which stories are left out of the history books? What's in the documents omitted from the “official” record? And what happens when we go in search of people's hidden lives? Today's book is  No Way, They Were Gay? Hidden Lives and Secret Loves (Zest Books, 2021), by Lee Wind, in which he reminds us that “history” was crafted by the people who recorded it. And sometimes, those historians were biased against, didn't see, or couldn't even imagine anyone different from themselves. That means that history has often left out the stories of LGBTQIA+ people: men who loved men, women who loved women, people who loved without regard to gender, and people who lived outside gender boundaries. Historians have even censored the lives and loves of some of the world's most famous people, from William Shakespeare and Pharaoh Hatshepsut to Cary Grant and Eleanor Roosevelt. Throughout the text, Lee Wind shares primary sources—poetry, memoir, news clippings, and images of ancient artwork—and explores the hidden (and often surprising) Queer lives and loves of two dozen historical figures. No Way, They Were Gay was honored as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection, and was selected for the Chicago Public Library's 2021 Best of the Best Books list. Our guest is: Lee Wind, who writes stories that center marginalized kids and teens and celebrate their power to change the world. Closeted until his 20s, Lee writes the books that would have changed his life as a young Gay kid. His Masters Degree from Harvard didn't include blueprints for a time machine to go back and tell these stories to himself, so Lee pays it forward with a popular blog with over 3 million page views (I'm Here. I'm Queer. What The Hell Do I Read?) and books for kids and teens. He is the author of No Way, They Were Gay? His day-job is for the Independent Book Publishers Association (as their Chief Content Officer), and for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (as their official blogger). Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, who holds a PhD in history, which she uses to explore what stories we tell and what happens to those we never tell. She is the producer and show-host of the Academic Life podcasts. Listeners to this episode may be interested in: Read These Banned Books: A Journal and 52-Week Reading Challenge, by the American Library Association Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep, edited by Melissa Stewart Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators This conversation with Dr. Anya Jabour about Sophonisba Breckinridge Gay on God's Campus: Mobilizing for LGBT Equality at Christian Colleges and Universities, by Jonathan Coley Welcome to Academic Life, the podcast for your academic journey--and beyond! Join us to learn from experts inside and outside the academy, and around the world. Missed any of the 175+ Academic Life episodes? You'll find them all archived here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/lgbtq-studies

This edition of the VHS podcast features two of the genre's most impactful pioneers. DJ Wayne Williams, founder of the Chosen Few DJ's and Kirk Townsend, founder of the Mendel Bi-Level Disco Parties. Both have worked as insiders and supporters of #HouseMusic. The Chicago Public Library hosts this discussion. CPL respects and understands this Chicago Born Music form and is compiling its archives to celebrate our own!! Enjoy PART 1 of this fantastic conversation.Support the showwww.VintageHouseShow.org | www.VintageHouseShow.tv

How do you define poverty?  Oxford describes it as “the state of being extremely poor.” Webster says it's “the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions.” While poverty does cover a wide range of material problems related to daily life and survival, it's also psychologically threatening to those experiencing it because it leads to shame. When it comes to poverty, shame can take many forms. For instance, being unable to meet your own necessities is often accompanied by a feeling of shame, even more so when it comes to the needs of your children. Poverty-induced shame can have many negative consequences, including low self-esteem and withdrawal from society, often perpetuating the vicious cycle of poverty even more. Researchers from the University of Oxford concluded that such shame not only hurts but also undermines individual agency, which adds to the negative experience of poverty and its perpetuation. In the worst case, it can lead to depression and self-harm. Diane O'Neill has written on the subject of poverty-induced shame, particularly as it relates to food insecurit—but not in an academic sense. She didn't publish a dissertation or a master's thesis. She wrote a children's book. It's called “Saturday at the Food Pantry.” It's about a little girl named Molly and her mom, who pay their first visit to a local food pantry. When they get there, they see one of Molly's classmates in line, embarrassed that her family needs help.  The book was recently deemed among the Best Picture Books of the year by the Chicago Public Library and won Parents Magazine's Book of the Month. If children's literature seems like a surprising place to tackle such a complex issue, perhaps it shouldn't be.  One reviewer said the book “gently destigmatizes food insecurity without being preachy; soft illustrations show friendly shoppers and workers, making the pantry look like a welcoming place.” Diane, who lives in Chicago, has worked in the field of disability rights and services for most of her professional life. She remembers going to a food pantry as a child. She wrote “Saturday at the Food Pantry,” in part, to eradicate the stigma and change the way in which people judge and relate to people in need. Today, we're talking to Diane about the inspiration behind her book, what she remembers about the first time she stepped foot in a food pantry, and how destigmatizing poverty can help create more empathetic humans — regardless of age.  Because as she writes in her book, “Everybody needs a little help sometimes.” EPISODE SHOWNOTES: Read more.  BE AFFIRMED. Get the Good Words email series. WHAT'S YOUR CAUSE? Take our quiz. STUDY SCRIPTURE. Get inside the collection. BE INSPIRED. Follow us on Instagram. FIGHT FOR GOOD. Give to The Salvation Army.

In recent weeks, many Chicagoland libraries have received anonymous bomb threats, forcing them to close and be searched while the communities they serve aren't allowed access to the literature and services the libraries provide. On this week's Looped In: Chicago, host Jim Hanke speaks with WBBM reporter Bernie Tafoya about the latest info on these hoaxes, as well as journalist Alison Cuddy, whose recent podcast series about the Chicago Public Library's 150 year history provides some context on other eras where threats have occurred. Follow Bernie Tafoya on Twitter | Follow Alison Cuddy on Twitter Follow WBBM Podcasts: Twitter | InstagramFollow WBBM Newsradio: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

In recent weeks, many Chicagoland libraries have received anonymous bomb threats, forcing them to close and be searched while the communities they serve aren't allowed access to the literature and services the libraries provide. On this week's Looped In: Chicago, host Jim Hanke speaks with WBBM reporter Bernie Tafoya about the latest info on these hoaxes, as well as journalist Alison Cuddy, whose recent podcast series about the Chicago Public Library's 150 year history provides some context on other eras where threats have occurred. Follow Bernie Tafoya on Twitter | Follow Alison Cuddy on Twitter Follow WBBM Podcasts: Twitter | InstagramFollow WBBM Newsradio: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

In recent weeks, many Chicagoland libraries have received anonymous bomb threats, forcing them to close and be searched while the communities they serve aren't allowed access to the literature and services the libraries provide. On this week's Looped In: Chicago, host Jim Hanke speaks with WBBM reporter Bernie Tafoya about the latest info on these hoaxes, as well as journalist Alison Cuddy, whose recent podcast series about the Chicago Public Library's 150 year history provides some context on other eras where threats have occurred. Follow Bernie Tafoya on Twitter | Follow Alison Cuddy on Twitter Follow WBBM Podcasts: Twitter | InstagramFollow WBBM Newsradio: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Show Notes: David Block, a graduate of Harvard, had always been interested in cities since he was a child. He decided to explore his interest in cities and their physical aspects, rather than people or economics. But since Harvard does not offer undergraduate architecture major,  so he took a year off from Harvard to study at Columbia University's program, "The Shape of Two Cities," which offered a comprehensive introduction to architecture, urban planning, and urban history. The program was divided into two parts and took place in both New York and Paris. He decided to apply to architecture, so upon graduating, he applied to architecture schools. He went to Princeton for one semester, but dropped out due to the program's focus on post-structuralist or literary thinking. He eventually returned to the Midwest and transferred to Washington University, where he enjoyed a more pragmatic and focused program. David's journey to becoming an architect was marked by a shift in focus from making cities and buildings to power dynamics and the influence they can have on society.  David was hired as a graduate student staff for the Mayor's Institute on City Design Midwest, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, designed to bring mayors of cities of all sizes around the country together. They covered 12 states and worked with city planners, council people, and economic development specialists to identify key economic development and urban development challenges facing midsize cities. The program was held at Washington University each fall and brought together nationally recognized experts in architecture, urban planning, and economic development. David graduated from the School of Architecture and later returned to Boston, where he worked for several firms.  Working for an Affordable Housing Developer  In 2000, David moved to Providence, where he could afford a house. He was hired at the Providence office of the nonprofit affordable housing developer, Community Builders. He spent five years working at the Providence office and worked on several projects around New England, including the Hope Six redevelopment, Dutch Pointe complex, Mill Village revitalization project, and a new library. In 2006, David moved to Chicago, where he joined the growing Chicago office of Community Builders. He was hired at TCB where he was involved in several of the phases of projects, including the development of a rec center and many mixed-use urban developments. He worked there for 12 and half years before he was offered the opportunity to really help build a new, national, affordable housing development practice at Evergreen Real Estate in Chicago He became involved in adaptive reuse projects, converted old ice cream factories into loft housing, and converted former Art Deco hospital buildings into senior housing.  One of the most exciting projects is the one that created the biggest splash for Evergreen in terms of national growth. David's department was selected by Mayor Rahm Emanuel to do buildings that combined a new Chicago Public Library neighborhood branch with affordable senior housing on prominent sites in several neighborhoods in Chicago. He worked with talented architects, including John Ronan, who was the only Chicago-based architect to be a finalist for the Obama Library. He also worked with Perkins and Will, an international firm based in Chicago, on a small neighborhood project in his hometown. David believes that his projects have had an important impact on cities and neighborhoods, providing much-needed affordable housing opportunities in markets where there is a growing need for affordable housing.  Barriers to Building Affordable Housing Barriers to building affordable housing include the involvement of minority groups (NIMBYs) and the “not in my backyard” backlash. Some states, like St. Paul, Minnesota, and California, are considering creating opportunities for developers to override local zoning concerns to get affordable housing done, however, David is a big proponent of working with local communities to find a solution that everyone wants to see. However, sometimes, people's concerns are not rational and cannot be rationally argued. In such cases, additional tools involving state involvement in local zoning may be needed. He also talks about the impact of COVID on the supply chains and labor shortages that impact construction.  Barriers to Single-Use Occupancy Buildings David explores the concept of single room occupancy (SRO) buildings as they were once viable for people who were homeless or unstable. However, zoning restrictions have made it difficult to build such buildings, making them more expensive. The current thinking is that housing for a homeless or near homeless population should include services to address underlying issues, such as mental health or drug addiction. The challenge is to find funding and staff for these services in an incredibly resource-constrained environment. National statistics show a $3-7 million dollar shortfall in housing units nationally, and the vulnerable, homeless, mentally ill, or drug addicted population are the ones who are least able to compete for housing. This leads to a massive societal crisis.  Cost of Construction and Development of a Housing Unit The primary system for building affordable housing dates back to the Reagan tax reform of 1986 and the creation of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit. Back then, a housing unit could be built for under $100,000, and the tax credit functioned well in that model.  However, today, construction and development of a housing unit is approaching a million dollars, even in Chicago. The financing model for affordable housing is at a crisis point, with regulatory requirements, union and prevailing wage requirements, and the sheer layers of financing involved. The question of whether the government should follow the old public housing model of the 1930s and 1940s is a question that has been answered by the better-maintained housing built with tax credits, market exposure, and oversight by banks and regulatory agencies. In conclusion, the current model for affordable housing is at a critical point, and it is unclear where to go from here. While the intentions are right, the financing model may be at a breaking point, and there is no definitive answer to where to go from here. The Issue of Empty Commercial Real Estate Post-COVID Post-COVID, many cities are experimenting with various opportunities for redevelopment. In Chicago, the city's Planning Department has put out an RFP for the redevelopment of several buildings along LaSalle Street, which is known for its historic 1920s and 30s Art Deco buildings. These buildings need significant work to adapt to residential use, particularly the newer ones. Cities are offering varying degrees of funding to address these problems, with the city of Chicago offering significant TIF tax increment financing. San Francisco is struggling with this issue, with a giant shopping mall in the middle of the city that the owners have just handed back to their lender. David talks about ways to follow a career path in urban development, however, he states that it is crucial for individuals with an extremely broad range of interests to understand the challenges and opportunities in repurposing these buildings for residential use. Influential Courses and Professors at Harvard David, an English major at Harvard, credits his English classes with inspiring insights into English literature and poetry. He took three classes with Helen Vendler, an expert on Yeats. These classes opened his eyes to the importance of artistic and creative matters in advancing meaningful conversations. Another professor was Derek Pearsalll, who taught Chaucer. David's passion for great design for housing and working with talented architects has led to the creation of beautiful buildings that can be part of urban neighborhoods. He believes that the ultimate test of his work is whether it will stand the test of time, as he believes that buildings that stand the test of time are a work of art. Timestamps: 08:45 Working as an architect in Boston 14:43 Working at TCB.Inc in Louisville, Kentucky 24:44 The impact of zoning restrictions on development 30:00 Permanent supportive housing 33:10 Why affordable housing is so expensive 36:08 On empty commercial real estate post COVID 38:57 The difference between older buildings and newer buildings 39:34 Architectural code rules on light and air  Links:  Website: https://www.evergreenreg.com/  

This year the Chicago Public Library system is celebrating 150 years of service to Chicagoans, and a lot has changed in the last century and a half. With a library card, Chicago residents can stream movies and music, get digital magazine subscriptions, listen to audiobooks, and so much more! Reset turns to a CPL branch manager, Kendall Kidder-Goshorn, to learn tips and tricks to make the most of your library card.

We all know you can get books at the library. But your library card can get you way more than you think, from passes to city attractions to seeds for starting a garden. Patrick Molloy is government and public affairs director director for the Chicago Public Library, and Alejandra Santana manages the Manning branch on the Near West Side. They're here to help us make the most of this free resource. Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter.  Follow us @citycastchicago You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246 Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The library is open, free of charge to all, bringing resources for accessing knowledge. And In the midst of battles over freedom of speech and book bans, the Chicago Public Library is committed to being a sanctuary for books. Reset talks with Alison Cuddy, host of the podcast Library for the People, about the ways the library has lived out its mission and served the people of Chicago for the past 150 years.

The Chicago Public Library celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. Along with this birthday comes an increased debate about banned books and what subjects, genres and authors children that should have access to in school or public libraries. On today's show, podcast producer and host Jim Hanke speaks with WBBM reporter Brandon Ison and Chicago Public Library Commissioner Chris Brown about a new landmark bill, signed by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. It halts funding to libraries that choose to ban literature due to partisan disapproval. This is the first law of its kind in the country, so what does this mean for the ongoing nationwide debate? ---------------- Sources: KMOV CBS This Morning PBS NewsHour Fort Worth Report ---------------- Follow Brandon Ison on Twitter | Follow Chris Brown on Twitter Follow us on our socials: Twitter, InstagramFollow WBBM Newsradio: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Hey, hey, let's go, Wakakusa monogatari! In this episode, we explore the ways Little Women and Louisa May Alcott have been represented in anime, from the long-running children's TV serials of the 80s and 90s to Louisa May Alcott's more recent turn as an anime heroine. Our guest and guide for this episode is Lio Min, author of the novel Beating Heart Baby. It was named one of the best books of 2022 by BuzzFeed, Publishers Weekly, BookPage, Kirkus Reviews, and the Chicago Public Library. Lio's writing has appeared in Nylon, Fader, Catapult, and many more. They've interviewed all of your faves: Mitski, Japanese Breakfast, Rina Sawayama, Caroline Polachek, and Soccer Mommy, to name just a few. Our cover art is by Mattie Lubchansky. It interpolates the cover art for Bethany C. Morrow's book "So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix," with permission from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. It also interpolates the cover art for Hena Khan's book “More to the Story,” with permission from Simon & Schuster. Our theme music is Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major. This episode was edited by Antoinette Smith.

It's National Small Business Week, and we are sharing love for some of our favorite neighborhood businesses. The city is also hosting webinars for current and prospective business owners all week, and pointing folks to the Shop Local website which has tons of resources. Plus, the Chicago Public Library has announced three new branches coming to Woodlawn, Back of the Yards, and Humboldt Park. Lead Producer Carrie Shepherd, producer Simone Alicea and host Jacoby Cochran have the details and discuss all the great things to do at your local library. Some of your pizza recs: Fat Chris's Pizza and Such Edwardo's Kitchen 17 Other links mentioned: Our Beverly Neighborhood Guide Our Guide to Vegan Takes on Chi Classics Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter.  Follow us @citycastchicago You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246 Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you've never heard of Vivian G Harsh, allow us to tell you about her. Hi, we are 77 Flavors of Chicago. Join us as we tell you about dope Chicago HERstory Andean some of the best food in the city. Anyway, that was far the newbies. Y'all know what time it is! We at it again with some of the most amazing information today! Stacie Williams at the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection, located inside the Woodson Branch of the Chicago Public Library, takes on a trip through time in Black history. Afterwards we stopped by Peach's restaurant in Bronzville for some delicious brunch. Y'all....they have peach flavored coffee!! Tune in and hear about it! If you have anything you'd like us to talk about on the podcast, food or history, please email us at media@77flavorschi.com  WATCH US ON YOUTUBE HERE! Visit our website https://www.77flavorschi.com Shop our gear from Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/shop/77flavorschi Follow us on IG: 77 Flavors of Chicago @77flavorschi Dario @super_dario_bro Sara @TamarHindi.s --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/77-flavors-of-chicago/support

In this episode, I had the exciting opportunity to interview a wonderful community artist. Antonia “Toni” Ruppert is an Illinois artist who has been creating for over 25 years. She creates paintings that tell a story. Ruppert fell in love with art as a child upon seeing her Dad draw after coming home from work at Brachs Candy Company. The oldest of six siblings, she recalls drawing horses and people on tons of pink paper that was gifted to her by the dentist office. Now creating on canvas, panels and paper using all kinds of paint, she is inspired by stories of faith, hope and love. Ruppert was the 2021 Invest South/West Artist in Residence for Chicago's Austin community and the 2022 Artist in Residence for the Addison Public Library. Ruppert is an honoree of the Peggy A. Montes Unsung Heroine Award for Cook County. Ruppert has been featured in the Museum of Science and Industry Black Creativity Exhibition, Moraine Valley Community College Regional Showcase and the Dupage Art League's Best of the Best Exhibition. Her favorite paintings and murals can be found in numerous regional venues including the Berwyn North District 98 elementary schools. Other commissions include: University of Chicago Hospitals, Chicago Public Library, Acorn Public Library, Addison Public Library, Austin Childcare Network, Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Forest Park Park District, Elmwood Park Public Library, Grand Prairie Services, Living Springs Community Church, Markham Public Library, Near North Montessori School, Oak Forest Park District and the Oak Park Area Arts Council. In 2021, she collaborated with the Office of the Mayor of the City of Berwyn and the Award Winning Junior State of America Morton West Debate Club Chapter to commission and speak at the first Juneteenth Commemoration held in the city. Ruppert is thankful to God for her gifts and is currently illustrating a children's book —“The Place Where I Belong” by Candice Klopfenstein due out later in 2023. Ruppert is on the board of Sarah's Inn, a domestic violence awareness and prevention agency and is well known at the frontlines of the activist community and as a notable artist.  Ruppert seeks to uplift her entire community with creative expression.   You can connect with Toni at toni@toniruppert.com  

In 1983, Harold Washington took on the Chicago machine and won, with the help of a multiracial coalition, becoming the first Black mayor of Chicago. Winning the mayoral election was only the first fight, and 29 of the 50 alderpersons on City Council, led by the “the Eddies,” Aldermen Ed Vrdolyak and Edward M. Burke, opposed Washington's every move. This week we look at Washington's rise to the 5th floor of City Hall, who helped him get there, and the struggles he faced once elected. Joining me to help us learn more about Harold Washington is Dr. Gordon K. Mantler, Executive Director of the University Writing Program and Associate Professor of Writing and of History at the George Washington University and author of The Multiracial Promise: Harold Washington's Chicago and the Democratic Struggle in Reagan's America. Our theme song is Frogs Legs Rag, composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. The episode image is a photo of Harold Washington, US Federal Government, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Additional Sources: “WASHINGTON, Harold,” HIstory, Art, and Archives, United States House of Representatives. “Mayor Harold Washington Biography,” Chicago Public Library. “Achieving the Dream: Harold Washington,” WTTW Chicago. “Who Was Harold Washington? A Look Back at the Legacy of Chicago's First Black Mayor,” NBC5 Chicago, April 15, 2022. “How Mayor Harold Washington Shaped the City of Chicago,” by Adam Doster, Chicago Magazine, April 29, 2013. “Punch 9 for Harold Washington [video],” directed by Joe Winston, 2021. “The Legacy of Chicago Mayor Harold Washington [video],” UChicago Institute of Politics, Streamed live on Apr 27, 2022. “ILLINOIS SETS UP AT LARGE VOTING; Governor Signs Emergency Bill for House Election,” The New York Times, January 30, 1964, Page 14. “Hyde Park Stories: Harold Washington Park,” by Patricia L. Morse, Hyde Park Historical Society, February 22, 2023.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Stephen discusses the impact and significance of the Chicago Public Library over the last 150 years with library commissioner Chris Brown and then discovers the Secret History of local blues vocalist and drummer Ms. Johnnie Mae Dunson.

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil discuss the political controversy over regulating gas stoves. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week's show:   The Biden administration raised the possibility of a ban on gas stoves in new construction. Niki referred to this VICE article about the culture-wars issue this became. Natalia cited this Mother Jones article on the affective appeal of gas stoves. Niki also drew on this National Review essay about the racialized impact of the measure.     In our regular closing feature, What's Making History: Natalia recommended the latest episode of Claire Bond Potter's podcast, Why Now, in which she interviews Ryan James Girdusky. Neil shared about the podcast, The Trojan Horse Affair. Niki discussed the Chicago Public Library's collection of Harold Washington's speeches.

Mexico and Poland faced off Tuesday as part of the World Cup. Both countries have large populations in the Chicago area, prompting speculation on social media that it could be the “Battle of Archer Ave.” So how did it play out? City Cast headed to a bar in Pilsen and one in Niles to watch the game with fans.  Some News: In honor of Indigenous Peoples Heritage Month, The Chicago Public Library put together reading lists for adults, teens, and kids. Remember to nominate City Cast Chicago as Best Podcast and Hey Chicago as Best Newsletter in the Reader's 2022 Best of Chicago under the City Life category! Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicago Sign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm Call or Text Us: (773) 780-0246 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author Maggie Nelson discusses her book, On Freedom: Four Songs of Care and Constraint, with writer Eula Biss. Maggie Nelson is a writer working in autobiography, art criticism, theory, feminism, history, aesthetic theory, philosophy, scholarship, and poetry. Nelson received a 2016 MacArthur Fellowship, a 2012 Creative Capital Literature Fellowship, a 2011 NEA Fellowship in Poetry, and a 2010 Guggenheim Fellowship in Nonfiction. Other honors include a 2007 Andy Warhol Foundation/Creative Capital Arts Writers Grant. Nelson has written several acclaimed books of poetry and prose, including the National Book Critics Circle Award winner The Argonauts. She currently teaches at the University of Southern California. Eula Biss is the author of four books and has been recognized with a National Book Critics Circle Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a 21st Century Award from the Chicago Public Library. Biss' books have been translated into a dozen languages. As a 2023 National Fellow at New America, she is at work on a collection of essays about how private property has shaped our world. She currently teaches nonfiction for the Bennington Writing Seminars.

We spoke to learn why people are targeting these books, and what libraries are doing to protect access to challenged titles. GUEST: Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association and executive director of the Freedom to Read Foundation at American Library Association Commissioner Chris Brown, Chicago Public Library

We knew it was coming. But on Friday, the country officially entered a post-Roe v. Wade world, where abortion is no longer a constitutional right. Illinois officials are reminding people that abortion remains legal here. But at a Friday rally just hours after the Supreme Court decision came down, demonstrators yelled, cried, and warned about troubles to come. We hear some of those voices, and we talk about what comes nexts for states like ours. Lead producer Carrie Shepherd talks with City Cast Pittsburgh's Morgan Moody about an influx of abortion patients expected to come to Illinois and Pennsylvania, with surrounding states likely to restrict abortion even further. A little bit of news: Primary election day is tomorrow. Here's where to drop off mail ballots. And here's a playlist of primary episodes to get you pumped for the voting booth. Some good news: Win some prizes in the Chicago Public Library's adult summer reading challenge. Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicago Sign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm Call or Text Us: (773) 780-0246 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thinking about the next book you want to read? Librarians are way ahead of you. Find out how new books make their way in the Chicago Public Library system, and meet some of the librarians who make it happen.