1+ day, 8+ hour ago   (1180+ words) The impending 50th literary anniversary of Ordinary People, prompted me to propose this series for Classic Chicago Magazine. In previous issues, I’ve analyzed the novel, released by Viking in the summer of 1976, and the 1980 Best Picture Oscar-winning movie version, directed by…...

1+ day, 8+ hour ago   (727+ words) Classic Chicago Magazine Sweet Memories and Cookies In volume one, the narrator (who was named Marcel and was probably Proust’s alter-ego,) tasted a madeleine cookie and the flavor triggered an array of involuntary memories from childhood. The narrator recalled how…...

2+ week, 1+ day ago   (258+ words) Restaurants offer superb local cuisine, flowers abound in gardens galore, parties are nightly, and adventurous opportunities include fishing for trout in hidden lake, ATV trails in mountains dotted with waterfalls, and via ferrata climbing on the bluffs where President Taft’s…...

3+ week, 1+ day ago   (1613+ words) There are leaders whose accomplishments can be measured in programs created, legislation passed, buildings saved or organizations strengthened. And then there are leaders whose greatest accomplishment may be changing how people understand the work itself. For Bonnie McDonald, after 14 years…...

3+ week, 1+ day ago   (666+ words) Classic Chicago Magazine Past Present and Future Steps The Arts Club Garden Project Stairs allow us to ascend and descend practically and metaphorically, and sometimes stairs could show us history. In western Honduras, an ancient stairway is a prominent site…...

3+ week, 1+ day ago   (630+ words) When we booked our week-long Silversea cruise from Venice to Athens, three stops in Croatia were little noticed. Going to Venice and exploring Greece were the impetus for the itinerary – our knowledge of Croatia was minimal. In a pleasant surprise,…...

3+ week, 1+ day ago   (295+ words) Anderson heard about a new graduate program in arts administration at Wayne State University in Detroit, one of the only such programs in the country at the time. “I didn’t even know such degrees existed, but it sounded perfect.” While…...

4+ week, 1+ day ago   (532+ words) I had heard about the mysterious and dramatic Olympic Peninsula for many years. It’s close to our home on Blakely Island in the San Juans, but we had never been there. Reconnecting with friends in the peninsula’s Port Townsend, we…...

4+ week, 1+ day ago   (396+ words) CCM: What is the role of the Smart in Chicago and how are you re-imagining its role in the campus environment? CCM: You have worked at museums at several universities including Syracuse, Amherst and now the University of Chicago. What can you…...

4+ week, 1+ day ago   (436+ words) Classic Chicago Magazine The Lincoln and Douglas Debates Illinois is aptly named “The Land of Lincoln.” Most folks remember Abraham Lincoln’s history was during his presidency navigating the nation during the Civil War. But historians will also argue that in…...