Clips
"I thought this was actually a sad literary scene when I moved to Chicago in 2000," says poet William Allegrezza, a teacher at Indiana University Northwest and an editor for experimental poetry journal Moria. "But then there was an explosion of reading series in the city, a real experimental renaissance." Allegrezza quickly became immersed in the literary scene, mainly traveling north to attend reading series that showcased experimental poetry. But when a few of the reading series went on hiatus, it sparked Allegrezza to bring some of that literary energy to his own neighborhood, Hyde Park...
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Originally published November 13, 2006, Centerstage Chicago
Mom has the turkey under control, leaving you with the task of bringing the wine. But what wines can hold their own against this mammoth meal? We asked five wine shop owners to fill us in on their favorite Thanksgiving pairings, whether you need to round out your table for less than $20 or find the holiday totally splurge-worthy...
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Originally published November 13, 2006, Centerstage Chicago
Anyone familiar with Rebecca Gilman's work knows to suspect that a play titled "Boy Gets Girl" will be a far cry from the cutesy romantic comedy the wording would suggest. In true form, Gilman starts from the well-worn premise of an awkward blind date and quickly turns expectations on their side, delivering a disturbing meditation on obsession, objectification and the darker underbelly of communication between men and women...
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Originally published November 9, 2006, Centerstage Chicago
In an Ohio basement in 1985, young Dean Evans watched "Purple Rain" with his family and heard the word homosexual for the first time. Enchanted by the word, the meaning of which he did not yet know, he performed a sensual dance for his family that involved a pillow and much breathy repetition, the dance ending abruptly when his brother called him a fag and his stepfather left the room in appalled silence. "And I never got to finish my motherfucking dance," a grown Dean Evans said to the audience of "Drag," the latest mainstage production by the Neo-Futurists...
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Originally published November 7, 2006, Centerstage Chicago
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Linda Bubon, the co-owner of Womean & Children First bookstore, is a busy woman. Her only free time for an interview was the thin time slot between story-hour and a meeting with a book vendor, though she warned me she'd be busy straightening the store while we talked. Scurrying behind her as she straightened shelves, I asked Bubon to fill us in on the bookstore's history and (a request she hears a dozen times a day) to throw a few recommendations my way...
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Originally published November 6, 2006, Centerstage Chicago
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While waiting for "Vigils" to begin at the Goodman Theatre, it is almost impossible not to note the unusual scenery. A ho-hum bedroom (bed, dresser, leather chair) is nestled into a concave box that angles sharply up, so that one can see the back wall and the entire ceiling at the same time. The structure bears patchwork cracks, as if a child on her way to school had dropped the diorama against the sidewalk...
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Originally published October 30, 2006, Centerstage Chicago
Writers, whether born in Chicago or drawn to it, have been inspired to pick up their pens by everything from the muted beauty of the South Side to the grisly meat-packing district to the "raw-potato odor" of Lake Michigan, as Saul Bellow once wrote. If you're looking for a shot of literary inspiration, the city is full of it...
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Originally published October 30, 2006, Centerstage Chicago
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Karin Horgan Sullivan stills remember the bike ride she took 18 years ago that led her to Graceland Cemetery. An Ohio-native, Sullivan was living in Boystown at the time and, though in love with Chicago, she hadn't yet found an outdoor space where she could have a moment all to herself...
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Originally published October 30, 2006, Centerstage Chicago
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Reeling, the Chicago lesbian and gay international film festival, celebrates its silver anniversary in a big way this year. The second oldest film festival of its kind in the nation, Reeling was born of Brenda Webb's desire to connect experimental films with a gay and lesbian audience. Twenty-five years later, she's still working as the director and still hoping to attract larger crowds, though packing the house in general is no concern...
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Originally published October 30, 2006, Centerstage Chicago
When shy egghead Andrew meets a dreamboat who might actually be the son of Satan in About Face Theatre's "Say You Love Satan," his new paramour might be Mr. Right...aside from the whole devil-as-dad thing. Andrew's lameness is legendary, according to best gal pal, Bernadette, and the play opens on a Friday night spent at the laundromat. But it's at the 'mat that Andrew stumbles upon Jack. Jack is sweet; he's sexy; he's able to bypass even the longest lines at clubs; and he's read Dostoyevsky in the original Russian...
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Originally published October 24, 2006, Centerstage Chicago
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