Solace in a Book

Go vote (and then read this)

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Howdy! Hope you visited your polling place or have plans to do so today. How lucky we are to live in a country where we have a vote--don't let it go to waste. This weekend I learned about two great literary things in Chicago. The first is Open Books, which has West Loop and Pilsen locations. The organization collects and then re-sells used books in its bookstores to fund the various writing programs and workshops it hosts for Chicago youth. Are you spring cleaning? … [Read more...]

News and calls for submissions

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Good day! Hope your St. Valentine’s Day is sweet. I’ve been traveling so the pic at the left is taken from a plane. Every time I am on a plane and look out the window at clouds I think of Joni Mitchell's song Both Sides Now. Here’s what’s new with contributors. Donna Hilbert has some dynamite poems about her mother in the February Verse-Virtual—here’s the link. Tekla Dennison Miller has a new book published by Oak Tree Books. It's called Mother Rabbit. Here’s … [Read more...]

Resolution

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Resolution I’m going to pink therapy. Later, I’ll see about red care. I’m going to trim all my ego’s hangnails and perfume that space above the soft palate, just behind my uvula. I’m going to have all the hackles on my spine aligned and I’ve made an appointment to have each problem plucked from that very last nerve. And just temporarily, to see whether I’d like it, I’m having my synapses dyed a pleasant color, robin’s egg or eggplant. And just … [Read more...]

Glimpse of Solace: Open House Chicago 2015

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Those of you who read my posts will know that Open House Chicago is one of my fav weekends in the fall. This year was no exception. We started Sunday with doughnuts from Glazed and Infused and then visited McCormick Place, Bronzeville, Back of the Yards, and Pilsen.  Here are my pics. … [Read more...]

Ireland calls

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Can you be homesick for a place that was never your home? I don’t know, but that’s how I feel about Ireland lately – that it is calling me. The feeling was intensified this weekend when I attended iBAM!, the festival of Irish Books and Music at the Irish American Heritage Center. Mary Pat Kelly spoke about her books, Galway Bay, and especially the latest Of Irish Blood. She said she learned from the McCourt brothers to talk about her book, rather than read from it. She … [Read more...]