Adriana Trigiani discusses ‘Big Stone Gap’
I meet Adriana Trigiani on a Friday morning at The James Hotel's David Burke's Steakhouse in River North. She approaches me with a smile and an elongated "hiiii," taking my...
All Stories
Off Campus Writers’ Workshop strokes creativity
The energy at the Off Campus Writers' Workshop's first lecture of the year is comparable to any other first day of class: old friends chat excitedly after a summer hiatus,...
New in paperbacks: ‘The O. Henry Prize Stories 2015’
The O. Henry Prize Stories 2015 edited by Laura Furman, Anchor, 432 pages, $15.95 A collection of this year's O. Henry Prize-winning stories, edited by author and Guggenheim fellow Laura...
Book clubs invite fans of French, films, more
Trying to get into the rhythm of the school year? There's no better way than a great book accompanied by a great conversation. Here are some Chicago area book clubs...
New in paperbacks: Poehler, Mantel and more
Trumbo by Bruce Cook, Grand Central, 341 pages, $15.99 This republished biography of Dalton Trumbo, an American screenwriter who refused (along with nine others) to testify before the House Un-American...
Ebert, Joplin, Updike among fascinating interviews on ‘Blank on Blank’
Watching one of the 40 "Blank on Blank" videos is almost like watching a preview for a movie, except instead of offering the summation of a plot, it provides a...
Algren winner on her memorable tale about forgetting
Brenda Peynado had a promising career with IBM, but writing was always something she did. When her mom was diagnosed with cancer, she took a leave of absence from her...
Algren winner found the algorithm for a writing life
It wasn't supposed to be a particularly special night for Brenda Peynado, but it turned into one. "I was actually on my way to a movie, and I got an...
Flannery O’Connor honored with U.S. postage stamp
The U.S. Postal Service has been honoring authors in its Literary Arts stamp series since 1979 and has featured such writers as Ayn Rand, John Steinbeck and William Faulkner. The...
Authors recommend books for Mother’s Day
In honor of Mother's Day, we asked a few authors about what books resonate with them as mothers. Here's what they said. EULA BISS Eula Biss is the author of...