A look back with past winners of the Nelson Algren Short Story Award
An honor like the Nelson Algren Short Story Award can be a boon to a writer. It can give him or her the confidence to slog through rejections and trudge...
All Stories
‘Normal kid’ from Park Ridge lifts ‘Goldbergs’
When writer-producer Adam F. Goldberg set out to cast the 11-year-old lead in his autobiographical sitcom, "The Goldbergs," he wanted a Fred Savage-type kid: Real, slightly awkward, the exact opposite...
Eat this: Veggie sandwich
Veggie sandwich: Vegetarian bar food is a bit of an oxymoron. Meatless fare at most drinking establishments often begins and ends with mozzarella sticks, a veggie burger, a house salad...
Alex Borstein, a woman of many voices with just the right tone
"Hello?" I said into the phone, questioning whether the line's crackling was the sign of a bad connection or a dropped call. "Hello?" replied a voice I thought to be...
Tribune literary prize winners share love of story
Before rocker and author Patti Smith could read, she so marveled at books and their intricate markings — a secret language known only to adults — that she put a...
Eat this: Garrett Popcorn’s Pumpkin Spice CaramelCrisp
Pumpkin Spice CaramelCrisp popcorn: October is the month in which sweaters replace T-shirts as proper attire, colder temperatures and fall TV shows make the couch seem that much more appealing...
‘Originals’ actress goes from Hinsdale to Hollywood
Actress Danielle Campbell owes a lot to George Clooney. Not George Clooney the man, though — more like George Clooney the myth. Last year, Campbell, then 18, was riding the...
Michael Rooker shines in dark roles
Actor Michael Rooker stood in his hotel suite's bathroom staring at a coffee cup with the concentration of a jeweler inspecting a diamond. "You want to know how I act?"...
The greatest Star Trek ‘Generation’ reunites
Reporter's log, stardate: 082214 On a sticky August evening, I found myself on the back porch of Wicker Park's Handlebar restaurant with a dinner companion who'd been to space. He'd...
Nelsan Ellis on life after ‘True Blood’
When actor Nelsan Ellis signed on to play the fabulously flamboyant fry cook Lafayette Reynolds in HBO's supernatural series "True Blood," his character — and his contract — had an...