Rick Kogan

Born and raised and still living in Chicago, Rick Kogan has worked for the Chicago Daily News, Chicago Sun-Times and the Tribune, where he currently is a columnist. Inducted into the Chicago Journalism Hall of Fame in 2003, he hosts “After Hours with Rick Kogan” on WGN radio and is the author of a dozen books, including “A Chicago Tavern.

Owners Victoria and Adam Bilter stand in what will be a library lounge room in a new Astor Club location in the over 100-year-old Blair Mansion on North Lake Shore Drive, March 23, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Column: Of mansions, mahogany and the Astor Club’s new Clubhouse

March 25, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

It will only be a matter of time until 1516 N. Lake Shore Drive, one of seven mansions that remain on a street once lined with them, becomes a clubhouse.

Author Michael Lee Nirenberg's new book is “Cinematic Immunity: An Oral History of New York Filmmaking as Told by the Crews that Got the Shot.” (Jessie Hunnicutt / Feral House)

Column: ‘Cinematic Immunity’ shows us the action behind the movie-making glitz and glitter

March 24, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Michael Lee Nirenberg takes us behind the scenes of 50-some movies in his new and enlightening book, “Cinematic Immunity."

Jan Hieggelke and Brian Hieggelke, the married publishers of Newcity magazine, in their home in Chicago's South Loop, March 9, 2026. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

Column: For 40 years, Newcity has been delivering the city’s cultural scene

March 18, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Newcity's 40th anniversary issue is proof that this publication is a significant part of Chicago's artistic life — and a survivor.

Rupert Murdoch and then-wife Jerry Hall on May 23, 2016, in London. (Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty)

Column: A four-part Rupert Murdoch family saga tells us money can’t buy you love

March 17, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Rupert Murdoch’s family is captured in an often overwhelming, frequently perplexing and ultimately depressing four-part Netflix documentary, “Dynasty: The Murdochs.”

Jerrold "Jerry" Nedwick (left) and Rhoda Katz were married on April 4, 1925. (Provided by Peter Garino of the Shakespeare Project)

Column: ‘Dear Rhoda’ is a love story in letters set in roaring 1920s Chicago

March 11, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

When was the last time you wrote a letter? Not a text. Not a tweet. But a real, ink on paper letter? It’s becoming a vanishing art. But a pack...

Co-curators Tim Blackburn, board member of Ridge Historical Society, left, and William Tyre, executive director and curator of the Glessner House, stand in the “Jack Simmerling: Through His Eyes” exhibition at the Ridge Historical Society in Beverly, March 5, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Column: Ridge Historical Society celebrates artist Jack Simmerling’s creative life

March 10, 2026 at 3:33 p.m.

“Jack Simmerling: Through His Eyes” takes up most of the ground floor space of the Ridge Historical Society, charmingly housed in a 1922 house.

A photograph of a young John Prine honing his skills on the guitar in his Old Town School student days adorns a wall at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood on Feb. 26, 2026. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Column: Return with us now to those thrilling songs of yesteryear in ‘Chicago 1971’

March 4, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

"Chicago 1971" is about the summer night when Kris Kristofferson, Steve Goodman and John Prine met.

City News Bureau city editor Heywood Hoffman, left, and bureau chief Paul Zimbrakos finish the final working day for the news service on Dec. 30, 2005. (Chris Walker/Chicago Tribune)

Column: ‘Sirens in the Loop’ book gives us City News Bureau in all its raucous glory

March 3, 2026 at 5:15 a.m.

“Sirens in the Loop: A History of the City News Bureau of Chicago,” is not at all a textbook, but rather an intimate look at a time long gone.

Blues harmonica player Billy Branch poses on stage at Rosa's Lounge in Logan Square on Feb. 24, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Column: How Billy Branch bought a harmonica, found the blues and changed his life

February 25, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Chicago blues great Billy Branch says a concert in Grant Park got him hooked on the music many decades ago. His latest album is “The Blues is My Biography."

The Trinity Irish Dancers perform while marching in the St. Patrick's Day Parade on South Columbus Drive, March 14, 2015, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune))

Column: You can start your St. Patrick’s Day early with Trinity Irish Dance

February 24, 2026 at 5:15 a.m.

There are, of course, many ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, including seeing the Trinity Irish Dance Company perform.

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