U of C exhibit showcases 19th-century poetry
In late October, I stood, transfixed, staring at two rare copies of "Lyrical Ballads," considered to be the seminal poetic text of the 19th-century Romantic movement in England. The title...
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Two Nelson Algren documentaries to screen soon
When Nelson Algren died on May 9, 1981, he was near-broke, living in a ramshackle rental home in Sag Harbor, N.Y., and all alone. Not a fitting farewell for a...
Review: ‘In Search of a Lost Avant-Garde’ by Matti Bunzl
Matti Bunzl entered the Museum of Contemporary Art in January 2008, not to check out the paintings but to conduct field research. The museum granted Bunzl, an anthropologist at the...
Drip by drip, Starbucks lost what made it shine
I still remember my first Starbucks moment. It was in 1988 at a new mini-size coffee bar in Illinois Center. I recall being mystified by the strange name, not catching...
‘The Lost Clerihews of Paul Ingram’ collects Iowa bookseller’s musings
A bookseller's nightmare is staring at an empty store, hoping a customer appears. To pass the time, some play solitaire, solve crosswords or scan publishers' catalogs. Paul Ingram writes clerihews....
Authors Alex Kotlowitz and Dave Isay on Studs Terkel
Talk with one of the many people who knew or worked with Louis "Studs" Terkel — actor, host of the 1950s TV show "Studs' Place," famed radio interviewer, oral historian,...
Libraries reinvent themselves for the 21st century
For centuries, the defining role of the library has been as a repository of books. Now, in the 21st century, the library faces perhaps its most momentous challenge: Americans are...
Review: ‘Capital Culture’ by Neil Harris
When J. Carter Brown joined the National Gallery of Art in 1961, he was six years older than the museum itself. Just eight years later, at age 34, he would...
Review: ‘Capital Culture’ by Neil Harris
When J. Carter Brown joined the National Gallery of Art in 1961, he was six years older than the museum itself. Just eight years later, at age 34, he would...
Graduate students create cultural criticism journal
Ever since The Baffler left town and Stop Smiling ceased publication, Chicago's small-press scene has been on life support. Now, an indie journal of cultural criticism is poised to fill...