Today, we’re spending some time on the Front Porch with “The Saddest Thing I Owned,” Marcy Silver’s piece from “Step Over,” the Summer 2006 issue of JOT. The piece is a little long, but it’s rewarding. You can find some writing prompts linking the piece to our current writing theme “Freedom and Liberation” at the end of the post. THE SADDEST THING I OWNED Marcy Silver When the old Woolworth dime store existed, I enjoyed [...]
Attending the NWA Bee Branch Library writing workshop is a bit like sitting in the kitchen while a large extended family prepares a meal around you. Laughter, lively argument, spirited debate, and clamoring voices are a given, but in the end the food will be remarkable, and the community affirmed. Like most family dinners that turn rambunctious, it started off tamely enough. Even though there were only three people in the room, at 4:30 on [...]
Today we spend some time with NWA Board member Veronda Pitchford, and hear her thoughts on the importance of the NWA and JOT, Chicagoans she admires, and of course, her love of libraries. What is your name? Veronda J. Pitchford. The J. stands for Jean. If you had to give yourself a title, what would it be? I wish it could have been Mrs. Gordon Parks, as wife of my favorite renaissance man who not [...]
As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve recently moved to Chicago. My first six months here I got to know the public transportation system quite well. The El was a fairly convenient mode of transportation for many areas, yet often I needed to take at least one bus after the El ride, to get to my destination. I easily spent in excess of ten hours per week on public transportation. Further, I noticed a [...]
Today on the front porch, we’re sharing Julia Bninski’s piece “Favorite Time of Day” from the Summer 2005 issue of JOT, “Sticky Situations.” FAVORITE TIME OF DAY Julia Bninski If I have had enough sleep, I enjoy waking up before my alarm rings. Not immediately before it rings, though. I mean a good while before it rings, maybe 45 or 30 minutes before. That way, I don’t have to deal with the knowledge that I [...]
Guest post by Nicky Baltrushes, editor of Do You Love a Veteran? Hello, my name is Nicky Baltrushes. I am the editor of a new writing project, Do You Love a Veteran? A compilation by, for, and about the people who love veterans. This project is leaping and bounding off the ground and I am very excited to share our work and build our community further with the Neighborhood Writing Alliance. The zine project started [...]
Guest post by Jose Oliva, Policy Director of Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC) Advocates and members of Congress call for increased minimum wage for servers and others that has remained at $2.13 for 20 years This Valentine’s Day, the restaurant industry’s busiest day of the year, a new research report shows that women who work in the industry face systematic discrimination, lack of paid sick days, and more harassment than the general female workforce. One major [...]
Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you has dominated Valentine’s Day for far too long. Today, we offer a list of ways to get you writing about love of all kinds. Since Valentine’s Day is a few days away, hopefully you’ll have just enough time to polish your piece and put it on a card for your special somebody. Here’s a warm-up. Remember those simple acrostic poems you wrote [...]
It’s no secret that the American population is aging; the number of people over 65 in the United States is expected to double in the next two decades. The number of people who will need long term, regular health care is also expected to rise. Three out of four Americans who need help caring for an elderly or disabled family member would prefer to do so at home, rather than in an institution, and home [...]
Guest post by Peter Adams, Chicago Program Manager of the News Literacy Project. As consumers’ trust in news organizations—especially television news and newspapers—has remained at unprecedentedly low levels since 2003, it is not surprising that broad accusations and assumptions about news media bias, partisan spin, corporate manipulation, sensationalism, and infotainment often dominate the national dialogue about journalism. While these conversations are certainly important in their own right, their prevalence also highlights the need for consumers [...]
On the front porch with “The Saddest Thing I Owned”
Today, we’re spending some time on the Front Porch with “The Saddest Thing I Owned,” Marcy Silver’s piece from “Step Over,” the Summer 2006 issue of JOT. The piece is a little long, but it’s rewarding. You can find some writing prompts linking the piece to our current writing theme “Freedom and Liberation” at the end of the post. THE SADDEST THING I OWNED Marcy Silver When the old Woolworth dime store existed, I enjoyed [...]
Freedom as a Verb: One Evening with the Chicago Bee Workshop
Attending the NWA Bee Branch Library writing workshop is a bit like sitting in the kitchen while a large extended family prepares a meal around you. Laughter, lively argument, spirited debate, and clamoring voices are a given, but in the end the food will be remarkable, and the community affirmed. Like most family dinners that turn rambunctious, it started off tamely enough. Even though there were only three people in the room, at 4:30 on [...]
“There are stories that need to be heard” Meet the Philosophers with Veronda
Today we spend some time with NWA Board member Veronda Pitchford, and hear her thoughts on the importance of the NWA and JOT, Chicagoans she admires, and of course, her love of libraries. What is your name? Veronda J. Pitchford. The J. stands for Jean. If you had to give yourself a title, what would it be? I wish it could have been Mrs. Gordon Parks, as wife of my favorite renaissance man who not [...]
As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve recently moved to Chicago. My first six months here I got to know the public transportation system quite well. The El was a fairly convenient mode of transportation for many areas, yet often I needed to take at least one bus after the El ride, to get to my destination. I easily spent in excess of ten hours per week on public transportation. Further, I noticed a [...]
On the Front Porch at our “Favorite Time of Day”
Today on the front porch, we’re sharing Julia Bninski’s piece “Favorite Time of Day” from the Summer 2005 issue of JOT, “Sticky Situations.” FAVORITE TIME OF DAY Julia Bninski If I have had enough sleep, I enjoy waking up before my alarm rings. Not immediately before it rings, though. I mean a good while before it rings, maybe 45 or 30 minutes before. That way, I don’t have to deal with the knowledge that I [...]