The Neighborhood Writing Alliance’s 2012 Every Person Is a Philosopher Annual Benefit is just around the corner on June 7! Our featured speaker will be Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of the New York Times Bestseller Wench. For the first time ever, we’re hosting a virtual book club in the weeks leading up to the event! Each Wednesday we’ll be posting a piece from the Journal of Ordinary Thought related to themes in Wench, along with discussion [...]
Today in our Meet the Philosophers Series we hear from longtime NWA writer Barbara Banks! Barbara’s piece, “Soup Anyone?” inspired the title of the most recent issue of JOT, “I Believed Every Word.” What is your name? Barbara Banks If you had to give yourself a title, what would it be? World traveler How long have you lived in Chicago? Where in the city do you live? All my life. I reside in Hyde Park. [...]
Two weeks ago, former NWA intern Maggie and I had the good fortune to participate as workshop leaders in Raw Voices 2012: Teens in the Media Arts Festival. This festival is hosted by Columbia College Chicago and celebrates the work and opportunities available to teens in the growing media arts industry with contests and special workshops. Maggie and I led “Bloggers Rule!” – a workshop on the hows and whys of blogging, based on our [...]
Mother’s Day is this Sunday. To celebrate, we’re posting four different pieces honoring the important roles mothers have played in NWA writer’s lives. In “Mama” Ron Yokley writes about the devotion of his mother’s love and his resolve to live his life in a way that honors the care his mother put into raising him. In “Parenting Our Parents” Yvetta Logan explores a similar theme, and writes about the care she and her brothers are [...]
The Neighborhood Writing Alliance’s 2012 Every Person Is a Philosopher Annual Benefit is just around the corner on June 7! Our featured speaker will be Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of the New York Times Bestseller Wench. For the first time ever, we’ll be hosting a virtual book club in the weeks leading up to the event! Each Wednesday we’ll be posting a piece from the Journal of Ordinary Thought related to themes in Wench along with [...]
Today in our Meet the Philosophers Series, we hear from NWA writer Larry Ambrose on his love for Chicago, writing, and mentoring. What is your name? Larry Ambrose If you had to give yourself a title, what would it be? I don’t like titles, never have; but a struggle to describe myself might include looking for the truth about myself through the writing process. If I’m not doing that as a so-called writer, why do [...]
Guest post by Sue Eleuterio, NWA Workshop Leader and Board Member Too often we think of seniors in silence; perhaps sitting in a rocking chair or shuttled away from the everyday vibrancy of life. Members of the Jane Addams Senior Caucus gave a stirring demonstration on April 28 that seniors continue to engage in everything from international politics to documenting social injustice to sharing tender memories of significant places and people in their lives. JASC [...]
Guest post by Emmoretta Jones, NWA Writer It was such a nice way to start the week and end the Monday; on April 23, 2012 at 6pm, Neighborhood Writing Alliance writers, friends, and fans gathered into the cozy upper level of the Goodman Theatre in downtown Chicago for the unveiling of the much anticipated Winter 2012 issue of the Journal of Ordinary Thought: “I Believed Every Word: JOT Writers on Urban Legends, Rumors, and Tall [...]
The Neighborhood Writing Alliance’s 2012 Every Person Is a Philosopher Annual Benefit is just around the corner on June 7! Our featured speaker will be Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of the New York Times Bestseller Wench. For the first time ever, we’ll be hosting a virtual book club in the weeks leading up to the event! Starting next week, each Wednesday we’ll be posting a piece from JOT related to themes in Wench along with discussion [...]
Joseph Laroche was a real hero a hundred years ago, but surprisingly few people know about him. I first found out about him in 2000, when there was a Titanic exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry. The story of Laroche and his family was so touching that I felt I would have to write about it; however, it was more than a decade before I actually did so. When the Neighborhood Writing Alliance [...]
NWA Wench Virtual Book Club, Part 2
The Neighborhood Writing Alliance’s 2012 Every Person Is a Philosopher Annual Benefit is just around the corner on June 7! Our featured speaker will be Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of the New York Times Bestseller Wench. For the first time ever, we’re hosting a virtual book club in the weeks leading up to the event! Each Wednesday we’ll be posting a piece from the Journal of Ordinary Thought related to themes in Wench, along with discussion [...]
“The opportunity to express myself in a safe environment”: Meet the Philosophers with Barbara Banks
Today in our Meet the Philosophers Series we hear from longtime NWA writer Barbara Banks! Barbara’s piece, “Soup Anyone?” inspired the title of the most recent issue of JOT, “I Believed Every Word.” What is your name? Barbara Banks If you had to give yourself a title, what would it be? World traveler How long have you lived in Chicago? Where in the city do you live? All my life. I reside in Hyde Park. [...]
Two weeks ago, former NWA intern Maggie and I had the good fortune to participate as workshop leaders in Raw Voices 2012: Teens in the Media Arts Festival. This festival is hosted by Columbia College Chicago and celebrates the work and opportunities available to teens in the growing media arts industry with contests and special workshops. Maggie and I led “Bloggers Rule!” – a workshop on the hows and whys of blogging, based on our [...]
Mother’s Day is this Sunday. To celebrate, we’re posting four different pieces honoring the important roles mothers have played in NWA writer’s lives. In “Mama” Ron Yokley writes about the devotion of his mother’s love and his resolve to live his life in a way that honors the care his mother put into raising him. In “Parenting Our Parents” Yvetta Logan explores a similar theme, and writes about the care she and her brothers are [...]
The NWA Virtual Wench Book Club, Part One!
The Neighborhood Writing Alliance’s 2012 Every Person Is a Philosopher Annual Benefit is just around the corner on June 7! Our featured speaker will be Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of the New York Times Bestseller Wench. For the first time ever, we’ll be hosting a virtual book club in the weeks leading up to the event! Each Wednesday we’ll be posting a piece from the Journal of Ordinary Thought related to themes in Wench along with [...]