LAST EVENINGS ON EARTH BY MICHAEL ZAPATA: “There are a few ways to get back home to Chicago after a long hiatus. Of course, if you’re familiar with John Candy, you know the best routes utilize planes, trains, and automobiles.”
A SHORT STORY BY CORY FOSCO: “There are two different projects to choose from: a wagon or a schooner. Your son is set on the schooner because he likes everything to be big and complex.”
A COLUMN BY MIKE ZAPATA: “How did I fall in love? Over time, metaphysically. I was born in Chicago and some of my first memories I have are of my dad’s jewelry and casting shop on Wabash Avenue.”
AN ESSAY BY CHANDA PRESCOD-WEINSTEIN: “I dreamed of Pasadena and its sprawling lawns. I dreamed of a car with fancy automated windows and locks that had ventilation in the back. I dreamed of living far enough from the freeway that I couldn’t hear it at all hours.”
BY KIRA WISNIEWSKI: Navigating the world of online dating with a virtual support group
SHADOW OF THE PINE BY DJ TOM LG: Unearthing the sinister underbelly of American music
A SHORT STORY BY MEGAN STIELSTRA: My first fake ID was from a five-foot, thirty-five-year-old woman named Rosario and, surprisingly enough, it worked—so long as I ducked down nine inches, wore a wig and put on my I am not eighteen face.
Returning to a forgotten childhood favorite with a new generation
A story of cultural displacement–being from a mixed background and feeling out of place in your environment
Despite encroaching gentrification, Pilsen’s ethnic community remains as strong and vibrant as ever
Video and photos from the ground at Obama’s rally at Grant Park
The natural journey into self-discovery that comes with age and experience has, for me, been a journey toward redefining my outer self into my perfect vision of my inner self. I am a tattooed lady.
Finding DIY inspiration in Robert Rodriguez’s unlikely rise to success
In search of the herbivore’s Holy Grail: a veganized KFC Famous Bowl
Has there ever been a time during which adults gazed at their own navels and tried to recapture their youth as the Internet era?
Paul M Davis