What a variety of books occupied me this winter in Chicago. Fortunately, I found lots of fun, quick reads. They make the darker, deeper stories possible to complete. In early March, I visited the Tucson Festival of Books. It’s informative to hear the popular…

Is it me or is it the productions? Two out of the eight plays presented here are old – and those are the ones that resonated with me. Granted, staying power says a lot about a play, a book, a movie. And the themes of these two plays, Greek tragedy…

As I write this blog, snow is whirling around my high-rise – our first real storm of the season. Our high temperature by Saturday will be zero. What a fun time to settle in your comfortable chair with an enjoyable read…

Where did October and November go? Disappeared into 11 books, most of them worth considering for your book stack. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

I feel privileged sitting in the small Chicago Greenhouse Theater with an intimate group invited to see the first professional staging of a new play, My Whorizontal Life by Sephe Haven. OK, the title is a giveaway. This is a solo recollection of her life…

So many good books passed through my hands in the last month. Of all, Viktor Frankl’s focus on finding the meaning in your life still resonates. As a result, I was discussing with a friend the meaning of corporal works of mercy (Catholic) and mitzvahs (Jewish) in our lives…

My family is from St. Louis, so a nice road trip from Chicago to St. Louis (five hours with one potty stop) was in the cards for my opera friend, Betsy, and me. Opera Theater of St. Louis is known for excellent productions, many of them commissioned premiers…

Spontaneous traveler? How about a Fall trip that will bring the beautiful colors of nature and the joy of excellent theater? It’s prime season to visit Wisconsin and Ontario. Unconsciously, I’m cruel to my sister-in-law Norah and myself…

Used to be that smaller live theaters did not run year-round. That changed in the last five years. Ok, there is nothing scheduled for August, but Chicago keeps producing excellent theater while drumming up season subscriptions for 2023/24…

Summer reads – what a joy to curl up with a hefty book and let the hours spin. I’m off to Spring Green, WI for a family and theater (American Players Theater) holiday. My selected book for the trip is so long it must be on Kindle! I’ve never enjoyed “beach reads”…