In Chicago’s Little Village — often called the “Mexico of the Midwest” for its vibrant Mexican-American culture — a neighborhood school was preparing to host a community event connected to The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros’ iconic coming-of-age story about growing up between cultures on Chicago’s West Side. The event was meant to be […]

I remember the day I looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize the woman staring back at me. My stomach churned, my hands shook, and the circles under my eyes could no longer be covered with makeup. That was the defining moment I chose to rescue myself from my abuser, despite the privilege that convinced […]

The biodiversity crisis is often framed as a science problem, but at its core, it is a human one — and it calls for a human-centered solution. Around the world, species that anchor entire ecosystems are disappearing at an unprecedented rate. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services estimates that up to one […]

Charity may begin at home, but it doesn’t have to stay there. Galas for good causes nationwide can give you an even better reason to pack your bags than wanderlust.

Seventy-two percent of all jobs over the next decade will require a college credential, and nearly half of those will require a four-year degree. For 85 percent of “good jobs” that provide higher salaries, benefits, and protection from economic downturns, that credential is even more important. Yet, overall college enrollment is down from its 2010 […]

Patti Smith has worn many titles through the years — rocker, godmother of punk, poet, artist, writer, wife, mother, sister, advocate, friend, mentor, muse. For a brief chapter at the beginning of her story, she was also a Chicagoan. Returning to the city where she was baptized in 1947, Smith joined Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy […]

From book bans and attacks on journalists and free speech to federal funding cuts and the loss of literary spaces, the ecosystem that sustains reading and writing is under growing pressure. Libraries, newsrooms, classrooms, and independent bookstores are all feeling the strain. Taken together, these forces point to something larger. “[T]he biggest crisis of our […]

Few composers have shaped the sound of modern cinema as profoundly as Howard Shore. Across more than 90 genre-spanning film scores — from The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, and The Aviator, to lighter favorites like Big and Mrs. Doubtfire — the Canadian composer has built a career defined by musical storytelling. But it is […]

Chicago-born rapper, writer, actor, and activist Vic Mensa first gained national attention through his music, emerging alongside Chance the Rapper and a generation of boundary-pushing Chicago artists. Since then, his career has continued to expand across mediums, from music and film to essays, interviews, and public dialogue tackling timely cultural and political issues. From his […]

We love to believe that change happens because we decree it so. The New Year’s vow, a flash of resolve we committed to just weeks ago, a promise to ourselves — this time will be different.  But real change and lasting motivation don’t show up on demand. It’s not because we lack discipline. It’s because […]

As the war in Ukraine enters another year, its consequences extend far beyond the front lines. Millions remain displaced, navigating daily uncertainty as civilian infrastructure and volunteer networks strain under sustained pressure. During recent reporting in Ukraine, I focused on Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) near the front lines east of the Dnipro River and in […]

Dr. Mojgan Makki, Board Certified Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist with Psychiatry Studio in Chicago, was treating an adolescent patient with ADHD. The patient experienced serious side effects from the oral medication, requiring Dr. Makki to pursue the next clinically appropriate plan: a transdermal patch for ADHD treatment.  “Time was of the essence,” says Dr. Makki. […]