Every Person Is a Philosopher

Virtual Book Club: The Conclusion of Miles from Nowhere!

Ben — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:00:14 +0000

We’re excited for the Neighborhood Writing Alliance’s 2013 Every Person Is a Philosopher Annual Benefit, taking place next Wednesday, May 22! Our featured speaker is Nami Mun, author of the bestselling novel Miles from Nowhere, in conversation with Annie Tully of One Book, One Chicago. We’ve been hosting a virtual book club of Mun’s novel, which with this post [...]

“I can touch the universe this way”: Looking Ahead to Next Week’s Benefit with “Boundless Freedom”

Ben — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

As many of you know, our Every Person Is a Philosopher Annual Benefit is next Wednesday, May 22! We’re really excited and proud about what we have in store for the evening. If you’ve been following our book club discussion of Miles from Nowhere, you’ve been hearing about the Benefit’s featured conversation between author Nami [...]

Blog Your World: Leading a Workshop at Raw Voices 2013

Ben — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:00:32 +0000

Guest post by Maggie Bridger On Saturday April 27, middle and high-schoolers from all over Chicago gathered at Columbia College Chicago for this year’s Raw Voices: Teens in the Media Arts Festival. Over the course of the day, participants have the chance to engage with some of Chicago’s community-based media organizations both through a Media [...]

“We need to write and talk and sing about this”: Meet the Philosophers with Lew Rosenbaum

Ben — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:00:09 +0000

In this edition of Meet the Philosophers, we talk with NWA writer Lew Rosenbaum about his life of interweaving reading, writing, and activism, his Rogers Park neighborhood, and the crisis surrounding education in Chicago. What is your name? Lew Rosenbaum If you had to give yourself a title, what would it be? Writer, bookseller, revolutionary. [...]

Virtual Book Club: Miles from Nowhere, Part 4

Ben — Thu, 09 May 2013 12:00:47 +0000

We’re excited for the Neighborhood Writing Alliance’s 2013 Every Person Is a Philosopher Annual Benefit, taking place May 22! Our featured speaker will be Nami Mun, author of the bestselling novel Miles from Nowhere, in conversation with Annie Tully of One Book, One Chicago. We’re hosting a virtual book club to read and discuss Mun’s work, so check this [...]

“And they all sound just the same”: On the Front Porch with “The Same”

Ben — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:00:05 +0000

The song “Little Boxes,” written and originally recorded in 1962 by Malvina Reynolds, has been covered by a lot of musicians over the years—including by her friend Pete Seeger. The song, a highly catchy and cheerfully satirical tune about the social conformity of post-war suburban America, lends itself well to adaptation and reinterpretation, as NWA writer [...]

“Write What Scares You”: Meet the Philosophers with Chad Seader

Ben — Tue, 07 May 2013 12:00:25 +0000

In this edition of Meet the Philosophers, St. Leonard’s House workshop leader Chad Seader (who is soon to be departing for graduate studies at Syracuse University!) tells us about his work in philosophy, the issues of prisoners’ rights that have become personal to him, and the supportive community fostered by NWA workshops. What is your [...]

Cinco De Mayo, May Day, and the Power of Welcoming Migration

Ben — Mon, 06 May 2013 17:18:32 +0000

Yesterday, the 5th of May, or Cinco de Mayo, commemorates the day in 1862 when the Mexican army won an unlikely victory against the invading French army. The date is treated as a holiday in parts of Mexico—especially in the state of Puebla, where the battle was fought—but relative to Mexico’s Independence Day, September 16, [...]

Virtual Book Club: Miles from Nowhere, Part 3

Ben — Thu, 02 May 2013 12:00:48 +0000

“But freedom’s hers until the end of day”: On the Front Porch with “First Taste of Freedom”

Ben — Wed, 01 May 2013 12:00:44 +0000

Music is powerfully tied to memory. And maybe especially to memories of youth, when songs echo or inspire feelings of rebellion, frustration, freedom, empowerment—or any of the million things a kid or teenager is feeling at once. In “First Taste of Freedom,” NWA writer Ilze Vitands remembers a glorious, long bike ride she took to [...]