Laura Pearson – Page 4

"This book by poet Sharon Olds registered with me on a spiritual level," E'mon Lauren says. "I connect it to Natalie Diaz's 'When My Brother Was an Aztec,' which I love so much, and Fatimah Asghar's 'After.' I wouldn't say I'm an extravagant reader, but when I do get a book I connect with, I'll consume it in one sitting." She says she considers Sharon Olds a "therapist in a way."

Chicago Youth Poet Laureate used books to get through breakup, bullying

May 9, 2019 at 6:17 p.m.

"I've been into poetry since I was in elementary school," says 19-year-old E'mon Lauren, who grew up in Burbank/Ashburn on Chicago's South Side. "When I got to ninth grade, right...

Sculptural objects from The Line elevate the common coffee table

May 23, 2019 at 8:54 a.m.

Ever get the nagging sense your coffee table is missing something? A recent visit to The Line — a finely curated retail site and home decor concept shop (with 'Apartment'...

Scratch-off reading list: A novel poster idea

May 30, 2019 at 1:13 p.m.

Basketball Sneakers of the 1980s. The Architecture of American Houses. A Sea Full of Cetaceans. The Very, Very Many Varieties of Beer ... These are just a few of the...

Caldwell calls"Mortification: Writers' Stories of Their Public Shame" the "most hilarious book."

Me, My Shelf and I: Laura Caldwell

May 9, 2019 at 6:17 p.m.

When lawyer-turned-novelist Laura Caldwell moved into a new condo on the border of Old Town and the Gold Coast, she noticed that something was missing: just the right spot for...

"This is a book that I read when I was in high school journalism class before I even knew I wanted to be a journalist," says Deborah Jian Lee of "There Are No Children Here" by Alex Kotlowitz. "It humanized a community of people I wasn't connected with and opened my eyes to what journalism could be."

Me, My Shelf and I: Deborah Jian Lee

May 9, 2019 at 6:17 p.m.

Deborah Jian Lee was a junior in high school when she read "There Are No Children Here" by Alex Kotlowitz, a look at urban poverty as experienced by two boys...

GrafoMap makes for inspired wall art or genius gift

August 4, 2019 at 11:04 p.m.

Maps mounted as wall art are nothing new. Some are vintage, a la pull-down classroom maps. Others are made to look old and weathered. Some are accurate and to scale;...

Alex Kotlowitz is one of Muscato's favorite writers, as well as a former teacher of hers. "'Never a City So Real' was a gift from a friend when I first moved back to Chicago," she says. "I got off the Amtrak, and my friend picked me up at the station and gave me this book."

Me, My Shelf and I: Lindsay Muscato

May 9, 2019 at 6:16 p.m.

Writer and editor Lindsay Muscato, a former managing director for the Neo-Futurists and cofounder of Write Club, met her husband, Patrick McCarthy, in a writing group. They spent their honeymoon...

"I read this pretty recently," Kane says of Joe Meno's latest book. "I've read a bunch of Joe, but this one was so thrilling to read. It's like a chase...and it's brilliant."

Me, My Shelf and I: Kevin Kane

May 9, 2019 at 6:16 p.m.

"'Cloud Atlas' is the only book I read when I was on intensive chemo," says Kevin Kane, a Ravenswood-based writer who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2012. At...

"Full of universal and timeless teachings, the Bhagavad Gita is remarkable," Langshur says. "It's the same big ideas that show up everywhere — about happiness being an inside job."

Me, My Shelf and I: Eric Langshur

May 9, 2019 at 6:15 p.m.

When entrepreneur and investor Eric Langshur decided to write a book about well-being, he wasn't interested in publishing something thinly researched or narrowly focused. "There are so many self-help programs,...

"There's something about just sitting and holding a book," Maria Pinto says. "I don't read anything digitally."

Me, My Shelf and I: Maria Pinto

May 9, 2019 at 6:15 p.m.

With its soaring ceilings, white walls and carefully curated personal treasures — furniture, sculpture, found objects from travel — Maria Pinto's River North condo is reminiscent of an art gallery,...

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