Patrick T. Reardon

Q. So, where the heck is Pawnee, Ind., setting of "Parks and Recreation"? A. Nowhere in the real world. But Pawnee does have its own elaborate real world-like Web site:...

Chess may be an elegant game of the intellect, played sitting down, but don't let the lack of cross-body blocks fool you. When chess egos clash, sparks fly. The executive...

To: The 13 International Olympic Committee evaluators From: Some die-hard Chicagoans Re: The real Chicago After four days, you're probably worn out from all the official presentations and glad-handing celebrities...

"The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros -- a lyrical evocation of the bittersweet life of a Chicago neighborhood -- is the 16th selection for the One Book, One...

The Willow Creek Theater in Palatine was cheap and available but far from perfect for the newly formed Willow Creek Community Church in 1975. In "Rediscovering Church," a 1995 history...

John Updike wrote more than 25 novels and more than 30 collections of short stories, poetry, criticism and non-fiction. Here are his best-known works: Rabbit, Run (1960): The first of...

Neil Gaiman, who has written best-selling science fiction and fantasy novels for children as well as adults, won the John Newbery Medal on Monday for excellence in children's literature for...

In his first appearance on a national stage, Barack Obama rocked the house. Giving the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, the little-known Illinois state legislator...

This is not another installment in the media's -- and the nation's -- fascination with President-elect Barack Obama. And the school his girls attend. And the dress Michelle will wear...