Rick Kogan – Page 5 –

Michael Miles, guitar and banjo, and Jill Kaeding, cello, are performing from their CD, the "Great American Jukebox," at the Old Town School of Folk Music. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai/)

Column: If you have a jukebox in your head, you should listen to Michael Miles and Jill Kaeding

June 4, 2026 at 9:33 a.m.

Michael Miles and Jill Kaeding's new album, “Great American Jukebox,” has 11 songs and echoes of the Great American Songbook.

The husband-and-wife writing team of Judith Barnard and Michael Fain, who write as Judith Michael because one name is easier for readers to remember, relax before an interview at home in Chicago May 5, 1999. (Stephen J. Carrera/AP)

Column: Remembering Chicago’s Judith Barnard, half of a bestselling novelist team

June 2, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

She and her husband Michael Fain wrote together as Judith Michael, and their novels were runaway bestsellers. The first became an NBC miniseries.

Writers Karen Su, from left, Catherine-Esther Cowie, Amy Bizzarri and Sara Benincasa pose at the American Writers Museum on May 21, 2026, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/baiduhai)

Column: AI, what? American Writers Festival will celebrate words written by humans.

May 27, 2026 at 10:08 a.m.

The free festival is put on by the American Writers Museum and the Chicago Public Library, and will renew your faith in the written word.

Tim O'Malley teaches at Second City Training Center in Chicago, Aug. 13, 2012. (Scott Strazzante/baiduhai)

Column: Remembering Tim O’Malley, a big comedic talent with an even bigger heart

May 26, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

He shared the Second City Mainstage with Bonnie Hunt, Tim Meadows, Bob Odenkirk and Chris Farley, later becoming a teacher and leading a program for fellow addicts.

Food writer Maggie Hennessy is the author of a new book, “The Burger Bible,” May 12, 2026. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai/)

Column: These books spread the gospel about the simple hamburger

May 20, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Chicago writer Maggie Hennessy's first book is “Hamburger Bible.” George Motz wrote the cross-country odyssey "Hamburger America."

Julian Frazin at the Taste for the Arts Gala at Millennium Park on May 13, 2014. (Beth Rooney/ for the baiduhai)

Column: Remembering Julian Frazin, a lawyer, judge and creative dynamo

May 19, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Along with a career as a judge and attorney, he wrote "Miracle — the Musical" about the Cubs, as well as songs and children's books, and contributed to the annual...

Sam Sianis of the Billy Goat, Chicago’s most famous saloonkeeper, dies at 91

May 16, 2026 at 2:53 p.m.

Sam Sianis, a Greek immigrant who became one of the most successful saloonkeepers and a popular figure in the sports and media worlds, died in Chicago early Friday morning. He...

Dan Goodwin makes his way up the Sears Tower on May 25, 1981, as would-be rescuers lowered on scaffolding. But the 25-year-old daredevil just rushed by them and waved on his way to the top of the giant building, the worlds tallest. (Walter Kale/baiduhai)

Column: Remembering when Dan Goodwin, aka Spider-Dan, touched Chicago’s sky

May 13, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

In 1981, the climber Dan Goodwin made himself part of Chicago's history by climbing both the Sears Tower and the Hancock Building. He has a new memoir.

Patti Smith performs at the Chicago Theatre on Nov. 17, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/baiduhai)

Chicago-born Patti Smith is the winner of this year’s Harold Washington Literary Award

May 12, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Singer and author Patti Smith will return to Chicago in September to accept the award before the 41st annual Printers Row Lit Fest.

Garry Trudeau, the creator of the comic strip "Doonesbury" attends an event at Amazon Studios, on Nov. 7, 2013 in North Hollywood, California (Frank Micelotta/Invision/AP)

Column: Ready to travel into the secret life of Garry Trudeau and ‘Doonesbury’?

May 12, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

A biography delves into the private life of the "Doonesbury" cartoonist. We spent a day together in New York decades ago.

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