Author Archives: sheswrite

My New Obsession, Part II: They Gave Me A Mic

Posted on by January 10, 2013

We all know that I’ve got a new drug. I wish it were exercise, but whatevs. It’s something even better.

In my previous post, I told you how I stumbled onto the craft of storytelling. Hearing people on stage telling true yarns of their adventures, some happy, some sad, others randomly in between. All of them honest, stark and bare.

Reading my First story at the Holiday Club in Chicago at the Story Club Chicago event. Photo via Lily Be.

I’d quickly fallen in … Read more ...

My New Obsession (Don’t Worry, It’s A Healthy One) Part I

Posted on by January 7, 2013

I’ve got a new obsession. It’s storytelling.

It’s not the stories I cover as a journalist, this my friends is much different. It’s part of an old/new genre that’s growing in Chicago where people gather to hear true stories about each other’s lives.

It’s a bit of a throwback to the days when we’d gather around the fire to roast the freshly caught deer, duck or squirrel. Or fast forward a few generations to after Thanksgiving dinner and the grown folks tell tales from the … Read more ...

One Mom Wonders: Does Nancy Lanza Deserve To Be Forgotten?

Posted on by December 22, 2012

A friend of mine sent an email earlier this week about Nancy Lanza and it really resonated with me, so I wanted to share it with you. 

Does Nancy Lanza deserve to be forgotten? In talking about Newtown, the number for the toll I see most frequently is 26 _ the children and the teachers killed at Sandy Hook that day.

Obviously no one’s going to count Adam Lanza and his final, self-inflicted death. If anything, considering the amount of ammunition he had on him … Read more ...

Practical Advice on How to Talk with Your Kids About Newtown Massacre

Posted on by December 17, 2012

Today was the first of the funerals. The beginning of seeing the heartbreakingly small caskets as families start laying to rest 20 innocent young children and six brave adults.

Image by dosbears.

We’re all still shocked that the unfathomable has happened in Newtown, Conn. As parents, many of us have been stumbling through talks with our kids about this massacre. On the afternoon of the shooting, my son’s school sent out a link with advice on how to handle this.

It was generally helpful, but … Read more ...

Didja hear? I got a new job!

Posted on by December 10, 2012

There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you. I’ve got a new job! Well, I’ve been there since August, so it’s more of a new-ish job.

I’m the web editor for The Chicago Reporter. It’s an investigative magazine in Chicago that focuses on race and poverty. The gig is a great fit for me because issues concerning brown folks and poor folks have always been nearest and dearest to my heart.

image by new_sox

The Reporter has a storied history. It’s been around for … Read more ...