Saying Jackie Jackson’s magnum opus is about a barn, is like saying Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a history of rabbit holes. The Round Barn encompasses a way of life that has all but disappeared. It captures the history of an extraordinary family whose members will live forever, thanks to a girl who kept notebooks […]
Corrine Frisch
Posted inOpinion
To my daughter, the Bernie fan
Dear Nora and Michael, I took my Bernie sign down today. The yard looks a little bare. He would have made a great president. But fair is fair. He just doesn’t have the votes. Do I think superdelegates are a bad idea? Absolutely. Do I wish the Republicans had them this year? Yes. They […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The harvest of a lifetime
Jacqueline Jackson is professor emeritus of English at the University of Illinois Springfield where she specialized in teaching creative writing. Her poems appear weekly in Illinois Times. The Round Barn: Volume Three. Beloit City Press, 475 pp. $24.95 Upon finishing volume three of The Round Barn, a Biography of an American Farm, I am envious. […]
Posted inOpinion
Life with baseball in my genes
My father died in 2004; my mother five years later. Anyone who has lost their parents knows one of the bittersweet tasks of grieving – going through all their stuff, deciding what to give away, throw away, keep. There were hundreds of stories to tell in the detritus of two well-lived lives, but the one […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The American Dream, pre-cut and ready to assemble
Nearly 10 years ago Rosemary Thornton drove to Springfield from Alton to give a talk at Lincoln Library about Sears homes. As the library’s program director, I remember her coming early in the day so we could drive through various Springfield neighborhoods “hunting.” Our game? The elusive “Savoy,” “Kilbourne,” “Ashmore” or “Oakdale.” Reading her new […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Get your kicks… on Springfield Stories and Route 66
When people think of Springfield history their minds usually turn to its favorite son. Thousands of books have been written about Abraham Lincoln, but there is much capital city lore to be brought to light outside Lincoln’s shadow. Two new books reveal stories and images of our city’s past that readers, especially Springfield natives, will […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Writing of the state. The state of writing.
Close your eyes and think of Illinois. Take your time. Free associate. I’m not a mind reader but I guess you see fields of corn and red barns against blue skies. Now think architecture. Of course, Frank Lloyd Wright. History — who else but honest Abe? Politics — no not our ex-governor. I’ll give you […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Connecting readers and Illinois writers
Starting in 1984, the Library of Congress’ Center for the Book began to establish affiliate centers in the 50 states. Today, there is a state Center for the Book in all 50 states. The Illinois Center for the Book is located in the Illinois State Library at Second and Capitol Streets. The Center’s mission is […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Books briefly noted
Grant Achatz’s award-winning Chicago restaurant is thought to be the best in town. If your travel budget doesn’t allow a trip north, you can enjoy, even attempt to prepare, the chef’s unforgettable dishes with the help of Alinea, a cookbook that is itself a sensual experience. Achatz, 416 pp. In The 1933 Chicago World’s Fair […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Good vibes from the ancient art of Reiki
“We are all connected.” So begins Gay Stinnett’s lovely new book about her experiences with the ancient art (she calls it the “wondrous gift”) of Reiki (pronounced ray-key). The International Center for Reiki Training defines the practice as “a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by ‘laying […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Summer books
Untitled Document One of the pleasures of summer vacations is a visit to the bookstore or library to pick out those special volumes you plan to take to the cottage or the beach. Pretending that I was about to embark, I did just that, and these are the ones that caught my eye. While perusing […]
Posted inNews
A few good men
Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, in a sense, worked her way up to the nation’s greatest leader by first producing several acclaimed political studies of some of the 20th century’s best-known presidents. Her journey to Abraham Lincoln began with another wartime leader whose political career ended unhappily. Goodwin, who earned a doctorate in government at Harvard […]
