The action Faction
“They eat, they drink, they read, they talk.” Siobhan Pitchford’s description of the group she and her husband, David, co-host, if a bit concise, sums up what takes place when it meets. The Fiction Faction is a small group of writers — currently five — who meet twice monthly to share examples of their work,…
Quick Takes 3-11-04
TIME FLIES On March 17, 2003, President Bush delivered a 48-hour ultimatum to Saddam Hussein: Leave Iraq or allied forces will make you leave. But there never was any question that the U.S. would attack. Just days before the war began, administration sources told the New York Times that the U.S. and Britain would enter…
Grace about town 3-11-04
I just got back from the 63rd Annual Daytona Beach Bike Week. It’s the world’s largest motorcycle event, ten days of bikes everywhere, plus everything bike-related for sale and more bikers in chaps than I’ve ever seen in one place. And I missed the Coleslaw Wrestling. I went to Daytona Beach for a few days…
Movie Review
Hidalgo offers quite a ride even if it travels off course Hidalgo is the sort of old-fashioned adventure they say Hollywood doesn’t make any more. It has cowboys and Indians, a beautiful princess, sword fights, killer leopards, a daring rescue, a villain sporting a black goatee, and much more. You would think that the central…
Literature lovers have a choice tonight
Like a man to double business bound I stand in pause where I shall first begin. Claudius in Act III of Hamlet Where to be or not to be? Tonight, March 11, two downtown libraries offer excellent programs for those who appreciate good writing. It’s a choice between two Illinois notables: The state’s new Poet…
Last stop
One of the three Democratic presidential candidates still in the race plans a Springfield stop on Monday, March 15. U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, will speak at noon until 1 p.m. at the Old State Capitol Plaza. (In case of inclement weather, the candidate will be at the Carnegie Room of Lincoln Library.) Charles Hershey,…
Letters 3-11-04
Letters policy We welcome letters, but please include your full name, address and a daytime telephone number. We edit all letters for libel, length and clarity. Send letters to: Letters, Illinois Times. P.O. Box 5256. Springfield, Illinois 62705. Fax: (217) 753-3958. E-mail: editor@illinoistimes.com THE SNOWBALL CANDIDATE This is a response to Charles Hershey [“Dennis the…
Head of the class
The gospel choir has finished its hymns and the pastor is well into his sermon when a tall, gaunt man with short-cropped hair and a handsome baby face appears at the edge of the dais. The pastor, fervently promoting the new Mel Gibson movie as though his paycheck depends on it, catches a glimpse of…
The Sucker State?
For years, Illinois has been known as the Prairie State or the Land of Lincoln. The former moniker reflects the state’s topography, dominated by flat, fertile land that was once covered by prairie grasses. References to Illinois as the Prairie State date back to the 1840s, so this is a well-established nickname. On the other…
Backstage Pass
Shakespeare’s As You Like It, staged by Michael Savage at Springfield Theatre Centre, concludes its run this weekend, at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 12-13, and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 13. Utilizing a bare stage with only two benches, the small company of some of the area’s best actors (including Felicia Coulter, Jim Cox,…
Knoepfle 3-11-04
young girl singing my father is looking at me and I am shamefaced I don’t know why he is smiling my mother is singing in the kitchen my brothers are winking they are making silly faces I hope he does not see me peering through the blinds he has come walking by my house fourteen…
Tastes of the Emerald Isle
St. Patrick’s Day can be celebrated by donning a “Kiss me, I’m Irish” pin, watching the downtown parade and eating some cooked cabbage washed down with green beer. That may be fun for some, but others know March 17 is the day when slow-roasted corned beef, colcannon (mashed potatoes and cabbage), and homemade Irish soda…
Now playing 3-11-04
Things are greening up outside a bit, just in time for the annual celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. And to us in the nightlife (and daylife) business that means an excuse (like we need one) to hit the bars, down some suds, and catch tunes by the barrelful. As the luck o’ the Irish would…
Prison blues
During the 2002 campaign, gubernatorial candidate Rod Blagojevich spoke to a large crowd of union members in Vandalia, most of whom worked at the local state prison. Blagojevich made a pledge to them: If elected governor, “I will never balance the budget on your backs.” Fast-forward to February 2004. Gov. Rod Blagojevich proposes closing the…
Uphill battle
When Ralph Nader decided to go it alone in his race for president, he left the Green Party scrambling for a candidate to help build its national profile. It hasn’t been easy, as party members seemed sharply divided about what strategy to pursue this year. Back in 2000, running as the Green Party candidate, Nader…
X marks the spot
Kay Watt was working in her front yard when a couple of fishermen wandered past and asked her if she knew what those markers meant in the woods behind her house. Markers? What markers? Watt was curious. As an avid bird watcher and environmental activist, Watt keeps an eye on the old-growth forest adjacent to…
Tarbox Ramblers’ fired-up blues turn despair in joy
When the Tarbox Ramblers first escaped from Boston bars and ran into the national music scene several years ago, it was as if they were let out of a cage — wary at first, scary to see, and waiting to feel free enough to pounce. They won critical acclaim with a simply stunning self-titled debut,…
Developing picture
When Ervin Hill moved to Springfield in the late 1960s to live in his new bride’s hometown, his future as one of several local camera-repair technicians seemed secure. Today, the 62-year-old Vermont native operates one of the area’s last camera-repair businesses along with his wife, Dianne, who keeps the books, and their son, Jason, who…
