A few weeks ago, my intern, Jose P. Moreno, wrote a review of Future Hits, which played at the Oak Park Public Library. A few excerpts: “Composed of a Chicago Public School teacher, a classically trained flutist, and an assistant professor of audio from Columbia College, Future Hits plays music catered to children, while remaining entertaining […]
What does ultra-endurance athlete George Hood have in common with a world-class “joggler”–someone who juggles as he jogs great distances–and a guy with an uncanny passion for catching grapes in his mouth when they are hurled from long distances? All are prominently featured in “Breaking and Entering,” a terrific tapestry that displays individual drive for stunning achievement […]
Like other professional writers and editors, I can’t just “turn off” my editing hat when I’m not devoted to a work-related task. Billboards, posters, disclaimers on pharmaceutical commercials—all of those platforms, and more–are fair game. So two weeks ago, when I literally couldn’t help but notice Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s bio had a […]
When considering your public relations campaign, it’s obvious that timing is a crucial ingredient. Want to make a pitch about your cause or business that is tied to the Super Bowl? You’re pretty late–or extremely early, depending on which football title game you’re thinking of. Interested in raising awareness about your work at a prestigious […]
Over the past three months, Mancini’s Pizza Pasta Cafe has nearly doubled its Facebook fan following, to 130. But even more important than that statistic is the qualitative change that’s occurred on the Oak Park restaurant’s Facebook page. On that platform, the Downtown Oak Park mainstay is engaging its fans, providing visuals, running a weekly […]
Deep down, most people are more than happy to talk about themselves, often at great length. But that is so blatantly self-absorbed, few are candid or courageous enough to acknowledge this common human tendency. Instead, most of the time when I begin interviewing someone for a profile piece, or perhaps a biography, they slip on […]
As my wife would readily attest, I have been editing menus for years. But it’s happened only in my head, as I have scanned my restaurant meal options. Along the way, among other peculiarities, I have been struck by the neck-and-neck race between the properly labeled “Belgian waffles” and the rampantly used but wrong-wrong-wrong (!!) “Belgium waffles” variation. […]
Television personalities need not look out, but May has been an especially notable month in my modest local cable television journey. In 2009, Joe Kreml, the Village of Oak Park’s award-winning TV Manager approached me with the idea of hosting a segment called “Oak Park’s Own.” We shot three interviews in a seven-month span: two subjects […]
“Twitter is for the birds.” So goes the silly refrain–still–from some quarters, including one particularly troll-like alum of my journalism school who I suspect just likes to goad folks into foaming at the mouth. Having opened a Twitter account four years ago, I have long seen the benefits of the social-media platform, both under my @InsideEdge handle […]
Four years ago, I predicted in this blog that as long as Joe the Plumber was around, he’d have a voice during each Presidential campaign cycle. My post was headlined, “Hey Joe the Plumber, it’s Just the Start!” Turns out my prediction was too timid in its vision—in case you missed it, Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher is […]