Photographs are an interesting thing: since their debut in the middle of the 19th century, they’ve promised the perfect vision of the world, entirely truthful and unaffected by human biases. Yet we have always tried to manipulate this medium to…
Author Archive for Charles Yarborough
Miracle Poet
by Charles Yarborough •
Last week award-winning poet Arda Collins spoke about and read from her work as part of the University of Chicago Creative Writing Program’s Poem Present series. She came with her critically acclaimed collection “It Is Daylight,” a printout of wonderfully…
Inflammatory Writ
by Charles Yarborough •
Ana Marie Cox, journalist, commentator, and former blogger for the notorious political blog Wonkette, was introduced at the second career lecture of the Distinguished Speakers Series at the University of Chicago, as “standing on the precipice of journalism in the…
From Slag to Sustainable: An eco-community rises from the ruins of a former U.S. Steel plant
by Charles Yarborough •
It sounds like an architectural vision cut out of science fiction: a desolate industrial complex transformed into a new environmentally sound lakefront city supporting 12,000 residents. The plan, directed by Chicago’s Office of Community Development, will depend upon the integration…
Larger than Life: Hyde Park rockers Large and Lovely bring their bold sound to Go-Go Town
by Charles Yarborough •
A quality name is necessary for jump-starting a band, but how do you find the right one? In the case of Hyde Park’s “Large and Lovely,” inspiration struck in the form of an advertisement for plus-size phone sex operators. The…
One Man’s Trash: Three University of Chicago alumni document Chicago’s scrap metal industry
by Charles Yarborough •
As an undergrad at the University of Chicago, Ben Kolak saw men in battered old pick-up trucks or with old shopping carts picking up whatever miscellaneous pieces of metal they could find in the trash. He was immediately curious about…
Prints, Personal and Political: Elizabeth Catlett returns to the South Side Community Art Center
by Charles Yarborough •
The South Side Community Art Center (SSCAC) is like one of those half-forgotten, yet deeply comforting places found in dreams: walking along a Bronzeville city street, you suddenly find yourself at an old, worn Edwardian house that seems to tower…