A POETIC CLASS OF CHICAGO LITERARY INDUCTEES

The 2014 induction class of six for the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame definitely has a poetic tilt to it. Three of the inductees, Edgar Lee Masters, Margaret Walker and David Hernandez are known first and foremost as poets. A fourth, Shel Silverstein wrote copious poetry, as well as children’s’ books and popular songs. A fifth, Margaret Anderson, introduced Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot to the American literary scene by publishing their poems in her periodical, The Little Review. Only the sixth, the writer Willard Motley, does not seem to have any connection to the world of poetry.
Join me and other friends and supporters of the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame as we induct this poetic group at a ceremony in the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Ganz Hall at Roosevelt University on the evening of December 6. For more information go to http://www.chicagoliteraryhof.org

Margaret Anderson

Anne and I toured Chicago’s historic Fine Arts Building today and came across room number 917, the first home of The Little Review, from 1914 until 1917. Margaret Anderson was the founder and editor of The Little Review , a highly influential literary magazine that published, early on in their careers, notables such as James Joyce, Ezra Pond and Carl Sandburg, just to name a few.
Margaret Anderson was one of two grande dames of the Chicago Literary Renaissance that took place in the first two decades of the 20th century (the other being Harriet Monroe, founder of Poetry magazine). Interestingly, Ms. Monroe also, at one time, had an office in the Fine Arts Building.
Ms. Anderson will be inducted into the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame this coming December 6th, at a ceremony in Roosevelt University’s magnificent Ganz Hall. To find out more about the ceremony go to chicagoliteraryhof.org.

Richard Flanagan Wins Man Booker Prize

I got it right this year! Australian author Richard Flanagan has just been announced as the winner of the Man Booker Prize for his incredible book “The Long Narrow Road to the Deep North.” Congratulations!

My 2014 Man Booker Prize Choice

Tomorrow is the long awaited day that the winner of the 2014 Man Booker Prize will be selected. This year is the first that American novels can compete, and I’m sad to say that the two American novels on the shortlist are the weakest of the lot. If I were a judge, I would cast my vote for Australian novelist Richard Flanagan, whose book The Long Deep Road to the Narrow North, horrifyingly, but brilliantly, chronicles the lives of Australian POWs engaged in slave labor by their Japanese captors during the Second World War.