A Lot of LGBTQ+ Land Is Up For Political Grabs This February — On February 28th, 2023, the City of Chicago will vote multiple elected officials into office. For races where a candidate cannot attain 50% of the vote, a runoff election will occur on April 4th. For many observers, the biggest LGBTQ+ story might seem to be the reelection campaign for the…

The Origins of a Modern American Pride Flag Speech — On September 8th, 2020, the Minot, North Dakota City Council would hear a speech delivered by the newly elected Carrie Evans. The topic was the Pride Flag designed by the late Gilbert Baker. What residents, other elected officials, and national news would not have predicted is how immediately the impromptu…

Malcolm Gladwell’s New Book Questions How People Judge the Unfamiliar on the Way to an Unacceptable Miscarriage of Justice — In Talking With Strangers, and per his norm, Malcolm Gladwell analyzes a motley crew of events, their players, and the requisite psychological underpinnings which may interpret them. Wherein the final product may convince “better” as an audiobook, Gladwell seeks to explain how Sandra Bland’s arrest on July 10th, 2015, would…

My Origin Toward Genre-Hoppy Musical Transitions — I enjoy music. This is neither unique nor a revelation. When I took on the challenge to plot, produce, and enjoy sets for parties I would attend, it solidified my intent to return to mixing music I enjoyed for others. I have gravitated toward many different hobbies in the past…

My First DayBeat — The DJ Set for Your Day — At the beginning of 2023, after enjoying the creation of birthday party DJ sets, I decided I wanted to focus on DJ’ing as a hobby. In conversation, I would field questions about where I wanted to play. I could and still cannot say. But what I knew was that I…

Goudy Representative & 2nd Story Stalwart Seeks Council Bow — The theatre community in Chicago had been calling Nick Ward about his second act years before he moved in 2004. Growing up thirty minutes from downtown Detroit, Ward would pick up after viewing Steppenwolf’s True West on VHS. This, of course, was the play that would cement the Windy City…

Environmental Scientist & 2019 Runner-Up Wants Your Vote in 2023 — When I speak with Marianne Lalonde on Friday, January 6th, the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve native is suiting up. Not just to run for office but to walk her dog. Both efforts require a standard yet time-consuming Chicago practice: layering. …

University of Chicago Lecturer and Organizer Seeks City Council Seat — Larry Svabek tells me on Thursday, January 19th, that he first canvassed with his mother in Orland Park, Illinois. It was 2003, and Kathie Svabek was running for an executive board position for their local school district. If you were to ask Kathie today — as Larry now lectures at…

Chicago Native Seeks City Council Seat — Isaac Freilich Jones wanted to be clear with me about what happened last December. I am calling him from my parent’s home in Minnesota, which had only just returned to an above-zero temperature on Tuesday, December 27th. While the purpose of my call is to learn more about his candidacy…