Sating Chicago Movie Lovers

About Chicagocinema.net, another Chicago-centric treat from consummate tour guide Michael Corcoran:

"This is a companion site to Hollywood on Lake Michigan, 2nd Edition, but it is most importantly a site for lovers of Chicago and Chicago film.

My name is Michael Corcoran and I’m a lecturer, historian, and certified Chicago Tour Guide. One of my most popular tours has always been my Chicago Cinema Tour, which features locations of Chicago-shot films interspersed with stories and commentary. Much of this tour was cribbed from Arnie Bernstein’s local classic, Hollywood on Lake Michigan. After years of bothering Arnie and the publisher, Lake Claremont Press, about an updated version, the answer I one day received was, “Well why don’t you do it?”

The rest, as they say, ‘is a story I tell altogether too often history.’

Aside from Arnie’s excellent history of the early days of Chicago film (which he expanded and re-edited) and my own revisions and embellishments of the contemporary section,Hollywood On Lake Michigan, 2nd Edition contains dozens of behind the scenes pictures and historic photos, plus the stunning architectural photography of Kate Corcoran."

Hollywood on Lake Michigan was one of those early books (1998) we cut our publishing teeth on, but eleven years later people are still talking about it and asking for it. (One of our editors still says it’s his favorite.) Bookstores, gift shops, college orientation programs, individuals, schools, and libraries have all asked in the last few years...Don’t you just have a few copies around we can buy? It’s been six years since we’ve had a single copy to call our own! Well, we're almost to the point where we can do them one better than locating a secret stash of a book from last century. In just a couple of months, they'll have Corcoran's beautiful revision, which, like Bernstein's, brims with the connoisseur's passion and level of detail.

Jane's not happy, and Burnham's not happy either

From the folks at Forever Free and Clear:

“Acclaimed author and Jane Addams impersonator Janice Metzger will be joining Sunday’s Burnham Ride at Daley Plaza. Given that Burnham and Addams didn’t always see eye-to-eye on urban planning issues, Ms. Addams is expected to add some fireworks to an already exciting itinerary!

Ms. Metzger will be reading a passage from her newly-released book What Would Jane Say?, which looks at lost opportunities to include the work of city-building women in Burnham’s Plan of Chicago. The book view the plan from the point of view of Jane Addams and the many civic activists of the settlement houses. Books will be available for purchase ($20, cash or check) and can be signed.

100 Years Later: Burnham’s Back and He’s Not Happy

What: Burnham Centennial Lakefront Vision Ride, a free 2-hour bike ride exploring Burnham’s lakefront legacy and the hopeful future of Chicago’s shoreline.

When: Sunday, August 30, 2009, 2pm. Meet at Daley Plaza, Washington & Dearborn

At the 100^th Anniversary of The Plan of Chicago, Burnham’s vision for a tranquil shoreline remains violated by a vulgar 8-lane superhighway. Though Burnham may have been the most prominent advocate forChicago’s lakefront, he wasn’t the first. The 1836 the Canal Commission decreed the lakefront to be ‘Public Ground — Common to Remain Forever Open, Clear, and Free of Any Buildings, or Other Obstruction Whatever.’

Decades before Burnham’s plan, Cap and Ma Streeter used a shotgun to defend the lakefront from encroaching development. Montgomery Ward numerous countless legal battles to preserve the lakefront as openspace. Chicagoans can thank Burnham and many other forebears for bequeathing the city a largely uncluttered lakefront.

But unfortunately, today an 8-lane superhighway separatesChicago from a truly free and clear shoreline. A movement is growing to restore Burnham’s vision by eliminating the pollution, dangers and unsightliness of Lake Shore Drive.

On August 30, cyclists will joinChicago’s premiere Daniel Burnham and Montgomery Ward impersonators for the Lakefront Vision Ride, a leisurely tour to learn about Burnham’s lakefront legacy directly from the famous planner and to plot a future course for a free Chicagoshoreline. New this year will be a cameo appearance by Jane Addams.

‘The Vision Ride is a fun way to educate Chicagoans about our vibrant lakefront history,’ said Jim Redd, who plays Daniel Burnham on the ride. ‘Today, we have a beautiful, open lakefront because because Burnham and other courageous people throughout Chicago’’s history have fought for what’s right. Now, the future’s up to us.’

The ride is sponsored by the Campaign for a Free and Clear Lakefront, a grass roots coalition working to removeLake Shore Drive from Grant Park and eventually from the entire length of the Chicagoshoreline.”

Lake Shore Drive, forever free and clear? You decide…we just pass on the word.

A City of Contrasts, a Tale of Two Chicagos

One of the themes of our latest book, Janice Metzger’s What Would Jane Say? City-Building Women and a Tale of Two Chicagos is two Chicagos: the two Chicagos of the Burnham/Plan of Chicago era, as well as the Chicago that is and the Chicago that might have been. In this excerpt, Metzger begins defining this dualistic nature as characterstic of the city.

“The City: A Character in Its Own Right

Chicago in the 1890s was a city of opulent mansions and horrific slums. City boosters touted the sophistication of Marshall Field’s genteel department store, with its motto “Give the lady what she wants,” while ignoring wide-open prostitution just outside the central business district. The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition (nicknamed the “White City”) promoted a view of Chicago as clean, orderly, and modern—a vision true only inside the fairgrounds. The real Chicago was not much improved by 1904, when journalist Lincoln Steffens described Chicago as: “first in violence, deepest in dirt; loud, lawless, unlovely, ill-smelling, irreverent, new; an over-grown gawk of a village, the ‘tough’ among cities, a spectacle for the nation.”

Political differences spiraled into violence several times near the turn of the century, most notably in the Haymarket (1886) and Pullman (1894) incidents. The open brutality (toward man and beast) of the stockyards became widely known when Upton Sinclair published The Jungle in 1906. But Chicago was also the source of some of the most humane movements in the nation, such as the settlement house movement and movements to abolish child labor and reform juvenile justice.

Chicago’s dual nature one hundred years ago and more has implications for the present. What is the nature of the nineteenth-century foundation we are building on today? Is it a foundation established by humanitarian reforms of the Progressive Era? Or is it a foundation built on technical innovations in our physical space? Would it have been possible to build on both the human and the physical assets of the region? A century later, the city of contrast is still with us. Education historian Dorothy Shipps summarizes the attitude of many toward modern-day Chicago: “The city is a clean, architecturally stimulating monument to human ingenuity and determination, and its citizens display an uncommon sense of civic pride. Yet, it is simultaneously the site of radically segregated ghettos lined with sterile rows of poorly constructed block-houses and high-rises, and neighborhoods with grossly inadequate schooling and other services.”[1]

Maybe the only statement one can make about Chicago that will hold up as “truth” is that it was and is a city of contrasts.”

---

[1] Shipps, School Reform, 3–4.

100 Historic Bars on the Wall...

A sneak peak from Sean Parnell's Historic Bars of Chicago coming later this fall:

The Mutiny

2428 N. Western Ave. (2400N, 2400W)
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 486-7774

Website	www.themutinychicago.com
Neighborhood	Logan Square
Open ’til & Cover	2am (3am Sat); never a cover
Drinks	Frosted 32-oz. mugs of Old Style, PBR
Food	None, Sonny’s Pizza across the street
Music	Punk, Saturday afternoon karaoke
Bar Type	Dive Bar, Music Venue

This single-story, one-room building dates back 100 years, as evidenced by the famous mens’ room urinal. Not much is known about the place until a former journeyman boxer named Tommy Kluth ran it from the early ‘50s to May 1973. Back then, the draw at “Tommy Kluth's Gallery Bar-Headquarters, Veteran Boxers Association of Illinois, Ring No. 2” was a small boxing ring in the front of the bar, where Kluth would box patrons, though more for show than actual matches. Locals say the place was a two-lane bowling alley prior to that and a string of dive bars following Tommy’s. The current owner, Ed, opened “The Mutiny Corporation” in September 1990 as part of his own rebellious act. Whatever his unspoken reason, Ed’s Mutiny is our gain: free shows (no cabaret license) of the most raucous indie punk music around are held almost every day, some of which are also featured on the jukebox. After early experiments and a watershed concert on Halloween 1998, put on by the Gaza Strippers, The Nerves andGrand Theft Auto, Mutiny has become the place for bands to cut their teeth, often being their first show or tour. Many bands will cause more than a few of your cilia to perish, but some might make it big some day. In the meantime, you can always enjoy your 32-ounce Pabst Blue Ribbon while gazing at the full suit of armor and drop ceiling panels painted by regulars and local artists, a la Guthries Tavern.

Benefits of Being an Author, On Expectations and Making Goals Explicit

To go along with the new look of the Lake Claremont Press blog, we will be including additional types of content here, everything from opinion pieces to book excerpts and author musings. In that spirit, I will start by sharing some of my observations on one of the most interesting and complex aspects of being a small-press publisher, one who has lots of direct contact with her authors at all stages of the publishing process…author expectations!

That authors and publishers do not share identical interests would be obvious to any businessperson, but since that was not my background it took awhile for this reality to become clear to me. We both want an author’s book to be wildly successful, right? That at least was my vague, muddled view. Until the day several years ago when two separate authors with whom I had and have warm, friendly relationships sent me a New York Times piece about authors vs. publishers with a quip to the effect: we’re glad you’re not like those publishers. It hit me instantly when I read the article: I am like those publishers, and you are like those authors. I am a publisher, and you are authors. Thereafter I worked on understanding and unraveling these identity differences for win-win outcomes.

As you might suppose, one complicated element of author expectations is not that authors have them but that every author has different ones. Then there’s meeting company goals that may or may not have anything to do with the sea of expectations around us. These come with the picturesque territory of publishing. What optimizes the author-publisher relationship in this environment is what most concerns me about expectations, and being unequivocal about our different interests is a good start. My top priority is the surviving and thriving of the company, not any individual book necessarily. An author’s goals are…

My sense is that many hopes are pinned on one’s book and that without a bit of reflection, every author’s goals for their book are the grand and amorphous: for it to be wildly successful, to be a life-changing experience, and to make everything better. Sure, and world peace too. Lofty expectations are not in themselves a problem but non-specific, non-explicit lofty expectations can be. How will they know when they’ve met them (and can take proper satisfaction at that)?

Here is my evolving list of the benefits I’ve seen different authors enjoy over the past 15 years of publishing almost 50 books, whether or not these results of writing a book were specifically desired or made explicit. My not so inventive idea is that the earlier in the publishing process an author defines for themselves what they want out of their book, the better able they are to marshal the resources necessary to achieve them (including the publisher where appropriate), the better choices they can make about time and energy expenditures, the greater their results, and the greater their satisfaction. As a bonus, they will also enjoy plenty of unexpected rewards and delights along the way.

In no particular order…

Community/Social Benefits

• To gain entry to the “club” of writers.
• To participate in the community interested in one’s topic.
• To join the conversations related to one’s book.
• To make a difference in people’s lives
• To win converts to a cause.
• To popularize one’s ideas.
• To sway public opinion.
• To correct misconceptions.
• To expose injustices.
• To entertain and delight others.
• To capture stories before they’re lost.
• To preserve history before it’s lost.
• To bring attention to local businesses.
• To meet interesting, new people.
• To amplify one's social network.

Personal Benefits

• To express oneself.
• To create something original.
• To experience elevated self-esteem.
• To enjoy personal satisfaction for having written a book.
• To achieve something significant.
• To accomplish one of the top American goals that others only talk about.
• To springboard to bigger and better things.
• To open doors (public speaking, media interviews, business opportunities).
• To practice a hobby more fully.
• To learn new skills (blogging, public speaking, media savvy, networking)
• To enhance skills (writing, editing, speaking)
• To overcome personal obstacles (procrastination, shyness)
• To make a name for oneself.
• To share unique experiences and perspectives.
• To become better-known, well-known, or famous.
• To bask in the prestige.
• To live a fuller life.
• To leave a legacy.

Career/Business Benefits

• To establish one’s authority on a subject.
• To show expertise in a field.
• To define one’s position (role) and position (perspective) in some area.
• To contribute to a body of knowledge.
• To build one’s reputation.
• To exhibit leadership.
• To leverage the power of the printed word.
• To complement one’s primary business.
• To advance in your field
• To enlarge one's professional network.
• To have something to give away (a calling card, gift, premium)
• To develop a side business.

Financial Benefits

• To earn passive income (royalties).
• To increase income through turning one’s book into a cottage industry (re-selling, speaking fees, etc.)
• To find a better-paying job (with new skills and enhanced resume)
• To justify a pay raise (increased value to company)
• To extend the reach of one’s business (passively locate new customers).

Please post other advantages that should be on this list.

Build Your Own Chicago

http://www.buildyourownchicago.com/

E-Newsletter Revived

For more in-depth coverage of our authors, books, events, and sales, plus great Chicago information, sign up for our e-newsletter. It goes out once every 3-4 weeks, and we don't sell, exchange, or otherwise give away your email address.

Built on an Ancient Shoreline

"Built on an ancient shoreline of Lake Michigan, Chicago's oldest house anchors the historic community of Norwood Park and houses the offices and musuem of the Norwood Park Historical Society." This Sunday's a great time to visit the distinctive--in geographic, geological, architectural, and historical senses--135-year-old enclave of Norwood Park. Amble or bike through the streets, then stop at the historical society for their Book & Collectible Fair (noon-5pm, $2 entrance). New, used, and collectible books for sale (Lake Claremont Press will have a booth); author appearances (our Grace DuMelle will be speaking on family history research); refreshments by Northwest Cafe, and children's activities.

P.S. Our new book What Would Jane Say? will be there, on sale with all of our other titles. Not yet in stores.

2009 Book List

Just released:

What Would Jane Say? City-Building Women and a Tale of Two Chicagos, by Janice Metzger

Coming in early September:

Sports Traveler Chicago, by Anbritt Stengele

Coming later this fall:

Carless in Chicago, by Jason Rothstein

Oldest Chicago, by David Anthony Witter

Historic Bars of Chicago, by Sean Parnell of the Chicago Bar Project

Hollywood on Lake Michigan: Chicago and the Movies, 2nd Edition, by Michael Corcoran

The Beat Cop's Guide to Chicago Eats, by Sgt. David J. Haynes and Mr. Christopher Garlington

Chicago the Beautiful

Must-see MGM travelogues from 1948 on You Tube:

• Chicago The Beautiful
• Night Life in Chicago

Thanks Ted for finding these!

The Other Side of the Burnham Plan

A century ago, the Burnham Plan of Chicago was published. Lavishly illustrated, handsomely presented, and funded by a club of businessmen, the Plan was Daniel Burnham and the Commercial Club’s vision of a new Chicago. Burnham saw broad avenues, lakefront parks, impressive monuments; and in a nod to his backers, declared “With things as they should be, every business man in Chicago would make more money than he does now.”

The businessmen may have been rubbing their hands at the claim, but for every widened avenue, homes had to be destroyed. For every yacht club, the lakefront became more forbidding to the poor. And every impressive monument only highlighted the inequality between the two Chicagos. It was in this second Chicago that the women of Hull-House and their female city-building contemporaries in other arenas worked.

Jane Addams and her peers enjoyed a sterling reputation in Chicago for their charitable work with the underclass. Hull-House brought culture and the progressive spirit to some of Chicago’s most depressed neighborhoods. What’s more, women like Addams were at the forefront of social reform, fighting for legislation on a number of issues we now take for granted, like the 8-hour work day, child labor laws, and welfare.

Instrumental as they were in shaping the development of Chicago’s neighborhoods and creating its social institutions, the women were left on the sidelines while Burnham and the Commercial Club laid the course of Chicago’s future. The men knew that there was no profit in catering to the poor and downtrodden, as they certainly wouldn’t be footing the bill for their grandiose designs. So the Plan of Chicago was published, representing only the voices of the elite.

Though the plan’s drafters may have been uninterested in what Addams had to say, Janice Metzger cares, and makes the case that we should care, too. Her book, What Would Jane Say? City-Building Women and a Tale of Two Chicagos, breaks down the plan (and details its break downs), then imagines how the women would have responded to it, substantiating her speculation with detailed research.

With Burnham being celebrated across Chicago in this centennial year, history buffs of every type would be well-served to find out the other side of the Burnham Plan's story.

What Would Jane Say? City-Building Women and a Tale of Two Chicagos will be available the week of August 10 from Lake Claremont Press.

--Written by Erik Germani

Chicago Literary Hall of Fame

I just submitted my six nominees for the Chicago Writer's Association inaugural Chicago Literary Hall of Fame selection. Read project coordinator Donald G. Evans's intro to the hall of fame. Stuart Dybek, Rosellen Brown, Bill Savage, Haki R. Madhubuti, and Achy Obejas will select the first inductees from those submitted by a 14-person nominating committe. Right now it's all open for interpretation (only caveat - the nominees must be dead folks). Who would you pick? And what would your standards be for selecting the freshman class?

Chicago Haunts 3

I've only read the first chapter of Ursula Bielski's coming book for Thunder Bay Press, Chicago Haunts 3, and it's freaking freaky--and jam-packed with all the Chicago history and references everyone loved in the first two books in the series that Lake Claremont Press published. It's her own story of the daily haunting--for 14 years and beyond--that she and her family all experienced in the house she grew up in. Unsettling...