https://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3mwtg4tdg5s2eA John Prine 80th birthday week here, fitting because this is where he was born and where he first picked up guitar and first wrote the songs that worked their way into local hearts and heads for keeps. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/30/john-prine-concert-tribute/?share=irirchmcreiuu3cowht301 Oct 2026 17:48 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwtg4tdg5s2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3mwoeu6brn22kTwenty lives just changed and might wind up making this world a better place thanks to the MacArthur so-called "genius grants." https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/29/macarthur-genius-grants-2026/29 Sep 2026 17:42 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwoeu6brn22khttps://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3mwnqa3suec25A serial killer, Ferris Wheel, tall buildings, cigar-chomping architect, Mrs. O'Leary and her cow, and Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots are back as "Chicago Stories" returns to WTTW. A gift read: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/29/chicago-stories-wttw-2026/?share=opwta9cgccrotttneicc29 Sep 2026 11:33 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwnqa3suec25https://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3mwlxu3bous2yAfter Hours with Rick Kogan Monday Podcast: Talking Tony with Max Fitzpatrick: https://wgnradio.com/after-hours-with-rick-kogan/tony-fitzpatricks-son-max-on-new-short-film-driven/28 Sep 2026 18:44 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwlxu3bous2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3mwlxdsuglc2oAfter Hours with Rick Kogan podcast Monday: Howard Reich on his new book https://wgnradio.com/after-hours-with-rick-kogan/howard-reich-jazz-would-not-be-what-it-is-without-chicago/28 Sep 2026 18:35 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwlxdsuglc2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3mw7gj2w3xc2lAre you like cemetery-loving Dolly Parton? Adam Selzer is and he now gives us another Graceland book, filled with wonderful people, dead but not to be forgotten. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/23/history-graceland-cemetery-book/?share=o22u0cnnlocrt2rosmor23 Sep 2026 19:01 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3mw7gj2w3xc2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3mw46c3gabs2yThe youngest brother in the Emanuel bunch, super-agent, foul-mouthed Ari, writes about his rise from New Trier High School wrestler to Hollywood big shot and billionaire and what nasty word Larry David uses over and over at his second wedding. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/22/ari-emanuel-roll-the-calls/?share=2lcrlcl02trcuelnbclt22 Sep 2026 11:56 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3mw46c3gabs2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3mvxln6xhp22iFresh podcast segments, listen when you like: https://wgnradio.com/after-hours-with-rick-kogan/ Adam Selzer on the secrets/wonders of Graceland cemetery; Jim Carlson on his new movie, "Drive Through Night," and Mark Eleveld on his collaboration in new memoir "Maria the Pappas" with/about you know who.20 Sep 2026 16:12 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvxln6xhp22ihttps://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3mvpydh6ja22aMore podcast offerings for you. Pick one or listen to them all: Irish American Movie Hooley, Candace Jordan on social scene and some final words about Roger Simon. Go here and find them, and others: https://wgnradio.com/after-hours-with-rick-kogan/17 Sep 2026 15:38 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvpydh6ja22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3mvkjks3u4c2lYour weekend plans right here: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/15/nelson-algren-celebration-chicago/?share=tgwgh22theagbchosb2t15 Sep 2026 11:30 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvkjks3u4c2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3mvdq4qlcb22kJudy Markey, made a big impact on radio, teaming with Kathy O'Malley, and wrote admired columns and novels. She died Friday choosing to do so her own way. Lots to read at WGNradio. com and here, in this gift link where you'll also find a charming video. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/12/judy-markey-chicago-radio-dies/?share=yriaruynm1dhrwgrb9dc12 Sep 2026 18:39 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvdq4qlcb22khttps://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3mvat3fnvns2zWhat are you doing Sunday? Here's an idea. Come and see me with Howard Reich and Heather Ireland Robinson in conversation about jazz, our city and Howard's new book. We promise not to sing. https://printersrowlitfest.org/event/howard-reich/11 Sep 2026 14:54 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvat3fnvns2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3mv6w5j4px224Sad. Roger Simon was one of a rare kind, a great columnist, better man, terrific friend and Chicago through and through. Read what his many friends and admirers have to say and think good thought about his wife Marcia. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/10/roger-simon-political-writer-dies/?share=t0nwr0oipristorgrore10 Sep 2026 20:43 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv6w5j4px224https://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3mv3j4woc7k2rThere has never been anyone like him, and so I think you'll enjoy visiting with Mr. T in a new Netflix documentary that has made him mad, even though there is much to enjoy about it. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/09/mr-t-documentary/?share=99twru2uya0wtwc2wmto09 Sep 2026 12:13 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv3j4woc7k2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3muyy6g52kc2lIt's not my drink of choice-I'm a bourbon guy-but the Martini is being celebrated by a week full of events (www.martiniexpo.com) booze and burgers, history and culture at the Green Mill, Club Lucky and, of all places, the Billy Goat. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/08/column-a-weeklong-celebration-of-the-martini-is-coming-to-town/?share=ucc0tasnohoa6cwttcgg https://www.martiniexpo.com/08 Sep 2026 12:04 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3muyy6g52kc2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3muuugjwxak26The After Hours-Rick Kogan podcast era begins, with three conversations, about Printers Row Lit Fest, A Nelson Algren celebration and news of the first Martini Expo. All can be had at https://wgnradio.com/after-hours-with-rick-kogan/06 Sep 2026 20:46 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3muuugjwxak26https://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3muhjnlpois2z"The Front Page" is back on stage, at Northlight, a play that changed American theater. Set in Chicago in the 1920 it remains potent. Say director BJ Jones, "I think it helps explain our era, our politics, our media. And it is so, so funny.” https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/01/front-page-play-northlight-theatre/?share=yr6phsarohcwoyy96ere01 Sep 2026 13:29 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3muhjnlpois2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3mu66h6w2322mWhen Jim Ruddle left the Chicago TV news biz in 1986 he said, “I’m not trying to find work here, there or anywhere.” He had decided instead to live full time on his boat and sail calmly into his final decades. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/28/jim-ruddle-chicago-newsman-dies/28 Aug 2026 20:14 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu66h6w2322mhttps://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3mty7dktxuc2gBob Danon, sitting in his Evanston gallery and frame shop, has always had big ideas and many interests. Read about what he has done and what he's up to in this free link to a story of his life so far, in print Sunday. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/26/bob-danon-gallery-evanston/?share=moougmhawastng2ecgno26 Aug 2026 11:14 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3mty7dktxuc2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3mtgqdv3luc2sGift link to story coming in print Sunday tells of a colorful evocative new book bringing the creative magic of the amazing Edgar Miller back to life and shows us how he brightened the city with his one of a kind genius. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/19/edgar-miller-graphic-novel/?share=tgrl68edhla0oigtccmp19 Aug 2026 12:31 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtgqdv3luc2shttps://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3mtecuk6vlk2jA gift link to story (in paper today) about the long ago August day when Alex Haley's "Roots" started to fly from bookstore shelves and change the way people (many but surely not all) thought about race. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/18/roots-alex-haley-50-years/?share=i5hchrm8ttimoaagwc2c18 Aug 2026 13:24 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtecuk6vlk2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3msv7ypgsvc25Online (gift link) now and in print Sunday, a story about how the Newberry Library has become home to the amazing, influential, wild and wonderful history of Marc Smith and his Poetry Slam, and poetry all over. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/12/marc-kelly-smith-poetry-slam/?share=tr2tnoh2rlc6tbntpbgh12 Aug 2026 13:23 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3msv7ypgsvc25https://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3msskla5bjc2oRemembering Rodney Dangerfield: "“A girl phoned me the other day and said, ‘Come on over. There’s nobody home.’ I went over. Nobody was home.” Let's give him the respect he deserves all these years after his death. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/11/rodney-dangerfield-comedy/?share=2mdrhtgg2060reooadwr11 Aug 2026 11:54 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3msskla5bjc2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3msdvoqd5ws2lWhen Ann Landers came to the Tribune, Mike Royko happily said, "Now, all those wackos who’ve been writing to me with their problems can write to her.” Now, with Dear Abby retiring, where are those wackos to go? https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/05/advice-columns/?share=ctn20gimiisc2m2wiamc05 Aug 2026 16:03 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3msdvoqd5ws2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3msdqx5fwy226Geraldine de Haas, dead at 91, was a jazz giant thanks to her stunning performances and as a passionate promoter and producer of jazz programs and events that changed the cultural face of the city. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/05/jazz-geraldine-de-haas-dies/?share=060ehawczmcdecdztuwm05 Aug 2026 14:38 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3msdqx5fwy226https://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3msbre5ap4s2oChris Vallillo has been playing music and writing songs on the rural road for a long time and he brings his stunning new show to the big city this weekend. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/04/forgottonia-steppenwolf/?share=ttt6oumowgfab4wiwwne04 Aug 2026 19:40 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3msbre5ap4s2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3mrsjfzm6u22fIn two new books, by Colin Asher and Irvine Welsh, we visit those 'Trainspotting" lads as well as Johnny Cash, Leadbelly and also the great Chicago writers Nelson Algren and Don De Grazia. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/29/new-york-times-book-review/29 Jul 2026 18:08 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrsjfzm6u22fhttps://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3mqm3cdvxtc23The Fine Arts building get a new tenant, a ground floor coffee shop named Groundswell, run by a former baseball pitcher and evoking good memories of the bygone Artists Cafe. Online now and in print Sunday. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/14/fine-arts-building-cafe/?share=iiipndbgtfite022fe4614 Jul 2026 11:14 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqm3cdvxtc23https://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3mq4z75vyq22oBooze and creativity have always mixed, sometimes uneasily. But a new art exhibition, "Cash Only," shows the beauty and community that can come from that species of tavern known as the dive bar. Have a look and read all about it here: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/08/cash-only-dive-bars/?share=dtsim0wyo6n2atcreyvs08 Jul 2026 11:27 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq4z75vyq22ohttps://bsky.app/profile/rickkogan.bsky.social/post/3mplrtbgtbs2zYou can celebrate the country's 250th in a lot of ways. Fireworks all over. Or visit a Dairy Queen and have a “Stars & Stripes Misty Slush Float” for $2.50. Or you can listen to a radio segment about our city and its history. Read all about it here: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/01/this-american-life-chicago-river/?share=ali02rrgmiethaigcicl01 Jul 2026 15:00 +0000at://did:plc:mntqzmnta2xqmbvsld3ttgla/app.bsky.feed.post/3mplrtbgtbs2z