Books

Call & Response Books opening new store in Hyde Park

Owner Courtney Bledsoe said the store will focus on stocking books by authors of color and celebrating the stories they tell.

By Isabel Funk

Crime

Vandals smash Palestine flag window display at Women & Children First bookstore

A window of the Andersonville feminist bookstore displaying a Palestine flag and a sign calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war was shattered early Wednesday. Police are investigating.

By Kade Heather

Columnists

Chicago was once the heart of country music

The WLS National Barn Dance, which predated the Opry by two years, was first broadcast 100 years ago Friday, on April 19, 1924.

By Neil Steinberg

Rowan Beaird set her first novel, "The Divorcées," at a mid-century ranch for women seeking to end their marriages.

Books

Chicago author's debut novel luxuriates in Westerns, cowboys and the thrill of divorce

With “The Divorcées,” Rowan Beaird taps into the alienation she felt growing up in Northfield.

By Elly Fishman | For WBEZ

Obit-de Brunoff. Babar author Laurent de Brunhoff signs the wall, while celebrating 75 years of the book on Friday, April 21, 2006 at Mabel's Fables in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. De Brunhoff, a Paris native who moved to the U.S. in the 1980s, March 22 at his home in Key West, Florida.

Obituaries

Laurent de Brunhoff, author and artist who made Babar the elephant world-famous, dies at 98

Just 12 years old when his father, Jean de Brunhoff died, Laurent was an adult when he drew upon his own gifts as a painter and storyteller and released dozens of books about the elephant who reigns over Celesteville.

By Hillel Italie | Associated Press National Writer

Taste

Home chef Ella Mills offers plant-based recipes for anyone tempted by a healthier way to eat

Mills isn’t preachy and knows her readers may not be ready to go full-on vegetarian. For her, it’s about small steps that can make meaningful changes.

By Mark Kennedy | Associated Press

Entertainment and Culture

Chicago author Cynthia Pelayo's new novel tells the ghost stories of the city's past

Inspired by real-life historical events and tragedies throughout the city, “Forgotten Sisters” arrives March 19.

By Ambar Colón

‘Blues Brothers’: Five things you didn’t know about the movie’s Chicago shoot

By Daniel de Visé

Books

'Harry Potter' book proof, bought for pennies in 1997, sells for nearly $14,000 at auction

The copy’s inside title page mistakenly stated the author’s name as “J A Rowling” instead of J.K. Rowling.

By Associated Press

2022 Montclair Film Festival Screening Of "The Good Nurse"

Celebrities

Stephen and Evie McGee Colbert collaborate on cookbook

“Does This Taste Funny: Recipes Our Family Loves” will be released in September.

By Associated Press

Billy Dee Williams appears with Anthony Daniels, who played C-3PO in the "Star Wars" franchise, during a 2019 Disney presentation in Anaheim, California.

Entertainment and Culture

Billy Dee Williams returns to Chicago, where he sang at the Playboy Club and made 'Mahogany'

The movie star, known for playing Gale Sayers in ‘Brian’s Song’ and Lando Calrissian in ‘Star Wars’ films, is headed to the Francis W. Parker School to discuss his new memoir.

By Erica Thompson

Johnny Carson appears on “The Tonight Show” in 1991.

Books

Johnny Carson bio by late Chicago writer Bill Zehme set for November release

Author died in 2023 but former research assistant completed the 384-page ‘Carson the Magnificent.’

By Darel Jevens

Saul Bellow joins Richard M. Daley, then campaigning for mayor, at a Hyde Park meeting in 1989. Bellow’s latest honor is appearing on a United States postage stamp being introduced Tuesday.

Columnists

Author Saul Bellow to earn yet another honor Tuesday

The U.S. Postal Service will unveil a stamp paying tribute to both Chicago’s most lauded writer and a complicated guy.

By Neil Steinberg

Star Tom Cruise and director Ed Zwick promote “The Last Samurai” in Berlin in 2004.

Books

In memoir, Chicago native Ed Zwick pulls no punches about ‘hard-knuckled business’ of movies

Director of ‘About Last Night,’ ‘Glory’ returns to town to share new book ‘Hits, Flops and Other Illusions.’

By Lloyd Sachs | For the Sun-Times

Jacques Pépin released his latest cookbook this past fall.

Taste

In his latest cookbook, Jacques Pépin revisits some of his favorite recipes with a nod to thrift

“Jacques Pépin Cooking My Way: Recipes and Techniques for Economical Cooking” is a guide to cooking delicious, economical dishes for the whole family.

By Miriam Di Nunzio

Common (pictured in 2019) says he felt healthier eating less processed food in London while filming “Silo.”

Entertainment and Culture

Common hopes his wellness book can fuel a movement toward healthier living

The Chicago-born musician and actor shares workouts, wisdom and recipes meant to steer readers away from “foods that don’t do our bodies right.”

By Selena Fragassi - For the Sun-Times

Singer Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, died almost exactly a year ago at age 54. Her memoir will be published posthumously.

Entertainment and Culture

Lisa Marie Presley memoir to be published this fall

A memoir that Presley had been working on at the time of her death was completed with the help of actor Riley Keough, the eldest of Presley’s four children.

By Associated Press

Taste

New Titanic-inspired cookbook plays out against the real — and reel — worlds of the ill-fated ship’s milieu

Celebrate the culinary elegance and history of the Titanic as seen through the lens of James Cameron’s blockbuster film.

By Amy Bizzarri | For the Sun-Times

Taste

Best cookbooks of 2023 — one foodie’s guide to seven must-haves

“Nerdette’s” Greta Johnsen asked trusted food writer Alex Beggs for her picks. These are the seven new cookbooks she loved the best.

By WBEZ Staff

Dolly Parton waves while standing on stage in a blue and white outfit.

Education

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library expands in Illinois to provide all kids under age 5 with free books

In June, Gov. J.B. Pritzker first announced the partnership after allocating $1.6 million of this year’s budget to fund the program throughout Illinois.

By Mohammad Samra