i found a 70 year old workout album at the secondhand store and lmao

🥂 THIS IS CHICAGO is celebrating 25 episodes today with a special double-length story 🥂 What happens when a self-described member of Black religious royalty has his "Disney moment," but standing amid the imagined birds and butterflies is, unexpectedly, another young man? I'd love if you listened:

Anyone have a pre-teen or teen in their life who is big into "The Nightmare Before Christmas" merch — clothing, posters, collectibles, etc. — and would be willing to chat with a friendly journalist (me) about it? It's for a story tied to the film's 30th anniversary.

The 20th (!) episode of THIS IS CHICAGO asks an important question: "Is God a Cubs fan?" A rabbi weighs in.

As police pull yet another body out of John Wayne Gacy's crawlspace and add yet another charge against him, people are beginning to ask: when is enough enough? Isn't this piling on?

This was such a fun one because the origins of ratatouille were so not what I expected at all! Read the post and find out! Then make my ratatouille or a variation on the dish, the bohémienne! https://jamieschler.substack.com/p/ratatouille Please share & subscribe!

From Alison Roman's cottage cheese cake with summer apricots to Alton Brown's chunky blue cheese dressing, chefs are dispelling the notion that cottage cheese is nothing but an old-school, if virtuous, diet food. Here's my little love letter to it:

The whole concept of 'girl dinner' is mystifying to me but this was an interesting look at its undercurrents.

I wrote about how fans are now content producers and artists are fans of art because all of us are just workers in a world where billionaires have taken art and culture hostage. https://slate.com/culture/2023/08/writers-actors-strike-sag-aftra-wga-hollywood-fans-scabbing-solidarity.html

when i say i'm omw, this is what i mean

"This series of short audio portraits from Chicago draws from the long lineage of oral history recording in the city, perhaps inspired by the likes of Studs Terkel and the assumption that everyone has a story if you just ask." So delighted by our show's inclusion on XMTR this week.

As part of my research, I'm looking to talk with disabled workers with accommodations in the Chicago area--as well as folks with informal or no accommodations. If that's you or someone you know, please hit me up. Interviews will be compensated. FWIW, I come at this as a disabled sociologist.

I threw together a little ode to the Barbie the Barbie movie reunited me with (and I know I need to move off Substack, I just need time to decipher which of the many services my infrequent free newsletter should be on). https://erinkeane.substack.com/p/on-day-to-night-barbie?utm_medium=email

@ashliedstevens.bsky.social wrote a lovely thing about Pee-wee (in which she also asked me things about clowns).

"Pee-wee was so much more real. So consistent but still unpredictable. The best clowns have emotions like a kitten has intestines — it all goes straight through them."

Bang out that novel and try not to die. Live fucking más

Why do I feel like this every time I pitch a story?

Promote yourself relentlessly and disgustingly.

had to get this out of my brain before i could write the last 1000 words to make my word count goal

Wrote about FX's "The Bear," John Hughes' films and the way both explore how loneliness and dysfunction can hide and thrive in the suburbs.

People in cars when a pedestrian has the right of way

For journalism: If you're doing a "Barbenheimer" double-header, what's your snack plan?

Alright, finally getting settled in over here.