August 2022 Issue: Lit 50 (Print Edition)
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Immersive Delight
"Upon entry to the fourth floor of The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago’s 'Forothermore,' Nick Cave’s “Spinner Forest” (2022) greets the viewer with thousands of reflective, metallic and glistening spinners. 'Wind spinners' that hang over porches and yards throughout the Midwest have been augmented to include shapes of Cave’s design. Spinning in concentric circles, repeating polygons rotate in the sunlight; upon closer look, they contain symbols—pictograms—including guns, smiley faces, hands folded into peace signs, daisies and psychedelic ephemera." (Megan Bickel)
The Lit 50 2022
This year's edition of the Lit 50, our first in two years thanks to the pandemic, might seem long, but it reflects a mere fraction of the accomplishments of the individuals and organizations we write about. The literary community is more vibrant than ever, whether it's in the programming of an increasing number of venues, in the organizations providing support and advocacy for writers and readers or in the resurging strength and expansion of independent bookstores, it's a great time to be a book lover in Chicago. And the stability, especially in pandemic times, is noteworthy. (Brian Hieggeke)
Literati of the Moment
Fred Sasaki, creative director of the Poetry Foundation, says that, in his twenty-year career, there has never been more oxygen at the Foundation than there is today. Michelle T. Boone became the Foundation’s president last year after a long career in arts organizations. Starting at Gallery 37, she later served as Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events as well as at Navy Pier as Chief Program and Civic Engagement Officer. Last spring, after a national search, Adrian Matejka was named editor of the 110-year-old Poetry magazine. Former poet laureate of Indiana, Matejka has published several collections of poetry. Both Boone and Matejka are Black and the first persons of color in their positions. (Mary Wisniewski)