Zeitgeist happens: we didn’t exactly plan it this way, but nearly all the profiles and features in this special Fall Theater and Dance Issue reflect on boundaries, identity, and marginalization—issues that feel ever more relevant as the Trump administration’s efforts to restrict and roll back the very concept of citizenship seemingly grow every day.
Chicago may still be the city of Second City in the minds of many, but it’s also the hub of “live lit”—that blend of literary essay, personal memoir, and performance made semifamous (at least locally) through shows such as Write Club, Essay Fiesta, and the Stoop. Write Club creator (and coiner of the phrase “live lit”) Ian Belknap takes the pulse of live lit a decade or so into its initial burst of activity, and concludes that it’s the imperative “to pay our collective heed” to each other’s stories that still drives the scene.
