Human Care Bears
(Image by Paul John Higgins, Chicago Reader)
This essay about “the R word” and the ways in which we portray the mentally challenged ran as the cover story in the February 25 issue of the Chicago Reader. Read the rest of this entry »
Behind Taliban Punch Lines
For the last year and a half or so, I’ve devoured any little bit of information I could find on Four Lions, the new feature by British comedy maverick Chris Morris. Cowritten by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain (the creators of Peep Show), it’s a farce that follows a group of jihadis as they attempt to pull off a large-scale terrorist attack in London — only their plans are continually undone by their own egos and petty bickering. Read the rest of this entry »
The Beast at Fourteen
The Beast, in repose
Here’s a story I wrote in November 2009 for the Happy Family Series, a variety show curated by Chicago theater company the Magpies exploring “‘harmonic antagonisms,’ the awkward equilibriums, true or false, that we forge with our loved ones/enemies.” I worried the theme might get a little heavy, so I decided to do something about my cat. That’s right: a cute-cat story. This is the sort of thing you find yourself doing as you get older. Read the rest of this entry »