By Mayor Rahm Emanuel
The stories of everyday Chicagoans as told to Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Rainn Wilson took a break from his star turn at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre to stop by City Hall and talk to Mayor Emanuel about acting and service, his Baha'i faith and his current play "The Doppelgänger (an international farce)," and,...
Auschwitz survivor Fritzie Fritzshall shares her firsthand account of the Holocaust with Mayor Rahm Emanuel in this special live podcast episode at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center. She’s joined by Susan Abrams, the Museum’s CEO, on the 75th...
After a Cinderella story for the ages, Loyola Ramblers basketball coach Porter Moser took a break from his busy off-season to talk to Mayor Emanuel about his whirlwind ride. Tune in as Coach Moser shares memories from the Final Four...
50 years ago today, the world lost one of the greatest civil rights leaders of our time. The death of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sent shock waves around the globe, and nowhere more so than right here in...
Peter Sagal is a man of many interests, which you’d expect from the host of NPR’s long-running “Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!” Listen as Peter and Mayor Emanuel look back on his unlikely career, the growth of news and comedy, and...
David Eigenberg may not be a real Chicago firefighter, but he works with them to play one on T.V. Tune in as Mayor Emanuel talks to the "Chicago Fire" and "Sex and the City" actor about first responders, Chicago's bravest,...
Entrepreneurial guru Howard Tullman sits down with Mayor Emanuel in Chicago Stories’ first live podcast to dive into Chicago's surging innovation scene, taking a look back at his story of reinvention, 1871’s world leading expansion, and how Chicago became the...
Tom Skilling loves the weather, but his focus has increasingly turned to the urgency of climate change, or as he also puts it, "climate disruption." Tune in to hear his discussion with Mayor Emanuel about his remarkable career, the importance...
George Saunders is a man of many careers and characters, but his voice has only one home. Tune in as Mayor Emanuel sits down with the acclaimed essayist, short-story writer, and first-time novelist as they talk about "Lincoln in the Bardo," creativity, kindness,...
Ben Austen’s new book “High-Risers” focuses on Chicago’s infamous Cabrini-Green complex, the people who lived there, and the past, present and promise of public housing as a metaphor for cities and America at large. Mayor Emanuel sits down with the...
Her restaurant The Boarding House was just named a 2018 James Beard Award semifinalist for "Outstanding Wine Program," and she was the youngest women and only South Asian in the world to become a Master Sommelier. Mayor Emanuel chats with...
Even before “Friends” David Schwimmer became a household name, he was a passionate actor, director and activist rooted in Chicago’s cultural community as a founding member of the Lookingglass Theatre Company with a work ethic that is second to none....
From driving a cab to driving the national debate on immigration, Congressman Luis Gutiérrez tells Mayor Emanuel how it happened in a wide-ranging conversation through Chicago's neighborhoods, Puerto Rico's countryside, the halls of Congress and the Oval Office.
Chicago is on the road to the Oscars! Local film company Kartemquin Films, which has been making powerful independent films for over 50 years, has just been nominated for not one but two Academy Awards this year for Abacus: Small Enough...
Graham Elliot knows the secret to the perfect grilled cheese. The celebrity chef stopped by City Hall to talk to Mayor Emanuel about everything from Chicago's food scene, to his new projects, his advice for young chefs, and, of course,...
99-year-old Timuel Black is one of Chicago’s most influential activists and civil rights leaders. His experience serving in World War II in Normandy and witnessing the horrors of Buchenwald concentration camp led him to devote his life to the fight...
The tables are turned as Mayor Emanuel interviews David Axelrod, host of "The Axe Files," about his 40-year career in politics, his daughter's battle with epilepsy and his unique view of Chicago as a former Tribune reporter in the 1970s....
University of Chicago distinguished law professor Eric Posner co-wrote a powerful Op-Ed in the New York Times about the Logan Act and Robert Mueller's investigation. Hear him discuss its legal dimensions and possible outcomes with Mayor Emanuel.
Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, speaks with the Mayor about his recent visit to Puerto Rico for relief and recovery efforts and shares his thoughts on immigration and DACA, the role of religion and faith in addressing violence in...
Meet Anthony Moseley, Artistic Director of Collaboraction, a contemporary theater company part of “Night Out in the Parks” that explores race, culture and social justice issues across the city. He’s “surprisingly fresh” in his approach to tackling tough topics on...
Mayor Emanuel sat down with XS Tennis founder and 2017 U.S. Open champion coach Kamau Murray to talk about Chicago's grit, mentoring young people though tennis, and growing the game.
In honor of the 30th Anniversary of Mayor Harold Washington's death, his top aide Jacky Grimshaw sat down with Mayor Emanuel to look back on the life and legacy of Chicago's trailblazing leader.
Chicago Architecture Biennial artistic directors Mark Lee and Sharon Johnston discuss architecture's role in creating sustainable beauty and inclusivity amid ever-changing cities and spaces.
Pilsen native Stuart Dybek, one of America’s great poets and writers, reminisces with Mayor Emanuel about Chicago’s working-class roots and neighborhoods that he calls “eyes into the City’s soul.”
Jahmal Cole, Chatham resident and founder of My Block, My Hood, My City, talks with Mayor Emanuel about his journey and how he came to believe that "exposure is key" to helping Chicago’s youth discover new opportunities and embrace their...
MacArthur “Genius” and Palestinian-American activist Rami Nashashibi dives deep into an honest conversation with Mayor Emanuel about breaking barriers and building bridges from the land of Jerusalem to Chicago’s Southwest Side.
Chicago and Apple don't just share a long history, they also share the same values. Tune in as Apple CEO Tim Cook talks to Mayor Emanuel about the equalizing power of education, the need for diversity, the definition of America,...
Richard Thaler's path to the Nobel Prize began with a bowl of cashews. It was the light-bulb moment that set him on a career of predicting irrational behavior. Think of it as being right about being wrong. Tune in as...
What do Operation, Radio Flyer, Cards Against Humanity, Beanie Babies and Pinball have in common? They were all invented in Chicago. Mayor Emanuel chats with Mary Couzin, founder of the Chicago Toy and Game Group, about why Chicago is the...
Meet Leah Guenther, a Chicago Public Schools teacher in Englewood who uses her love of Shakespeare to help struggling students vastly improve their reading levels in a very short amount of time.
Comedy legend and lifelong Chicagoan Charna Halpern shares her stories about spotting stars, saving the world from black holes, and unlocking the secrets of the universe with the scientists at CERN. Pretty much what you'd expect from the Mother of...
Air Force veteran Claude Lamb shares his story about overcoming “physical and mental” homelessness, rebuilding his life, and going to community college in his 70's.
"Let me add life to my years and years to my life." Alphonso Johnson talks being a husband, father, and building a new life after prison with help from the CTA Second Chance Program.
Mayor Emanuel interviews the inspiring Michael Patrick Thornton about how he founded Chicago's Gift Theatre, a quintessential storefront theater, and about his acting and directing career as a person with disabilities, including on ABC's "Private Practice" and major plays, films...
Mayor Emanuel visits 1871 to meet Shaniqua Davis, who used to apply to jobs using the name "Shawn" to get more response from employers. Then she founded Noirefy, a startup focused on diversity in hiring across all industries. Hear her...
As the iconic Chicago Picasso sculpture in Daley Plaza celebrates its 50th anniversary, hear what its original unveiling was like back in 1967 according to Tim Samuelson, the City's official historian who was there, and Eric Keune, SOM Design Director.
Mayor Emanuel meets with Ken, Patti and Dan Raskin, whose family has run Manny's, a Jewish deli and beloved cultural institution on Chicago's Near South Side, for 75 years. (Bonus: Find out what the Mayor's favorite sandwich is.)
Mayor Rahm Emanuel personally meets with Arturo and Daniela, two students who graduated this year debt-free from City Colleges of Chicago thanks to the STAR Scholarship, to discuss their hopes and ambitions.
Tiny Tapp owner Mark William Johnson discusses Chicago's craft cocktail scene and the revitalization of the Riverwalk with Mayor Emanuel at City Hall on this week's episode.
It's Korean fine dining vs. Southern BBQ. With the Taste of Chicago in full swing, Mayor Emanuel invites Charlie Robinson, founder of Robinson's Ribs, and Chef Beverly Kim of Michelin-starred Parachute restaurant to City Hall.
What if you were given a second chance at life? Listen as Mayor Rahm Emanuel reunites with AJ Mohammed, a wounded warrior competing in the 2017 Warrior Games in Chicago whom he met years ago at Walter Reed Medical Center.
Mayor Emanuel talks about spoken word's home in Chicago, the creative process and the joys and lessons of fatherhood with poet and artist Harold Green.
Mayor Emanuel chats with Allison Tingwall, Principal of Curie High School, about how she came to teach and lead a Chicago Public School and her views on education.
Mayor Emanuel sits down with Barbara Gaines, Artistic Director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater, on the eve of the opening of "The Yard."
Mayor Emanuel kicks off the inaugural Chicago Stories podcast by sitting down with Haymarket Brewery on the eve of the launch of the first Friday Night Flights, a summer series of craft beer festivals around the city.