Chicago Stories

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, of course, his iconic role on "The Office" as Scranton's most beloved paper salesman/beet farmer.

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 Anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, who shares more about important exhibits including the Take a Stand Center featuring interactive holograms of survivors' stories. Raw, powerful and emotional.

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 run, learning from failure, winning the right way, and, of course, Sister Jean.

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 Chicago. To commemorate this anniversary, Mayor Emanuel was joined by one of Chicago's own civil rights leaders, Rev. Dr. B. Herbert Martin of Bronzeville's Progressive Community Church, to look back on Dr. King's life and legacy, his campaign in Chicago, and to take us back to that tragic moment in 1968.

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 swap stories on marriage, running, his dinner with Stormy Daniels, and everything else that comes to mind.

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, and everything that makes this city tick.

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 global tech hub it is today.

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 of following your passion, as well as the serious impact of climate change and what we can do about it.

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, and, of course, Chicago.

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 journalist and writer to discuss affordable housing, neighborhood community development, and much more.