In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons

Despite living relatively close to each other in Chicago, musicians Abraham Levitan and Devin Davis decided to work on an album long-distance, and in slow motion. Levitan would write the skeletons of melodies and lyrics, and share the files electronically with Davis, who would painstakingly flesh them out with full orchestrations. The process took 2 and a half years, but the final product-cheekily called Spontaneity has finally arrived.  Levitan and Davis talk to the Morning Shift about the process and give us a taste of what it was like to put the project together.

The prevalence of guns, the city’s segregation and the lack of economic opportunities in disadvantaged neighborhoods were just some of the issues raised during “The View From My Block,” a three-hour, call-in special from WBEZ and WVON that examined causes and solutions to Chicago’s rising gun violence. 

For years, Illinois has had a long backlog of people seeking clemency from the governor. Gov. Bruce Rauner said he has all but eliminated the backlog by denying about 97 percent of clemency requests, granting only 79 pardons out of the 2,333 clemency requests he has decided, the majority of which were left over from past administrations.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, Broadway’s longest-running show, is making its way to Chicago and bringing a new rising star with it: stage actor Derrick Davis. Though Davis isn’t the first African-American actor to don the Phantom mask--preceded by Norm Lewis and Robert Guillame--he is the first black Phantom to be chosen for the U.S. tour. And with the success of Hamilton, and shows like Allegiance and The Color Purple revival, the theater may have never been so rich with opportunities for actors of color. Morning Shift talks to Derrick Davis about landing the iconic role and the future of diversity in the theater.

Misericordia is a city within a city on Chicago’s far-north side. Each day is filled wit, support, possibility, and opportunity for 600 children and adults with developmental disabilities. A new book by legendary photojournalist and celebrity photographer Steve Schapiro captured thoughtful, tender, and often whimsical moments with the residents, staff and volunteers. We talk to Schapiro about the project.  We also talk with the woman considered the engine behind Misericordia-Sister Rosemary Connelly, who opened the facility in 1976 and has grown it to what it is through love, patience, and sheer determination.

Donald Trump and his pick for head of the Environmental Protection Agency have said they disagree with provisions of the Clean Water Act and the Clean Water Rule. Morning Shift talks to Henry Henderson, director of the Midwest Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council here in Chicago, about what his organization is doing to ensure the Great Lakes is protected in the future.

Photo historians Richard Cahan and Michael Williams talk about the process of uncovering these works and the stories behind them for their book Un-American: The Incarceration of Japanese Americans During World War II. 

Hemmingway called Chicago’s Nelson Algren the greatest American writer behind Faulkner. His love affair with Simone de Beauvoir is legendary. His depictions of the seedier side of urban life — and the tramps, hustlers, and addicts that inhabit that world — are both honest and tender. So why is it that so many Chicagoans don’t know the man or his work? And why does he seem to be overlooked by the larger literary world? Morning Shift talks to Chicago Tribune reporter Mary Wisniewski about her new biography Algren: A Life.

Author and journalist Cokie Roberts steps away from her usual role as political commentator for NPR and ABC to talk about her new children’s book, Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation, which highlights female explorers, educators, writers and activists who helped shape the United States between 1776 and 1824. Roberts spoke with WBEZ’s Jenn White on the Morning Shift about how writing about women's history is "detective work." 

Recount efforts in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan, combined with Donald Trump tweeting that “millions” of people had voted illegally, has led many to wonder how much of this year’s election was influenced by fraudulent votes. However, others say the fear of voter fraud is what leads to policies that drive voter suppression. Those policies come in the form of voter ID laws, felon disenfranchisement laws, and reducing the number of polling places in minority communities, to name a few. Morning Shift talks to Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern about the role voter fraud and voter suppression played in this election.