Several years ago, a note came across my email: “Would you be interested?” The message came from someone called Victor Yehling who said he was from WNIJ/NPR. Victor wanted to know if I would be interested in an idea he had. People from the community would write a short piece (250 words) and record the piece for a program he was starting called Perspectives. A few of us said yes and so it began. In the beginning, we were writing and recording several times a month. As the program’s popularity

When the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School started the #neveragain movement, I was optimistic that these well-spoken, passionate young people would be able to change the hearts and minds of lawmakers and other leaders to increase access to mental health care and pass common-sense gun laws. I hoped that, as a nation, we would undertake a coordinated effort to make our precious young people and dedicated educators safe in our schools. Sadly, we are once again faced with another mass

I’m intrigued by the creativity that lies behind the scenes in music, film, theater, and writing. Those people whose names may be unfamiliar, but whose work and talent are fundamental to the production or composition – studio musicians and web designers, theatrical prop builders, and movie location scouts. And have you thought about who’s behind radio productions like this one? Sound engineers, producers, and most definitely, editors. My first real introduction to editing as an art came from a

I am sick. I am sick because I have lost who we are. What do we stand for? I used to think I knew but, over the last couple of years, I have become less and less sure. After a campaign of sexist, racist, classist xenophobia, we elected Donald Trump. In the aftermath, the most unsavory elements of our citizenry emerged, emboldened. Since then, the respect and sanctity of our most fundamental cornerstones are crumbling out of political ambition … and winning. Our intelligence community, journalism

Seated across the table from me was a gentleman whose social and political beliefs were, to say the least, the polar opposite of my own. I listened quietly as he expounded on a number of issues and bided my time. Typically I have no problem expressing my point of view in these discussions, but this was not a typical situation. When he sensed my reticence, I joked that -- in the interest of group harmony -- I was suppressing my liberal viewpoint. He laughed, but he understood my reasoning. What

Gun control and pro-life advocates look toward legislation for solutions. Ironically, on the other side of both: Gun rights and pro-choice advocates argue that the state should mind its own business and respect individual rights. But what is left out is the potential for common ground and hard work. I imagine we all would like a world where fewer people were killed by gun violence as well as a world with little to no unwanted pregnancies. These are worthy, complicated, and ambitious goals. The

I suffer from an affliction I call Cabin Dreams. The roots of my disorder are traceable to childhood. I grew up on the shores of the Kishwaukee River near Kirkland. In the summers, once school was out, my family packed up the Buick and headed north to Wisconsin, to our knotty pine cabin on Blue Spring Lake. Oh, time at the cabin was exquisite: pancakes for breakfast each morning, one pine drawer for all my belongings, and the lake itself, which seemed to bend summer days to its own shape, with

In college I raised $52 for cancer. I walked miles in my achy body because I supported cancer research, but also because it was the most relatable cause I could find. Like sickle cell, cancer patients called the hospital their second home. Everyone cares about something outside of themselves. It’s the definition of humanity. It’s the reason there are advocates who walk miles for a cause. However, I have found an undeniable shortage of people advocating for sickle cell. Our biggest supporters are

A few weeks ago, I was driving down a residential street in a familiar town here in north central Illinois. Hanging outside one of these houses that lined this street was not one but two Confederate flags. I went a little further down the same street and noticed another flag on another house, but this one was only half Confederate; the other half displayed the American flag. I was tempted to check the date on my phone to make sure I wasn’t in some time warp, but I didn’t. I knew I was still

There is a new robot in town. Her name is Sophia. She was designed and built by Hanson Robotics. And she is popular. Sophia was featured on the Jimmy Kimmel show, has appeared on the cover of Elle, and was recently granted honorary citizenship by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. But not everyone likes Sophia. There has been considerable resistance from experts in the fields of artificial intelligence and robotics. For these critics, Sophia is nothing more than a puppet —more smoke and mirrors and