We're seeking new members for our 2025 Board of Directors, as well as our founding Associate Board for young professionals 35 and under. Details and application at each of the links above.
We're seeking new members for our 2025 Board of Directors, as well as our founding Associate Board for young professionals 35 and under. Details and application at each of the links above.
Requests? 773-DJ-SONGS or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
by Ron Harlow
I was eleven when Shel Silverstein died. My sixth grade English teacher took a break from the curriculum so our class could read poems Silverstein wrote, because my teacher wanted us to understand just how special of a person the world had lost. I loved Silverstein’s playful humor, his bizarre illustrations, and his wild imagination. I could relate to his spirit.
I was fifteen when Johnny Cash died. At the time, the most I knew about him was that his music video for his cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt” was nominated for several awards at the VMAs, but didn’t win any. I started listening to his music when I was nineteen, at the insistence of a friend who burned me a copy of At Folsom Prison on CD-R. Being a boisterous and rebellious young man, I felt a connection to Cash’s rawness, his dark demeanor, and his reverence for the outlaw.
In my mind, silly Shel Silverstein and rugged Johnny Cash were far apart on the artistic spectrum. But when the two overlap on a Venn diagram, what you get in the middle is “A Boy Named Sue.” When I first heard the song on Cash’s 1969 album At San Quentin, I played it over and over because the lyrics are brilliant. It’s a perfect ballad built on an absurd premise. There’s a climax of conflict, a moral resolution, and a punch line at the end. I was surprised when I learned years later that Silverstein wrote the lyrics, but not shocked.
The Chicago community is invited to visit Growing Home urban farm and job training program.
Who: Growing Home
What: Growing Home is opening its doors for an afternoon of family-friendly fun and learning at their Fall Open House! All are welcome to come tour Chicago's first and only USDA-certified organic urban farm to learn how food is grown right here in the city. Learn kitchen skills from Growing Home's job-training graduates as they host a healthy cooking demo using Growing Home's farm-fresh ingredients, and then take some home with you from the Farm Stand. Meet Alderman Raymond Lopez and hear him speak on community development. Take a yoga class with iGrow Chicago while the kiddos are entertained with face paint, sidewalk art, and veggie games!
Where: 5814 S. Wood Street (Pilsen)
When: Saturday, October 10, 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Why: This is the perfect time to explore an urban farm and learn how local food can change communities and help people find jobs in Chicago's local food chain.