It's hot and humid in that oppressive Midwestern way that makes you droop. After yesterday's thunderstorms and chilliness this heat surprises everyone who thought winter may keep going into June. Peonies are falling over themselves weighted down by their heavy blooms, tree pollen is floating in the air, and people's clothes are coming off.
This evening I had the pleasure of watching a smart group of teenagers interview Joe Meno who turns out to be pretty smart himself. He gave them all sorts of useful writing tips, including never title your poem "untitled" and the only way to write good stories is to write a lot of bad ones first. The best part of the interview was that he grew up in Chicago and these kids are Chicago kids. Yet again, I see how Chicago, even with all its problems, imprints upon a person's soul. "Oh yeah that's the block with the White Castle." It's the simple recognition that he grew up here just like they did. And most importantly, he imparted to those kids: 'I'm a writer, so you can be too.'
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