Let’s talk about the muse and how they function in the life of the artist. We all have influences that kick our artistic butts into gear....

The trouble with having such a deep knowledge of my family history is I find I must bite my tongue when my kids speak casually of their...

I had a fair number of technical difficulties with this entry as the reel-to-reel from 1959 was damaged. You’ll hear some interference...

Chicago suburbs, 1950s, USA Maria Baroni with grandmother Elise & mother Helene. Just a little touch of glamor of you on this fine day....

I grew up in a talented family that holds the idea that talent runs in a family as a form of destiny. My grandfather, Roger, was a cold...

No one is more American than an immigrant. I think of my family when the US  immigration reform discussion crops up again because we are...

Some people say that we will never again see the level of glamour evident in post-world war America. It usually men who lament the...

The Halloween costumes of my mother’s youth doubled down on her opera training. Here are three from her teenage years. They were living...

I’m a big reader and this week I enjoyed Nuiala O’Faolain’s The Story of Chicago May. [‘Chicago May, one of the few notorious women in...