Posts by Meandering Maestro
That Word
I’ve been called a nigger to my face by a white person two times in my 55 years on this earth. The first time was a drive by, sometime in the mid-1980s. Harold Washington was elected the first black mayor of Chicago in 1983 a couple of years earlier. I went to Luther South High…
Read MoreIt’s Standardized Test Time, So Keep the Tissue Handy
With tears in her eyes, one of my middle school students asked for some tissue. It didn’t help. Unable to stop the flow of tears, she asked to go to the bathroom to pull herself together. “Of course,” I said. I had a good idea what this was about. Her issue? Cue the Ice-T song.…
Read MoreChampions of Education (even though theirs sucked)
To Joe and Lois, my book’s dedication reads, who always did right by their kids if not by each other. These are my parents, and theirs was a marriage doomed from its beginning. This paragraph in chapter 10 of my new book, Where I Belong, sums up their 50-year union: “That neither of them went…
Read MoreWriters Workshop To Open Mic
In the summer of 2023, at the urging of a professor friend, I attended the University of Iowa’s Writers Workshop. I took a week-long, autofiction class taught by Robin Hemley. We wrote every day in class, and I continued writing on my friend’s farm on the outskirts of Iowa City at night. One of the…
Read MoreLit Fest ’27: Dare I Dream
I concluded my presentation and did a Q&A with the audience, wowing them with my quick wit. I put the lit in Lit Fest, Chicago’s free, annual, outdoor literary festival. I walked off the stage to a rousing standing ovation and pumped hands with the HarperCollins rep, who breathlessly told me my book remained atop…
Read More“The Situation Room is reporting that one of the World Trade Center towers has been hit by a plane … This is all we know.”
“Lance, the managing editor wants all staff in the office by 10.” “What? I covered a game last night, and I cover one tonight, so I don’t need to be in.” “Are you still sleeping?” “Yes.” “Turn on your TV.” “Alright, hang on. I’m walking over to it. OK. What channel?” “Doesn’t matter.” “What? What…
Read MoreSafeSchools Training: A Chore Worth Taking Seriously
Attention educators: Chicago Public Schools is wise to your teacher tricks. Teachers figured out a way to get around watching the lengthy SafeSchools online modules that ensure all CPS employees complete required student-protection, safety and compliance training. So, the school district did something about it. No longer can you simply push play on their videos,…
Read MoreRemembering Matt Suhey
Matt Suhey died Sunday. Thinking of him brought back good memories. He was a starter on the greatest football team ever, the ’85 Bears. Suhey’s primary job was to block for the greatest all-around football player ever, Walter Payton. But Suhey, who was 68, did more than that. The fullback caught and ran the ball…
Read MoreAffirmative Action: It’s Not Political, It’s Personal
I don’t vote. I say this with a great deal of pride. I’ve voted just one time in my 55 years. Back in 1992. It’s a regret of mine. I was in college. Like many college students, I was an idealist and was going to change the world. Politicians assure those on campus that they…
Read MoreThe Ills of Self-Publishing
Self-publishing is an exercise in humility. I speak from experience. I resorted to self-publishing after being dismissed by more than 60 agents. You can cut out the middle man – the agent – and send your manuscript directly to publishing companies. Good luck with that. I tried; they weren’t interested either. You finish your manuscript…
Read More