Columns | Ex Libris

by Ex Libris on May 4, 2016

Contemporary Contexts: Glass Houses, Glass City

Zac Thriffiley looks at what divides us as Chicagoans and what art can do to bridge these divides in the latest installment of his One Book, One Chicago coverage. Glass Houses, Glass City: Slag Glass City and the State of Art in Chicago The plot of Chi Jang Yin’s short film “Glass House” – if it can be called a plot rather than a serene stream of suspended, tranquil moments – follows the construction and inhabitation of a home in the Chicago suburbs. Thomas Roszak, one of the city’s most highly regarded contemporary architects, designed… Read Article →

by Ex Libris on February 4, 2016

Interview with MAE Alumnus Carolyn Rudinsky, Communications Coordinator for Gads Hill Center

Ex Libris contributor Matt Adams recently interviewed MAE alumnus Carolyn Rudinsky. Carolyn graduated from DePaul in June 2015 and now works as a Communications Coordinator for Gads Hill Center, an educational non-profit based in Pilsen. Here, Carolyn offers her insights into what inspired her to pursue opportunities in the non-profit sector and how she leveraged her connections at DePaul to pursue a post-grad career. Matt Adams: Tell me a bit about yourself. Are you a Chicago native? From where did you obtain your undergrad? What drove you to pursue your MAE at DePaul? Carolyn Rudinsky: The term… Read Article →

by Ex Libris on January 26, 2016

Contemporary Contexts: From Emmett Till to Laquan McDonald

Ex Libris’s Zac Thriffiley continues his ongoing column covering this year’s One Book, One Chicago selection, Thomas Dyja’s The Third Coast. This month Thriffiley takes a hard look at issues of race and injustice that haunt Chicago’s history and continue to importantly shape its future – a future reflected in the goals of One Book, One Chicago. From Emmett Till to Laquan McDonald: Chicago as a Catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement Thomas Dyja was only four years old when, in 1966, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. began renting an apartment on Chicago’s West Side as a… Read Article →

by Ex Libris on January 23, 2016

Critic Becomes Creator in Marcus Emanuel’s Autumn Quarter Reflection

Flipping the Script: An MAE Student’s Experiment in Creative Writing Fellow MAE students, picture this: your reading list for class is just one book. For the entire quarter, one 250 page book. Sure, there are a few supplemental readings thrown in, but those are only “if you have time this week.” Otherwise, for the next ten weeks you’re responsible for getting through just one simple paperback. This was the beginning of my first MAWP class. Don’t be fooled, while the reading load was certainly lighter (even if you figure in the two or three peer… Read Article →

by Ex Libris on November 9, 2015

New Column! The Third Coast: Contemporary Contexts with Zac Thriffiley

As the Chicago Public Library’s One Book, One Chicago (OBOC) program kicks off this month with a series of events related to Thomas Dyja’s The Third Coast, this column seeks to find out what it is exactly that makes Chicago “the city that gives.” Using a critical lens of the city’s tumultuous past and its uncertain future, the articles released in the upcoming months will examine what it is that Chicago contributed to the national American identity fifty years ago and what contributions–for better or worse–it makes to this day. “She [Still] Moves Me”: Chicago Blues… Read Article →

by Ex Libris on October 15, 2015

Ex Libris’s Matt Adams Interviews DePaul Alumni Kristen FitzPatrick

Author and DePaul alumni Kristin FitzPatrick’s debut novel, My Pulse is an Earthquake hit bookshelves in September. The book is a collection of short stories revolving around the themes of loss, grief, heartache and, ultimately, redemption. Ex Libris’s Mathew Adams was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to read Kristin’s book and talk with her about writing style, inspirations, and, of course, her time at DePaul. Matt Adams: Tell me a little about your background, growing up in Michigan. It sounds like you were brought up with quite an appreciation of art, literature and film. When… Read Article →

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