Multimedia Storyteller
Issue 03, Editor in Chief
2018
A print publication dedicated to the North side of Chicago. I conducted more than 20 interviews and wrote corresponding articles, profiling the individuals and organizations that make our city shine. I worked in collaboration with a creative director, photographer, and graphic designer while providing the overall guidance for the tone and flow of the magazine.
Below is a sample of my work, including the Editor's note, a story on a collaboration between two unlikely partners: a cold brew coffee creator and a bartender, a profile on the latest community garden in Uptown and how to organize community around organic vegetable growing, the story of two women who are creating a safe space for survivors of sexual assault through the creation of an art gallery, and the woman who keeps one of River North's most beloved dive bars afloat.
Please contact me if you would like a copy of North Magazine Issue 03 and read my work in entirety, while also enjoying the beauty of the photography shot by Steve Scapardine and the layout and design by Pauline Santos.
North Magazine
Editor’s Note
Home: a constantly evolving word.
It begins as geometric shapes traced with stick figures taped up on a classroom wall, and evolves into something less tangible, more a feeling than a place. Above all, it’s the people that we surround ourselves with that shape our concept of home. In this issue of NORTH, we began our day with the cool rush of a Lake Michigan breeze in Edgewater. We ate, drank, and gained inspiration as we spent our day in Uptown and Ravenswood and ended our evening illuminated by the glimmering light in River North. We followed the flows of water, people rushing to and from trains and buses, and the rhythm and patterns of the city.
The scenery is certainly beautiful, but it’s the baristas, chefs, community organizers, art curators, small business owners, and performers who hum in the background of our world that give it its richness in tone.
The people of Chicago work hard. They have multi-faceted identities and strive to make their work meaningful, not only for themselves but for their community. Sometimes a side-hustle takes over as a full-time gig. Sometimes it’s more than full-time — it’s a life’s work.
NORTH is about working with your friends and family, sharing the spirit of entrepreneurship, and building something from the ground up. It’s about making food taste better than it ever has before and ensuring that its quality is sustained for generations to come. It’s about providing a stage and giving yourself the confidence to speak out in hopes that someone else might catch the wave too. It’s about being an honest person, true to your core.
NORTH is a celebration of who we are as a community. Meet the people who provide our city’s common thread, weaving our collective story together and pushing us forward every day. These are the people that bring us back home, even just for a moment.
Breaking Black
Kyoto Style Cold Brew Coffee & Cocktails
“Breaking Black is a collaborative effort to find a deeper understanding of different coffees, to taste them side by side with spirits, and to find subtle intricacies to pair them better together.” - David Mor
Breaking Black is a partnership between David Mor and Justin Doggett. They met when David, a beverage director, dedicated his Instagram feed to creating a new drink every day for an entire year — riffing on traditional cocktails with unexpected ingredients like Justin’s line of cold brew coffee, Kyoto Black. Justin began brewing coffee in the Kyoto style with mason jars in his apartment as a hobby in 2011. Today, he brews coffee in a commercial kitchen space that allows him to produce more coffee and with different varietals. He has 3 different labels of coffee: Black, Blue, and Purple. The colors correspond to the belts in Jiu-Jitsu, another passion of Justin’s, and each has a unique flavor profile. Kyoto Black has a more traditional coffee taste, a dark roast which has notes of chocolate, stout beer, and bourbon. His other labels explore the world of coffee, with more esoteric flavors. “Justin gave me some coffees to taste that I just assumed had alcohol in them because of that fermented quality. I was like, this is great; I’m buzzed this early in the morning,” David jokes. Aside from alcoholic drinks, they are experimenting with cold-brew and tonic — a drink they feel everyone should know how to make. Justin takes a sip from the drink they’ve just concocted with chai spice, pomegranate, Kyoto Purple label coffee, and a watermelon tonic water. They hope to release a book on their coffee cocktails and encourage bartenders to begin concocting their recipes. You can find Kyoto Black on tap and in bottles throughout the city, so you can keep sipping on this delectable beverage all year long.
Peterson Garden Project
Growing Together
“Every spring reminds me of the magic of nature. I love watching things grow,” says LaManda Joy, founder of Peterson Garden Project, a community garden initiative. In 2010, there were a lot of empty lots on the north side of Chicago. Developers were at a stand-still, allowing an opportunity for an organization like Peterson Garden Project to begin building plots for neighbors and volunteers to grow fresh vegetables and give back to the community. Their focus has always been on creating lifelong gardeners and providing education on how to grow fresh, organic produce. As word-of-mouth spreads, so do neighbors’ desires for their own community garden. In 2018, Peterson Garden Project opened Grow Uptown, expanding their reach into yet another neighborhood in Chicago.
With new gardens come more volunteers to help with their annual seed swap and plant sale, as well as more hands to build garden beds and help with their Grow2Give plots. Grow2Give is Peterson Garden Project’s initiative to donate a portion of their produce to local food shelves and other organizations in need of fresh food. LaManda says, “It really is the volunteers that are the heart of the community and make each garden tick.” The relationships that volunteers have with the leadership at Peterson Garden Project and with one another are everlasting, transcending beyond the growing season.
Ravenswood Used Books
Jim Mall's Nine Lives
Jim Mall, the owner of Ravenswood Used Books sits atop his perch, a swivel stool with a backdrop of antique frames, stacks of books, and a cross stitch of black and white cats. He loves cats, in fact, he’d probably rather be at home with his two kittens instead of sitting here pricing out poetry books with his colleague Barbara. Either that or working on his dark green ’93 Cadillac Allante — a two-seater sports car which is just about ready to take out for a spin with the top down. But, poetry books sell well (for reasons he and Barbara don’t understand) and they’ve got swing music from the 1910s and 20s playing in the background to help pass the time.
Jim has taught English and art in universities, sold antiques (he once indirectly sold Frank Lloyd Wright furniture to Barbara Streisand), and used to wear a kilt on stage while performing with a band in college. The latter detail is a result of asking about a sign displayed when you first walk in – “No Burberry Plaid” – a style that became too popular for his liking. Other kinds of plaid, however, are acceptable.
His stories are everywhere, expressed in figurines and hand-written signs taped up throughout the store which is already densely packed with books, both new and old; rare and common. Some of his opinions are more controversial than others, expressed through political satirical cartoons pinned up on the walls. He and Barbara banter about their favorite crime writers, old films, and what they think about movie adaptations of popular books. Once you get talking to Jim, he’s not afraid to share what he really thinks.
Jim is a man who continues to read every page of the New York Times, every day, “with an actual paper in [his] hand.” He’s lived in Chicago now for 35 years but still romanticizes warmer climates, especially in the final restless days of spring when all he wants to do is take his convertible out for a spin. In 1966, he and his first wife took a tiny sports car from Davenport, Iowa, to Mazatlan, Mexico for their honeymoon. The car was so low to the ground that you could stick your hand out of window and touch the street. That car was dark green too, a color he’s quite fond of for its legendary status among sports cars. Here, among these rows of books, Jim Mall stands out as a legend himself.
Awakenings
Dedicated to Suvivors
“If these survivors put art on the walls but no one is here to see it, we’ve only done half of our job. It’s just as important to create a community of advocates and allies to support the work and hold a microphone up to those who need it the most.” - Laura Kinter, Associate Director
“We’re not just hanging up art, we’re telling stories,” says Jean Cozier, founder of Awakenings, a nonprofit organization. The art and sculptures displayed at Awakenings are the creative expression of artists who are survivors of rape and/or sexual abuse. The mission is to break cultural taboos and incite open dialogue about sexual violence. Simultaneously, they provide a platform and foster a network of survivors in a space where they can express themselves creatively and feel supported and understood.
The gallery is open to the public and people often leave this space changed. The artwork is visceral, emotional, and necessary. Awakenings is actively growing their network of artist communities, therapists, colleges and educational groups as they hope to have as many people view the artwork as possible. “The statistics on sexual assault are unbelievable. We do our best to start the hard conversations, and these artworks have a lasting impact on people,” says Laura Kinter, associate director of Awakenings.
Sometimes, the impact and reach of their organization surprises them; like the time that an artist from Canada drove canvasses down to their gallery after discovering them on social media. This sense of urgency is felt by many of the artists, they needed to get these feelings out and onto a canvas, but that doesn’t mean that they’re done processing. “There’s this misconception that healing has an end date. A lot of artists are at various places, and being told to get over it, forgive, and forget, but that’s not how trauma works,” Jean says. While there may not be a clear path towards healing, Awakenings offers empowerment for survivors and maintain their commitment to telling stories that deserve to be heard.
Rossi's
Come as You Are
It’s the after-work crowd on a Thursday at Rossi’s Bar. It’s packed, but you might find a seat in the back corner by a pay phone and then jockey a position for a drink. The lone bartender Desiree has been working behind the bar since November of 1989. She’s seen the crowd shift from an old man’s working bar to the young, urban professional crowd it attracts today. But at Rossi’s it’s still come as you are. “This is my passion. If it wasn’t, I would be crazy to be here. And, maybe I am crazy,” she says.
Someone’s ordering whiskey shots, someone else orders a Vegas bomb. Desiree does the calculation in her head of what they owe then rings it up on the cash register, probably the same one since they’ve opened. She blows a kiss and turns the music up, classic rock from the 70s playing from the jukebox. The walls are adorned with years of beer merch, multi-colored rope lights, and tongue-in-cheek signs. A man says it reminds him of the beer shacks on the beaches in Hawaii with all its wood and coziness. An oasis away from the elements outside.
People know this place is special, a glimpse of what once was — a pure spot where nobody’s trying to be anybody but themselves. You don’t name drop at Rossi’s. Sure, celebrities have been here, but Desiree doesn’t kiss and tell. “I’ve got everyone’s back. I want this place to feel safe for everyone,” she says. She’s a protector. Since she started working here, she’s noticed more and more women come to the bar.
The bar closes at 2 AM (3 AM on Saturdays) and opens back up at 7 AM. They’ve got bags on potato chips if you need a snack. You can buy a six pack of beer that you grab out of a cooler if you don’t feel like sticking around. It’s cash only. Aside from that, there’s not much one needs to know before stepping into Rossi’s to enjoy the ambiance. Desiree lights up the room and makes you feel welcome. Plus, she takes beer cans home with her to recycle. What’s not to love?