Shawna Atteberry

Baker, Writer, Teacher

Magical Happenings in Chicago

My husband is an amateur magician, and therefore, we have magician friends. In fact, we have magician friends doing shows and having movies made about them. Here are some of the magical happenings happening around town this fall.

First up, is The Magic Cabaret, the macabre and wonderfully sinister brainchild of David Parr and P. T. Murphy. Although many people don’t know it, Chicago has a rich history of magicians, and was the premiere city for magic in the late 19th to early 20th century. Last year, Patrick (P. T.) gave a wonderful history of magic in Chicago along with a few of the tricks that Chicago magicians invented and made popular, and I’m hoping that gets worked in again. There will be a lot of storytelling and up close and personal magic in the show. Tracy and I are meeting up with Lainie and going tonight. The show runs through October 18 on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. at the Greenhouse Theater Center at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. The tickets are $25.

Next up is Magic Chicago. Magicians Benjamin Barnes and Robert Charles host and perform in this monthly magic show on the first Wednesdays of the month. They also invite other magicians to perform. On October 1 psychic entertainer, Russ Johnson will be joining them. Also appearing is the first female magician from South America to appear at the Magic Castle, Alba (she rocks!). Magic Chicago performs at City Lit Theater at 1020 W. Bryn Mawr in the historic Edgewater Presbyterian Church. Tickets are $20.

Magic Chicago will also be having a special second gathering this month. Michael Caplon of Montrose Pictures (he also teaches at Columbia College in the Film and Video Department) has made a documentary about Eugene Burger who is considered to be one of the best teachers of the magical arts. A Magical Vision not only covers Eugene’s career as a magician and teacher, but explores both the the history of magic in general and in Chicago. Eugene will perform after the movie. The Hubby and I will be going to this as well. Tickets to the movie and show are $25.

Poetry on Forgiveness

Ramara at Street Prophets has posted three beautiful poems on forgiveness.

I am still working on the book proposal. My new deadline is Friday. The actual writing of the sample chapters is coming along fine. It’s the marketing/research “this is why you should publish my book” stuff that is killing me.

Faith-based community organizers respond to Palin's insult

I was wondering when a statement would come out from people of faith who do the hard work of community organization about Palin’s putdown. This is from FaithWorld:

Contrary to Palin’s disparaging remarks, organizers have major responsibilities for creating policy changes. Feeding the hungry and housing the homeless are clearly responsibilities of people of faith. We do that by providing food and shelter and more importantly, by organizing to address the causes of injustice and inequity which lead to hunger and homelessness,” said Kim Bobo, Executive Director of Interfaith Worker Justice, a congregation-based community organization in Chicago.

Bobo was quoted in a statement issued by several faith-based community organizations that bristled at the remarks by Palin, who has revved up other people of faith–the conservative Christians who comprise the Republican Party’s key base.

A commentator at MudFlats perfectly sums up the difference between community organziers and people like Gov. Palin: “Jesus was a Community Organizer, and Pontius Pilate was a Govenor.” She’s definitely acting more like Pilate than Christ.

Chicago Carless Nailed the Palin Speech

I watched the Palin speech. I kept wondering when she was actually going to say something. This morning I found out why I didn’t hear anything when I visited Chicago Carless. I never heard what she was really saying. Mike did. Sarah Palin’s Inner Acceptace Speech is his translation of Palin’s speech into what her inner voice was really saying. Here are a couple of my favorites:

Palin: “Two decades and five children later, Todd’s still my guy.”
Inner Voice: “Damm, 1, 2, 3, 4, oh ok, 5.”

Palin: “I grew up with those people.”
Inner Voice: “I want to get out of Alaska for a reason.”

Palin: “I got rid of a few things I didn’t think our citizens should have to pay for.”
Inner Voice: “Condoms and family planning brochures.”

Palin: “John McCain, the kind of name you find on war memorials.”
Inner Voice: “And probably a headstone before 2012.”

Palin: “For a lifetime, John McCain has inspired with his deeds.”
Inner Voice: “If he dies in office, does that make me Queen?”

I was disgusted with most of this speech because of the way she personally attacked Obama and trivialized his career after he was very civil about her daughter’s pregnancy. Ogre at Street Prophets said what I was thinking:

No shame.  Obama came out and defended her and her daughter–directly attacked those who were jumping up and down on Bristol’s being pregnant and went so far as to bring out his own mother’s pregnancy at 18 to cover for her (giving her cover behind his own mother).  Sarah Palin’s reaction?  Vicious personal attacks on Obama, belittling his service, distorting his record.  The woman has no class–the stories of her ruthless climb to the governor’s office in AK sound plausible now.

Lie after distortion.  Grotesque.

But not that badly delivered.  However… I think she made two serious errors.  The first was failing to “take control” at the very beginning.  “Ready to lead?”  Well… she let the crowd lead there–she’d have stepped on the applause for her (but applause that was utterly content-free, just rah-rah…) but would have shown a degree of I’m in control and I have things to say that she ended up giving away–it ended up feeling like “You really, really like me!”  The second error was in the lengthy introduction of her family.  Just noting that they’re here, naming them, affirming them… would have been enough.  (And they hauled Levi in to be there with Bristol, but didn’t acknowledge him… even though he was on camera over and over.  Odd, that.)

Net effect: She threw away any claim to “don’t pick on me, I’m a girl!” that the campaign’s been waving around.  Having come out as a pitbull with lipstick (her image, and self-claimed…), AND having unleashed all kinds of attacks on Obama and Biden and sneered at Michelle Obama… she’s fair game, politically.

I absolutely agree. And the pundits better go after her the same way they did Hillary. As Russell likes to say over at The Street: Liberal Media my a$$. I’ve also been saying all week that if it was Obama or Biden’s 17 year old daughter that wound up pregnant, the Republicans would be tearing them apart. “Loose morals!” “No family values!” The GOP sure wouldn’t show them the same courtesy the Democrats have shown Palin. They proved last night my hypthesis was right.

The least McCain could have done was pick a woman who had years of experience and is qualified to take over as president if he keels over six months into the job. Senator Kay Bailey Huthison is one of many Republican women that comes to mind. Hopefully, this time, cow-towing to The Relgious Reich, uh, I mean Right, will cost them this election. Speeking of The Religous Right, I love James Dobson’s “flip flop.” That’s right the man who wasn’t going to vote if McCain was the Republican nominee has now endorsed him: Dr. Dobson: “If I went into the polling both today, I’d pull the lever for John McCain.” Once again affirming that he’s a Republican first and a Christian second. I can’t wait to count how many times Daddy Dobson accuses Obama of “flip-flopping” from now until the election. He’s looked like a fish out of water gasping for his last breath over McCain, so it should be fun to watch.

And yes, I will put this disclaimer: I am voting for Obama/Biden.

The photo is from MSNBC.com.

Amy Krouse Rosenthal and The Beckoning of the Lovely

On August 8, 2008 Amy Krouse Rosenthal invited people to come make an 18th lovely thing with her after posting 17 beautiful things she had made. She told them to meet her at The Bean in Millenium Park at 8:08 p.m. Over a thousand people showed up. The film of what they did that evening can be found here (I have yet to figure out how to embed video). She and her friend, Steve Delahoyde decided to make a film of lovely things that we have made, and they are accepting submissions at Amy’s website. They literally want you to submit something you have created that you think is lovely: fim, art, poem, stories, dramas, music, photographs, and journal entries, to name a few.

I am going to submit my poem, “I Want These Things Written on My Body.”

What lovely creation can you submit?

Hat tip to Gapers Block.