Chicago Humanities connects people to ideas that shape and define, and promotes the lifelong exploration of what it means to be human. Their year-round programming brings one-of-a-kind content to audiences with an interest in art, science, technology, politics, literature and more. On October 26, 2024, they welcomed authors John Green and Rebecca Makkai to Northwestern University’s Cahn Auditorium for an afternoon conversation of fiction writing and the roles novels play in today’s society.

The conversation started with their ties to Chicago as Makkai grew up in the northern suburbs while Green lived and worked in the city post-college. It brought up the topic of setting and its importance to the plot of the story, but not necessarily considering it a character.

“Setting is its own thing and it used to be thought about in a very different way,” Makkai said. “Characters are there to change; setting is not, necessarily… Setting is there to put pressure on the situation.”

Establishing a setting and forgetting about it is a mistake Makkai said she made in her early writing days. She understands that characters need to walk through a setting using all their senses, with Green acknowledging that Makkai is one of his favorite storytellers when it comes to describing places.

They also agreed on writing settings that are familiar to them. As a reader, having an author describe a place known well to them but clearly not to the author can take away from the experience. When writing about Indianapolis, where Green was born and has lived for the last 15 years, he said, “I try to write about it as a place where real lives happen.”

Along with a familiar setting comes familiarity with the subjects at hand. It can be difficult to know how much research needs to be done until one is in the midst of writing and even then it is tough to know when enough is enough. Green shared that while writing Paper Towns he cut an entire subplot about the United States Postal Service after his editor mentioned that while it seemed like he did his research that teenagers would probably not find it as interesting as him.

Another fascinating topic that Green and Makkai discussed was the fine line between author and character. In a world where readers can follow their favorite authors on various social media platforms, they can see how certain characters or stories were based on the author’s own experiences. However, that does not mean the character and the author are the exact same person.

“I would be on these interview shows where the interviewer would be quite brazenly confusing me and the novel,” he said. “How can I tell them where the line is [when] I don’t know where the line is?”

Green continued, “I always felt very confident and comfortable knowing that fiction matters and that fiction is important and storytelling is at the core of who we are and what we do. Then suddenly that got pulled out from under me for whatever reason and I was like, ‘I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be writing’ and that’s why I turned to nonfiction.”

One of the more important topics they discussed came from an audience question about book bans. Green and Makkai agreed that unfortunately, book bans work. They try not to let it affect them because they believe that it not only lets those in favor of book bans win but gives them more credit for the intellectual freedom battle when they believe that belongs to teachers and librarians.

“It’s not just a book that can transform the lives of young people… it’s also that we have made a decision to hire experts to do this called teachers,” Green said. “It is weird to me that we are undermining their expertise at every turn and making it a battle.”

They are grateful that their education involved books by Toni Morrison or Tony Kushner, but it is devastating to hear teachers tell them they would love to put Green or Makkai’s works in their curriculum but teach in an area that would not allow it.

“You might have a kid who is only going to read 30 books in their life and you’ve just taken one away or you’ve taken many off the table and those are books that could change this kid’s life,” Makkai said.

Chicago Humanities recognizes the importance of storytelling, fiction or nonfiction. Bringing two beloved contemporary writers together for the first time allowed them to delve into topics that are important to them and important to the continued conversation of literature.

Photo courtesy of John Packman

There were two distinct moments in my life where I had the strongest urge to make a living making music. I already played saxophone since I was 9, and at 16 I started a weekly singing class with a focus on jazz and musical. After I finished high school my dream was to enroll into a musical theatre school in the UK. I travelled to London with my dad and checked out a few schools in person, applied and then got annihilated by my mom who wanted me to go study something proper at university. Half Asian mom, just saying.

For a few semesters I sampled courses in theoretical theatre and translator in Germany, but didn’t continue my studies and instead took film making classes in England, where I ended up graduating with a B.A. (Hons) and another diploma in animation and acting in Vancouver. How is filmmaking more proper than music? Mom logic.

I’m actually so grateful I did because now I work in graphic design and film and am able to make my own music videos and all things visual for my music.

I grew up with animated cartoons like Disney and Looney Tunes, so I fell in love with filmmaking and wanted to become an animator at Pixar. I even went to check out the studio in California because a friend of mine used to work there. That new career goal really confused me because I also loved music but I was struggling with what my heart truly wanted and which field was a better financial decision. Add acting to the list because I studied it for character animation and now wanted to try my luck in that as well. I did have a nervous breakdown and depression at some point.

There were other things going on as well - relationship trouble and recovering from a tailbone fracture. It all culminated into that moment where I sat in my room for a day or two, being in the deepest black hole; not eating, not remembering what I did and all of a sudden there was this eerie voice from somewhere above. It was more like an inner voice but it felt like it came from far away, like when you get inspiration or an idea and something hits you. And that female angel-like entity told me to do music. In that moment I felt such a relief, like I found a long-lost sister. I can’t even explain it but I knew then what my path is.

It’s been a long and winding road but I loved starting my music career in Toronto being a jazz singer and then moving into writing my own songs and getting them out into the world. I also do voice work for commercials and TV shows and write for sync libraries that place the songs into features, trailers and commercials. I also got some of my own music placed and continue to expand my network and opportunities, with a debut in video games coming soon.

In the last few years I realized that, as a solo artist, it’s tough and lonely to do everything by myself. I started discovering the few really great music professionals that I work with, that I consider my friends and that are part of my team. I support and collaborate with other artists that I have become good friends with. Trust me, it’s more fun, and lifting each other up is way more powerful than competing.

I can’t wait for you to hear my debut EP, PTSD, out in November - what a therapeutic ride it will be.

Conan Karpinski has been skipping parties to make music since the 9th grade, so it is not much of a surprise that he has built a career revolving around it. From scoring films and producing records to sound design and video direction, his creativity knows no bounds.

Since much of his creative endeavors have been a collaboration between multiple people, he wanted something that was entirely his own. Enter CON THE ARTIST. Being the only voice in control of the project, it allows him to create music however and whenever he wants.

“It was freeing; no one else telling me what’s good or not, I could just do me,” he said. “When I’m scoring a film, there’s this whole framework - it’s like playing in someone else’s sandbox, and you have to stay in the lines. But with CON THE ARTIST, I control the sandbox. I’m just out here making a mess and calling it art. With film scoring or directing there’s always someone else you have to make happy... but with CON it’s just Con.”

In order to challenge himself to stay creative, he lives by a quote his father would always tell him: say yes to the job and figure out how to do it later. He credits that quote for building his career, saying that throwing himself into situations he isn’t fully ready for brings out the best of his creativity.

As an example, his first live performance was booked a month prior with nothing prepared. He learned how to play the songs live, programmed lights and visuals in a matter of weeks. Another example: two weeks before Jon Bryant was set to go on a full European tour, a friend asked Karpinski if he could fill in as a bassist. He had no experience playing bass, but taught himself just before they traveled to places he had never been.

“Saying yes and figuring it out later has allowed me to do some wild things,” he said.

His latest single, “MONEY (on my mind)” was written just before a writing session at Red Bull Studios in Los Angeles. Karpinski had about 20 minutes before his session with another artist, and decided to pick up one of the studio guitars owned by The Strokes’ Albert Hammond Jr. He strummed what is now the game loop heard at the beginning of the song but didn’t think much of it. In fact, he wasn’t even sure if it was going to become anything worth releasing.

“It was just a fleeting moment of messing around, but I kept humming that hook, ‘money on my mind’, for days after,” he said. “That’s when I thought, maybe there’s some magic in it. I never thought I’d release it, but I showed it to a friend, and he told me it was the best thing I’d ever made. I’m not sure if it is, but that was enough for me to roll with it.”

Taking the time to sit down and write is a goal Karpinski sets for himself every day. Even when he doesn’t feel inspired, he’ll do it - mostly because that is all he really knows how to do. When he wants to get out of his head musically, however, he turns to a different medium entirely: building skateboards. He loves doing something so creatively different from music, and has built skateboards from scratch for many of his friends.

CON THE ARTIST is just a piece of Conan Karpinski. He has brought his interests and talents into several mediums, all by saying yes and figuring it out later. With a bold approach and an Avant-garde vision, his music is uniquely his own.

Photo courtesy of David Langford Photography

Growing up is hard! When I was younger, I never really fit in and I really struggled with expressing myself. I acted out all the time; in class, at home, wherever. I was only ever trying to make people laugh but, oftentimes, it just came off as annoying - disruptive.

It always felt like there were so many expectations placed on me concerning how I ought to model myself. Secretly, I always knew that none of those expectations were really me - but I had no understanding of what any of that really meant, nor did I have any means to advocate for myself even if I knew that something wasn’t right. I was tasked with maintaining an illusionary version of myself that I was simultaneously raging against.

I had always loved music but as I came into my teen years it became an absolute necessity. I would take my rinky-dink mp3 player to the park in the middle of our street and I would swing on the swing set there for hours at a time listening to whatever music I could get my hands on. I would download music on our laughably slow internet, rip CDs from the Stratford library, listen to radio - anything - it was everything to me. Alone, bizarrely swinging in an abandoned suburban park for hours on end, finally finding a place to be.

I want to give that to somebody. If I could ever make something good enough that somebody who feels the way that I felt then might add me to their mp3 player and find a swing set of their own to swing on, that would be really cool.



Music making was never really a choice for me, it was more of a compulsion.

When I was a child I would sing and hum to myself, much to the chagrin of my classmates. At home I would sing and bang on the cabinets. Before long, I began picking up my father’s instruments and noodling away until I figured out how to make them do what I asked of them.



From an early age I had always participated in music. My parents enrolled me in singing lessons, dance classes, musicals: I loved all of it. I suppose, however, the moment I knew I wanted to make music was when I asked my parents if I could take flute lessons. Choosing the flute somehow felt like my decision as opposed to the myriad of activities and lessons my parents put me into.

From that moment, I never looked back. I got so into playing the flute that I joined the youth orchestra and discovered a love for orchestral repertoire. I ended up going even further and studied flute at University.

But something about studying flute at University made me want to throw it all away and scream into a microphone instead. As much as I love flute (and I do still love the flute!), I also love singing. It’s something that I neglected for a long time. Shame, self-doubt, imposter syndrome; I felt all of the usual suspects. It gets us all at some point or another.

Somewhere along the way, I began writing songs - and it felt amazing. I began collaborating with the other members in our band and singing the songs we created. Making music with the band has allowed me the freedom to feel like my own musician for the first time. I’ve started writing music I thought I wasn’t allowed to write. I’ve started performing my songs with a new sense of stage presence. I’m excited to see what comes next.



I’d always found music to be alluring, whether it was Elvis on the radio, or my great aunt’s Readers Digest Big Band compilations, or my mom playing ABBA Gold and Paul Simon’s Graceland (such hip material I know) - all alluring but the sensations I felt at that time were somewhat nebulous. When I sat down at my friend’s drum set in grade 5, however, it hit like a slug to the solar plexus. I immediately went home and told my parents I wanted to play drums. They, being sensible, of course refused. The itch stayed with me through high school and eventually my persistence paid off. I was given a set of my own. At some point I discovered it was possible to go to college for music and that was that. I set my compass to the North Star and off I toddled like a wide eyed naïf to see what I could see.

Reading the prompt to this guest blog actually made me laugh out loud. I just sat smiling for a few minutes with my fingers on the keyboard asking myself, where do I begin?

I’m not sure what a typical music journey looks like, but I’m pretty sure mine has been anything but typical. I didn’t go to music school. I started playing solo bar gigs with my guitar in college so I didn’t have to work a crappy retail job. After I graduated from theatre school, I was off to NYC to make it on Broadway! After a year of showing up for cattle calls and trying to get seen by directors without much success, there was only one consistent thing in my life - singing and playing guitar.

If you would have told me that 20 years later, I’d still be working and supporting myself as a musician, I’m not sure I would have believed you.

My career up to this point has been one long, slow burn. It started when I was 10 years old, when my dad bought me my first guitar. Learning to play that guitar led to me joining my first rock band at 15 and falling in love with all things music. Music was my everything. It was my escape, my creative outlet, my building blocks. When my parents got divorced, music saved me. When I was struggling to come out of the closet at 18, music, specifically Melissa Etheridge and the Indigo Girls, showed me a way forward towards my authentic self. I would sit in my bedroom for hours trying to learn songs.

Music is and has always been the one thing in my life that never fails me. Even when I tried to quit music in 2012 while I was working on my master’s degree, music came calling and would not take no for an answer.

I recorded and released my first EP, It’s Home, in 2006. Since then, I’ve been on a mission to grow as a songwriter. I released another EP, The Ann Street Session, in 2013. The songs I was writing were stronger and my guitar skills were continuing to evolve. I was playing lots of gigs, and I even got to open for Ani DiFranco! Still, I kept my head down and worked on my craft in every way I knew how.

In 2014 I teamed up with singer/songwriter Christian Porter and we released a self-titled album called Porter & Sayles in 2016. Even though Christian and I parted ways in 2019 to pursue other endeavors, I’m incredibly proud of the songs we created together and I appreciate the growth they gave me as a songwriter and collaborator. Especially since those songs landed us a spot on the 2019 Melissa Etheridge cruise, where we played with incredible musicians including Melissa herself.

The pandemic was a weird time for creative folks. Some people THRIVED. I know artists who wrote entire albums or learned a new instrument. The pandemic had the opposite effect on me. The time at home forced me to finally slow down long enough to realize how absolutely exhausted I was - how burnt out I had become. But something about the shutdown of the entertainment industry ended up being a game changer for me. I needed a reset; a way to refocus and recenter myself. In 2020, I started taking music production classes at Berklee Online. I’d been in and around recording studios since the early 2000s, so music production was always familiar to me, but also so intimidating. I decided it was time for me to learn how to tackle the software - to push the buttons and push them with confidence. And if I was going to make a mistake pushing those buttons, at least I was going to learn how to fail fast so I could move on to the next thing.

Learning production is what inspired several of the songs on my current EP, Singles, and made me seek out a producer to get it off the ground. I met Julie Wolf (Ani DiFranco & Indigo Girls collaborator) on the Melissa Etheridge cruise, and knew pretty quickly that she was the right person for the job. I am endlessly thankful for her kindness, musicianship and guidance. Right now, I finally feel like after 20 years I’m standing in a space that feels right. Not because I planned things to go this way, but because every year I have remained dedicated to the process of being better than I was the year before. I know I can sing, but a lot of people can sing. Being able to sing doesn’t make me special. Being the kind of singer I am makes me special. My energy as a performer, my interpretation of every lyric, my stage presence - all of that makes me what I am. And I don’t mind telling you, as it’s taken me my whole life to say it out loud: there is no one like me. My voice is my own, and I can’t wait for the world to hear it.

The love and support I’ve received from my friends and family coupled with my determination to always improve has gotten me to where I am today. And despite being really tired sometimes, I know how lucky I am to live this life and I wouldn’t have it any other way. You are never too old to learn, and I think being a life-long learner has helped me feel younger and live with more purpose. If you’re feeling stuck right now, challenge yourself to learn something new - no matter how big or small. I promise it will lead to something new for you, even if it has nothing to do with the thing you set out to learn in the first place.

I finally feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be, and I make sure to remind myself of that every day. I am living my most authentic life as a woman, a lesbian and as a bi-racial individual, and I have music to thank for that. On days when I doubt where I am in my journey, my grandmother reminds me from the great beyond that it will be alright. I’ll look outside my studio window, and without fail, I’ll see her - a cardinal sitting in a tree, letting me know I’m right where I’m supposed to be, saying, “You’re doing fine love. Keep going. There are people out there who still need your light.”

Artwork courtesy of Jaz Rodriguez

As a child, Robert Lawrence Stine would ride his bicycle home as the sun was setting and get an eerie feeling that something was hiding in the shadows. He’d practically hurl the bike into the garage and make it inside before anything reached out and grabbed him. It was that feeling, many years later, that helped him write horror fiction novels for children.

The Chicago Humanities Festival, in collaboration with Music Box of Horrors, welcomed R.L. Stine the day after his 81st birthday to celebrate more than 30 years of his best-selling book series, Goosebumps. The event featured a miniature book fair showcasing Stine’s novels as well as Halloween-themed goodies from locals Festive Collective and The Horror House.

After browsing through the book fair and sipping on a sour apple cocktail, the audience was treated to a screening of the first episode of Goosebumps. The 2023 television series, though based on the book series, abandons the episodic anthology format in favor of a more serialized version of storytelling. A second season was recently announced with a January 2025 release date.

Stine took the stage after the viewing to thunderous applause. With questions from both the audience and a moderator, he shared comical anecdotes about his writing process, inspirations and thoughts on writing for children.

He admits he wasn’t much of a reader as a child, but loved comic books. Every week, he would indulge in Tales From The Crypt comics at his local barber shop. Once, his mother dropped him off at the local library, where the librarian was waiting for him. She knew he preferred comics but wanted to show him something she thought he would like. She walked him to a shelf displaying Ray Bradbury. He credits Bradbury’s short stories for turning him into a reader and showing him how to create an ending with a twist.

The irony is that he never intended to make a career out of the horror genre. He preferred humor, where he wrote joke books and created humor magazine Bananas. It was his wife, publisher Jane Stine, and her business partner at Parachute Press, Joan Waricha, that mentioned there were no horror series for an age range of 7-12. Stine had already dove into the horror genre for teeangers with the series Fear Street, and wasn’t convinced that it was a good idea. He finally relented, saying if he could come up with a good title for the series he would do it. One night, while flipping through the TV Guide, he noticed an ad at the bottom of the page that said, “It’s Goosebumps Week on Channel 11!”

“I just stared at it, and I said, ‘that’s perfect! We’ll call it Channel 11.’ That’s a really bad joke, right? I apologize.”

Stine’s background and love for humor was prevalent throughout the night. With witty one-liners about how much he likes scaring children and how he thinks violence is good for them, he had the audience roaring in laughter as much as he had them on the edge of their seats learning all they could about what went on behind their favorite childhood series.

Stine joked that he did not know what the formula to writing these books was, but he did give multiple examples about why he thinks Goosebumps resonate with his audience. He always starts with creating the title. If he has an idea for a book but can’t think of a good title, he won’t keep the story. He always creates roughly 20 pages of an outline, including dialogue and the end of each chapter. They are (almost) always written in the first person. No one ever dies. There is always a happy ending. There is no moral of the story; just pure entertainment.

They weren’t an overnight success, and it’s unclear how exactly they were discovered. When they did make their way to schools and libraries, Stine was shocked.

“After a while I realized that kids like to have these scary adventures,” he said. “They like to be scared but they know they’re safe at the same time. When they know they’re in their room reading, they’re out fighting these monsters but they know they’re home safe and they know that every book has a happy ending.”

He later added, “I hate it when parents say, ‘your book gave my kid nightmares.’ I hate that. They’re just supposed to get the deep shudders. I don’t really want to terrify kids. The whole idea is to get them reading.”

These days, it is just as much of a challenge to write for a younger audience as it was three decades ago. With more than 300 books, coming up with new ideas and keeping them pertinent to today’s world can be difficult. He credits his grandchildren for helping him keep up with culture. He publishes three Goosebumps stories a year and has recently published Stinetinglers, Shark Night and The Graveyard Club.

Years after becoming a beloved author, Stine attended the Los Angeles Times Book Festival where Ray Bradbury was also a guest. Much like his own fans, he was nervous to say hello. His wife encouraged him to introduce himself.

“Mr. Bradbury,” Stine said. “You’re my hero.”

“Well,” he replied. “You’re a hero to a lot of other people.”

Calling it one of his favorite memories, he remembers bursting into tears. But that is exactly what R.L. Stine is, to audiences of all ages, all around the world. A hero.

After releasing their highly anticipated debut EP titled Vol. 1, Evaride has been hard at work on its follow-up.

Photo courtesy of Matthew Murphy

There was no better host to kick off the 2024/25 season of the Marcus Performing Arts Center than the ghost with the most.

Beetlejuice was first adapted into a musical in Washington D.C. in 2018 before making its Broadway debut at the Winter Garden Theatre in 2019. Although the production closed in 2023, it has been performed internationally and has been touring the U.S. for the last two years.

The Milwaukee theater welcomed a packed house on opening night of the show; the audience a sea of black and white stripes with the occasional hint of green. Every seat had a view of the neon-lit sign displaying the titular character’s name in its correct spelling, Betelgeuse.

The story differs a bit from the film, mentioned by Beetlejuice just before the opening number: “And such a bold departure from the original source material.” In the stage production, Lydia Deetz grieves the death of her mother while she must deal with her neglectful father, her life coach-turned-soon-to-be-stepmother and unwanted new home. The strange and unusual teenager meets the ghosts of the recently deceased former homeowners and assists them - along with a devious bio-exorcist - in scaring the Deetz family enough to move out.

Character favorites, such as the sandworm and Miss Argentina, grace the stage in stand-out introductions. Even the ensemble cast - football players, Netherworld dwellers and a Girl Scout - give performances that make the audience laugh, cry and jump out of their seats.

The stage design, down to the smallest detail, was carefully crafted by David Korins. The audience can easily see how the home changes three times throughout the show: first, as the Maitland’s home; second, as the Deetz’s home; and lastly, with Beetlejuice’s takeover. Noticeable are the light fixtures and pieces of furniture as well as the color palettes. Illustrated in the set tour, there are much smaller details that only a few people may see. Specifically in the attic set, the walls are clearly full of forgotten treasures, some of which are demonstrated during the show.

There are also hidden and not-so-hidden homages to the original film sprinkled throughout the stage. From the introduction of Delia’s sculptures - potentially one of the only design pieces that ever receives applause - to wallpaper designs featuring Tim Burton illustrations, the tributes give the audience the space to truly immerse themselves in a world that they have only seen on screen.

Getting the music right was crucial to the success of the production, and the soundtrack is hauntingly good. With music and lyrics by Eddie Perfect, who received a Tony nomination for Best Original Score, it turns humor, sarcasm and anguish into 18 unique tracks. Perfect also made sure that the film’s two songs, Harry Belafonte’s “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” and “Jump in the Line”, make special appearances.

Beetlejuice The Musical. The Musical. The Musical. earned their stripes on Broadway and across the country. Each member of the cast and crew brought this dearly beloved film to a one-of-a-kind stage production, making it a remarkably touching show about family, love and making the most of every Day-O.

Photo courtesy of Jamie Brennan

I never had “the dream” of becoming a musician growing up. I was quiet and reserved, and lacked any sort of musical knowledge other than the four chords I learned on my sister’s discarded Toys-R-Us keyboard.

It wasn’t until my third year of high school that I, and many others, had enough of hearing me play “My Heart Will Go On”. I began spending hours with that keyboard, slowly teaching myself other songs using YouTube tutorials, and developing an understanding of how the piano worked. Attending Etobicoke School of the Arts (ESA) meant I was surrounded not only by immensely talented people, but also a piano at every corner of the building. Rather than going to class, I would sit at whichever piano was furthest away from the hall monitor and make songs until I was apprehended.

By grade 12, our drummer Wyeth and I, along with our friends Jamie and Nick, would make impromptu songs in one of our basements - me on the piano, Wyeth on a guitar (playing it either normally or providing percussion on the back of it), Jamie on the harmonica he found at the bottom of his bag and Nick on vocals (not singing, but passionately encouraging us). It was the ideal band… at the time. We officially recorded our first song (on our phones) and called it “Mess of Me”.

It wasn’t until October that we learned of Tristan’s jam room. For some reason, I was now set on creating a band of people who were willing to learn music and grow together. But I never imagined it would become anything more than something to do after school. The first thing we needed was a singer, because although none of us explicitly said it, we all knew I wasn’t going to make the cut. Then I found a YouTube video. Tristan, who was famous around school for his appearance on The Next Star, had posted a video of himself playing the guitar and singing - and I was sold.

Surprisingly, Tristan immediately bought into our “project”, and explained to us that he had a room in his house filled with band equipment and instruments. That same day, we went there after school for a few hours. We spent around 20 minutes coming up with simple chord progressions, hit record on our phones, and improvised two songs.

From that day on, we never looked back. We had this connection that allowed us to completely improvise songs. We would post our audio clips on Soundcloud and celebrate like children when we saw that 100 people had listened. Then when we would go to school, we learned that it was our friends who were listening and enjoying our music. So, for the rest of high school, we made music for them. After high school, we just kept going because we loved it so much and wanted to see how far we could take it.

Our first album did better than we would have ever dreamed, with some songs getting millions of streams. Everything we did was supposed to be our last, but each time, we were reminded that we had something special - even if it wasn’t necessarily due to our talent or musical knowledge. There wasn’t a single moment that we realized we wanted to make music, but a series of events that kept us believing in ourselves and motivating us to continue growing.

To this day, we still don’t know how to make music without each other - and to me, there’s a unique beauty in that.