The nametags waited as we arrived. Every guest wore one, each with the appellation: Philosopher. Ink martinis flowed. Patrons and writers mingled, all beneath the banner “Everyone’s a Philosopher.”

This simple turn of phrase strikes at the essence of the Neighborhood Writing Alliance, recognizing the interchangeability of the ordinary and the extraordinary. Street kids–folks who have inhabited Chicago for thirty, forty, fifty years–are finding new meaning to their lives, not by changing them, but by writing about them. These writers wear their years like a mask. It’s only through the act of writing about them that the human spirit shines. Suddenly the soul behind the mask has newfound dignity, some feeling the admiration of others for the first time in their lives. This was their night. People from across Chicago gathered to celebrate and honor her homegrown treasures.

I didn’t know about the Alliance. An uninitiated representative from WFMT, I got a lump in my throat at the mention of Studs Terkel: the twinkly-eyed man who padded around our station for so many years.

My teenaged son glanced at me.

There isn’t a life at WFMT that Studs didn’t alter. I heard the Alliance invoke his name again and again. He so defiantly elevated people, looking for the story in everyone. He gave voice to the “forgotten man.” Any time we hear a minute of Studs, he teaches us to listen to those voices, too. This is his legacy. We spend our lives competing with others for material comfort. Listening goes against our nature. As often as Studs whops us over the head with his message, he startles us with it. He causes us to be still. He makes us listen.

Louise Frank, Producer of Best of Studs Terkel, tells me Joan Baez will be his guest this week. Louise writes that Studs had carried a portable tape recorder to Ravinia for this interview. She has lovingly cleaned up the audio on these shows. Studs takes it from there. Chicago offers a lot on a Saturday night, but you probably can’t do much better than listening to Studs at 7PM on his radio home, WFMT.

Tags: Noel Morris

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