Writing
“When I am writing, I am trying to find out who I am, who we are, what we’re capable of . . .” – Maya Angelou
Going the Distance Series
Despite the structural barriers to traveling between Chicago’s 77 community areas, many friends are willing to face the city’s geographic hurdles and sustain relationships that transcend race, gender, age, and class. In an effort to chronicle human connection and love in spite of these challenges, the Going the Distance series examines the enduring friendships between people living in distant neighborhoods.
Art & Culture Writing
‘City in a Garden’ embraces the queer gaze – Chicago Reader, 2026
Maggie Queeney reflects on a decade building the Poetry Foundation’s adult education programs – Chicago Reader, 2026
Building a living, Black literary archive – Chicago Reader, 2025
Resurrecting the Chicago Renaissance – Chicago Reader, 2025
Hyde Park Art Center Classes are Selling Out Like Concert Tickets – South Side Weekly, 2025
Pausing to Listen: Embracing the Collective Wisdom of the Midwest – Sixty Inches From Center, 2025
‘Undervalued and Overworked’: How Young Chicago Artists Make A Living Without a Living Wage – City Bureau, 2025
The Nation’s Oldest Black Arts Institution Designs Itself Into the Future – South Side Weekly, 2025
Q&A: Creating a ‘Sustainable Cycle for Artists and Makers’ on the South Side – City Bureau, 2025
Beyond the Four Walls: Reflections on “piecemeal (earthen works in progress) – Sixty Inches From Center, 2024
Jamila Woods Comes Back to Us, For Us – South Side Weekly, 2024
Reimagining Reparations with Raja’Nee Redmond – Sixty Inches From Center, 2024
Local Journalism
Best place to daydream under a willow tree – Chicago Reader, 2026
The Magic and Frenzy of Birding – The Chicago Reader, 2025
The ‘Chilling’ Realities of Reporting During Federal Immigration Crackdowns – City Bureau, 2025
Captivating, Nourishing, Sacred: What Promontory Point Means to South Siders – South Side Weekly, 2025
The Rink Celebrates 50 Years as ‘A Powerhouse in the Community’ – South Side Weekly, 2025
‘Not Worth the Rent’: South Shore Neighbors are Frustrated by Housing and Job Options – City Bureau, 2025
Frankie Knuckles House Music Celebration, Black JoyRide, and 7323 Chicago Cafe – South Side Weekly, 2024
Investments in ‘Third Spaces’ Spotlight Community Arts Initiatives – South Side Weekly, 2024
Englewood Peace Fest Celebrates Black-on-Black Love – South Side Weekly, 2024
Call and Response Books Celebrates Black Stories – South Side Weekly, 2024
Party Noire: A Home for Queer Black Joy – South Side Weekly, 2023
South Side Gardeners are Growing More Than Just Food – South Side Weekly, 2023
Poetry
spell m i s s i s s i p p i without singing it – Lucky Jefferson, Awake Issue 6, 2024
How Grief Works – the lickety~split, 2022
Personal Essays
Returning for the Harvest – Sixty Inches From Center, 2024
Jasmine Renee LLC 2026

