The best columns by the Pulitzer Prize–winning Chicago Tribune writer, on diverse topics like family, loss, mental health, advice, and the Windy City. Over the last two decades, Mary Schmich’s biweekly column in the Chicago Tribune has offered advice, humor, and discerning commentary on a broad array of topics including family, milestones, mental illness, writing, and life in Chicago. Schmich won the 2012 Pulitzer for Commentary for “her wide range of down-to-earth columns that reflect the character and capture the culture of her famed city.” This second edition—updated to include Schmich’s best pieces since its original publication—collects her ten Pulitzer-winning columns along with more than 150 others, creating a compelling collection that reflects Schmich’s thoughtful and insightful sensibility. The book is divided into thirteen sections, with topics focused on loss and survival, relationships, Chicago, travel, holidays, reading and writing, and more. Schmich’s 1997 “Wear Sunscreen” column (which has had a life of its own as a falsely attributed Kurt Vonnegut commencement speech) is included, as well as her columns focusing on the demolition of Chicago’s infamous Cabrini-Green housing project. One of the most moving sections is her twelve-part series with U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow, as the latter reflected on rebuilding her life after the horrific murders of her mother and husband. Schmich’s columns are both universal and deeply personal. The first section of this book is dedicated to columns about her mother, and her stories of coping with her mother’s aging and eventual death. Throughout the book, Schmich reflects wisely and wryly on the world we live in, and her fond observances of Chicago life bring the city in all its varied character to warm, vivid life.

Over the last two decades, Mary Schmich’s biweekly column in the Chicago Tribune has offered advice, humor, and discerning commentary on a broad array of topics including family, milestones, mental illness, writing, and life in Chicago. Schmich won the 2012 Pulitzer for Commentary for “her down-to-earth columns that reflect the character and capture the culture of her famed city.” This book compiles her 10 Pulitzer-winning columns along with 154 others, creating a captivating collection that reflects Schmich’s thoughtful and insightful sensibility. Schmich’s 1997 “Wear Sunscreen” column (which has had a life of its own as a falsely attributed Kurt Vonnegut commencement speech) is included, as well as her columns focusing on the demolition of Chicago’s infamous Cabrini-Green housing project. One of the most moving sections is her 12-part series with US District Judge Joan Lefkow as the latter reflected on rebuilding her life after the horrific murders of her mother and husband. Throughout the book, Schmich reflects wisely and wryly on the world we live in, and her fond observances of Chicago life bring the city in all its varied character to warm, vivid life.

"What she wrote was funny and wise and charming, so I would have been proud had the words been mine."--Kurt Vonnegut, New York Times Wear Sunscreen, now a hit video on YouTube.com, has been seen by millions of viewers. It all began with a column titled "Advice, Like Youth, Probably Just Wasted on the Young," written by Mary Schmich and published in the Chicago Tribune on June 1, 1997. Posted on the Web, Schmich's column quickly became an international sensation. Friends e-mailed it to friends, the media picked up on it, and a star was born. There was only one problem: Everyone thought the column was an actual commencement address given by author Kurt Vonnegut. Eventually, Mary Schmich was correctly identified as the author. AMP published her advice as a gift book in 1998. The following year, "Wear Sunscreen" became a hit song.

Now in its fifth hardcover printing, Deadline Artists celebrates the relevance of the newspaper column through the simple power of excellent writing. It is an inspiration for a new generation of writers— whether their medium is print or digital—looking to learn from the best of their predecessors. Contributors include: Jimmy Breslin, Ernie Pyle, Dorothy Thompson, Thomas L. Friedman, David Brooks, Ernest Hemingway, Will Rogers, Langston Hughes, Woody Guthrie, Ambrose Bierce, Mark Twain, H.L. Mencken, Art Buchwald, William F. Buckley, Dave Barry, Anna Quindlen, George Will, and Pete Hamill.

When 27-year-old Sarah Levy opened her own pastry shop in 2004, she was barely out of college. She hails from a noted Chicago-based restaurant dynasty, but the success she's achieved has been all hers, and she's since gone on to open a second location inside Macy's. Sweetness shows how anyone can make delicious desserts and sweet snacks regardless of cooking experience (or lack thereof) — especially younger women who may not have a lot of kitchen training, but want to have a few go-to recipes for events, gifts, or that special someone. This is the book for readers who want to learn how to make top-quality treats that will knock the socks off anyone who samples them. Levy’s warm personality, step-by-step instructions, and vibrant color photos make this the perfect addition to the bookshelf of both budding chefs and seasoned pros.

Annotation A deeply personal account of raising a child with low functioning autismBeautifully written by a respected journalist and teacherOffers hands-on advice to parents in an entertaining and easy-to-read manner.

Who reads poetry—and why? This rewarding volume provides answers from Roxane Gay, Roger Ebert, Lili Taylor, Alfred Molina, Aleksandar Hemon, and forty-five more. Who reads poetry? We know that poets do, but what about the rest of us? When and why do we turn to verse? Seeking the answer, Poetry magazine since 2005 has published a column called “The View From Here,” which has invited readers from outside the world of poetry to describe what has drawn them to poetry. Over the years, contributors have included philosophers, journalists, musicians, and artists, as well as doctors and soldiers, an ironworker, an anthropologist, and an economist. This collection brings together fifty compelling pieces, in turns surprising, provocative, touching, and funny. Anthropologist Helen Fisher turns to poetry while researching the effects of love on the brain: “As other anthropologists have studied fossils, arrowheads, or pot shards to understand human thought, I studied poetry . . . . I wasn’t disappointed: everywhere poets have described the emotional fallout produced by the brain’s eruptions.” The rapper Rhymefest attests to the self-actualizing power of poems: “Words can create worlds, and I’ve discovered that poetry can not only be read but also lived out. My life is a poem.” Musician Neko Case calls poetry “a delicate, pretty lady with a candy exoskeleton on the outside of her crepe-paper dress.” And music critic Alex Ross tells us that he keeps a paperback of The Palm at the End of the Mind by Wallace Stevens on his desk next to other, more utilitarian books like a German dictionary, a King James Bible, and a Mac troubleshooting manual. Contributors also include Ai Weiwei, Christopher Hitchens, Kay Redfield Jamison, Lynda Barry, and more. “The diversity of the authors results in an exceptionally broad range of topics and perspectives . . . Many of the contributors also tell intimate stories about poetry’s place in their personal lives. Sasaki and Share have chosen these pieces well.” —Publishers Weekly “Funny, moving and inspiring.” —The Australian