Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, April 13 to April 19

Good morning!

I have just nine news and features stories to share with you this week. But more stories will post over the weekend. So be sure to check back on The Herald-News site: shawlocal.com/the-herald-news.

What a year it's been so far! In addition to work and battling malady after another since January, I've also been involved with this event...and opening night is tonight!

So if you live reasonably close to the Will County, Illinois, area, consider attending on one of the two nights. You will not only be entertained, you can meet Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara in person! And you can browse books by some of WriteOn Joliet's authors as well WriteOn's anthologies.

Also, WriteOn Joliet is dedicating the event to our co-founder Tom Hernandez, who died from brain cancer on Monday. We will also have a limited amount of Tom's books for sale. 

Here is an update on my BryonySeries book projects:

House on Top of the Hill: Third book in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy. I now have a good working draft of the entire book and six chapters and a prologue that are ready for final edits. I scrapped most of chapter seven, restarted it a few times, and now finally have all but one scene ready for editing.. We are estimating a late 2024 release date for this book.

The Adventures of Cornell Dyer: Timothy said the next book will be slightly dark ("slightly" because it's for kids, too) and will involve an old toy store. We are also working on the last book in the series (but it's not the final book, if that makes sense). Timothy is actually writing that one. We had a tentative "Cornell breakfast" scheduled for last weekend, which didn't happen...and we have no opportunity for another for at least a couple more weeks. We've scheduled and broke several in 2023. Our last one was July 2022. So we are LONG overdue.

Brainy Ann: The fifth book in The Girls of the BryonySeries is outlined and ready for some serious writing in 2024. The first chapter is written, hurray! Jennifer Wainwright has already started working on the cover portrait. That one is called "Brainy Ann."

Jennifer designed the cover portraits for "Julie and the Too-Hard Homework," "Katie and the Big Fear," "Summer Sisters." and "Karla Joins In," as well as the frontispiece for Lycanthropic Summer.

A Year of Shadows and Moonlight, of Gathering Blooms in the Woods: A rather unusual, poetic novelette in the second person is completed and just needs final copyediting. Rebekah is still experimenting with cover art for this and made good progress this past weekend. We are estimating a mid-2024 release date.

Rebekah is also slowly updating the BryonySeries YouTube and Pinterest accounts. And she' catching up with Kindles for some of the BryonySeries books. So do watch for those.

Now back to The Herald-News stories stories. Simply click on the link of the story that looks interesting to you. Happy scrolling!

But before the stories, I have a list of additional resources and information. Please check them out, too.

Finally, if you'd like to find more kindness in your life, consider this book.

And have a great Friday!

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

Sue's Diner is a fictional restaurant in the fictional Munsonville that only exists in the BryonySeries.

Each Wednesday, we post a new recipe. The recipe is either featured in one of our cookbooks, will be featured in an upcoming cookbook, or is just an "extra" we want to share with you.

Check out the recipe here.

WRITERS

If you're a writer anywhere in the world, you're welcome to join WriteOn Joliet's Facebook page. We're based in Joliet, Illinois, but we love to meet and interact with writers outside our area, too.

If you'd like to officially join WriteOn Joliet, we have two tiers of dues and two ways to attend meetings. We also have a marketing arm that's getting longer every year. Check us out at writeonjoliet.com.

I also suggest this book: Little Book of Revision: A Checklist for Fiction Writers. It's exactly as it says. Each page some with one suggestion for revision. The rest of the page is blank, so you can add your own notes. All proceeds benefit WriteOn Joliet.

If you need editing or help with self-publishing, check out dmbaranunland.com.

ARTISTS

If you need an artist for a project, I offer these recommendations.

NEWSLETTERS

Sign up for The Munsonville Times by emailing us at bryonyseries@gmail.com. The newsletter still isn't official yet, so we don't have an actual link on the website - but we are working on it! 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Daily updates: I haven't posted anything on Twitter/X (except a daily Bible verse) since September I can no longer schedule posts in advance. I'm not sure yet how to manage the account without that option. But you're welcome to follow me at @Denise_Unland61.

BryonySeries stuff: I used to curated content relating to the BryonySeries on Twitter/X at @BryonySeries and still post assorted related content at facebook.com/BryonySeries, youtube.com/user/BryonySeries, and themes of each book in the BryonySeries at pinterest.com/bryonyseries.

Again, not sure yet about the direction of the BryonySeries Twitter/X account. Still mulling that over.

And of course, please follow the adventures of Bertrand the Mouse on Instagram at bertrand_bryonyseries.

BRYONYSERIES BOOKS

For books and more information about the series, visit bryonyseries.com.

BRYONYSERIES EVENTS

A full month of virtual events can be found at bryonyseries.com/calendar-of-events.

QUESTIONS

Email me at bryonyseries@gmail.com.

Thank you for reading The Herald-News. And for reading this blog. And if you've read (or plan to read) any of my books. Your support is greatly appreciated.

FEATURES

Joliet Junior College Repair Cafe brings new life to broken items: Repair Cafe events originated 15 years ago in Holland

Will County Old Timers baseball group goes to bat to support youth baseball, softball: The association raises money in three ways.

‘The Voice’ of Plainfield District 202 died Monday morning: Tom Hernandez’s legacy ‘is one of compassion and community’

Registration open for NAMI Will-Grundy’s BeActive 5KWalk/Run: Dressing up as a superhero strongly encouraged

Will County Animal Protection Services offers pet adoptions

Beatles tribute band coming to Joliet’s Rialto Theatre: 1964 – The Tribute was founded 40 years ago

Joliet man arrested after high-speed crash

Joliet police searching for missing man

Pets of the Week: April 15: Will County rescues have dogs and cats for adoption

The Local Scene: Explore ‘Fragments of Time’ at Joliet Bicentennial Park: Here are 5 things to do this weekend

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage"

WriteOn Joliet Radio Player: Rebekah Baran

No show can go on without a production assistant that does the miscellaneous behind-the-scenes grunt work: running errands, stuffing scripts, picking up and distributing flyers, helping to collect sound effect items, assisting with technology at rehearsals, filling in for performers during scheduling conflicts, looking for clothing in the right colors, and running WriteOn Joliet meetings as needed.

But that's exactly some of the tasks WriteOn member Rebekah Baran has executed since January.

In case you missed previous posts, nine members of WriteOn Joliet will present “Fragments of Time," an original radio theater production, at 7 p.m. April 19 and April 20 at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre in Joliet.

Admission is $5.

Rebekah Baran has a knack in learning technology very quickly and easily taught herself the basics of website design, formatting manuscripts for print books and eBooks, book cover design, and the basics of self-publishing.

She is the to-go production person for all of the BryonySeries books and the WriteOn Joliet anthologies and website.

Rebekah earned an Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts from Joliet Junior College in 2016 and has worked as a pastry chef, prep cook, and assistant sous chef in Will County restaurants.

She loves, baking, cooking, reading, researching new products, and all things pertaining to Asian culture.

Contact Rebekah at dmbaranunland@gmail.com. 

The authors and performers on April 19 and April 20 are Denise M. Baran-Unland, Mauverneen Blevins, Edward Calkins, Holly Coop, Steve Cordin, Diana Estell, Jennifer Russ, and Duanne Walton.

Lobby doors open at 6 p.m. Concessions and drinks will be available for purchase. WriteOn Joliet books and anthologies will be available for purchase one hour before the show, during intermission and immediately after the show’s conclusion.

The Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre is at 201 West Jefferson Street, downtown Joliet, 60432.

For tickets and more information, visit bicentennialpark.org or contact the office: 815-724-3761 or bipark@joliet.gov.

For more information, visit writeonjoliet.com.

Sue's Diner: Jelly Cake

This week's recipe is authentically Victorian and is adapted from Miss Beecher’s domestic receiptbook: designed as a supplement to her Treatise on domestic economy.

The recipe also appears in the BryonySeries cookbook: Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles from "Bryony," which is a permanent fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties.

The recipe is referenced in the novel Bryony, where the protagonist, a 1970s teen named Melissa Marchellis, eats several slices of this cake at a nineteenth century party.

We really liked it, too. 

You can try our modified recipe on the Sue's Diner page on the BryonySeries website.

But try the recipe this week. It will be gone some time next week. A new recipe will take it's place. 

If you have any troubleshooting questions or comments, email us at bryonyseries@gmail.com. 

By the way, Sue's Diner is only real in the BryonySeries world. But didn't Timothy do a great job making the page look like a real menu at a vintage diner?

Here is the full diner page: bryonyseries.com/sue-s-diner. You can't really order, of course (wouldn't it be great if you could?).

For more BryonySeries recipes, check out our three cookbooks at our BryonySeries bryonyseries.com/general-store.

WriteOn Joliet Radio Player: Rachel Veres

No one, but especially writers who aren't actors and have no theater training, can deliver an entertaining and polished performance without a director.

We have one - and you should have seen her at work during "tech night" last night. Thanks to Rachel Veres, we now understand terms we didn't understand until our first show last year: Blocking, Q2Q, and cyc wall.

In case you missed previous posts, nine members of WriteOn Joliet will present “Fragments of Time," an original radio theater production, at 7 p.m. April 19 and April 20 at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre in Joliet.

Admission is $5.

Rachel Veres has a deep love for life and has spent every day in pursuit of her purpose. She lovingly keeps house for her family as a wife and mother and serves women as a home birth and bereavement doula. She spent most of her childhood in the fine arts and so is thrilled when an opportunity to create art with others comes her way. A long-time writer herself, she is pleased to be directing WriteOn Joliet's second radio play. She and her husband recently purchased five acres of land in Montana where they will soon build their dream home and homestead.

You can watch her on Refresh, an independent sci-fi drama hosted on Amazon, and find her work as a doula on her website littlebirdbirth.com. Connect with Rachel on Instagram at @littlebirdbirth and @rachelbonarek.

The authors and performers on April 19 and April 20 are Denise M. Baran-Unland, Mauverneen Blevins, Edward Calkins, Holly Coop, Steve Cordin, Diana Estell, Jennifer Russ, and Duanne Walton.

Lobby doors open at 6 p.m. Concessions and drinks will be available for purchase. WriteOn Joliet books and anthologies will be available for purchase one hour before the show, during intermission and immediately after the show’s conclusion.

The Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre is at 201 West Jefferson Street, downtown Joliet, 60432.

For tickets and more information, visit bicentennialpark.org or contact the office: 815-724-3761 or bipark@joliet.gov.

For more information, visit writeonjoliet.com.

WriteOn Joliet Radio-Player: Duanne Walton

Nine members of WriteOn Joliet will present “Fragments of Time," an original radio theater production, at 7 p.m. April 19 and April 20 at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre in Joliet.

Admission is $5.

One of the author/performers is Duanne Walton. 

Duanne, who is working on a mystery thriller, is known as an intrepid videographer and writes nicely structured stream of consciousness pieces.

He said, "Writing is my gift from God and it's been with me forever. It's seen me through rough times and brought me to WriteOn Joliet where I've found support, encouragement and friends. 

"I've also discovered other talents as an intrepid videographer, interpretive dancer or mime, and comic strip writer artist. I am blessed and thankful."

Unlike many of us, Duanne is extremely relaxed and confident in front of a microphone. Give him any piece and he can execute brilliantly on the first read. Come out and see for yourself!

The other authors and performers on April 19 and April 20 are Denise M. Baran-Unland, Mauverneen Blevins, Edward Calkins, Holly Coop, Steve Cordin, Diana Estell, and Jenny Russ.

Director is Rachel Veres.

Lobby doors open at 6 p.m. Concessions and drinks will be available for purchase. WriteOn Joliet books and anthologies will be available for purchase one hour before the show, during intermission and immediately after the show’s conclusion.

The Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre is at 201 West Jefferson Street, downtown Joliet, 60432.

For tickets and more information, visit bicentennialpark.org or contact the office: 815-724-3761 or bipark@joliet.gov.

For more information, visit youtube.com/@4thtroika and writeonjoliet.com.

 

Beautiful Piano Radio 🎹 Relaxing Music for Sleep, Studying & Relaxation 24/7

Watch For These Nine Key Phrases

Next Friday and Saturday night, nine members of WriteOn Joliet will present “Fragments of Time," an original radio theater production, at 7 p.m. April 19 and April 20 at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre in Joliet.

Admission is just $5.

And here's a game you can play at the event. Below are nine phrases that WriteOn Joliet Radio-Player Mauverneen Blevins has periodically posted on her Facebook page over the last couple of weeks.

Pay attention to the phrases during the show. When you hear it, match the phrase to the piece in which it appears.

If you find them all, stop at the BryonySeries table on your way out the door for a small gift.

Have fun!

"Consult your crystal ball and get back with me."

 "...live from a place no dirtbag has gone before."

 "Knit one, purl two"

"What about the sledgehammer?"

"Or maybe we just make you an offer you can't refuse."

"Objection, your honor."

"I am here to thwart you foul villain!"

"Take a twirl with me..."

"Things could always be worse..."

Authors and performers on April 19 and April 20 are Denise M. Baran-Unland, Maureen Blevins, Edward Calkins, Holly Coop, Steve Cordin, Diana Estell, Cean Magosky, Jennifer Russ, and Duanne Walton.

Director is Rachel Veres.

Lobby doors open at 6 p.m. Concessions and drinks will be available for purchase. WriteOn Joliet books and anthologies will be available for purchase one hour before the show, during intermission and immediately after the show’s conclusion.

The Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre is at 201 West Jefferson Street, downtown Joliet, 60432.

For tickets and more information, visit bicentennialpark.org or contact the office: 815-724-3761 or bipark@joliet.gov.

For more information, visit writeonjoliet.com.

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, April 6 to April 12

Good morning!

I have nine news and features stories to share with you this week. But I am working all the way to Wednesday, so more stories will post over the weekend. So be sure to check back on The Herald-News site: shawlocal.com/the-herald-news.

I cannot believe it's already mid-April. In addition to work and battling malady after another since January, I've also been involved with this event. If you live reasonably close to the Will County, Illinois, area, consider attending on one of the two nights.

We had a pizza party to celebrate a cast member's birthday and our last non-stage rehearsal last night. I must say, I am extremely proud of this group of writers. For although the foundation of this event is to share our work with an audience who might never know about it, it's also about learning to adapt our work for stage and to fit with the theme that emerged on its own, to accept that the person reading and performing your work might interpret it differently from you, and to work cohesively as a performance group when writing is such solitary work and we are not performers. 

Here is an update on my BryonySeries book projects:

House on Top of the Hill: Third book in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy. I now have a good working draft of the entire book and six chapters and a prologue that are ready for final edits. I scrapped most of chapter seven, restarted it a few times, and now finally have all but one scene ready for editing.. We are estimating a late 2024 release date for this book.

The Adventures of Cornell Dyer: Timothy said the next book will be slightly dark ("slightly" because it's for kids, too) and will involve an old toy store. We are also working on the last book in the series (but it's not the final book, if that makes sense). Timothy is actually writing that one. We had a tentative "Cornell breakfast" scheduled for last weekend, which didn't happen...and we have no opportunity for another for at least a couple more weeks. We've scheduled and broke several in 2023. Our last one was July 2022. So we are LONG overdue.

Brainy Ann: The fifth book in The Girls of the BryonySeries is outlined and ready for some serious writing in 2024. The first chapter is written, hurray! Jennifer Wainwright has already started working on the cover portrait. That one is called "Brainy Ann."

Jennifer designed the cover portraits for "Julie and the Too-Hard Homework," "Katie and the Big Fear," "Summer Sisters." and "Karla Joins In," as well as the frontispiece for Lycanthropic Summer.

A Year of Shadows and Moonlight, of Gathering Blooms in the Woods: A rather unusual, poetic novelette in the second person is completed and just needs final copyediting. Rebekah is still experimenting with cover art for this and made good progress this past weekend. We are estimating a mid-2024 release date.

Rebekah is also slowly updating the BryonySeries YouTube and Pinterest accounts. And she' catching up with Kindles for some of the BryonySeries books. So do watch for those.

Now back to The Herald-News stories stories. Simply click on the link of the story that looks interesting to you. Happy scrolling!

But before the stories, I have a list of additional resources and information. Please check them out, too.

Finally, if you'd like to find more kindness in your life, consider this book.

And have a great Friday!

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

Sue's Diner is a fictional restaurant in the fictional Munsonville that only exists in the BryonySeries.

Each Wednesday, we post a new recipe. The recipe is either featured in one of our cookbooks, will be featured in an upcoming cookbook, or is just an "extra" we want to share with you.

Check out the recipe here.

WRITERS

If you're a writer anywhere in the world, you're welcome to join WriteOn Joliet's Facebook page. We're based in Joliet, Illinois, but we love to meet and interact with writers outside our area, too.

If you'd like to officially join WriteOn Joliet, we have two tiers of dues and two ways to attend meetings. We also have a marketing arm that's getting longer every year. Check us out at writeonjoliet.com.

I also suggest this book: Little Book of Revision: A Checklist for Fiction Writers. It's exactly as it says. Each page some with one suggestion for revision. The rest of the page is blank, so you can add your own notes. All proceeds benefit WriteOn Joliet.

If you need editing or help with self-publishing, check out dmbaranunland.com.

ARTISTS

If you need an artist for a project, I offer these recommendations.

NEWSLETTERS

Sign up for The Munsonville Times by emailing us at bryonyseries@gmail.com. The newsletter still isn't official yet, so we don't have an actual link on the website - but we are working on it! 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Daily updates: I haven't posted anything on Twitter/X (except a daily Bible verse) since September I can no longer schedule posts in advance. I'm not sure yet how to manage the account without that option. But you're welcome to follow me at @Denise_Unland61.

BryonySeries stuff: I used to curated content relating to the BryonySeries on Twitter/X at @BryonySeries and still post assorted related content at facebook.com/BryonySeries, youtube.com/user/BryonySeries, and themes of each book in the BryonySeries at pinterest.com/bryonyseries.

Again, not sure yet about the direction of the BryonySeries Twitter/X account. Still mulling that over.

And of course, please follow the adventures of Bertrand the Mouse on Instagram at bertrand_bryonyseries.

BRYONYSERIES BOOKS

For books and more information about the series, visit bryonyseries.com.

BRYONYSERIES EVENTS

A full month of virtual events can be found at bryonyseries.com/calendar-of-events.

QUESTIONS

Email me at bryonyseries@gmail.com.

Thank you for reading The Herald-News. And for reading this blog. And if you've read (or plan to read) any of my books. Your support is greatly appreciated.

FEATURES

Shorewood tea room a place for dressing up and slowing down: Patrons should feel ‘like you’re in a whole other world’

'Soldier Songs and Voices’ art show comes to University of St. Francis in Joliet: Phoebe Hunt, songwriter and musician: ‘I believe music is a tool for healing on so many levels’

Device helps sleep apnea in Down syndrome teens, Silver Cross doctor says: Dr. Saied Ghadersohi sees Down syndrome pediatric patients at Lurie’s Silver Cross location in New Lenox

Will County Old National Banks to close early Wednesday: Bank team members to participate in an afternoon ‘Walk to Remember’

Plainfield School District 202 to host presentation on social media and body image: Adults 18 and older also can tour the Hidden in Plain Sight trailer

Midland States Bank donates $25,000 to Silver Cross: The grant will help support the New Lenox hospital’s new walk-in health center

Trinity Services employee earns top Illinois honors for work with special needs: Thane Dykstra, Trinity Services, said Valarie Woodkirk is a ‘compassionate and caring person’

Pets of the Week: April 8, 2024: Will County rescues have dogs and cats for adoption

The Local Scene: Joliet cafe hosts Artist Coffee Talk: Here are 5 things to do this weekend

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage"

WriteOn Joliet Radio-Player Jenny Russ

Good morning!

If you've popped into this blog in the past, you may know that nine members of WriteOn Joliet will present “Fragments of Time," an original radio theater production, at 7 p.m. April 19 and April 20 at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre in Joliet.

Admission is $5.

One of the author/performers is Jennifer Russ.

Jennifer Russ is a freelance writer focusing on animal welfare and human rights. They are the author of “The Heart’s Bone,” a fictional account of Tibet’s youngest self-immolators, and “Whitewallsville: One Man’s Journey Through Tigers, Frozen Birds, and Suicide,” a story of grief and redemption set within the walls of a mental institution. 

She also recently published a third book under a pen name, which reached the number one spot on Amazon in its category.

When Jennifer is not tackling the serious topics, they enjoy petting dogs, smelling old books, cosplay, and traveling the world.

The other authors and performers on April 19 and April 20 are Denise M. Baran-Unland, Mauverneen Blevins, Edward Calkins, Holly Coop, Steve Cordin, Diana Estell, Cean Magosky, and Duanne Walton.

Director is Rachel Veres.

Lobby doors open at 6 p.m. Concessions and drinks will be available for purchase. WriteOn Joliet books and anthologies will be available for purchase one hour before the show, during intermission and immediately after the show’s conclusion.

The Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre is at 201 West Jefferson Street, downtown Joliet, 60432.

For tickets and more information, visit bicentennialpark.org or contact the office: 815-724-3761 or bipark@joliet.gov.

For more information, visit writeonjoliet.com.

Sue's Diner: Homemade Pierogies

This week we are featuring a recipe that is a favorite in our family: homemade pierogies.

A pierogi is simply a stuffed dumping. Pierogies are popular in Eastern European cuisine. Some cultures call them pirohi.

Traditional pierogi fillings include potato and sauerkraut, but you may use any filling you like.

I learned how to make pierogies from a cookbook when my oldest son, now forty-two, was about eighteen months old. I always included the kids in making them. 

The ones from the cookbook were dry and heavy, so we adapted the recipe through the years.

My two preschoolers (Sarah and Joshua) helped me make two hundred of them one afternoon in the 1980s when one of our friends was being ordained to the priesthood.

I even had a regular customer for a short time, which provided some extra money for me.

You can try our pierogi recipe on the Sue's Diner page on the BryonySeries website. 

This recipe does not appear in Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles From "Bryony" which benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties.

But try the recipe this week. It will be gone some time next week. A new recipe will take it's place.

If you have any troubleshooting questions or comments, email us at bryonyseries@gmail.com. 

By the way, Sue's Diner is only real in the BryonySeries world. But didn't Timothy do a great job making the page look like a real menu at a vintage diner?

Here is the full diner page: bryonyseries.com/sue-s-diner. You can't really order, of course (wouldn't it be great if you could?).

For more BryonySeries recipes, check out our three cookbooks at our BryonySeries bryonyseries.com/general-store.

WriteOn Joliet Radio-Player: Cean Magosky

Good morning! 

Nine members of WriteOn Joliet will present “An Evening With WriteOn Joliet: Readings to Entertain and Inspire You” on April 22 at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre in Joliet.

Admission is $5.

One of the author/performers is Cean Magosky. 

You might recognize the Magosky name. Cean's family had owned the P. Seth Magosky Museum of Victorian Life and Joliet History and generously let us film the Bryony book trailer and the music video to the BryonySeries theme song (also named "Bryony) in the museum in April 2012.

Cean's family also let us take photos of their wonderful museum and help promote it to the community. Some of us shot photos in the doll room, our filmmakers shared some stills, and Sarah shared her impressions (and a few photos) in this post.

The Magoskys lent us clothes for shooting the videos and for our VampFest fundraiser and opened up the museum more than once for BryonySeries photo shoots, including this one for The Morris Herald News. 

Cean is returns to radio play for the second year. A WriteOn Joliet member, Cean is a surgical nurse by day and writer and musician in the remaining time. Current writing projects include researching and writing on the life of Joliet architect F. S. Allen and 19th century school architecture, which has made him an accidental postcard collector.

As surgical nurse, Cean has presented on the regional and national level and was a member of Northwestern Medicine Nursing Ambassadors for the Fine Arts and contributed to their project Listening to Life.

His children’s story Oatmeal Raisin Bear was featured in LocalLit, a newsletter I conceived and wrote for The Herald-News for several years.

Cean also writes and publishes a blog on Joliet history and architecture. He is also republishing the books his brother and father wrote on Joliet history and Shorewood history.

The other authors and performers on April 19 and April 20 are Denise M. Baran-Unland, Mauverneen Blevins, Edward Calkins, Holly Coop, Steve Cordin, Diana Estell, Jenny Russ, and Duanne Walton.

Director is Rachel Veres.

Lobby doors open at 6 p.m. Concessions and drinks will be available for purchase. WriteOn Joliet books and anthologies will be available for purchase one hour before the show, during intermission and immediately after the show’s conclusion.

The Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre is at 201 West Jefferson Street, downtown Joliet, 60432.

For tickets and more information, visit bicentennialpark.org or contact the office: 815-724-3761 or bipark@joliet.gov.

For more information, visit historicimpressions.blogspot.com and writeonjoliet.com.

WriteOn Joliet Radio-Player: Diana Estell

Good morning!

Nine members of WriteOn Joliet will present “Fragments of Time," an original radio theater production, at 7 p.m. April 19 and April 20 at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre in Joliet.

Admission is $5.

One of the author/performers is Diana Estell.

The joy and pains of Diana's personal story, as well as her educational background, have shaped her writing style.

Diana has a Bachelor of Arts from Northern Illinois University and it was there, while writing for her classes in anthropology, that her love of writing re-awoke.

Growing up, Diana had a book in her hand constantly, books like Little House on the Prairie, Little Women, and countless others.  

The love of words is a deep passion of hers. She enjoyed reading the dictionary, taking words and changing them into new words.  

Words were her imaginary playground, a veritable lush garden, springing out blossoms of creativity.

When Star Wars blasted into orbit, so too did Diana’s love for all things fantasy. Dungeon and Dragons and Star Trek played a significant role in her private imaginary world. 

Now the worded playground, with its abundant flora, sprung forth thorns of sharpened steel. Planets and creatures emerged with ease. This passion for fantasy has never left but has grown stronger.

Diana has traveled extensively, most recently to Paris, France. Her love for history, martial arts and weapons is woven into her writings. She has a black belt in a martial arts blend of Taekwondo and Jujitsu. 

She had anticipated she would be going on archeological digs after graduating, but childhood dreams never die.  No matter how many layers of her past accumulated, nothing could stop a story from emerging in her mind.

Diana's first novel, Abyss of the Fallen, was released by Brimstone Fiction in 2020.

For more information, visit dianaestell.com.

The other authors and performers on April 19 and April 20 are Denise M. Baran-Unland, Mauverneen Blevins, Edward Calkins, Holly Coop, Steve Cordin, Cean Magosky, Jenny Russ, and Duanne Walton.

Director is Rachel Veres.

Lobby doors open at 6 p.m. Concessions and drinks available for purchase. WriteOn Joliet books and anthologies will be available for purchase one hour before the show, during intermission and immediately after the show’s conclusion.

The Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre is at 201 West Jefferson Street, downtown Joliet, 60432.

For tickets and more information, visit bicentennialpark.org or contact the office: 815-724-3761 or bipark@joliet.gov.

For more information, visit dianaestell.com and writeonjoliet.com.

                                                                                                                                                                                        

Beethoven | Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, "The Tempest" | Daniel Barenboim

WriteOn Joliet Radio-Player: Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara

This past week, I've shared posts about the individual performers in WriteOn's upcoming and second radio theater-style performance.

Here is one who already gets plenty of attention on this blog and is now about to get a little more: Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara.

Ed is one of nine members of WriteOn Joliet who will present “Fragments of Time," an original radio theater production, at 7 p.m. April 19 and April 20 at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre in Joliet.

Admission is $5.

Ed Calkins is a real, 60-something, proud of his Irish-heritage computer programmer and amateur writer who has also spent his entire life working in newspaper circulation. Years ago, Calkins invented a "ruthless dictator" alter ego, also known as "The Steward of Tara."

With Calkins' permission, BryonySeries author Denise M. Baran-Unland furthered altered him to create a minor character in "Bryony," making Calkins the first Irish vampire of any significance. 

Of course, Calkins claims "Bryony" is really all about him, so he’s held his own book signings, which he is calls, "The Ed Calkins Tour." There must be some truth in his sentiments, because Calkins' plot importance does grow with each novel in the original BryonySeries trilogy

The post "Twenty Questions With Ed Calkins" will give more insight into the man, the myth, the character, and the author.

Calkins is the author of "The Fifth," (his backstory) “Ruthless” (also his backstory) and “Denise M. Baran-Unland's Irish Genealogy.” He also shares his writings on the BryonySeries blog. Email him at bryonyseries@gmail.com.

The other authors and performers on April 19 and April 20 are Denise M. Baran-Unland, Mauverneen Blevins, Holly Coop, Steve Cordin, Diana Estell, Cean Magosky, Jenny Russ, and Duanne Walton.

Director is Rachel Veres. 

Lobby doors open at 6 p.m. Concessions and drinks available for purchase. WriteOn Joliet books and anthologies will be available for purchase one hour before the show, during intermission and immediately after the show’s conclusion.

The Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre is at 201 West Jefferson Street, downtown Joliet, 60432.

For tickets and more information, visit bicentennialpark.org or contact the office: 815-724-3761 or bipark@joliet.gov.

For more information, visit bryonyseries.com and writeonjoliet.com.