Short profiles of people and places that caught our attention.
Avant Gaudy: One part vintage, two parts modern, Avant Gaudy has a unique approach to fashion.
Saint The Good Boy: Chicago rapper Saint The Good Boy loves M&M’s: money and music.
Hair To the Chief: A visit to Senator Barack Obama’s barbershop.
Tom Schraeder and his Ego: A folk-rocker makes waves in the Chicago music scene.
That Other Comic Convention: We got in on the action at the Wizard World comic convention.
Pow-Wow in the City: We visit one of the nation’s largest pow-wows in Chicago.
The Art of Jacqueline Roig: Artist and psychologist Jacqueline Roig offers a glimpse into her work.
The Junk Mail Project: Barbara Hashimoto’s latest art installation is made entirely from junk mail.

Covering new independent films that defy the mainstream.
“Stash”: A controversial new comedy about men and the things they hold most dear: their porn stashes.
“Standing Silent Nation”: For the Lakota tribe in South Dakota, growing industrial hemp is not just a business — it’s a means of survival.

These people got off the couch and did it themselves.
Trash Talk: One Chicagoan’s campaign to make the Pitchfork Music Festival so fresh and so clean.
Death By Design: For this horror film company, death can be a pretty entertaining experience.
Spudnik Press: The folks at Spudnik Press are bringing printmaking to the masses.
Seedbombing: We get down and dirty with some guerrilla gardening in hard-to-reach urban lots.

Unique news and events.
Covering the Tragedy: NIU: Shadowing NIU’s student reporters a day after five students are shot in class.
A House Call To Sudan: People joining forces to ship donated medical supplies to Sudan.

OTHER WORK

A Practical Faith: A retrospective on the activist career of Rabbi Robert Marx created for Interfaith Worker Justice.
Carrying Power: Solar Energy On the Go: A profile of NOON Solar, a company that creates stylish and sustainable bags.
What Can Regular People Do? Practical, everyday tips to reduce their carbon dioxide footprint.