The Newberry kicked off its fall programming season on September 14 with Chicago Storytelling, an annual event featuring a diverse range of storytellers sharing their unique perspectives. The event was emceed by journalist Rick Kogan and featured stories from Aaron Golding (Seneca), ShowtimeShanna, Jim Harvey, and Annie Howard, as well as a performance by The Joel Hall Dancers, and the presentation of the Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award.
The Newberry Library and The Pattis Family Foundation honored Thomas Leslie with the third annual Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award. Leslie's book, Chicago Skyscrapers 1934-1986: How Technology, Politics, Finance, & Race Reshaped the City, explores race and politics while including detailed analyses of how foundation materials, framing structures, and electric lighting developed throughout the years. Leslie shows how the skeletal frames of the Rookery, Ludington, and Leiter Buildings led to the braced frames of the Masonic Temple and Schiller Building and eventually to the concealed frames of the City Opera, Merchandise Mart, and other Chicago landmarks. The Pattis Book Award celebrates works that transform public understanding of Chicago, its history, and its people. In addition to Leslie, John William Nelson was recognized as the shortlist award recipient for authoring Muddy Ground: Native Peoples, Chicago’s Portage, and the Transformation of the Continent. Mark and Lisa Pattis of The Pattis Family Foundation presented the awards during the annual Chicago Storytelling event.
The Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award is open to writers working in a variety of genres, including history, biography, social sciences, poetry, drama, graphic novels, and fiction—all relating to Chicago. Nominations for the 2025 Pattis Chicago Book Award are now open.
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