Elizabeth Barton

An anthology by the participants of the Friday morning writer's workshop at Chicago Public Library's Budlong Woods Branch. Each poem, essay, and story carry with it the mantra, "every person is a poet and philosopher."

From introduction: "...60 writers take on the on-again, off-again affair between mind and body. They take inventory part by part, feeling by feeling, urge by irresistible urge. They address birth and death and everything in between. The struggle to resist the status quo and take ownership of how we see and think about ourselves is fought in many ways on these pages. Not unexpectedly, the writers prove once again, hilariously, mournfully, tenderly, that the personal is political." Writers for this issue come from St. Leonard's House and from the following Chicago Public Library branches: Bezazian, Budlong Woods, Richard M. Daley, Hall, King, Mabel Manning.

"The Journal of Ordinary Thought (JOT) publishes reflections people make on their personal histories and everyday experiences. It is founded on the propositions that every person is a philosopher, expressing one's thoughts foster creativity and change, and taking control of life requires people to think about the world and communicate their thoughts to others. JOT strives to be a vehicle for reflection, communication, and change. The Journal of Ordinary Thought was founded by Hal Adams is 1991." This edition contains poems, reflections, illustrations and photographs concerning food and the culture surrounding it.