I am headed off to see one of the "poor" urchins from our little neighborhood perform today in Oliver at the Near West Theatre.  There are so many ways that Charles Dickens' writing reasonates today.  With the cold weather approaching--I plan on rereading a Tale of Two Cities to remind myself of Dickens' magic with words.

Meanwhile, I think about our current daily writers and their response to environment.  Chris Evans, editor at the PD, and James Renner, journalistic outcast, come to mind. Will their writing transcend time to reveal great societal relevance?