LoganSquarist wouldn’t be possible without the hard-working efforts of our dedicated staff. Hailing from all across the country, with a number of interests and professional aspirations, our team has one thing in common: a passion for Logan Square. Discover the people behind the scenes that bring you articles, events and more in our LoganSquarist Staff Highlight column.
What’s your role with LoganSquarist?
I’m the managing editor. I started with LoganSquarist as a staff writer, focusing on local politics initially and expanding to events and some other stories.
Where are you from originally?
I grew up and went to college in Iowa. I also spent some years in New York and Wisconsin.
When did you join?
November 2017.
Do you write professionally?
I edit and write professionally, mostly science and technical content.
What do you focus on as the managing editor?
I work on generating story ideas, assigning articles to writers, and editing and publishing stories, with a focus on politics, the neighborhood, history and photo essays.
What do you like about your role?
I get to learn a lot about the neighborhood from the interesting things our writers find out, and I get to help writers make their stories as good as they can be.
What is your favorite LoganSquarist story you worked on or edited this year?
For writing, I most liked putting together our roundup of ways to help the community during the COVID-related shutdown. As an editor, I most enjoyed working with Tim Frisbie on his piece about what LoganSquarist staffers were reading, watching and listening to while sheltering at home.
What have you been consuming during quarantine?
I’ve been watching a lot of old basketball games and reading a variety of things. I’m in the middle of Rebecca Makkai’s “The Great Believers” and Audre Lorde’s “Sister Outsider” right now. My book club just finished “Exit West” by Mohsin Hamid.
What are you most looking forward to as the city and restaurants reopen?
I’m hoping to be able to get together with some friends I haven’t seen in a few months and get a nice change of scenery from my minimally decorated apartment.
What’s your favorite thing to do in the neighborhood?
During shelter-in-place, my favorite thing came to be taking long walks around Logan. I’ve enjoyed heading out to Kosciuszko Park and down N. Bernard Street — it’s got some great old houses that make it feel like you’re in a much smaller city.
What has been the best part about volunteering with the team?
It’s rewarding to contribute to the community and help people find the information they need about local politics, small businesses in the area and more. And I’ve learned a lot about Logan Square myself.
Check out Michael’s other articles.
Photo: Michael Dhar
Interested in joining the team? Meet the rest of our the staff and check out our opportunities.
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