200 Years of Illinois: This one goes out to Johnsburg
September 13, 1983, saw the release of the song “Johnsburg, Illinois,” by Tom Waits, an artist fated to become the most beloved acquired taste in American music. Dubiously referred to […]
Author: rkcunningham
Posts by rkcunningham
Release Party: Paul Thomas Anderson
Since his explosive debut with the indie sensation Hard Eight, Paul Thomas Anderson has established himself as one of contemporary cinema’s most exciting artists. His 2002 feature Punch-Drunk Love radically […]
Trivia Friday: Red Grange, John Belushi, and a gorilla
1. Red Grange’s six-touchdown game against Michigan in 1924 inspired poetry and cemented Grange’s legend. His performance featured four TDs in the first quarter alone, but which detail about the […]
Throwbacklist Thursday: Ready for some football
Tonight, the National Football League and the betting on same return to thrill America. Sure, you know the quarterback rating of all the miserable underperformers who have gone under center for […]
Five quotes from Frederik Pohl
Today, UIP author Michael R. Page takes to the Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast to discuss the work and legacy of science fiction master Frederik Pohl. In his seven-decade career, […]
200 Years of Illinois: Miss America’s trampoline
On September 7, 1968, Judith Anne Ford of Belvidere became the second-ever woman from Illinois to win the Miss America pageant. Feminist criticism of the contest was in the air, […]
Release Party: Herndon’s Lincoln
New in paperback, Herndon’s Lincoln offers today’s readers the most influential biography of the Railsplitter ever published. William H. Herndon aspired to write a faithful portrait of his friend and law […]
Release Party: Blue Rhythm Fantasy
Behind the iconic jazz orchestras, vocalists, and stage productions of the Swing Era lay the talents of popular music’s unsung heroes: the arrangers. In this new entry in our acclaimed […]
Throwbacklist Thursday: Money that’s ready to burn
Gambling. Like all our beloved vices, it is an ancient habit, and probably a prehistoric one. The mighty UIP handicaps some scholarship on the wagering life to get you in the […]
Release Party: Barns of Illinois
Finally available in a full-color paperback edition, Larry Kanfer’s Barns of Illinois showcases the Illinois photographer’s much-praised images of the Midwest’s iconic structure. As a state abounding with broad farmlands, Illinois has […]
200 Years of Illinois: The Last Hambletonian
On August 30, 1980, the last Hambletonian in Du Quoin got underway amidst local sadness and headlines that harness racing’s top event had scored big money in its move to the […]
The Liberationists
Forty-six years ago today, national feminist groups staged the Women’s Strike for Equality. “If the success of media activism is measured by the amount of news coverage generated, the Strike […]