Mike Royko made his name as a journalist when Chicago was a city of newsprint, long before the days of social media and the 24-hour cable news cycle. Best known for his daily column, he wrote for the Chicago Daily News from 1959 until the paper’s closure in 1978; he joined the Chicago Sun-Times until it was purchased by Rupert Murdoch in 1984; he then wrote for the Chicago Tribune until his death in 1997. Royko thought of himself as a reporter first and foremost, and his distinctive perspective on local politics and issues that mattered to fellow Chicagoans drew an audience of countless loyal readers. Eventually, national syndication gave him an audience far beyond the Chicago area. While his opinions resonated with readers across the country, his way with words and his ability to consistently capture the cares of the city’s residents make his columns an enduring part of Chicago’s literary tradition.
Curators
Sarah Boyd Alvarez, Director of Exhibitions, Newberry Library
Kristin Emery, Director of Governance and Strategic Initiatives, Newberry Library
Bill Savage, Professor of Instruction, English Department, Northwestern University
About the space
The Hanson Gallery is a small, intimate space. Exhibitions mounted there typically include 12-24 items, allowing visitors a glimpse of what the Newberry’s vast collections have to offer. Hanson exhibitions are often modest thematic presentations that draw from a range of the library’s collections or interpretive explorations that are built around single items. Examples of past exhibitions include: Wheels and Indigenous Portraits Unbound. Click here to view a photo of the gallery.
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