Tracy Baim

Windy City Media Group among top news sites

Among hundreds of Chicago non-traditional news sites, Windy City Media Group (WCMG) was ranked second according to a Chicago Community Trust report issued in June. WCMG was the top-ranked LGBT news site, and the only one in the 60 top sites ranked. WCMG is publisher of Windy City Times and Nightspots, and also produces WindyCityQueercast.com and QueerTVNetwork.com.

See report at: http://communitymediaworkshop.org/newnews/

The report, commissioned by The Chicago Community Trust, surveyed media professionals and users across the Chicago area, and used a complex rating system based on several self-reported statistics, third-party rankings, and a qualitative assessment by Community Media Workshop (CMW).

Several mainstream media sites, for example the Tribune, Sun-Times and TV sites, were not included, but Web sites for NPR, the Chicago Reader and other independent and online-only media were included.

The following is how CMW ranked the top 20:

1: Chi-Town Daily News

2: Windy City Media Group

3: Gapers Block

4: Progress Illinois

5: Windy Citizen

6: WBEZ Chicago Public Radio

7: Chicago Parent

8: Catalyst Chicago

9: Chicagoist

10: Midwest Vusiness

11: CTA Tattler

12: The Beachwood Reporter

13: Newcity

14: The Chicago Defender

15: District 299

16: The Chicago Reporter

17: The Urbanaphile

18: Chicago Carless

19: 600 Words by Esther J. Cepeda

20: Marathon Pundit

This announcement comes just weeks after The Reader named WCTimes the "Best GLBT news source in Chicago" and days after the completion of WCMG's 7th annual Windy City Gay Idol promotion with over 1000 attending Semi-finals and Finals competitions.

Windy City Times is online at http://www.windycitymediagroup.com

See http://www.communitymediaworkshop.org or http://www.newstips.org.

'Love Person' at Victory Gardens

Love Person is a wonderful new play at Victory Gardens Theater, and you just have a few more chances to see its Chicago premiere.

This is a lesbian love story with a few twists: one partner is hearing, the other Deaf. The play is told in American Sign Language, English and Sanskrit, plus much of its dialogue is projected on to the well-designed scenery. This multi-layered play, by Aditi Brennan Kapil, offers an enjoyable look into the issues of language, communication, and loneliness even within the bonds of a relationship.

In the theater's Victory Magazine, Kapil said: "With Love Person, I wanted to explore language as the initial point of attraction, to pit people completely unsuited to be lovers against each other, and see what happened. The connection between a Deaf lesbian woman and a straight Sanskrit scholar is not an easy or natural fit, and that is beautiful to me. The connection between a Sanskrit scholar and a trash-talking, twice-divorced waitress is unlikely, making that journey beautiful to me. And creating such unlikely partners in love allows me to explore my actual question--what exactly is it that attracts us to other people?"

The play is directed beautifully by Sandy Shinner and the four cast members fit their roles well, especially Deaf actor Liz Tannebaum as Free, the central character torn between her real-life love for Maggie (Arlene Malinowski) and her "fake" and deceptive email affair with Ram (Rajesh Bose), who believes he is communicating with Free's sister Vic (Cheryl Graeff).  

While the first act drags just a bit, the growth of the characters carries the play to a strong and emotional finish in the second act. This is definitely a play worth seeing, and it was also terrific to see it with several Deaf audience members, including some Deaf/hearing lesbian couples. Don't miss your chance to see this Chicago premiere at Victory Gardens. Call (773) 871-3000 or see http://www.victorygardens.org.