Last fall, after I was laid off, I was saved from total penury by a sweet gig writing copy for a Chicago guidebook published by Insight Guides and the Discovery Channel. I had already committed to doing all their food and restaurant copy–220-odd restaurant blurbs, 40 or so bars, and an essay on the Chicago food scene–but once my schedule . . . relaxed, I also picked up a chapter on Wicker Park, Bucktown, and Ukranian Village, an overview of the local lit scene, and odds and ends on stuff like the history of the Chicago River, beer, and Nelson Algren. I’d never written to guidebook style before, but by the time I was done, around New Year’s, I was a travel copy machine.

I’ve long since cashed (and spent) the checks, but the books just arrived in the mail, and I gotta say it’s amazing what a little art direction can do. Despite the embarrassing absence of Schwa (which closed as I turned in the copy and then of course reopened after the book went to press), it actually reads like I know what I’m talking about! So if you or your loved ones are in the market for a guidebook, check it out.

Also, that Cassette From My Ex piece continues to have legs.