Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Shep Murray saw a good chunk of the world early on in his life, thanks to his parents — both of whom were travel writers. Eleven years ago when he and his younger brother, Ian, founded Vineyard Vines — a line of clothing and accessories that evokes a crisp, preppy vibe — the siblings kept their travels in mind.
Best known for her series of “Shopaholic” books, including the bestselling “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” Sophie Kinsella is using technology to promote her latest novel, “Twenties Girl.” The avid traveler is staying put (temporarily) in England to participate in a series of Skype events with fans across the United States. This is a change of pace for the 39-year-old author and fashionista. Whether it’s taking a quick weekend trip to England’s Cornwall, vacationing in exotic Oman or enjoying a margarita at New York’s La Esquina, the former financial reporter is always up for a good trip.
Ever since her 1995 hit single “One of Us,” Joan Osborne has remained a strong presence in the music world, collaborating with members of the Grateful Dead, participating in the Lilith Fair concerts and appearing in the documentary “Standing in the Shadows of Motown.” The 47-year-old singer-songwriter is now playing dates nationwide to support her latest CD “Little Wild One.”
Madeleine Sophie Townley is known as Mrs. Wickham at her home in England, where she lives with her husband and their three sons. But to fans worldwide, she is known as Sophie Kinsella, author of the best-selling “Shopaholic” books. “Confessions of a Shopaholic” is the best known of that series, thanks in part to the recent film adaptation of the same name.
Comedian Jamie Kennedy is used to getting laughs in the United States, thanks to his work in the “Scream” films and his TV show “The Jamie Kennedy Experiment.” But making foreign audiences laugh wasn’t something he felt confident he could accomplish.
During the 1990s, Juliana Hatfield was the It Girl for alternative rock. More accessible and cooler than Courtney Love, Hatfield had a knack for penning clever songs with her group Blake Babies. She was an indie sensation that girls wanted to emulate and boys wanted to date. What her fans didn’t know was that Hatfield was battling both an eating disorder and depression. She contemplated jumping out a window — not, she says, to commit suicide, but so that she could escape her depression.
Paul Feig has made a career out of capturing children’s angst. As the creator of the critically acclaimed but short-lived TV series “Freaks and Geeks,” Feig succinctly captured the lives of teenagers. With Ignatius MacFarland: Frequenaut!, Feig tackles his first children’s book.
Emo Philips has fond memories of Chicago. The Downers Grove native may be based in Los Angeles now, but he credits the Windy City for giving him his big break.
Margaret Cho knows a thing or two about traveling. After beginning her standup career at 16, she toured the United States nonstop, bringing her unique brand of comedy to venues across the country. At 26, she broke barriers with her short-lived ABC sitcom “All-American Girl,” where she played a fictionalized version of herself. It was the first American television series where all the lead actors were Asian-American. In her standup routines, Cho talks frankly about how producers asked her at times to try to be more — and less — Asian. Now 39, Cho is ready to debut her new VH1 series “The Cho Show.”
The always-dapper Chris Isaak may slip into his famous mirror-ball suit during Saturday’s show at the Morton Arboretum.
Four decades before 15-year-old Miley Cyrus caused a media uproar for posing for photographs that implied she was nude, Janis Ian — then also 15 — wrote the critically acclaimed song “Society’s Child.” A thoughtful look at interracial dating, the song was deemed too controversial to play on many radio stations across the country. A few years later, Ian would become a pop star, thanks to her best-known song, “At Seventeen,” which told the universal tale, “Dreams were all they gave for free, to ugly duckling girls like me.”
In “Gutenberg! The Musical!,” two actors portray 30 different characters (of both sexes!) and sing 15 songs in a show about Johann Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press. Clearly, this isn’t your typical play.
Three decades ago, Henry Winkler was best known for his role as the Fonz on “Happy Days.” These days, the actor has a whole new generation of fans, thanks to his Hank Zipzer: The World’s Greatest Underachiever series of children’s books. Hank, an irrepressible fourth-grader, deals with dyslexia, bullies and a potential love interest in the latest installment — The Life of Me: Enter at Your Own Risk ($5.99, Gosset & Dunlap) — which just hit book stores.
Phoning from her California home after her stint on “Celebrity Apprentice” was completed, Marilu Henner is in a chatty mood. Born and reared in Chicago, the actress best known for her work on “Taxi” gives a verbal high-five to her interviewer, whose accent she immediately recognizes as one from her hometown.
In 1997, Kimberla Lawson Roby couldn’t get an agent or a publishing house interested in her first novel. Today she’s a New York Times best-selling author who writes a book every year for a major distributor. Her latest juicy work of fiction is “Sin No More,” which revisits her most popular character, the Rev. Curtis Black.
Fairy tales often end happily ever after the couple vows to each other, “I do.” Anastasia Royal knows better. With her debut novel “Undoing I Do,” the Wilmette-based author paints a funny, poignant and realistic portrait of what happens when a golden couple’s marriage unravels.
Since winning the Academy Award for her breakthrough performance in “Children of a Lesser God,” Marlee Matlin has been renowned for her acting. But Matlin also is an accomplished author of children’s books.
When Karen Underhill entered his office 18 years ago, psychiatrist Richard Baer had no idea that his troubled patient would become the subject of his debut book, “Switching Time.”
“It’s an amazing time for me,” says Courtney Thorne-Smith. Besides starring in the popular ABC sitcom “According to Jim,” the 39-year-old actress is happily married, pregnant with her first child and has just made her debut as an author with the juicy novel Outside In.
When Beth Kohl was working on her M.F.A. at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she didn’t want to be known as “that IVF” woman. By then, she had already gained a reputation for writing eloquent class assignments about her reproductive journey — which would become the seed for her debut as an author. But she didn’t want to be pigeonholed.