A Brief Account of Chicago Literary History

Alley and streets of Chicago

April is National Poetry Month! To celebrate the bicentennial, we’ll be covering a multitude of Illinois literature, from poetry to prose, and plays. Stay tuned as we examine the great writers of Illinois!


Chicago literature has a distinctive, uniquely independent identity which authors draw from the city’s innate sense of power. Chicago was founded as a city of business and much of its early literature was closely tied to journalism, and the histories of Chicago and its inhabitants. Unfortunately, Chicago’s early records and publications were wiped out almost entirely by the Great Fire of 1871. Following the fire, writers began to reshape the identity of Chicago literature.… Read More

Latino Writers in Illinois

A cover from Revista Chicano-Riqueña

April is National Poetry Month! To celebrate the bicentennial, we’ll be covering a multitude of Illinois literature, from poetry to prose, and plays. Stay tuned as we examine the great writers of Illinois!


Often overlooked, Latino writers in Illinois, particularly in Chicago, have been able to create works that bring an understanding of what it means to be Latino in the United States. Writers and poets such as Sandra Cisneros, Ana Castillo, Carlos Cortez, David Hernandez, and others have worked to bring Latino literature and experiences to the forefront. Their writing explores Latino plight, aspirations, and history.

The Latino literary movement coincided with the Chicano Renaissance in the East and Southwest, where Mexican-American writers and artists addressed their communities and reaffirmed their ethnic identities.… Read More

Myra Bradwell: First Woman Admitted to Illinois Bar

Photograph of Myra Bradwell, dated 1870

March is Women’s History Month! We will be celebrating all month long by highlighting some of our favorite inspiring women in Illinois history.


Throughout her life Myra Colby Bradwell was a progressive and tireless advocate for women’s rights. She was born in Manchester, Vermont on February 12, 1831 to parents who were active abolitionists. She grew up in Vermont and New York, and at the age of 12 she and her family moved to Schaumburg Township, Illinois. Myra attended a finishing school in Kenosha, Wisconsin and then a ladies’ seminary in Elgin, Illinois. In 1851, she began a career as a school teacher.… Read More

Labor Activism in Chicago: Elizabeth Chambers Morgan

Photograph of Elizabeth C. Morgan in an 1895 newspaper

March is Women’s History Month! We will be celebrating all month long by highlighting some of our favorite inspiring women in Illinois history.


Abolish the sweat-shops; Arise in your might. We women demand it! By all that is right, By all that is sacred, By all that is just, We urge you go forward; In you is our trust.

The Sweater’s Lament, by Elizabeth Chambers Morgan

Elizabeth Chambers Morgan is one of the inspiring women in Illinois you can learn about here at the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections. She was one of the leading activists and social reformers in the Chicago labor movement during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.… Read More