Featured Post

An Interview With Simon Loxley

Thursday, December 3, 2020

Something About Illinois

Illinois

Comes an echo on the breeze!

Birthday greetings to Illinois as it celebrates its 202 year since admission to the country. I feel like celebrating but I haven’t been to the state in almost a decade and I doubt I get there or anywhere soon.

Our man Bellairs lived in the state off-and-on during the 1960s. He visited Chicago during the late 1950s as an undergrad and moved to the Windy City for graduate school. Bellairs lived in a handful of places most notably the International House where students from different countries could live and interact with each other. 

Then, after a short stint in Minnesota, Bellairs wound up in Mount Carroll, up in the northwestern corner of the state. This was the one-time (and first) home to Shimer College at the time. Bellairs taught there for two semesters – one full school year – before leaving for England.

I’m trying to imagine what a birthday cake for the state would look like. Maybe a Lincoln log-type of roll cake? What is your favorite place or thing in the Land of Lincoln?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

My favorite thing is that it is the original home of Ray Bradbury and I was like to think of the northern part of Illinois there is still rural as his October Country.