Author: WBEZ Chicago

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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Mail Art, The Radical Art Form You Didn’t Know About In Chicago

Mail art began in the 1960s with Ray Johnson, who used the postal system to send collages, drawings, and notes as a form of artistic exchange. In Chicago, his ideas sparked a lively community of mail art clubs, turning the city into a central space for this accessible and unconventional art form. Reset learns about the history of mail art from Sofia Canale-Parola, multi-media artist and Ray Johnson Project Cataloger for the Art Institute; Derek Erdman, founder of Friend Club (Mail Art Correspondence Club); and Marissa Yelnick, member of the Friend Club. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Are The Kids Alright? How Chicago’s Youth Are Doing In 2025

Mental health struggles, community violence, and chronic absenteeism are the biggest challenges facing young people in Chicago today, according to a new report from the nonprofit A Better Chicago. But the youth remain hopeful for their future. Reset hears from Beth Swanson, CEO of A Better Chicago, and artist Diana Gomez to learn how we can best support Chicago youth. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Are The Kids Alright? How Chicago’s Youth Are Doing In 2025

Mental health struggles, community violence, and chronic absenteeism are the biggest challenges facing young people in Chicago today, according to a new report from the nonprofit A Better Chicago. But the youth remain hopeful for their future. Reset hears from Beth Swanson, CEO of A Better Chicago, and artist Diana Gomez to learn how we can best support Chicago youth. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Curious City - How sweet the sound: The history of Evanston folk coffeehouse AmazinGrace

Folk music surged in popularity across America in the late 1950s through the ‘70s, including here in the Chicago area. Last episode, we looked at how a few area coffeehouses catered to many patrons in their teens and early twenties. These were alcohol-free spaces where people could listen to live music and hangout for hours. Curious City host Erin Allen looks at one of those beloved coffeeshops of the 1970s: AmazinGrace, which was born out of Vietnam War protests on the campus of Northwestern University and later moved to the heart of downtown Evanston. She was joined by a panel of AmazinGrace founders, performers and patrons at last year’s Evanston Folk Festival. WBEZ is a programming partner of the Evanston Folk Festival, which is taking place this year Sept. 6-7, 2025. A pre-sale is happening now through April 22. Enter the code EFFWBEZ to access the sale.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - One Of Illinois’ Top Republicans Still Has Nothing But Confidence in Trump’s Policies

Back on Inauguration Day in January, Reset spoke with Kathy Salvi, the chair of the Illinois Republican Party. At the time, she said that concerns that President Trump’s mass deportation policies would overreach and extend to students, legal residents and citizens were unfounded and a result of “fearmongering.” Nearly three months into the Trump administration, we check back in with her to hear her thoughts on how tariffs and the president’s mass deportation agenda are impacting Illinois residents and businesses. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - Challenge Yourself To Buy ‘No New Things’

In a world where we’re constantly being bombarded with advertisements and multimillion-dollar marketing campaigns, we’re bound to hit “Add to cart” without a second thought. In the new book No New Things, author Ashlee Piper issues a challenge, where — you guessed it — you don’t buy anything new. Reset sits down with Piper to learn why we have so much stuff and where to start saving our money, time and minds. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - From Retirement To A Potential ‘Trumpcession,’ Let’s Talk Finances

President Trump’s back-and-forth on tariffs in recent days has led to major ups and downs in the stock market, worrying investors. So, what, if any, changes should people consider making to their portfolios. Reset gets tips from the director of personal finance and retirement planning with the firm Morningstar, author of 30-Minute Money Solutions: A Step-by-Step Guide to Managing Your Finances Christine Benz. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - US International Students At Risk Of Deportation

All over the country, international students are having their student visas revoked. Their respective universities and the federal government have provided little to no information regarding why their status was changed. Most recently, students at the University of Chicago have been targeted. Reset explores the issue further with Professor of American constitutional law at the University of Chicago Genevieve Lakier and Coordinator for the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration Jin Kim. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
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Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons - The Marketbox Project: Neighbors Who Eat And Dream Together

Marketbox, started in April 2020, is a twice-monthly food delivery program based on a model of neighbors funding farms to feed neighbors. Some of the co-founders are envisioning a new way to engage neighbors, over shared meals and discussions of pressing issues facing the community. Reset learns more about the Marketbox Lecture Series with co-founders Mara Heneghan and Maira Khwaja. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.