South of the storefront Baptist churches, fish and chicken shacks, and the yellow and red signs of block-to-block currency exchanges, Southside Occupational Academy sits nestled on the 7000 block of Hoyne Avenue. Near Lindblom Park, where geese play in abandoned football fields, the yards are overgrown and homes with boarded-up windows have “Mallory for alderman” spray painted across the plywood. The blinking blue lights of police surveillance cameras and handwritten “We accept Link” notices in convenience store windows announce the neighborhood’s poverty with glaring clarity. But the blocks immediately surrounding Southside Occupational Academy are somehow different. The rundown streets morph into quiet residential strips with simply kept, unassuming homes where neighbors exchange pleasantries over front porch cups of coffee. The location, a surprising escape from the troubled West Englewood community, seems an almost perfect place to receive an education. The block’s tranquility isn’t mirrored within the school; there is nothing quiet about Southside Occupational. A vocational public high school for students with mild to severe cognitive disabilities, it operates at almost 150 percent ...

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“Create and print your own book now!” “Book publishing in 4 to 6 weeks!” “Fast & affordable book publishing service. Download free guide now!” Ads aimed at amateur writers fill the Yellow Pages and Internet search engines, but how do publishing hopefuls navigate through an industry of rejected manuscripts, cutthroat competition, agents and editors? David Lazar and Michael Bartlett, two published Columbia professors, share their insights, experiences and accomplishments. Tip #1: Be prepared for a long process When Lazar’s manuscript was named first runner-up in the Association of Writers and Writing Programs award series, he was certain its publication was in the bag. Instead, it went through eight years of recrafting and reworking before The Body of Brooklyn, a collection of personal essays, was published. Lazar, director of Columbia’s Creative Nonfiction program, is not lacking in credentials. He completed the first doctoral program in creative nonfiction in the country. Four of his essays have been named Notable Essays of the Year by Best American Essays. His work has appeared in countless prominent literary magazines. So what hope is there for the sweaty ...

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What’s a hungry college student to do? Standing in the produce department, I weighed my options. I could buy one organic cucumber or three regular cucumbers for the same price. My fridge and bank account were nearly empty. What was the difference? Were a few pesticides really going to kill me? According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the federal agency that sets national standards for organic foods, “Organic food is produced by  farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations.” This means that meat, poultry and eggs come from animals raised without antibiotics or growth hormones, and produce is grown without the use of chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. The amount of chemicals found in conventionally grown food varies widely depending on the product and its origins, so you can only be sure a food is pesticide-free if you buy organic. But since organic food can cost twice as much as its conventional counterpart, health-conscious consumers on a budget ...

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