Cheery Chicago!

Hi.. I just returned from Chicago, and true to form, the inhabitants were smiling and eager to share their city. I saw weddings in the street...a zombie festival of young people doing their best to look horrid! AND delighted in a visit to the Chicago Art Institute.

I was in the Windy City to deliver a paper on the Victorian poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and his influence on the poetry of Thomas Merton, a Trappist Monk and prolific writer. The conference was attended by mindful, engaged people from around the world.

I stayed in a hotel-like dorm room at Loyola University, a beautiful campus on the water. No TV, radio or newspapers for 3 days. The whole experience was wonderful!

Cheers!
Mary