René OstbergBakery GirlOn a bakery worker’s life, with a little input from Raymond Carver, David Thomson, Anthony Bourdain, and uh, Michelle Pfeiffer16 min read·Mar 7, 2021----
René OstbergHow Chicago’s Graceland Cemetery Built a Prairie and Lost My AncestorsOf all the stories whirling around Chicago’s Graceland Cemetery, the best one, meaning the most Chicago one, isn’t about ghosts or…20 min read·Jan 21, 2020--1--1
René OstberginMemoir Mixtapes“Birthday” by White MysteryBig cities call for big voices to cut through all the noise, and birthdays call for big songs to celebrate being alive. Chicago birthday…3 min read·May 10, 2019----
René OstberginMemoir Mixtapes“Purple Heather” by Van MorrisonVan Morrison’s “Purple Heather” is a song about idyllic summer-end love, but I feel spring whenever I hear it. Maybe it’s because I…3 min read·Apr 26, 2019--1--1
René OstberginMemoir MixtapesRené Recommends: “Rainbow Connection” by Kermit the FrogI did not have a happy end to 2018 or a promising start to 2019.4 min read·Feb 1, 2019----
René OstberginMemoir Mixtapes“Belle” by Al GreenLife and listening to Al Green have taught me two things about the relationship between boundaries and love: romantic love too often comes…3 min read·Dec 21, 2018----
René OstberginMemoir Mixtapes“Party Train” by The Gap BandWhen I was young, I had this notion that life would turn out to be a party. However dissatisfying Midwestern suburban school life was, all…3 min read·Dec 11, 2018----
René OstbergThe Widow’s QuiltWhen the Widow Quinn’s husband died, Mom was the only woman in town who didn’t join in the gossip, who didn’t whisper around that the…25 min read·Oct 3, 2018----
René OstbergDad’s Honor Flight: A Father’s Second Homecoming from the Korean WarUpdate: My father, whose experience I wrote about below, recently passed away, on February 8, 2023. I’m updating this to include a link to…27 min read·Jan 5, 2016----
