Heidi Stevens
chicagotribune.com
Chicago, IL, United States
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Past articles by Heidi:
Column: Stop pretending book bans are all about sex. If we ban books, ‘we will be banning knowledge, culture, empathy,’ says Illinois secretary of state.
We elect our representatives to solve our problems, not distract us from them. Book bans are a distraction. → Read More
Column: On a tree-lined golf course, a bright red wind phone invites visitors to connect with their departed loved ones
The Canal Shores wind phone was placed in June in honor of Oliver Leopold, an Evanston native who died unexpectedly in 2021 at age 19. → Read More
Column: The decimation of National Geographic — an imperfect witness to the world — disconnects us from each others’ humanity
I feel a sense of sorrow because this marks a further fraying of the connective tissue we so desperately need to bind us to one another. → Read More
Column: ‘What’s a human life for?’ How a rainy Denver weekend reminded me machines have nothing on humanity
I don’t know what power I, or most any of us, have to slow down AI’s certain march. I can’t worry too much about stuff I can’t control. → Read More
Column: How training for a marathon is teaching me (hopefully) to rest
For a long time I resented running and people who excelled at it. It represented things I didn’t feel I had — freedom, time, a strong heart. → Read More
Column: ‘It’s relational adhesive.’ The beauty of seeing kids and their parents sitting shoulder to shoulder at Taylor Swift
Of course parents need to parent. But all that goes better with a heaping side of joy, connection and side-by-side singing at a concert. → Read More
Column: ‘I find joy there.’ Volunteer architecture tour guide draws healing from a winding river.
Patricia Grund learned a lesson that applies to all of us: If it gives you joy? Go do that. If it brings you peace? Go do that. → Read More
Column: He was almost bullied out of ballet but now he’s a Juilliard grad. What one student’s journey can teach about this moment in time.
What if the power of art to inspire us is the lens we looked through when we’re deciding what our kids should read, see, hear, learn? → Read More
Column: E. Jean Carroll ruling sets progress into motion. That’s just as important as what it means for Trump.
I want our attention to linger, just a little longer, on how this ruling helps more survivors feel empowered. → Read More
Column: When a voice from the past reminds you of the power and pull of human connection
As consistently as we humans disappoint each other and fail each other, we still feel pulled to share what’s precious with each other. → Read More
Column: I love everything about college rejection parties, except that they’re necessary. How parents can help.
Don’t underestimate the power of reminding your teen that your love and awe and affection are in no way tied to college admissions. → Read More
Column: What a girl and a guinea pig in Ukraine can teach us about human connection
This story is from NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly, who has written a new book called “It. Goes. So. Fast: The Year of No Do-Overs.” → Read More
Column: ‘There is no flag for poor rights.’ Why the wealthiest country in the world has so much poverty — and what to do about it
Matthew Desmond's new book, “Poverty, by America,” looks at the factors that exacerbate — and benefit from — poverty. → Read More
Column: It’s not tampons. Or drag queens. Or Renaissance art. It’s guns. And they’re laying waste to our children.
Guns are the leading cause of death for American children. And we’re banning drag queen story time. → Read More
Column: Disney hosting LGBTQ summit is a poke in DeSantis’ eye — and a ripple effect toward progress
For a place as cemented in family-friendly lore as Disney to get a taste of political wrath and still choose inclusion? It’s powerful. → Read More
Column: It’s tempting to shame parents looking down at their phones. But what if we tried a more gracious approach?
Phones are how we catch parents publicly daring to be more than one thing at a time. → Read More
Column: Powerful emotions are ‘a feature, not a bug’ for teens. New book helps navigate them with grace and humanity.
Author Lisa Damour aims to debunk the myth that teenagers are only mentally healthy when they feel consistently good. → Read More
Column: New Legos line celebrates wider spectrum of human experience. It’s not ‘woke.’ It’s awake.
The fear is if kids grow up respecting the full human experience … they will go on to vote in a way that’s not pleasing to fearmongers. → Read More
Column: ‘We don’t have to live this way and our children shouldn’t die this way.’ Sorrow, reckoning after another mass shooting
We know the routine: Shooting. Outrage. Sorrow. Thoughts and prayers. Finger pointing. Deflection. Hold our breath for the next one. → Read More
Column: Aging is a game that women can’t win. Madonna should play by whatever rules she wants.
When she walked onstage at the Grammy Awards to introduce artists Sam Smith and Kim Petras, the internet burst into shame flames. → Read More