Jack M Silverstein

The writing career of Jack M Silverstein began at the age of 3, when he dictated stories to his father about Lassie and Timmy, bulldogs, horses, Go-Bots, and three men named Ted, Ed, and Fed who go down to the shed for a bed. They were great successes.

Silverstein's column "On the John" debuted on September 25, 2001 in the Indiana Daily Student, a story his mother immediately lauded as "really wonderful, Jack." The column "One Team, One Field" examined the adjusted role of sports in America following 9/11, thus making it a fitting start to his column-writing career as it illuminated the connections between sports and greater society.

His first book, "Bear Down and Get Some Runs: A Year in the Life of a Chicago Sports Fan," was finished in the spring of 2006. The underground classic expanded upon his favorite theme: the full role sports play in American life. It is slated for wide-spread physical publication in the autumn of 2010.

Silverstein's columns and essays cover Chicago sports, American social issues, and culture -- his sports work focuses on the Bulls, Bears, and the highly-partisan Chicago baseball scene, aiming to place sports in a broader social context; his community writing covers gun violence, American racism, social hysteria, and post-9/11 politics; his writing on culture covers "The Wire," cinema, hip-hop, 21st century electro, and literary criticism.

He covered the Chicago Iranian movement during the summer of 2009, and the New Trier High School renovation referendum during late 2009/early 2010. His People With Passion interview series is a compelling set of conversations with musicians, educators, writers, and other artists. Series highlights include Alex Kotlowitz and Lee England Jr.

A writing instructor for True Star Magazine, Silverstein delights in sharing his passion for the written word with high school students. He received his Illinois high school certification from National Louis University in Dec. 2008 and has worked as True Star's managing editor for the past two years. His work can be found at readjack.com and readjack.wordpress.com.