Ask the Author: What are you working on now?

From a Westmont Citizens Police Academy Alumni member

Answer: I’ve been trying to get a project off the ground for the last year of so with a photographer colleague of mine, Brian Palm (http://www.bmpalm.com/). For the last 7-8 years, Brian’s been taking photos of Chicago buildings before the wrecking ball hits. This started as a college project and has developed into a real passionate pursuit for Brian. These buildings, Brian always tells me, “are like time machines into our past.” Brian’s work, which has been featured in the Chicago Tribune and on WTTW’s “Chicago Tonight,” shows how our city’s character is evolving—some might say disappearing—in the name of progress.

For each of Brian’s photos, I’m looking to tell a short story or anecdote about the specific building. Some of the buildings Brian has shot speak for themselves—The Chicago Defender offices, Rainbo Roller Rink, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange—but others are residences, churches, businesses, and the like. We’re looking to humanize these buildings, urging others to consider what we lose as a city when buildings fall and the history likely fades with them.

We’re looking to get funding for the project so that we can put it in book form, perhaps even pairing it with an exhibition. If you know of anyone, send them my way—wink, wink.

Ask the Author is a running series of live audience or reader questions directed at On the Job author Daniel P. Smith. The series, which appears each Monday, is aimed at providing greater insight into Smith’s work in researching and writing On the Job: Behind the Stars of the Chicago Police Department as well as the book’s content. A speaker noted for his energy and engaging style, Smith is available for presentations at a wide range of events, including private book clubs, Citizen Police Academy meetings, libraries, senior centers, and schools. Please contact him directly at smithwriting@gmail.com to schedule an event.

Are you a reader with a question for On the Job author Daniel P. Smith? Send it to smithwriting@gmail.com.