John R. Powers Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Insights to Growing up in Chicago
A Tale of an Ordinary Life

July 30, 2007 (Chicago, IL) – In stories from childhood to adulthood, ranging from the south side to the north side, Loyola Press author John Powers shares classic tales of a Chicago Catholic upbringing.

“You write what you know about,” says Powers. “No one had ever written a book about the culture of growing up Catholic.  I wanted to write a humorous social portrait of Catholicism in the mid-twentieth century.”  

Brought back by popular demand, John Powers will be “seen” during the month of August on the CTA redline.  Loyola Press is running the advertising campaign: “From Comiskey to the confessional  – John Powers, Chicago’s storyteller.” The ads encourage people to go to a website where they can share their own nostalgic story of growing up in Chicago.

Drawing from his own life experiences Powers tells a tale of Eddie Ryan as he grows up in the in the ’50s and ’60s in his trilogy Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?, The Last Catholic in America, and The Unoriginal Sinner and the Ice-Cream God. Named “the worst altar boy ever” early in his smart-aleck career, Powers shares dead-on observations of oddball classmates, eccentric teachers, and unforgettable first dates in ways that leave readers nodding their heads and laughing in recognition.

John Powers’ trilogy is a part of the Loyola Classic line, which features fresh editions of long-acclaimed Catholic novels that have been edited and published for modern readers interested in the timeless themes of religious fiction.

Powers has a BA in sociology from Loyola University in Chicago, and a MA and PhD in communications from Northwestern University.  In 1979 a musical production of Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? opened in Chicago and ran there for three years.  It is still regularly performed across the country.

Learn more about Powers and his novels at www.loyolapress.com/powers.  

 

For interviews with John Powers please contact Molly Hart (Director of Communications, 773-281-1818 x240, hart@loyolapress.com)

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Loyola Press, founded in 1912, is a nonprofit publishing company committed to meeting the spiritual and educational needs of individuals, parishes and families by providing resources that support children’s faith formation, language arts education and whole community catechesis.  As an apostolate of the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), Loyola Press is dedicated to providing a wide variety of literature on topics including Ignatian prayer & spirituality, saints, ongoing spiritual growth, Catholic life and history. www.loyolapress.com

 

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