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Digital Stream by Mike McGowan

A poem by Site Unseen 2009 artist Mike McGowan:

Click “Read more” to view Mr. McGowan’s biography and join us at the Chicago Cultural Center on Monday, November 9 to view more of his work.

Mike McGowan (poetry) was born in Jersey City on Woody Allen’s 20th birthday, the same day Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat. His mother was watching a Marx Brothers’ movie at the time. His father was a newspaper reporter who taught him not to believe everything he read. His mother, a daughter of Irish immigrants, raised 5 children, and is one of the kindest people you could meet.

He grew up near a popular Jersey shore resort in an era when children roamed free, families dressed for church, parents smoked cigarettes, drunks were funny, politicians got shot, vegetables came in rectangular frozen blocks, professional athletes had regular jobs in the off-season, and America learned again (and later forgot again) that the harder you try to defeat a determined enemy in their own country the more determined they get.

In his adult life, Mike mostly played in his 20’s, married a beautiful actress and hung out with theatre people in his 30’s, and focused most of his energy during his 40’s on raising two smart and funny boys. A twist of fate, Parkinson’s Disease, brought about early retirement in his early 50’s (from a career he didn’t like all that much, anyway), and now, other than his family, he focuses his attention mostly on writing, photography and volunteer work. He and his family live in Oak Park, IL.