Consider us for your year-end giving. Donate Today!

FEAR ITSELF: A People’s Salon

ESSC Photo by Matthew Gregory Hollis
When

Oct 30, 2024
6:00pm–9:00pm

Where

Haymarket House
800 W Buena Ave
Chicago, IL 60613

Cost

Free. Registration is required.

The next experience in Illinois Humanities' public conversation series, A People’s Salon, centers on FEAR and will accompany a chef-forward menu from the culinary studio TXA TXA Club

With so much on the line and so many valid reasons for anxiety and concern, it can be easy to move through the world in a state of fear. 

Our special guests (Coya Paz, Senator Peters, Mary Williamson, and Dr. Willie Mae Jackson) for this salon remind us to find strength and courage from the small triumphs, collective victories, and inspiring possibilities that abound around us. 

After all, we’ve nothing to fear but…

Fear Itself SM Tile 2 web

The Presenters and Performers

Dr. Willie Mae Jackson
Dr Willie Mae Jackson headshot_Fear Itself

Willie Mae Jackson, M.D., M.A. is a Board-Certified Adult and Forensic Psychiatrist. She was raised on the west side of Chicago and attended Chicago Public Schools throughout her life. Dr. Jackson attended the University of Illinois at Chicago where she completed a Bachelor of Arts in psychology with a minor in theater. She received a Master of Arts degree at Roosevelt University and a Medical degree at Ross University School of Medicine.

Dr. Jackson completed her psychiatry training at the University of Louisville School of Medicine and a forensic psychiatry fellowship at Northwestern Feinberg School of  Medicine. Currently, Dr. Jackson works as a forensic psychiatrist in private practice. 

Dr. Jackson has embarked on a second career as a psychological thriller fictional writer. Her novels, Make It Right and Dark Protection are available on Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com.

Follow Dr. Jackson on Instagram and Facebook where she advocates for reducing mental stigma.

Coya Paz
Paz Coya headshot

Coya Paz is a writer, director, and lip gloss connoisseur who was raised in Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, and the United States. 

Paz is the Strategic Director of Free Street Theater, which has been using performance to challenge Chicago racial and economic segregation since 1969, and served as the founding co-Artistic Director of Teatro Luna for nine years. 

Coya is an Associate Professor in The Theatre School at DePaul University and holds a PhD in Performance Studies from Northwestern University, where she researched public violence as performance. She is the co-author (with Chloe Johnston) of Ensemble-Made Chicago: A Guide to Devised Theater

Above all, she believes in the power of poetry and performance to build community towards social change. Visit her on the web at coyapaz.com.

Photo by Jazmin Corona

Senator Robert Peters
Senator Peters 2024 Headshot

State Senator Robert Peters has a deep passion for public service cultivated by numerous events throughout his life that left a profound impact on him and the people he cares about. He is a proud South Sider and an even prouder Chicagoan.

As a community organizer, Peters successfully fought to require Cook County judges to set affordable bail amounts for all defendants, leading to a substantial reduction in the Cook County Jail population since it took effect in July 2017. As a state senator, Peters has continued to advocate for the people in the 13th District and beyond, such as seeing his gender-based violence re-sentencing legislation through to becoming law. This law helped Crystal Martinez, a survivor of domestic violence, win early release and will undoubtedly have a positive impact on hundreds of survivors across Illinois.

Peters is committed to criminal justice reform, creating clean energy jobs, and fighting for quality public education. He is passionate about his work and takes pride in being a community-driven public servant.

Mary Williamson
Mary Williamson

Mary Williamson (she/they) is an actor, writer, and visual artist who is proud to call Chicago home. Her work often focuses on themes of gender, sexuality, body, horror, and humor. She is a founding member and former Creative Director of The Inconvenience, the host and writer of The Fly Honey Show, a regular contributor to Salonathon, and she has worked with dozens of theater companies in the city. She graduated from The Theatre School at DePaul University with a BFA in acting and her work as both a performer and gore designer has been nominated for awards by Jeff Awards, Time Out Chicago, and Broadway World

Theater credits

  • Mrs. Harrison (Indiana Repertory Theatre)
  • Twelfth Night (Writer’s Theatre)
  • The Minutes (Steppenwolf Theatre)
  • Sender (Urbanite/A Red Orchid Theatre)
  • Reverb (Red Twist)
  • Engines and Instruments of Flight (The Goodman Theatre)
  • Three Sisters (The Hypocrites)
  • Hit The Wall (The Inconvenience/Steppenwolf Theatre)

TV and Film credits

  • Chicago Fire
  • Chicago PD
  • The Red Line
  • Bobby and Iza
  • Shrink
  • Swipe Up Vivian
  • Rideshare
  • Holy Trinity

More About...

TXA TXA Club
Txa txa club logo orange

TXA TXA Club is a creative culinary studio based in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Their team of artists, chefs, writers, stylists, and food activists is dedicated to making and sharing food through their catering program and monthly supper club that redefines hospitality and the dining scene through community and artistic collaborations.

Haymarket House
Haymarket House type 01 1

Haymarket House, a community space in the heart of Chicago's Uptown neighborhood and home to Haymarket Books, hosts political, cultural, literary, and community events. They are committed to uplifting the work of writers, artists, thinkers, activists, and educators who are committed to all struggles for a better world.

Venue Parking and Directions

Parking

Haymarket House is located in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. There is limited, free parking in the building’s parking lot accessible via Clarendon Avenue. There is also free street parking nearby.

Parking for a fee is available at nearby Walter Disney Magnet School on Clarendon Avenue and Belle Plaine Avenue about a block away.

Directions

The 146, 151, and 36 buses stop nearby. The CTA Red Line at Sheridan or Wilson is about 7 blocks away.

Get driving directions here.

Accessibility

Haymarket House is equipped with a ramp from the parking lot to the main floor, elevators, and accessible, all-gender restrooms. There are a few steps leading up to the front door of the building.

If you require accommodations to participate in this event fully, please contact Zerline Thompson at events@ilhumanities.org at least 48 hours before the event.

Vegan and vegetarian options will be available. Please list any food allergies when registering.

A People's Salon

 A People’s Salon is a series of four energizing evenings of chef-driven meals, creative performances, and lively discussions about the big ideas and cultural movements of our moment. Each salon is curated around important current issues and features artists, thinkers, and organizers who will present original works that spark connections between our lived experiences, expert opinions, and the futures we want to see.

Learn more