Mackenzie Crosson
Former Temporary Producer, Curious City
Before entering into public radio, Mackenzie spent her time searching the city for visual stories. Her camera has accompanied her to a 24-hour stint in one of Chicago’s longstanding diners, a West Side boxing club, and a ping pong club tucked into the back of a U-Haul rental facility. She grew up in a small town near Detroit and moved to the other side of Lake Michigan to earn degrees in cultural studies and multimedia photojournalism from Columbia College Chicago. After six years in the city, she’s found her home in attending live shows, exploring new blocks, and riding around on her yellow Schwinn road bike.
Stories by Mackenzie Crosson
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Here Are The Winners Of Curious City’s 2020 Haiku Contest
Curious City received 255 submissions for the contest. Here’s who you chose as the winner.
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A Most Unusual School Year: Part I
Two WBEZ education reporters share how a family and a teacher are coping with remote learning.
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Preschool, Kindergarten and Second Grade All In One Garage
Curious City spent a morning with “Podawan Montessori,” a remote learning pod that’s using a Logan Square garage as its classroom.
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Protest Art Has Covered Boarded Up Businesses — Will It Be Preserved?
Plywood boards became canvases for artists across Chicago. As the boards come down, one Chicagoan wonders what will happen to this art.
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I Hope Virtual Therapy Doesn’t Become The Norm When The Pandemic Is Over
A Chicago psychiatrist misses being able to observe her patients in person — their appearance, their body language, their demeanor.
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Providing Fresh Food For My Community Is More Important Than Ever
Safia Rashid says farming helps connect her and her community to their African American heritage. A pandemic can’t take that away.
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I’m Bringing A Baby Into The World In the Middle Of A Pandemic
A new mom. A second child. A midwife. Three stories about how pregnancy, birth and motherhood are changing during the pandemic.
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Is Chicago’s Air Less Polluted Than It Was Before The Stay-At-Home Order?
With less traffic on the roads and some businesses shut, one Curious Citizen wonders if the air we’re breathing is any cleaner.
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I Started Sewing Clothes For My Barbies — Now I’m Sewing Face Masks
Lucy Keating first learned to sew on her grandmother’s Singer sewing machine. Today, she’s reviving her skills to make masks for COVID-19.
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Looking For Quarantine Recipes? Try This Chicago-Invented Dish
Two Albany Park chefs turned a Chinese-Korean chicken dish into a signature Chicago food. Here’s how to make it.
