The newly released podcast Division Street Revisited follows up on the stories of “uncelebrated” people in Studs Terkel’s groundbreaking 1967 oral history, Division Street: America. Pulitzer Prize winner Mary Schmich interviewed the original subjects’ families, and for the first time in a podcast, we get to hear the astonishing stories of where life took them. 

Join us at the Museum for one of seven free listening club events, moderated by Schmich. The episode focuses on the legacy of Mary Ward Wolkonsky, who used her wealth to make Chicago a cosmopolitan city and create opportunities for women.    

Other listening sessions will take place online with a final in-person session at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music.  

Free; registration required  

About the podcast: https://www.mharris.com/divisionstreetrevisited 

Episode description: In a time when women’s opportunities were limited, Mary Ward Wolkonsky used her wealth to make Chicago a cosmopolitan city and create opportunities for women. Often considered a “socialite,” she was more accurately described as an “ambassador for Chicago.” But the demands of her husband’s corporate roles also limited her sphere to volunteer boards, not the boardroom. Wolkonsky didn’t call herself a feminist but was a strong supporter of reproductive rights.