Noted photojournalist headlines Authors Fair
Just back from Paris, where his world-class black-and-whites are showcased in a new gallery exhibit, photojournalist Art Shay will headline the second annual Elgin Authors Fair this weekend in downtown Elgin.
The event, which offers free admission and free hors d'oeuvres, takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Elgin Public House, 219 E. Chicago St.
A renowned photographer for Life, Time, Sports Illustrated, The Saturday Evening Post, The New York Times Magazine and other publications, Shay has captured countless faces on film, running the gamut from the nameless on the streets of Chicago to the famous in Hollywood and Washington.
"Everybody throws around the term 'living legend,'" said George Rawlinson, organizer of the Elgin Authors Fair.
"Art Shay is a real living legend. I don't think you can name five celebrities from the '40s through the '70s that Art Shay didn't photograph. And that includes presidents."
One of Shay's most well-known and controversial photos is a nude shot of French feminist Simone de Beauvoir, taken from behind. He's got classics of Marlon Brando, Muhammed Ali, the Chicago Mob, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Hugh Hefner.
One of his favorite anecdotes is the time he "slept with" -- next to -- Liz Taylor in the back of a Chicago-bound TWA plane two weeks after her photo shoot.
Shay chronicled history, covering the Kennedy-Nixon debate and the aftermath of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. At the 1968 Democratic National Convention, he framed the ironic "Welcome Democrats" message on the Chicago Hilton marquee through a bevy of National Guard bayonets.
But Shay has always had a flair for photographic puns, ever since his skill and wit first met up on film at age 17. It was on a snowy New York street that he got a picture of three stalled trucks of differing sizes, each bearing the name of "Co-Op."
"I had all three trucks cooperating, trying to get out of the snow, and I thought that was pretty funny," Shay recalls. "I sold it to the local paper for $5."
After 60 years behind the lens, the Deerfield resident has published more than 25,000 images. A thousand made it to magazine covers.
He has produced 60 books -- and not all are photography collections.
Shay was a writer for Life before he was a photographer, and he still is a storyteller who communicates equally well by camera or keyboard. He has written children's and sports books and a couple of plays; he's still at it at 86.
Shay even wrote a story about his own heart surgery a few years ago for The New York Times, taking pictures from his gurney on the way to anesthesia.
But for 12 years, Shay's number one subject was Nelson Algren, the renowned Chicago writer who became de Beauvoir's lover and Shay's good friend.
In 1988, he published "Nelson Algren's Chicago," and Shay's latest book is "Chicago's Nelson Algren." He signed copies of the book at the Paris exhibit, and will be bringing more when he comes to Elgin on Sunday.
Rawlinson said about 400 people turned out when the authors fair debuted last year and promised this year will be just as engaging.
"These are good writers, and they're also very good conversationalists," he said. "These are not shrinking violets, by any means. These are people who know how to tell a story and spin an anecdote."
The event is part of Elgin's Preservation Month.
"We are preserving the written word," Rawlinson said. "Preservation isn't just bricks and mortar. Preserving the arts is every bit as important as preserving architecture."
For more information about the Elgin Authors Fair, call (847) 902-3664.
If you go
What: Elgin Authors Fair
When: 1 to 4 p.m. today
Where: Elgin Public House, 219 E. Chicago St.
How much? Admission and hors d'oeuvres are free
Info: Call (847) 902-3664
Writers appearing at Elgin Authors Fair
Three Chicago authors will have their books at the Elgin Authors Fair:
Stump Connolly, a political reporter and campaign correspondent for five presidential elections. Connolly is the author of "Stump: a Campaign Journal" and "Talk's Cheap, Let's Race: Posts Along the Campaign Trail."
Donald G. Evans, formerly Chicago Sun-Times sports reporter, now a humorist and short-story author. His debut novel, "Good Money After Bad," is a comically dramatic depiction of Chicago's gambling community.
Heather Haneman, a professional dancer and author of the funny, flamboyant new book, "Big Wigs: Stories of a Straight Girl in a Drag Queen's World."
Featured authors from the suburbs include:
Elliott Anderson, an Elgin pastor and father of four who chronicled his and his wife's struggle with infertility and journey to parenthood. His book is called "Answers in Abundance: A Miraculous Adoption Journey as Told from a Father's Heart."
Bill Briska of Elgin, who wrote "History of the Elgin Mental Health Center" and co-authored "Elgin Time: A History of the Elgin National Watch Company, 1864 to 1968."
Luisa Buehler of Lisle, creator of the popular Grace Marsden mystery series.
Deborah Finley of Island Lake, who wrote "What Your Future Holds and What You Can Do to Change It." After surviving a traumatic childhood and witnessing her father's murder, Finley had a life-changing encounter that gave her first-time hope.
Rachel Gies, of St. Charles, author of "Captured Pearl" and "One Size Fits Most." Her new book, "The Darkness Within," is a mystery thriller.
Patricia Hill, a professional landscape designer in Elgin and author of "Design Your Natural Midwest Garden."
Marlin Keesler, whose book, "Our Life on the Run: A Story of Running 50 Marathons in 50 States -- A Family Quest," tells how his Streamwood family's ties were strengthened through their adventures.
Mike Powers, an Elgin city councilman who wrote "All-American Stories: Elgin Myths and Memories," a remembrance of growing up in the Fox Valley during the 1960s and '70s.
Natalie Rompella, an Elginite and author of the illustrated children's book "Don't Squash That Bug."
Art Shay (see main story)
Steve Stroud of Elgin, author of "There Used to Be: A Look Back at Elgin's Architectural Heritage," volumes I and II.