Telling a story isn’t just a creative endeavor. There are a lot of technical and mathematical components—hundreds of quick, little equations in the mind—that help determine the best way to arrange the details of a narrative. It can require a lot of patience and determination, which is why a passion for the process is so important.

Since I was a kid growing up in Ohio, I had a great interest in history; particularly the tangibility of living history. Walking on the exact ground where some great event took place, or touching an object once used by a president, a pioneer, or an outlaw; it helped me appreciate how a fascinating story doesn’t just exist in the past. Stories that are preserved continue to resonate because their echoes are still all around us.

This is a long-winded way of explaining why, back in 2015, I launched my own historical museum in Chicago, Illinois, dedicated to the simple “everyday objects” that had been manufactured in that city during the previous century. The Made In Chicago Museum collection was something I managed and curated myself, on a shoestring budget, and it was accompanied by an online museum that stills exists today, featuring articles on hundreds of defunct businesses that had rarely, if ever, had their stories told before. Researching the objects and companies featured in this project was one of the most rewarding experiences of my writing life, as it gradually connected me with countless people who helped fill in the gaps in each story; sharing their memories or the memories of their parents and grandparents who worked for those forgotten enterprises. It also helped me realize that this is the kind of work I want to keep doing .. . making tangible history available to future generations, and telling the stories that preserve the truth about what got us here.