By Jimmy Briseno, Len Kody and Dan Dougherty As we enter the Spring and Summer of 2020, it seems that things are generally, well, up in the air for all of us to put it very mildly, which is why we thought the above header image seemed particularly apropos. COVID-19 has impacted all of our […]
Comic Updates
Back of the Yards! – Our Inaugural Comic Story
Written by Len Kody What if your dreams became real? It doesn’t get more real than Back of the Yards, on the South Side of Chicago, when you’re growing up as a teen. It’s where fantasy and the power of story can build resilience, foster healing and lead to greater understanding. Based on the stories […]
Andre Davis – Superhero from the South Side of Chicago?
Written by Len Kody A Boy With Big Ideas All of our stories and characters in Back of the Yards aren’t really entirely ours. We are but humble stewards to the exciting new narrative avenues Jimmy Briseno discovered while facilitating the Made Collaborative After School Arts Program with real urban youth in Chicago. Indeed, this […]
Tamia Parker – “Back of the Yards” Character (Our Heroine)
Written by Len Kody A Tragic Love Story on the Southside of Chicago Is there anything as powerful and mysterious as first love? The dizzying highs and lows have long inspired song and verse. Tamia Parker, like so many young girls her age, confides her deepest thoughts and feelings to a well-worn journal that she […]
The Elders – “Back of the Yards” Characters (The Wise Men)
Written by Len Kody and Jimmy Briseno The Elders: Three Wise Guys The Funky Finger of Fate Three wise-cracking wise guys man a permanent post around a pickle barrel in front of Kozlow’s General Store. They are Peaches, Dex and Big Earl. Although these distinguished gentlemen of the neighborhood are officially retired from whatever eclectic […]
Mr. Castañeda: Mentor and Mystery Man
Written by Len Kody Who is Mr. Castañeda? An urban public high school is like a village unto itself. It has all the size and social intricacies of a small town. New City High is attended by some 1,800 students and faculty each day; every year that population changes as kids grow up and teachers […]
Russell & Draymond Wallace – “Back of the Yards” Character (Our Day Dreamer)
Written by Len Kody Russell and Draymond: Closer Than Brothers A Shared Sense of Story There’s a magical time in a young person’s life, before the opposite sex becomes quite so interesting, when the diaphanous membrane between dreams and reality is at its most permeable. It’s a time when dreams can be shared easily between […]