Chicago Matters: Inside House: Stories of Home

Some say home is where the heart is—a sanctuary where we turn to renew relationships with ourselves and our families. There we can truly be ourselves and define who we will become. In this eloquent series Executive Producer Julia McEvoy has captured a range of stories defining rich meanings of “home.” Aired in the Spring of 2002 as part of Chicago Matters: Inside Housing, this program from McEvoy, Writer/Producer Alex Kotlowitz and Producer Amy Dorn, offers a window into the unusual ways in which individuals define home as far more than a house or an apartment. Seeking stories that examine our relationships to the idea rather than the physical structures, Kotlowitz found Chicagoans willing to reveal intimate details of the lives they lead behind closed doors. One couple refuses to move from their residence even after a murder is committed there. Another man paints residents’ fantasies and realities on the walls of their public housing apartments. Three sisters’ notion of home is shaped by memories of caring for their dying father. A market researcher sets up cameras in people’s dwelling places and sees things she’d just as well not. In the post-September 11 world, “home” has taken on new significance for many Americans, renewed as both a safe haven from an uncertain and unnerving outside world, and a place to turn inward and focus on the personal and intimate aspects of our lives. These audio portraits hope to inspire and enrich our reflection on the places where we truly live. For providing listeners with wonderful personal stories, linked by variations on a theme, a Peabody Award goes to Stories of Home.