Everybody Has A Story!
At a Friends of the Edgewater Library program on Sept. 14, 17 individuals shared their stories about why they came to live or start a business in Edgewater and what their experiences have been.
These “Edgewater Stories” made us laugh, cry, ooh, and ah! We hope you’ll find them as entertaining, thought-provoking, and emotional as we did.
In 2024, Friends of the Edgewater Library reached out to our diverse community — where more than 60 languages are spoken — to ask individuals to share their stories.
This community outreach initiative helped us learn more about organizations in our neighborhood, and we informed them about the library’s resources. More importantly, “Edgewater Stories” helped us create new bonds of friendship with our neighbors.
You’re invited to read their stories here.
The Edgewater Storytellers — Who’s Who? Hover on the photos for the captions.
First row, from left, Fran Locks, Olivia Callanta, Maria Stephens, and Nestor Gomez. Second row, Raymond Lau, Esther Pineda, and Ellen O’Reilly-Garcia.
From left, Nancy Bujnowski, Dawn Olderr Montalvo, Marssie Mencotti. Karen Ami, Lois Baer Barr, Marisa Gast, and Lindsey Ragsdale.
Copies of the stories are available on the bulletin board in the Betty A. Barclay Community Room on the second floor of the Edgewater Branch library.
Quotes from the Authors’ Stories
Karen Ami – My Edgewater Story
For me, Edgewater epitomizes the best of Chicago.
Lois Baer Barr – Poems: Edgewater Studio and mass transit
I ride the El and feel alive.
Shiva Basnet – My Edgewater Story
It was a big culture change; I had to get used to new habits, a new language, and a whole new way of life.
Kyle, Jim and the Beard & Belly Team – Beard Out, Belly Up: A tale of Edgewater’s Restaurant:
Beard & Belly
We like to think of our story as one of resilience, community spirit, and a love for good food that
borders on obsession.
Nancy Bujnowski – Bedtime Story Hour
Hello, kiddos! I see we all have our jammies on! Are you ready for bedtime stories?
Olivia Callanta - Hidden Dream
When I was a little girl living in the Philippines, I loved to draw, color and sketch.
Eva Glixon Cecchini– Growing Up in Hull House
My grandparents were itinerant farmworkers from Mexico who came across in 1913.
Marisa Gast – My Story
The lake, the restaurants, the library, won our hearts and we decided to land here.
Nestor Gomez - My Edgewater Story
In the mid ‘80s, my family emigrated—undocumented—to the United States.
Raymond Lau – Returning Home
My journey to Edgewater began in Hong Kong, where I was born and raised.
Fran Locks – One Enchanted Evening – and Here I Am
One Saturday evening two of my fellow teachers and I went to a country pub and started talking about our under-performing love lives.
Marssie Mencotti – How Did I Get to Edgewater?
Edgewater to me is an understated name for everything all at once at the most beautiful edge of the water.
Dawn Olderr Montalvo – My Edgewater Story
But Edgewater is my home now, and I don’t intend on ever leaving.
Ellen O’Reilly-Garcia – My Edgewater Story
We’d buy penny candies there after turning in pop bottles we found and exchanging them for cash.
Esther Pineda - Emigrante/Emigrant
As an immigrant in Chicago, it was difficult.
Lindsey Ragsdale – The Stitching Lades of Edgewater
Every lady has a story as unique as the pieces she crafts.
Maria Stephens – The Dancer
When I was 10 years old, I moved to Mexico City with the rest of my family.