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Communications Quarterly

Subscribe or contact CQ, email us at: CQ@NL.EDU

Driven by the B.A. in Communication and Media

Communications Quarterly’s (CQ) inaugural issue launched Winter 2020, introducing readers to the rich diversity of voices across NLU’s Undergraduate College and beyond. Two words capture the essence of this publication: authentic and inclusive. CQ embraces all NLU students’ forms of expression, from informational pieces about university news, to coverage of community issues

Spring/Summer 2026

  • Theme: Beauty in Imperfection
  • Interviews with Tonika Lewis Johnson 
  • Topics: The beauty of a scar, appreciating mistakes, social media filters

 

Winter 2026

  • Theme: Humanity and Sustainability
  • Interviews with Ed Begley Jr. and Peter Coyote
  • Topics: Warming worlds, weeping lakes, Mother Nature

 

Fall 2025

  • Theme: Life
  • Fiction, poetry, photos, and videos
  • Topics: Small joys, embracing nostalgia, a life together

Spring/Summer 2025

  • Theme: Imagination
  • Interview with Jonah Zeiger (Chicago filmmaker)
  • Topics: Reimagining dreams, secret worlds, mobile realities

Winter 2025

  • Theme: Love  
  • Interview with Tim Russell (WTTW)
  • Topics: Relationships, Self-Love, Fiction, Art

Fall 2024

  • Theme: Empathy and Kindness
  • Interview with Shankar Vedantam (Hidden Brain)
  • Topics: Kindness of strangers, charity, faith in humanity

Summer 2024

  • Theme: Voice and Harmony
  • Interview with Bill Kurtis (Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!)
  • Topics: Accents, music for the Deaf, mental harmony

Spring 2024

  • Theme: The Story Issue
  • Interview with Emma Donoghue (author, Room)
  • Short fiction across genres

Winter 2024

  • Theme: The Natural World
  • Interview with Erin Allen (WBEZ)
  • Topics: Nature, paleontology, ocean life

Fall 2023

  • Theme: Access and Opportunity
  • Interviews with Tina Tchen (Obama Foundation) and Natalie Moore (WBEZ)
  • Topics: Autism, Special Olympics, success stories 

Summer 2023

  • Theme: International Relations
  • Interviews with Eleanor Beardsley (NPR) and Liza Colón-Zayas (actor, The Bear)
  • Topics: NLU’s international students and partnerships

Spring 2023

  • Theme: Integrity
  • Interview with Rick Perlstein (author, Nixonland)
  • Topics: Thoughts on truth in media and politics

Winter 2023

  • Theme: Perseverance and Empowerment
  • Interview with Jim Abbott (MLB pitcher)
  • Topics: Veteran life, stereotypes, learning difficulties

Fall 2022

  • Theme: The Arts
  • Interview with Jackie Taylor (Black Ensemble Theater) and Janai Brugger (Chicago Lyric Opera)
  • Topics: Culinary arts, anime, murals

Spring 2022

  • Theme: Career and Industry
  • Interview with Derek Haas (producer, Chicago Fire)
  • Topics: Internships, architecture, music scene

Winter 2022

  • Theme: Humor and Hope
  • Interviews with Paula Poundstone (comedian) and Will Miles (actor, South Side)
  • Topics: Humor in politics, cartoons, and stories

Fall 2021

  • Theme: Mental Health
  • Interview with Alex Kotlowitz (author)
  • Topics: Health reporting, the blues, mindfulness

Spring 2021

  • Theme: Storytelling
  • Interviews with Ira Glass (This American Life) and Lin Brehmer (WXRT)
  • Topics: StoryCorps, poetry, stopping Asian hate

Winter 2021

  • Theme: Media
  • Interview with Amy Dickinson (Ask Amy)
  • Topics: Filmmaker tribute, a viral TikTok, broadcasting  

Fall 2020

  • Theme: Love
  • Interview with Rick Kogan (Chicago Tribune)
  • Topics: Obituary writing, Pilsen, pet photo gallery

Summer 2020

  • Theme: Social Justice and Racial Equality
  • Interviews with Liz Dozier (Chicago Beyond) and Dorri McWhorter (YWCA)
  • Topics: Little Village, Black Lives Matter, Human Trafficking

Spring 2020

  • Theme: Coping With COVID-19
  • Topics: Plants as isolation companions, anxiety help guide, a positive outlook during COVID

Winter 2020

  • Pilot Issue
  • Topics: Spotlight on the Communication major, Chicago’s Chinatown, media field trips
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