Author Maureen Ryan's Best Day Ever in Chicago
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Photo of Maureen Ryan courtesy of RoGina Williams-Montgomery
Former Chicago Tribune writer Maureen Ryan is out with a new book called "Burn it Down: Power Complicity and a Call for Change in Hollywood."
- The former TV writer for the Trib and Variety is getting rave reviews for her scathing exploration of Hollywood's toxic workplace culture, including on shows like "SNL," "Succession" and "Lost."
State of play: Ryan tells Axios she decided to write the book a few years after the #MeToo movement took off. "I got the sense that people inside and outside Hollywood thought its various problems had been fixed, or were mostly fixed," Ryan says.
- "The reality is, though some progress has been made on a few fronts, some deep-rooted issues have barely been addressed."
What she's saying: Ryan hopes readers learn that there's "hope for Hollywood reform on many fronts. "In doing my reporting for the book, I talked to a lot of people doing the day-to-day, unglamorous, necessary work to make the industry better," she says.
- "I know change is possible because I’ve seen it for myself."
What's next: Ryan will be live tonight as a guest on Mark Bazer's "The Interview Show" at The Hideout.
- Before you see her dish about the book, we asked her to dish about her ideal day in Chicago.
☕️ Breakfast: "I am SO not a morning person, but if I am going to get coffee, I want it to be great, so it's going to be from Sawada Coffee."
🪴 Morning activity: "Hitting up Vern Goers Greenhouse in Hinsdale; I'm super into gardening and the staff there."
🥟 Lunch: "I'm dying to try chef Bill Kim's Urbanbelly, because his last restaurant, BellyQ, was a huge favorite with my family."
🌺 Afternoon activity: "Wandering through the Garfield Park Conservatory, which I would move into and live in if they would let me. I love that even in winter, it's cozy and green."
🍽 Dinner: "Don't sleep on Kama Bistro in LaGrange. It has some of the best Indian food I've ever had in the Chicago area."
🐧 Evening activity: "A walk along the Salt Creek Trail, where I would spot some hawks and cardinals, I hope!"