08/14/2026
The second-ever Hardscrabble Babble at Vjosa is exactly a week away!
💡Hardscrabble Babble is a monthly salon-style gathering curated and hosted by Bridgeport local Andrew Gregory Krzak (Andrew Gregory Krzak) for learning, entertainment, and connecting with others. This month, the theme is “From Agony to Advocacy,” and two amazing Chicago creators who use their talents to establish advocacy and agency for marginalized communities will be featured:
Erika Hobbs is an award-winning journalist, publisher, editor, and memoirist. She was a senior reporter for The Orlando Sentinel, where she profiled a teen who raised himself in a shed and wrote about what inequities in the public school system cost kids. Erika has worked for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Newsweek, WBBM Newsradio Chicago, and many local news entities across the nation and in Poland. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of Citizen Grit, a hyper-local Chicago Heights media and news company covering everyday costs, housing, and health for Cook County residents.
Roni Lee (they/she) is a multi-discipline artist, organizer, and teacher from Chicago with a passion for access, equity work, and community-based art. As a Public Benefits Partnerships Specialist at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, their background is grounded in racial, labor, and food justice, connecting neighbors and organizations to public benefits. Her assorted work includes organizing events, training, and classes for various groups, teaching artist residencies, and working within Chicago- and Phoenix-based nonprofits.
🗓️Friday, August 21st | 7:15 PM
📍1010 W 35th St (Blue Room)
🔗RSVP with the link in our bio!
Come with an open mind and learn what the arts can teach us about empowerment and how we can take our own past experiences and turn them into something universal. See you in the Blue Room!💙
