Kirk Williamson
Nightspots Managing Editor
I grew up around Chicago—Wheaton to be exact—with my mother, my grandmother, my two sisters and my little brother. I had originally aspired to become a high school math teacher, but senior year I had a radical left-brain/right-brain switch and started to write and take art classes.
Wheaton is, per capita, the church capital of the world ( I kid you not ) , so I found the atmosphere a bit stifling culturally, artistically and sexually. That led me to Beloit College in Wisconsin.
At Beloit, I indulged a cornucopia of bohemian pursuits. I founded a poetry performance group ( and won the student award for best club two years in a row ) , managed the local public access TV station, served as features editor for the school paper and dabbled in theater.
After school, I fell into a soul-sucking corporate nightmare until, one day, I mustered the courage to walk out of that particular hell and directly into the office of Gab Magazine, the now-defunct queer zine of much acclaim. The creative freedom and relationships built at this job led me to where I am today, managing editor of that old chestnut, Nightspots Magazine.
I enjoy my present role as editor because it affords me a spectacular creative outlet and an opportunity to work for Chicago's GLBT community in a way that's fun and enriching.
Outside work, I dig playing Scrabble, Boggle or any game involving words or logic. I am dating a wonderful fellow and live in Rogers Park with my two cats, Iggy and Boxer. That and a bunch of fish.