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Dominican University faculty member's new book is a love letter to Chicago. In her early twenties, Maggie Andersen was a founding ensemble member of Chicago’s storied Gift Theatre with her then-boyfriend, Michael Patrick Thornton. But after a series of spinal strokes left Thornton paralyzed, Andersen made the heart-wrenching decision to leave him, along with their growing company and, later, her beloved city. 

No Stars in Jefferson Park alternates between two narratives: the energy and excitement of making art in Chicago’s thriving storefront theater scene and the devastating day-to-day realities of rehabilitation and rebuilding—and somewhere in the middle finding the courage to choose yourself.

"Maggie Andersen’s memoir, No Stars in Jefferson Park, is a valuable document of the time after Steppenwolf, particularly in the period from the early 90s to the early aughts, when a new wave of ensemble-based companies stepped into the spotlight..."

--Kerry Reid, Chicago Reader

"Andersen’s many-layered memoir is breathtaking in its openness, authenticity, and drama as she grapples with adversity, hard truths, creative imperatives, and the different ways we love."

--Donna Seaman, Booklist