Lovers, Dreamers, & Thieves

"With a novelist's eye for detail and a poet's gift for language, Cebulska has written a visceral knockout of a memoir packed with vibrant, unforgettable family members and unexpected happenings. Cebulska is a brilliant, big-hearted, and luminous storyteller who can capture a world in a short vignette. I was entirely captivated by these intimate and moving family portraits that have shaped the author's life and work." Harriet Lerner, author of The Dance of Anger and Why Won't You Apologize? "This memoir is at once funny and poignant, wide-ranging and laser-focused, personal and universal. Cebulska weaves memories, family stories, and local history with deftness and reverence, creating a memoir that is both fun to read and profound." Charles Anthony Silvestri, poet, lyricist, author of A Silver Thread "Marcia Cebulska's account of life in Chicago's Polish community is both moving and important. Polish Americans in Chicago are often referenced but have not often told their own story. Lovers, Dreamers, and Thieves captures both the joys and the sorrow of the immigrant/ethnic experience in the Windy City. It is a must read for anyone interested in Chicago and its diverse people." Dominic A. Pacyga, Author of American Warsaw: The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of Polish Chicago. "Marcia Cebulska, in Lovers, Dreamers, & Thieves, transforms the stories of her life into fabulous folk tales full of fantastic and fantastical lore focusing on everything from the holy (a youthful interest in becoming a nun), to the earthly and earthy (her great-grandmother was a blacksmith), to the wholly bizarre (her grandfather produced fake weddings) and shocking (her uncle's connection to the mob and father's arrest). This collection elevates the commonplace book far above and beyond the common, up past the luminiferous ether, settling in the realm of legends that couldn't possibly be true, right? Oh but they are. Now listen..." Andrew Farkas, Author of The Great Indoorsman: Essays, The Big Red Herring, and Sunsphere