Book Launch - No Stars in Jefferson Park

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.