:Vocalo.org

We'll weave a couple of cross-city tours through this afternoon's conversation.

First, we'll look back on the last couple months of the city-crossing 365 Project, an ongoing series of world-premieres by prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, produced by dozens of different companies throughout the Chicago region.

• On the West Side, the New Branch Theater performs at Austin Town Hall;
• On the Northwest Side, performers from the recent Estrogen Fest give an X-chromosome-centric slant to Parks's work;
• And the Silk Road Theater Company takes us on an international journey from the heart of Chicago's Loop.

We'll also hear some other city-crossers, including writers from the Neighborhood Writing Alliance, a tour of the city's underground economy, and a story about a young woman trying to get a guy ... to sketch the city with her.

We'll get a tour of today's papers from media critic Steve Rhodes, editor of the Beachwood Reporter.