Introduced by a rendition of the song “Chicago,” two of the city’s most prominent authors – Alex Kotlowitz and Stuart Dybek – read Chicago-related writings and answered questions Tuesday afternoon for about 40 people in Norris University Center.

Dybek, known for fiction and poetry focused on Chicago’s South Side, began with a romantic short story describing his experiences in Chicago with his lover.

Dybek’s story described love in the context of Chicago’s ethnic neighborhoods and culminated with a romantic tryst on a train. His tale touched on many neighborhoods and experiences unique to Chicago, such as the view from the El when riding into Evanston.

Kotlowitz, a Medill senior lecturer and author of “There are No Children Here,” a book about life in the housing projects, then read an article about a camping and canoeing trip with five Chicago teen-agers. He traveled for a week with five students from Chicago’s DuSable High School as they took a trip to the boundary waters of Minnesota. The piece contrasted the environment in the city with the wilderness by reporting the responses of the South Side youths.

The authors answered questions about writing style, methods of taking notes and the topics they choose to write about.

Students said they benefited from the advice.

“It was interesting hearing what (Kotlowitz) says in class show up in his work,” said Becky Meiser, a Medill sophomore. “In class he says, ‘details, details, details,’ and you can see how he does that in this story.”

Students in attendance also found the readings to be interesting descriptions of the Windy City.

“The city differs from person to person,” said Alex Stacey, a Weinberg senior. “The writings (of these authors) show a different way of seeing it.”

The authors also discussed how they approached writing about Chicago.

“I’m essentially making up a city, not the real city,” Dybek said. “Joyce’s Dublin is only a byproduct of Dublin, and Faulkner’s South is only a byproduct of the real South.”

Kotlowitz agreed that authors can show only part of the picture.

“There’s a sense that we know what it’s like to live in housing projects, when I don’t think we really know all there is to know,” he said.

The character of Chicago came out as the authors quipped with the audience about Chicago accents and the difference between the North and South sides.

The authors also discussed how the demographic changes in Chicago will diversify the next generation of Chicago writers. Dybek said the Argyle Street neighborhood, which used to be a largely European community, is now home to many Asian Americans.

“I sometimes walk down by that Argyle neighborhood,” Dybek said. “I start to think which kids will write about this neighborhood from the inside.”