BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF “NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND”
I’m taking a break from writing about nature in Chicagoland to share an interview with my talented friend, Ann Marie Boyle. She has just released an outstanding EP, Hide and Seek. More nature stories coming soon.
Ann Marie Boyle is a talented singer, songwriter, and music educator who has just released an excellent EP, Hide and Seek. She holds a bachelor of arts in music from DePaul University and a master of music degree in early music vocal performance from the Early Music Institute at Indiana University. Her other EPs and albums include Song Cycle and Human Nature. In addition to being a wonderful musical artist, Ann is one of my best friends (since the early 1970s). I recently talked with her about her new EP, her musical inspirations, and her songwriting process.
Q. What’s the most challenging aspect of music making?
A. I feel lyric writing is the most challenging aspect of songwriting for me. It’s easy to fall into using cliches, so I’m always trying to find new and interesting ways of creating lyrics. But really, it’s all challenging when you are trying to write a great song!
Q. Who are some of your musical inspirations?
A. When I was a kid, my favorite singers were Billy Joel and Linda Ronstadt, I have always first been drawn to the sound of the voice. I appreciated how both Joel and Ronstadt explored different styles and were both influenced by their classical training. Joel’s songwriting always took me on a journey. I loved having the album liner notes with all the lyrics to sing along; that was fun for me.
Q. What other things do you think inspire you in your creativity—especially regarding making music?
A. I’m always listening to how people speak in everyday life, on film and TV in order to spark ideas for lyrics. Especially when people are talking about something emotional, they will use metaphorical language in unique and personal ways.
Q. How has your music changed over time?
A. The songs on Hide and Seek started as assignments for the class “Writing Hit Songs” I took at Berklee Online during the fall of 2024 with Neil Diercks. It was an amazing class; I highly recommend it! In my previous releases I approached songwriting in a more intuitive way. It was interesting to analyze my old songs and see that I unknowingly used some of the tools and techniques that I learned about in the class.
Q. Do you have a favorite song on the EP? If so, which one and why?
A. My favorite is “In the Tides” but don’t tell the other songs, lol. That song is the most personal and reflects where I’m at now in my life.
Q. I really like the EP cover. What’s the story behind the photo?
A. Thanks. The cover is a photo of me at age 10 in England in 1980. It was taken by my brother David.
Q. How can people listen to and buy Hide and Seek?
A. You can listen to Hide and Seek on all streaming platforms. It is a digital only release but if you want to purchase it, it’s available on iTunes.
Copyright: Ann Marie Boyle holds the copyright to her interview responses and the photos that are featured in this interview.
Looking for some other great nature destinations in Chicagoland? If so, check out my book, Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit. It features amazing destinations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Click on the title to learn more. The book has 306 pages and 210+ photos and is only $19.99.
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ABOUT ANDREW MORKES
I’ve been writing and editing for more than 30 years. I’m the founder of College & Career Press (2002); the author and publisher of “The Morkes Report: College and Career Planning Trends” blog; and the author and publisher of Hot Health Care Careers: 30 Occupations With Fast Growth and Many New Job Openings; Nontraditional Careers for Women and Men: More Than 30 Great Jobs for Women and Men With Apprenticeships Through PhDs; They Teach That in College!?: A Resource Guide to More Than 100 Interesting College Majors, which was selected as one of the best books of the year by the library journal Voice of Youth Advocates; and other titles. They Teach That in College!? provides more information on environmental- and sustainability-related majors such as Ecotourism, Range Management, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Built Environment, Sustainability Studies, and Sustainable Agriculture/Organic Farming. I also served as a member of the parent advisory board at my son’s school for five years.
In addition to these publications, I’ve written more than 70 books about careers for other publishing and media companies including Infobase (such as the venerable Encyclopedia of Careers & Vocational Guidance, the Vault Career Guide to Accounting, and many volumes in the Careers in Focus, Discovering Careers, What Can I Do Now?!, and Career Skills Library series) and Mason Crest (including those in the Careers in the Building Trades and Cool Careers in Science series).
Here’s a list of the environmental-focused titles that I’ve written:
- Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit
- Wind Turbine Technicians (Great Careers Without a Bachelor’s Degree series)
- Environmental Scientists (Cool Careers in Science series)
- Renewable Energy Careers (Cool Careers in Science series)
- Environment (Getting Started series)
- Solar Power Technicians (Careers in Infrastructure series)