Stories Worth Writing. History Worth Preserving.
Marcie L. Hill writes about the people, places, experiences, and culture that shape our communities—and the stories that deserve to be remembered.
I Write to Document, Educate & Preserve
I’ve always been curious about people, places, experiences, and the stories behind them.
I’m Marcie L. Hill—writer, author, researcher, educator, and lifelong learner. Writing gives me a way to explore the things that capture my attention, ask questions, share what I discover, and preserve stories that deserve to be remembered.
Sometimes that journey takes me deep into Chicago history. Sometimes it introduces me to fascinating people and communities. And sometimes it starts with a simple experience that makes me think, I need to write about this.
My work has taken me from blogging and articles to research, interviews, historical documentation, and books—including Chicago Roller Skating History: 1880–2025.
No matter the subject, the purpose remains the same:
Learn something. Document it. Share it. Keep the story moving.
Curiosity Gives Me Plenty to Write About.
I don’t believe every writer has to fit neatly into one box. My writing reflects the subjects, people, experiences, and questions that keep me curious.
CHICAGO HISTORY & CULTURE
Chicago has stories everywhere. I explore the people, places, neighborhoods, traditions, and cultural experiences that make
this city what it is.
ROLLER SKATING HISTORY
What began as an interest became years of research and eventually a book. I document Chicago’s rinks, skaters, entrepreneurs, communities, events, and the culture that has kept generations rolling.
BLACK HISTORY & CULTURE
I write about Black experiences, accomplishments, communities, and contributions—including stories that haven’t always received the attention they deserve.
PEOPLE & COMMUNITY
Interesting people create interesting stories. I enjoy learning about the experiences, ideas, work, and memories of people who contribute to their communities and culture.
WRITING & AUTHOR JOURNEY
Writing a book taught me that finishing the manuscript is only part of becoming an author. I share what I’m learning about writing, publishing, marketing, selling books, events, and building an author business.
LIFE, LEARNING & CURIOSITY
Sometimes I simply have something to say. These are the observations, experiences, questions, lessons, and discoveries that don’t need a category to become a good story.
FROM RESEARCH TO PUBLISHED HISTORY
Chicago Roller Skating History: 1880–2025
Nearly 150 years of Chicago roller skating history—documented in one book.
What started with curiosity became a journey through Chicago’s skating past.
Chicago Roller Skating History: 1880–2025 explores the rinks, skaters, entrepreneurs, events, communities, and cultural forces that helped shape Chicago’s roller skating story.
The book examines Chicago’s influence on skating culture, the important role Black Chicagoans played in preserving and advancing that culture, and how roller skating survived generations of changing trends, economic challenges, and social transformation.
For me, this book is about more than skating.
It’s about the people, culture, community, and history that kept Chicago rolling.
Curiosity Starts It. Research Takes Me Further.
A finished story might take only a few minutes to read.
Finding that story can take considerably longer.
My research can lead through old newspapers, photographs, books, historical records, advertisements, websites, interviews, personal collections, conversations, and unexpected discoveries.
Sometimes I know exactly what I’m looking for.
Other times, one name, photograph, memory, or small detail sends me down an entirely new path.
ASK
Every project starts with questions.
Who was there? What happened? What was happening around it? Who remembers it? Why does this story matter?
SEARCH
I look for the pieces—documents, articles, photographs, records, interviews, books, memories, and other sources that can help tell a fuller story.
CONNECT
One fact rarely tells the entire story.
The interesting part is connecting people, places, events, experiences, and historical context until the bigger picture begins to appear.
DOCUMENT
Discovery becomes valuable when it can be preserved.
Writing allows me to organize what I’ve learned and turn research into something other people can experience, question, discuss, and build upon.
SHARE
Then comes my favorite part:
Turning what I’ve discovered into a story someone else actually wants to read.