We just got the green light to officially congratulate a veritable TON of amazing Chicago talent that will be taking to various stages this week in New York City for the HBO Aspen Showcase Call Backs -- specifically, Pat Brice, Lil Rel, TJ Miller, Kumail Nanjiani, Prescott Tolk, and the sketch groups Misled, with Pat O'Brien and Peter Grosz, and the Ragdolls, the group behind Moist. We would ALSO like to congratulate Chicagoan-now-Los Angelo Kyle Kinane on his recent showcase date on the left coast, which we're dying to hear about.

As an aside, if you followed the above links for the stand-up comedians, you'll note that five of the six are also writers for the writing and film site Blerds. Yes, we've mentioned the site before, and it's because it's one of our favorite projects to watch this year in Chicago comedyland. There's no denying the power of collaborative work, and the development of creative partnerships, and when the right conditions come together at the right time, the art is a truly magical thing to watch. Sure, we've been watching a lot of Prime Suspect recently and are nerding out, thinking about how amazing it is to be privy to high level entertainment art, which is exactly what we feel Blerds is on its way to excelling in. Oh, and the Tribune wrote 'em up yesterday.

The Bastion is officially requesting a guest blog by Lil Rel. Too much to ask?

Which collaborative projects are exciting you lately?

- Kristy Mangel