Tony Fitzpatrick, a Chicago poet and artist, covers roughly the same territory that Dybek does in his poetry collection Bum Town (2001).

Many critics point out that Dybek's writing comes out of a Chicago tradition of gritty realism that started with James T. Farrell, the author of the Studs Lonigan trilogy in the early 1900s. The three Lonigan books—Young Lonigan, The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan, and Judgment Day—have been collected in one edition as James T. Farrell: Studs Lonigan (2004).

The lyricism of Dybek's fiction becomes solidified in his poetry. His Streets in Their Own Ink (2004) are drawn from his own life, taking a closer look at his upbringing and the Chicago that he once knew.

For thumbnail sketches of stories that have circulated in Chicago neighborhoods for years, readers may enjoy Chicago Sketches: Urban Tales, Stories, and Legends...