Hey, Chicago! We’d love to hear what your plans are this fall.
Fall Theater & Arts preview 2023
‘125 is feeling very good’
Celebrating Chicago’s cultural past and present at the Fine Arts Building
Setting the stage for queer stories
A seasonal preview of LGBTQ+ theater
‘We don’t want to get bigger. We want to get deeper.’
Jenny Magnus on 35 years with Curious Theatre Branch
Latest Stories
Dying while in the county’s care
At least 15 people have died in 2023 while detained at Cook County Jail; family members and advocates cite a lack of transparency from the sheriff’s office.
From Le Perroquet to STREET
Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival premiers an intimate documentary of a former Chicago chef’s rise.
Find a print copy of this week’s Chicago Reader
Newspaper circulation information and map of distribution locations
CIFF’s killer lineup
This autumn, Cinema/Chicago presents the 59th Chicago International Film Festival.
The quest for Eleven
A young theater artist searches for Gary Tucker and the Godzilla Rainbow Troupe.
Get the latest issue of the Chicago Reader
Josh Horton, music videographer
“Giving people that fly-on-the-wall perspective on what it’s like to be in the scene is really interesting to me. That’s the visual language I’m trying to develop.”
News & INVESTIGATIONS
Chicago church part of Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument
Bronzeville’s Roberts Temple Church of God In Christ was the location for Emmett Till’s 1955 funeral.
Lose your car, but keep the debt
Tickets for nonmoving violations plague Chicago drivers; a class-action lawsuit and a relief program may provide hope.
A city of sanctuary: Chicago’s role in the 1973 Chilean coup
For neither the first nor the last time, Chicago became a refuge for political dissidents fleeing Chile’s authoritarian rule. But while some activists opened the doors of the Second City, others plotted policies to fortify the regime.
Columns & Opinion
RICJ Racial Justice Writers’ Room Launches Cohort Two
This year’s cohort is made up of six journalists who will be mentored by journalists and media professionals
The butterfly in your throat
A thyroid expert reconsiders 50 years of dogma.
Oppenheimer‘s Loyola connection
One Chicago chemistry professor cast the lone vote against revoking the father of the atomic bomb’s security clearance.
Film
Reeling returns
Chicago’s LGBTQ+ international film festival celebrates its 41st year with stories of found family, gay disco, bigoted parasitic worms, and more.
Review: A Haunting in Venice
Kenneth Branagh’s newest Agatha Christie adaptation is a waste of potential.
Review: The Nun II
Despite its confusing placement in the Conjuring franchise, The Nun II is a surprisingly fun time.
Arts & Culture
The sacred and profound in Stephen Burks’s ‘Spirit Houses’
The Volume Gallery exhibition connects past, present, and future through reverent design.
Book by block
Chicagoans discuss their summer lit picks and map out neighborhood readership trends.
‘Don’t just say it—do it’
Enrich Chicago releases its first racial equity report; Jackalope hops over to a new home.
Petty lives of desperation
Three Crows’s production of The Beauty Queen of Leenane takes us back to where Martin McDonagh began.
A superb View
Shattered Globe’s revival of Arthur Miller’s tragedy is gut-punchingly good.
Music
Hammered dulcimer player Joel Styzens celebrates a lushly orchestrated new solo album
Plus: Rapper Matt Muse ends a four-year gap between major releases with two EPs this summer, including the brand-new So Far, So Decent.
CITY LIFE
Hecho En Arts & Craft Fair, Mothers of Murdered Transpeople annual picnic, and more
The To-Do: a curated list of things to do and events to check out in Chicago
First pitch: a journey through ceremony and baseball
A summer project for a Reader writer reveals how minor league baseball—and the people who see themselves in it—measure success
Food & Drink
Dive Bistro creates a Waffle House à la campagne at the next Monday Night Foodball
Check out the veteran chefs’ sauce-soaked, soigné menu for the Reader’s weekly chef pop-up at Ludlow Liquors
The Melanin Martha celebrates the sweets of the south at the next Monday Night Foodball
Jordan Wimby gives love to the Black bake sale at the Reader’s weekly chef pop-up at Ludlow Liquors.
Sponsored
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Bright Endeavors provides a guiding light for young mothers in Chicago
The social enterprise of Chicago nonprofit New Moms empowers local mothers ages 18-24 through their comprehensive job training program
As the proverb goes, it takes a village to raise a child. The folks at Bright Endeavors know that…
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In Motion: Chicago’s M.A.D.D. Rhythms is on a mission to share the gospel of tap
Around the dawn of the new millennium, Chicago tap dancer Bril Barrett began to share his love of tap…
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Support Illinois organizations working to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic with your purchase of the Illinois Lottery’s Twisted Treasure ticket
In recognition of World AIDS Day in 2009, the Illinois Lottery and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH)…
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The Origin of Lil’ Salty
It started on a cold fall evening in 1952 When a boat transporting salt barreled down the Chicago River,…
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In Motion: Joel Hall Dancers & Center uplift local artists and promote social change through urban jazz dance
In 1974, Chicago dancer and choreographer Joel Hall cofounded the Chicago City Theatre Company to amplify the creative talents…
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Immerse yourself in the darkest side of humanity at Chicago’s Medieval Torture Museum
Learn the history of torture and execution, and chase ghosts at one of the Loop’s hottest attractions Have you…
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Best Dating Sites for Real Relationships in 2023
The top websites to meet someone special for a real relationship
If you’re open to giving online dating a try, these are the best dating sites to actually meet someone…