Illinois - Newslocker

Review: The Dog Stars

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 18:40:00 +0200

The Dog Stars in wide release in theaters
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Review: Coyote vs. Acme

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 18:40:00 +0200

Coyote vs. Acme in wide release in theaters
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Review: Buddy

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 18:40:00 +0200

Buddy in wide release in theaters
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From the block to the big screen

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 16:00:00 +0200

It’s easy to generalize what makes Chicago’s theater and film scenes unique: Steppenwolf-style ensemble mentality, City of Big Shoulders work ethic, midwestern authenticity over everything. It’s another thing to prove it, tucked away and toiling on a quiet block in Bowmanville, with an improbably self-funded and locally crewed indie rom-com. After 25 years in theater, […]
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Zamrock legends W.I.T.C.H. return to their roots on Sogolo

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 15:00:00 +0200

W.I.T.C.H. Fri 10/2 at Sleeping Village
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Joanna and Iliana: From ‘Insta girlies’ to IRL friends

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0200

Despite the structural barriers to traveling between Chicago’s 77 community areas, many friends are willing to face the city’s geographic hurdles and sustain relationships that transcend race, gender, age, and class. In an effort to chronicle human connection and love in spite of these challenges, the Going the Distance series examines the enduring friendships between […]
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Win Stracke dreamed of music as a path to peace

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 22:23:00 +0200

If you love the Old Town School of Folk Music, you might have heard of Win Stracke. But among famous people from Chicago, he might paradoxically be the least known. “How many people have heard the name Win Stracke?” asked folk musician, historian, and teacher Mark Dvorak in a 2007 post on his website. “There […]
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The art of producing

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 18:26:00 +0200

Before any performer twirls a tassel, drops into a split, or picks up a mike, there’s a producer writing emails, organizing spreadsheets, calling venues, crunching numbers, creating posters, tracking ticket sales, wrangling tech information, hiring talent—you get the idea. I haven’t been producing that long, but from just the handful of shows I’ve put on, […]
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Chicago has abundant water. Data center developers want a taste.

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 16:53:00 +0200

Waterways in Chicago and northern Illinois have supported industrial activity for more than a century, and now those same bodies of water are drawing an influx of proposed data centers that would tap into the region’s plentiful resources. These proposals have drawn considerable scrutiny, with experts and advocates concerned about the lack of transparency and […]
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Sonic connections and thematic synergies

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 16:00:00 +0200

The Cinema Scrapbook places film screenings in conversation with other local creative happenings, illuminating Chicago’s rich cultural connectivity. September presents itself as a bittersweet mixed bag; summer fades, but the crisp air of the changing season breathes more life into Chicago’s creative communities. The Museum of Contemporary Art’s (MCA) tentpole exhibition “Dancing the Revolution: From […]
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Pan de jamón y queso at Aromadipan

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 16:00:00 +0200

The ageless duo of ham and cheese is applied to no fewer than eight different kinds of pastries and breads at this Venezuelan bakery. It’s stuffed inside (or draped atop) empanadas, pastelitos, cachitos, hot dogs, burgers, pizza, and more. In its most dramatic and visually arresting manifestation, it’s spiralized within a baguette-style loaf whose appearance […]
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ASL interpreter Diego Diaz lives a life of joyful chaos

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Where in the world is Diego Diaz? He isn’t answering my emails; he’s screening my calls. I felt like I was trying to get ahold of a celebrity, not the local American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter I’d seen swinging his hips and grinning alongside Poet Laureate Mayda del Valle earlier this year. “This is my […]
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Planting the seeds

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Chicago’s independent arts scenes run on those who show up for each other, again and again, until something new exists. These artists and curators usually wear every hat—funder, mediator, writer, archivist—without the pay to match, often operating on sheer will. Our goal for September’s Fall Arts issue was to create a homage to the city’s […]
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Art isn’t easy, but Kokandy frames it well with Sunday in the Park With George

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 19:31:00 +0200

Sunday in the Park With George, through 11/1, Kokandy Productions at Chopin Theatre
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Joan Crawford Goes to Hell is devilishly fun

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 19:05:00 +0200

Joan Crawford Goes to Hell, through 9/27, Hell in a Handbag Productions at the Clutch
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Elephant in the Womb is an in utero clown show

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 18:39:00 +0200

Elephant in the Womb, through 9/13, Black Cat Theatre at Theater Wit
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The Missing Piece looks at the end of the world through the eyes of two clowns

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 18:08:00 +0200

The Missing Piece, through 9/20, Silent Theatre Company at Visceral Adventure Lounge
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Shane at City Lit centers the violence and beauty of the American west

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 17:46:00 +0200

Shane, through 10/4 at City Lit Theater
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J’Uncle lacks dramatic connections

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 17:29:00 +0200

J'Uncle, through 9/13, Simple Theatre at Jarvis Square Theater
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Record scratching breaks containment again

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 17:23:00 +0200

In spring 2025, Henry Stoehr and Emily Massey of Chicago indie-rock band Slow Pulp started working on material for their next album. They’d spent much of the previous year and a half touring to support their breakout second full-length, Yard, released in September 2023 by big-name indie label Anti-. Slow Pulp formed in Madison in […]
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Chicago Reader Volume 55, Number 20

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 17:13:00 +0200

Chicago Reader Volume 55, No. 20. September 2026. The Fall Arts Issue.
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For the love of the game

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 16:43:00 +0200

How do art exhibitions get made? For major institutions like the Art Institute of Chicago, entire teams of people can spend months or years putting a show together. From the ideation phase to the time an exhibition opens, the work must be transported and installed, programming has to be planned, materials have to be written, […]
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Seeding the Chicago theater field with new productions and companies

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 16:00:00 +0200

In July, Oskar Eustis, the celebrated longtime artistic director of New York’s Public Theater (the venue where both A Chorus Line and Hamilton were birthed), announced he would be leaving his position in two years. In an interview with Michael Paulson of the New York Times, Eustis, while declaring the state of the Public itself […]
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Microcinemas and movie clubs are thriving in Chicago

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Many movies are made to be seen on big silver screens; all movies are made to be seen sitting alongside others. Chicago has long been the midwestern movie mecca for audiences and filmmakers alike, and while there is no shortage of multiplex and independent theaters for folks to visit, many of which have lounges to […]
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How comedians eat it before and after grabbing the mike

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 16:00:00 +0200

On performance days, Jordan Wilson likes to caffeine- and carb-load. “Today I woke up and made my quad-shot oat latte, then for lunch I had a jerky stick and a plain bagel,” he says. “I really like raw-dogging bagels. Often I have two bagels for lunch just raw, or four slices of wheat toast to […]
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Southeast Spotlight: Smoke’s Bistro

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Smoke’s Bistro1225 E. 87th St., Mon, Wed, Thu, and Fri, 4 PM–9PM, Sat 3 PM–9 PM, Sun 11 AM–6 PM, Closed Tuesdays (773) 708-1606, smokesbistro.com, Email chefsmoke@smokesbistro.com, Instagram @smokes_bistro, Facebook @Smoke’s Bistro Some people find their calling. Avneel Williams, better known as Chef Smoke, built his from the ground up, one dish at a time. With […]
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Inside Tuley Park’s community darkroom

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 15:00:00 +0200

The Darkroom Chicago began with my belief that adults deserve more places to be curious. There are not many spaces where we can explore a new interest without enrolling in a class, paying for a membership, committing to a long-term program, or already knowing what we are doing. I wanted to create a different kind […]
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Every month, every day, every hour

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0200

Content note: This story discusses attempted suicide. Prison conditions emphasize power structures that exist in society, further harming the most vulnerable among us. After serving almost 20 years in prison, I am now observing a new generation of young people enter the carceral system and struggle to hold on to their existence. There are no […]
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The Bridgeport Records crew launches a new shop in West Town

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 01:04:00 +0200

Two weekends from now, Chicago will welcome its newest music store: Onion City Records. Bridgeport Records co-owners Vick Lavender and Jerry Morrison soft launched a new brick-and-mortar shop at 1812 W. Chicago during West Fest in mid-July. “We’ve been popping up on the weekends over there, just so we can get a sense of what […]
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Icons, up-and-comers, and William Shatner converge at Riot Fest 2026

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Riot Fest Fri 9/18-Sun 9/20 at Douglass Park
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Busy Madison musician Graham Hunt makes indie rock feel new again

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Graham Hunt Mon 9/21 at Subterranean
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Time stops at Pueblo Unido Gallery

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0200

“NEPO" through 10/1 at Pueblo Unido Gallery
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City of Lights is a true crime podcast that tells the truth

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 23:21:00 +0200

Often, in true crime stories, there’s a narrative urge to make something of the terrible experience endured by the people at the story’s heart. As the reader (or listener, in the case of podcasts), we can’t help but hope for catharsis; if the life can’t be saved, the child found, or the murder solved, we’ll […]
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The day the laughter died

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 20:19:00 +0200

I hate the phrase “artists who use humor in their work,” it sounds like saying “masturbators who use hands to fuck themselves.” Is comedy such a remarkably novel way of addressing problems of expression? For its long life, art as we know it in the West has had a vexing relationship with the comic. It […]
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A city within a city

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 18:57:00 +0200

This story is part of Quantum Crossroads, a series examining the impact of the quantum computing megadevelopment in South Chicago. “Steel is rising once again in South Chicago,” announced a March social media post from the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park. Construction is underway on the multibillion-dollar quantum computing research campus on the site of […]
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Butter returns to Indianapolis

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0200

“Butter Art Fair" 9/3-9/6 at the Stutz
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Adolescent Salvation is mostly sharp, smart—and gasp-inducing

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 20:17:00 +0200

Adolescent Salvation, through 10/3 at Theater Wit
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Henry IV, Part 1 takes us to the tavern

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 19:57:00 +0200

Henry IV, Part 1, through 8/30, Sandbox Theatre Collective atMrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro
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Advance Man explores the aftermath of space

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 19:37:00 +0200

Advance Man: Part One of the Honeycomb Trilogy, through 9/27, Strawdog Theatre Company at Factory Theater
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In Sisters, a human woman and an AI sibling form an uneasy bond

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 19:19:00 +0200

Sisters, through 11/8 at Writers Theatre, Glencoe
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Puff, puff, hard pass on Vape! The Grease Parody

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 19:03:00 +0200

Vape! The Grease Parody, through 1/3/27, Apollo Theater
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Eventize or die?

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 22:56:00 +0200

The Moviegoer is the diary of a local film buff, collecting the best of what Chicago’s independent and underground film scene has to offer. In preparing to write this column, I went to Google News and searched for the word “eventize.” Appropriately, one of the most recent results, an article published just several days ago […]
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Dos Santos offer love as resistance on the new Es Amor

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 22:24:00 +0200

This year has been a whirlwind of creative energy struggling to find expression amid alarming, disorienting, and catastrophic events that seem to be happening everywhere. Even the joy feels heavy. It’s hard to stay hopeful about this country when daily we hear about something else heinous—the rise in lynchings, the abuse of pregnant people and […]
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Culinary Transmissions

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 20:04:00 +0200

Bridgeport’s nonprofit cultural center, Co-Prosperity, is hosting a series of artist-led meals called Community Kitchen Dinners: Recipes for Survivance. Each dinner features food and storytelling inspired by a country compromised by U.S. foreign policy. The Kurdish people are the world’s largest stateless nation, with more than 40 million people living in Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria, […]
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Illinois’s physical mail ban has made it even more difficult to access books in prison.

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0200

Books are a big part of prison culture: You have to whittle away the hours in a place like this, and many of us do that by reading, discussing, and sharing books between each other. The hardest part is actually accessing the books. The Illinois Department of Corrections has always restricted which books and magazines […]
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HystericalFest makes its debut in Evanston

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 20:14:00 +0200

HystericalFest: Women+ Act Out, 8/28–8/30 at Piven Theatre Workshop, Noyes Cultural Arts Center, Evanston
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Punk Black FOH Fest says yes to POC punk and metal and says no to ICE

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Punk Black FOH Fest Fri 9/11 at Beat Kitchen
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Punk Black FOH Fest champions Black and Brown punk and metal and says no to ICE

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Punk Black FOH Fest Fri 9/11 at Beat Kitchen
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Berlin-based Afro-fusion group Jembaa Groove want to spread the love

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Jembaa Groove Sat 9/12 at Sleeping Village
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Marvin Tate gets intimate with words on his new solo album

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 21:20:00 +0200

West-side native Marvin Tate has been part of Chicago’s music scene for more than 30 years. He’s a bandleader, a poet, a visual and performing artist, a cultural organizer, and an educator—one thing he’ll never be called is a slouch. Tate’s new solo album, Controlled Burn, comes out Saturday, four days after he publishes his […]
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Harley Go’Lightly holds your deepest confessions in Vessel

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 20:59:00 +0200

Vessel, Sat 8/30 and Fri 9/4, Newport Theater
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Pioneering UK electronic group Cabaret Voltaire bid Chicago adieu

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Cabaret Voltaire Tue 9/15 and Wed 9/16 at Metro
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L’Rain imagines new futures through experimental pop and rock

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0200

L'Rain Fri 9/18 at Constellation
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Heavy Chicago veterans Rezn soar to new heights on Cycles in the Infinite Dream

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Rezn Sat 9/19 at Thalia Hall
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Carla dal Forno taps into the power of vulnerability on Confession

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Carla dal Forno Tue 9/15 at Empty Bottle
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Ryan the Person carries the south side into every set

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 22:03:00 +0200

At 30, Ryan Person has built a career around movement. Some nights, he’s behind the turntables as a DJ, guiding crowds through house, hip-hop, soul, jazz, and gospel. Other nights, he’s behind a drum kit, helping bring an artist’s music to life onstage. Whether he’s performing in a neighborhood venue, at a big city-run festival, […]
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Remembering Kurt Ehrmann, 1967–2026

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 19:32:00 +0200

Kurt Ehrmann could make an impression onstage before he even opened his mouth. With his silver-fox shock of white hair and his watchful, expressive face, Ehrmann stood out, whether he was a lead or a supporting character. But for his friends in Chicago theater, he was so much more than a great actor. He was […]
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Review: The Wrong Girls

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 17:46:00 +0200

The Wrong Girls in wide release in theaters
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Más allá del estudio

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0200

A sign on the front door of the Latina Sweat Project reminded me of the studio’s rhythm: class begins, and five minutes later, the doors close. There, I met Jocelyn Vega, a soon-to-be yoga teacher. We laughed at the exact timing on the notice, but she was serious. “It’s very important,” Vega said proudly. Once […]
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M.E.B. celebrate Miles Davis’s electric fusion period at the Chicago Jazz Festival

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0200

M.E.B. Sat 9/5 at Millennium Park
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Chaepter cement their status as one of Chicago’s best young indie bands with Dragon of Shame

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Chaepter Mon 9/7 at Empty Bottle
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All the world’s a game

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 14:49:00 +0200

In the project 60 wrd/min art critic, writer Lori Waxman explores how art writing can serve an expanded field of artists—including those incarcerated, trying to gain visas, working to establish themselves professionally, or just wanting feedback for a secret hobby. For this iteration, Waxman reviews recent work by Liang He on view at the Hyde […]
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On premises

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 19:58:00 +0200

The Moviegoer is the diary of a local film buff, collecting the best of what Chicago’s independent and underground film scene has to offer. During the Chicago Film Society’s Technicolor Weekend in early August, I saw a random William Castle comedy called The Busy Body (1967). It wasn’t good, per se, a curio instead of […]
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The joke’s on us

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0200

“Pay Me" through 10/16 at Facility
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Bad Johnny’s slings “free” pizza on the fifth birthday of Monday Night Foodball

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 23:02:00 +0200

Bad Johnny walked the equivalent of three marathons on Lollapalooza weekend. That was achieved four to five steps at a time, paddling raw dough and finished pizzas to and from the tented prep station, the expo, and the 950-degree Fahrenheit, gaping hellmouth of Belle, the sentient, mobile, wood-fired, brick pizza oven that enslaves him every […]
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Ghanaian movie posters link Accra and Chicago

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 18:14:00 +0200

If you don’t remember seeing a hand-painted Ghanaian movie poster, then you probably haven’t. Because they are, in one word, unforgettable. In many words, they’re dauntlessly colorful, delightfully anachronistic, oftentimes unduly violent, but always, somehow, still whimsical, even when adorned with brutal gore, various weapons, and excessive nudity. Television host John Oliver and the team […]
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Detroit hip-hop great Black Milk brings his boundless sound and grounded sensibility to Schubas

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 18:04:00 +0200

Black Milk Fri 9/4 at Schubas
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The original pay-as-you-go phones

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 22:05:00 +0200

In 1901, the Chicago Telephone Company ran a newspaper ad promoting a technology it said would make its service available to “every resident of Chicago”: home pay phones. Known as nickel-in-the-slot phones, they required users to insert five cents—roughly $2 today—each time they made a call, with a minimum charge of five cents per day. […]
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Manasseh goes beyond R&B on a mellow, tastefully ornate new album

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 19:31:00 +0200

Gossip Wolf has loved Manasseh for a long time. The south-side native, full name Manasseh Croft, sings in a supple, otherworldly falsetto, and his psychedelic soul pulls from hip-hop, electro-pop, and jazz. He often lends his talents to fellow Chicagoans who want their songs to feel like they can touch the heavens. On Marquis Hill’s […]
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Review: Late Fame

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 19:03:00 +0200

Late Fame screening Fri 8/21–Thu 8/27 at the Music Box Theatre
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Missing persons

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 02:04:00 +0200

In the project 60 wrd/min art critic, writer Lori Waxman explores how art writing can serve an expanded field of artists—including those incarcerated, trying to gain visas, working to establish themselves professionally, or just wanting feedback for a secret hobby. For this iteration, Waxman reviews work by Chicago-based artist Catherine Lyu. Catherine Lyu What does […]
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South siders call for Mayor Brandon Johnson to ‘revoke the permits’ for a controversial quantum computing facility

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:26:00 +0200

More than 350 people crowded into a hot auditorium at Arnold Mireles Academy on Saturday, chanting “revoke the permits” and demanding Mayor Brandon Johnson explain his support for Quantum Shore, a megadevelopment underway on Chicago’s southeast side that includes a quantum computing research and development park and a controversial data center. Southside Together, a community […]
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West Side Story dances up a storm in Skokie

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 22:21:00 +0200

West Side Story, through 8/30, Music Theater Works at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Skokie
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Hail Mary/Maria combines a coming-of-age queer love story with pro wrestling

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 22:03:00 +0200

Hail Mary/Maria, through 8/23, Nova Entertainment at Theater Wit
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Anatomy of a Suicide is harsh but compelling in its local premiere

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 21:41:00 +0200

Anatomy of a Suicide, through 8/30, Metal Shop Performance Lab and JunkHeart Theatre at Redtwist Theatre
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Chicago Story Fest 2026: Villains

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 21:20:00 +0200

Chicago Story Fest is coming September 18th for one night only at the Athenaeum Center. This year’s theme is Villains: stories about what we fear, what we misunderstand, and what we become. Listen to Chicago’s most curious journalists, artists, and your neighborhood storytellers tell you about the villains in their lives (and in our city) […]
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Review: The End of Oak Street

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 18:08:00 +0200

The End of Oak Street in wide release in theaters
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The second Sound & Gravity festival offers discerning listeners a wealth of hard choices

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Sound & Gravity Thu 9/3-Sun 9/6 at Athenaeum Center, Beat Kitchen, Constellation, Guild Row, Hungry Brain, and Judson & Moore
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The hardcore community celebrates the memory of Harm’s Way guitarist Bo Lueders

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Harm's Way Sat 8/29 at Bohemian National Cemetery
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Saigon Jazz Revival celebrates and reimagines Vietnamese jazz of the 60s and 70s

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Saigon Jazz Revival Sat 8/29 at Live Bash
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Gasping for air

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0200

This story was co-published with the Chicago Reporter. Gary Sams could hardly breathe. He had begun experiencing early symptoms of rapidly progressing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive and fatal neurological disease, in April 2024. By June 2025, ALS had robbed him of his ability to walk or use his hands. Now it was suffocating […]
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Chicago’s longaniza Scotch egg lady arrives with A Taste of the Philippines at the next Monday Night Foodball

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 00:04:00 +0200

Kathy Vega Hardy introduced thousands of Denverites to lumpia, chicken adobo, and bistek Tagalog. She did that from a four burner food cart on the city’s outdoor 16th Street Mall, after a two week crash course in Filipino home cooking from her mom. Growing up in Manila, she remembers ghosting on kitchen duties. “When we […]
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Review: Tony

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 23:35:00 +0200

Tony in wide release in theaters
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Review: Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 23:35:00 +0200

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma in wide release in theaters
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The New Deal for storytellers

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0200

Almost one hundred years ago, the federal government launched a program to employ out-of-work writers. It was 1935, the middle of the Great Depression. About 18 percent of Americans were unemployed—down from a peak of 25 percent but still high. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had introduced his New Deal in 1933, which aimed to provide […]
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Bodily autonomy clashes with capitalism in The Complex Whole So Formed

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:24:00 +0200

The Complex Whole So Formed, through 8/29 at the Neo-Futurist Theater
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For 97 years, the Bud Billiken Parade has shown up for Chicago youth

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:16:00 +0200

Born from Chicago Defender founder Robert S. Abbott’s vision for uplifting Black youth, Bud Billiken grew from the newspaper’s children’s club into a parade in 1929. Emerging during the Great Migration, the tradition gave Black children a place to shine through music and performance while encouraging education and preparing them for the return to school. […]
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Shutting out the world but leaving open Windows

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:04:00 +0200

Windows, through 8/23, PrideArts at Hoover-Leppen Theatre in Center on Halsted
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Wild West tropes stand in for crumbling American dreams in The New CNN

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 18:52:00 +0200

The New CNN, through 8/29, Hate/Lab at Facility Theatre
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Coerced intimacy

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0200

In the project 60 wrd/min art critic, writer Lori Waxman explores how art writing can serve an expanded field of artists—including those incarcerated, trying to gain visas, working to establish themselves professionally, or just wanting feedback for a secret hobby. For this iteration, Waxman reviews work by SAIC graduate Kyriakos Paraskevopoulos. Kyriakos Paraskevopoulos The spectrum […]
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Soul pioneer Harold Burrage died before he could become a star

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 03:11:00 +0200

There are many ways a musician can earn the “secret” part of being a subject of the Secret History of Chicago Music, and one of the saddest is an early death. Blues and soul singer Harold Burrage, who was also a talented pianist, songwriter, and producer, began his recording career in 1950 and was still […]
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Avrom Farm hosts a grassroots Chicago music fest three hours from Chicago

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 20:49:00 +0200

Music festival season is still in high gear, and some of the most interesting local events aren’t just outside but also outside Chicago. On Saturday, for example, DIY fest the Great Gathering, held about an hour southwest in the fields of Yorkville, hosts a stellar two-day lineup of midwest acts for its third go-round—including Chicagoans […]
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How do you paint the weather?

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:01:00 +0200

In the project 60 wrd/min art critic, writer Lori Waxman explores how art writing can serve an expanded field of artists—including those incarcerated, trying to gain visas, working to establish themselves professionally, or just wanting feedback for a secret hobby. For this iteration, Waxman reviews recent paintings by Chicago-based artist Winnie Weiyun Szu. Winnie Weiyun […]
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The Chicago House Music Festival is one of our best summer events—why doesn’t the city do more to lift it up?

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 22:59:00 +0200

Chicago House Music Festival & Conference Thu 8/27 through Sun 8/30 at Chicago Cultural Center, Grant Park, and more.
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Twenty years ago, Chicago welcomed the world to the Gay Games

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 21:41:00 +0200

On July 15, 2006, more than 11,500 athletes from nearly 70 countries paraded before a cheering crowd of 35,000 at Soldier Field. They lit up the field in a cascade of rainbows made of tiny handheld LED lights. This was how Chicago welcomed the seventh Gay Games, a celebration of international sport competition, cultural presentation, […]
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Chicago drill sensation BabyChiefDoIt drowns out his AI backlash with R.A.M.B.O

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 21:10:00 +0200

Sat 8/22 at Ramova Theatre,
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Helados con queso at Nube’s Ice Cream & Coffee Shop

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 20:26:00 +0200

The city of Ibarra in northern Ecuador sits at the foot of the occasionally snow-capped Imbabura Volcano. Its crater is believed to be the original freezer relied upon to make helados de paila, intensely fruity ice creams or sorbets, made by whipping tropical fruits with sugar in a bronze basin set over salt and volcanic […]
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Stephen Wilson Jr. is the Outlaw Music Festival’s secret weapon

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Stephen Wilson Jr. Tue 8/25 at Huntington Bank Pavilion
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Chicago rapper Kayo sounds cool in the pocket on Diamond Hands

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Kayo Thu 8/27 at Subterranean
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Detention is the mother of invention

Sat, 08 Aug 2026 01:13:00 +0200

The moka pot is such a fundamental part of Italian culture that even prisoners in maximum security are allowed to keep them in their cells. Set atop gas-powered camp stoves available for purchase in Italian prison commissaries, the iconic, two-chambered, aluminum coffee maker can produce an espresso just as satisfying and civilized as one brewed […]
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Chicago, what’s up with the AI flyers?

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0200

For DJ Ca$h Era, there isn’t one single moment that stands out as to why she created an Instagram post urging artists, creatives, and business owners not to use artificial intelligence for graphic design work and promotion. “I logged on Instagram one day, and I scrolled really quick, and it was just back-to-back AI flyers […]
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Mary Nisi, DJ and radio host

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 01:58:00 +0200

Mary Nisi fell in love with DJing as a volunteer with Loyola University station WLUW in 2000. She DJed at venues and clubs around the city before finding a niche as a wedding DJ. In 2005, she founded DJ company Toast & Jam, which she says employs around 20 part-time DJs. And none of them […]
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72 hours in Milwaukee with Abby Pucker, Chanelle Lacy, and Emma McKee

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 23:43:00 +0200

The Flyover Gals is a Chicago Reader series written by Gertie’s Abby Pucker and Chanelle Lacy, alongside Mariane Ibrahim Gallery’s Emma McKee—three women rooted in Chicago’s art scene, sending back vivid dispatches from their art world journeys across the midwest. The trio captures the creativity, grit, and unexpected beauty shaping the heartland’s cultural landscape. For […]
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The Notebook comes back in a solid touring production

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 22:25:00 +0200

The Notebook, through 8/16, Broadway in Chicago at Nederlander Theatre
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In Greater Grand Crossing, a transcendent For Colored Girls is more than enuf

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 17:22:00 +0200

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf
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Mutual dreams upend two marriages in Marble

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 17:08:00 +0200

Marble, through 8/30, Gift Theatre at Copernicus Center
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De Las Cenizas ignites the next Monday Night Foodball

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 17:07:00 +0200

Adalberto Olaez hated the sound of the ticket printer. It was a microplane zesting the back of his skull for nearly 14 years in just as many professional kitchens. “The restaurant closes at 10,” he says. “But as a line cook, it takes you 45 minutes prior to that to start wrapping up, start wiping […]
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Modern Archaic’s The Bacchae is a mortal production with god-tier possibilities

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 16:47:00 +0200

The Bacchae, Modern Archaic Theatre Company at Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble
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The Outsiders honors the spirit of S.E. Hinton’s book

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 16:34:00 +0200

The Outsider, through 8/16, Broadway in Chicago at Cadillac Palace Theatre
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Who watches the watchmen?

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Just Neighbors examines the city’s homeless encampment sweeps, focusing on the human impact of a fragmented, interdepartmental process. Excluding Judah, the names of all unhoused people in this story have been changed to protect their identities. Judah Venturi, 40, is an independent researcher, writer, teacher, and philosopher. He’s lived all across the eastern half of the […]
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Odd to see

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 16:00:00 +0200

The Moviegoer is the diary of a local film buff, collecting the best of what Chicago’s independent and underground film scene has to offer. I’m continuously seeking transcendent moviegoing experiences, ones in which I’m moved—sometimes almost physically, the merging of image and body and then form and soul—by the sublimity of cinema. I’m lucky to […]
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Review: Blue Film

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Blue Film screening through Sun 8/16 at Facets
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Cook County judges granted majority of pretrial detention requests in spring 2025, new study finds

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0200

The Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA) took full effect in September 2023. The landmark legislation fully abolished cash bail in Illinois—the first state in the nation to do so. It also required prosecutors to petition judges when they believe someone should be detained before trial and established a three-prong test for judges to consider, along with […]
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Review: WTO/99

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 19:06:00 +0200

WTO/99 screening Thu 8/11 at 7 PM at the Music Box Theatre
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Illinois prisons expand free phone calls

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:40:00 +0200

The Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) is extending a pilot program that provides incarcerated people with 775 minutes of free phone calls per month. Naomi Puzzello, public information officer for the IDOC, confirmed in an email to the Chicago Reader that the department decided to extend the program after seeing “a significant increase in minute […]
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Chicago Reader Volume 55, Number 19

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 16:31:00 +0200

Chicago Reader Volume 55, No. 19. August 2026.
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The quiet infrastructure of control

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Right now, as you read this, someone is watching you. From AI-powered cameras and automated license plate readers to drones and GPS monitors, police at every level have access to a truly impressive arsenal of tools collecting information, whether you’re on the bus, at a coffee shop, or within the confines of your own home. […]
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Southeast Spotlight: Jordans Beauty Supply

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Jordans Beauty Supply1911 E. 79th Street, Wed, Thu, and Fri 10 AM–5 PM, Tue and Sat 10 AM–3 PM, closed on Sun and Mon(773) 734-6268, jbseducational.com, Email info@jbseducational.comInstagram @JordansBeautySupply, Facebook Jordans Beauty Supply Some businesses are built on ambition; Jordans Beauty Supply was built on belief. When the company where Ike Jordan had spent years […]
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‘I found it in the alley!’

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Social Fabric is a glimpse into the vibrant lives, objects, and spaces that shape our city, cocurated with community archives and local photographers. It can be the most mundane day: gloomy, overcast, and, somehow, both chilly and muggy, when a walk through a Chicago alley brings about an entirely new trajectory. Maybe you spotted a […]
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I lived in the women’s prison slated for closure

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0200

When I read the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) announcement that the new Logan Correctional Center will be built in Crest Hill, next to the new Stateville prison, I felt deep worry for all those still behind bars at the current prison. As a woman previously incarcerated there, I know firsthand that conditions at Logan […]
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Chicago’s alleys are a little world

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0200

In a bustling city where every nook and cranny is packed with bars, coffee shops, and corner stores, alleys exist as a place of calm, one where people can find far more than a parking spot. Sometimes, that’s a painting. Madisyn Mettenburg was roaming aimlessly through the alley near her Ravenswood apartment after a rough […]
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Chicago’s alleys are a little word

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0200

Can zines help us resist the slop overtaking the Internet?

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0200

I came into writing this piece several months ago—wide-eyed, Gen Z, hopeful that gripping on to analog methods for dear life might just help us resist the slop and the shit overtaking our media landscape. It’s not news that everything posted online is surveilled by federal agencies and regurgitated by bots, then collected as personal […]
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The resurrected Krill release their first song in a decade

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 18:28:00 +0200

Late last month, Boston-born trio Krill dropped “Commemorative Plaque,” their first new release in ten years—and their first piece of music as a Chicago band. Formed in 2010, Krill became an important band in New England indie rock, which at that time also produced Speedy Ortiz, Ovlov, and Pile. The terrifically knotty title track of […]
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The staying power of the handmade

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 16:00:00 +0200

In the project 60 wrd/min art critic, writer Lori Waxman explores how art writing can serve an expanded field of artists—including those incarcerated, trying to gain visas, working to establish themselves professionally, or just wanting feedback for a secret hobby. For this iteration, Waxman reviews the work of New York illustrator Morain An. Morain An […]
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Virtual reality

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0200

In the project 60 wrd/min art critic, writer Lori Waxman explores how art writing can serve an expanded field of artists—including those incarcerated, trying to gain visas, working to establish themselves professionally, or just wanting feedback for a secret hobby. For this iteration, Waxman reviews a recent exhibition by Chicago-based artist Xinlyu Wang. Xinlyu Wang […]
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Nitro-a-Go-Go severs the music festival from the music business

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 00:14:00 +0200

In late July, musician and poet Cole “Johnson Rockstar” Hunt, cofounder of the band TV Buddha, hosted the first Nitro-a-Go-Go. This four-day DIY festival consisted of six shows at a variety of outdoor locations around Chicago. Hunt got the idea for the festival in October, after a three-day underground fest called Bread & Roses debuted […]
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Rise thru the concrete with Dandelion Town

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 23:30:00 +0200

Editor’s note: The formatting of all written quotations obtained for this story has been preserved to reflect the sources’ styles. Earlier this year, we at the Reader celebrated the creation of Eyewash Video Magazine as one of the best things to happen in our city in 2025. In the Best of Chicago story, creator and […]
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On friendship

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 18:31:00 +0200

“What is a friend How do you get a friend How do you keep a friend How come I don’t have a friend?” —Dr. Steve Brule “Friendship, this relation without dependence, without episode, yet into which all of the simplicity of life enters, passes by way of the recognition of the common strangeness that does […]
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Virginia band Book of Wyrms conjure vintage metal and fantasy vibes

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Book of Wyrms Sat 8/22 at Reggies Music Joint
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Jill Scott brings her timeless Black soul to the Chicago Theatre for a three-night stand

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Jill Scott Thu 8/20, Sat 8/22, and Sun 8/23 at the Chicago Theatre
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Lived experience

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0200

In the project 60 wrd/min art critic, writer Lori Waxman explores how art writing can serve an expanded field of artists—including those incarcerated, trying to gain visas, working to establish themselves professionally, or just wanting feedback for a secret hobby. For this iteration, Waxman reviews a recent MFA exhibition of Chicago-based artist Sascha Huth. Sascha […]
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City in a garden

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0200

“Perennial City" through 12/18 at Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
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Out of the darkness comes the Knight, when Slow Motion for Meat comes to Monday Night Foodball

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 23:03:00 +0200

You may think you don’t know the Mayor. But if you pay attention to restaurants, or cooking competitions, or pop-ups in Chicago, you’ve probably eaten his food, or eaten the food of some chef whose ass he’s saved in one way or another. Like Batman, he keeps to the shadows; everywhere and nowhere at once. […]
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Steel and solidarity

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 18:42:00 +0200

The Moviegoer is the diary of a local film buff, collecting the best of what Chicago’s independent and underground film scene has to offer. I want to bring attention to two Chicago-related short films released in the past few weeks that can be viewed online: Bill Morrison’s Sawyer Avenue, Sunday Afternoon (2026), and The New […]
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Oneida bring the “Power of the O” to the Empty Bottle

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Oneida Wed 8/12 at Empty Bottle
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Jeff Kimmel & Jack Langdon’s ambient sounds contain multitudes

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Jeff Kimmel & Jack Langdon Thu 8/13 at Comfort Station
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Homegrown guitar phenom Isaiah Sharkey brings eclectic funk to Garcia’s

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Isaiah Sharkey Sat 8/15 at Garcia's
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Durian massaman curry at Eat Fine Design by Khun Kung

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0200

I developed an intermittent craving for durian after first trying it in Thailand a few years ago. One whiff of its sharp, unforgettable smell and one bite of its rich, creamy flesh was all it took to fall in love. Since then, I’ve been pining for anything to satisfy this craving, with little success. Enter […]
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Chicago’s Consensus Madness invoke the beautiful bile of punk’s first wave

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Consensus Madness Sat 8/15 at Empty Bottle
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American Football go against the grain to make their best album this century

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0200

American Football Fri 8/14 at Salt Shed
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You can play an artist-designed mini golf course in Bridgeport

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 14:57:00 +0200

Today, mini golf is a vestigial limb of the built environment, relegated to undesirable plots near freeway off-ramps and awkward spaces at Punch Bowl Social. But it was once revolutionary, offering recreation to those excluded from the manicured expanses of its larger counterpart. Curators Molly Blumberg, Qiuchen Wu, and Alana Ferguson tap into that history […]
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Review: I Want Your Sex

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 23:34:00 +0200

I Want Your Sex in limited release in theaters
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Irish playwright Marina Carr returns to Chicago with Marble

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 23:01:00 +0200

My first exposure to Irish playwright Marina Carr was back in 1998, when I was living in San Francisco. The Magic Theatre produced a festival of plays by contemporary Irish women, including Marie Jones’s tragicomedy Stones in His Pockets, which went on to several regional productions in the U.S. But the show that resonated the […]
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Is the Internet panopticon going to ruin live music too?

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 18:35:00 +0200

On May 14, Chicago indie band Fleshed Out played Flub a Dub Chub’s in Lakeview. It’s a hot-dog joint, and it doesn’t usually host shows. Fleshed Out have released only a handful of songs, in part because founder and front man Chris Dunn is a bit of a perfectionist. They formed just before the pandemic […]
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Residents call on Sims Metal to ‘Stop Poisoning Pilsen’

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 17:00:00 +0200

Near the gazebo in Dvorak Park on a Monday evening in June, a group of about ten Pilsen residents gathered to paint cardboard and neon poster boards with phrases including “Metal Madness” and “Sims Must Go!” The group discussed their plans for a demonstration two days later, when more than 30 Chicagoans protested outside a […]
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The lost art of public shaming

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0200

“Ink & Outrage: 18th-Century Satirical Prints in London & Dublin" through 9/13 at the Driehaus Museum
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Trombonist Julian Priester elevated mainstream jazz with avant-garde soul

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:27:00 +0200

Beloved but hard-as-nails music instructor Captain Walter Dyett has been a recurring figure in the Secret History of Chicago Music for more than 20 years. He nurtured so much talent at Bronzeville’s DuSable High School during his long tenure there, from 1935 till 1962, that the musicians I’ve covered have frequently been his former students. […]
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All Nighter captures undergraduate tension and uncertainty

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 17:49:00 +0200

All Nighter, through 8/8, Village Theater at Rivendell Theatre
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In the Continuum connects the stories of two women living with HIV

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 17:24:00 +0200

In the Continuum, through 8/9, Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre at Noyes Cultural Arts Center, Evanston
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Two pirates and a wedding take center stage in yo ho.

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 17:07:00 +0200

yo ho., through 8/29, Babes With Blades at Edge Off Broadway
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An Intervention brings a personal dimension to a political falling-out

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 16:42:00 +0200

An Intervention, through 8/9, Heart of Gold Theatre at Pierce Hall, Chicago Temple
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The American Project brings a personal lens to immigration stories

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 16:26:00 +0200

The American Project, through 8/8, Albany Park Theater Project at Laura Wiley Theater
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An oasis inside the Cook County jail?

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0200

In mid-February, a team from DLR Group, an international architectural firm, met with a coterie of local government officials to unveil plans for an open, airy 22,000-square-foot building it had been contracted to design in southwest Chicago. DLR’s proposal was heavily influenced by nature—both in the building’s physical design and the larger ethos underlying it. […]
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DJ Jesse De La Peña celebrates 40 years in music

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 23:11:00 +0200

Veteran Chicago DJ Jesse De La Peña has led a storied career. He got his start in the mid-80s, during the early days of Chicago hip-hop, and in the early 90s he cofounded internationally beloved acid-jazz band Liquid Soul. In 2011, he joined the team at Vocalo, and before cuts put the station on ice […]
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Chicago Dance Crash explores vulnerability in expo/sd

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 18:00:00 +0200

Chicago Dance Crash’s expo/sd concert presentation at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts on July 24 and 25 brought three world premieres together in an evening of dynamic and thoughtful work. The common thread connecting all the pieces, as the collective title suggests, is isolation and the vulnerability required to break through and connect […]
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A solo show that’s anything but

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 15:27:00 +0200

“I just really want to tell you this one thing" through 8/23 at the Chicago Cultural Center
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Picture this

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0200

“Picture(s)" through 8/15 at Document
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Chicago experimental jazz gets a downtown shrine you can touch

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 22:27:00 +0200

When tenor saxophonist Fred Anderson died in 2010, the Velvet Lounge died with him. Since the 1980s, his Near South Side club—just “the Velvet” to regulars—had been Chicago’s most reliable showcase for underground and experimental jazz artists, especially those in the storied Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). The venue’s closure left a […]
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Racetraitor dismantle ego and power on the new EP Nobody, Son of Nobody

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Racetraitor Fri 8/14 at Hideout
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Boston posthardcore veterans Fiddlehead sound revitalized on Baby I’ll Change

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Fiddlehead Fri 8/14 at Thalia Hall
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The anti-monumentality of the Obama years

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0200

“Longer Than the Sky" through 10/11 at Logan Center
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What does it mean to preserve a prison?

Sat, 25 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0200

For nearly a century and a half, people entered the gates of Joliet Correctional Center because the state sent them there. On the last day of April this year, people paid their way in to watch a baseball game. In front of a nearly sold-out crowd of five thousand people, the Joliet Slammers and the […]
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The smoke rises again when K-Tex BBQ returns to Monday Night Foodball

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 19:06:00 +0200

The animals were running the streets in crop tops and cargo shorts last February 2. The ice dome that covered the city had cracked; up 32 degrees Fahrenheit from the previous week’s gelid 8. They’d crawled out of hibernation with their snouts upward, huffing meat smoke out of the sky. Maybe they smelled Korean barbecue. […]
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Jamaican singer-songwriter Lila Iké reimagines reggae by living her truth

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 17:13:00 +0200

Lila Iké Thu 8/6 at Millennium Park
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Morgan Garrett and Gloorp are Philadelphia’s most inspired musical weirdos

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 17:10:00 +0200

Morgan Garrett and Gloorp (DJ set) Thu 8/6 at Sportsman's Club
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Herr God summon righteous rage with slow-burning shoegaze

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 17:10:00 +0200

Herr God> Sun 8/9 at Cole's Bar
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Chicago punks NightFreak bury you in the pleasures of fast and furious riffs

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 17:10:00 +0200

NightFreak Sun 8/9 at Beat Kitchen
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Hit me, baby, one more time

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 16:51:00 +0200

“Organgrinder" through 8/29 at M. LeBlanc
The post Hit me, baby, one more time appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Chicago’s new indie print publications want to highlight today’s cultural scene

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

When Ian Fugett began promoting his new magazine, the pub, he quickly realized that he wasn’t alone. “I would be hanging flyers, and someone would come up to me, like, ‘Oh, you started a publication. We just started a publication,’” he says. “It feels like you’re not cool in the city unless you’re starting a […]
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Two of a kind

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0200

“Let's Go Exploring" through 8/22 at Patron
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Review: Her Private Hell

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 23:43:00 +0200

Her Private Hell in wide release in theaters
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Jiashun Zhou weaves an expansive world

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 21:10:00 +0200

In the project 60 wrd/min art critic, writer Lori Waxman explores how art writing can serve an expanded field of artists—including those incarcerated, trying to gain visas, working to establish themselves professionally, or just wanting feedback for a secret hobby. For this iteration, Waxman reviews a recently completed project by Chicago-based artist Jiashun Zhou. Jiashun […]
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SALOMÉ dances with the dichotomies in Oscar Wilde’s tragedy

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 18:25:00 +0200

SALOMÉ, through 8/2 at United Church of Rogers Park
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Kokandy’s Hair connects the 60s to the present

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 18:03:00 +0200

Hair, through 9/13, Kokandy Productions at the Chopin Theatre
The post Kokandy’s Hair connects the 60s to the present appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Good People returns in a stellar revival with 4 Chairs Theatre

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 17:41:00 +0200

Good People, through 8/23, 4 Chairs Theatre at Theater Wit
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Review: Everybody to Kenmure Street

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 22:16:00 +0200

Everybody to Kenmure Street screening Fri 7/24–Thu 7/30 at the Siskel Film Center
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Chicago Housing Authority Board awards contracts to 8 private property management firms

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 17:17:00 +0200

At July 2026 Meeting, the CHA Board of Commissioners Approved the New Contracts, Expanding and Diversifying the Agency’s Vendor PoolThe Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) today announced that it has awarded new contracts to eight private property management (PPM) companies for managing CHA-owned residential properties. The expanded vendor pool includes four vendors who are new to CHA and gives the agency new flexibility to move and assign units based on vendor performance. This new approach

Illinois ups wrongful conviction payouts, including for juveniles

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 17:09:00 +0200

By Judith Ruiz-BranchPeople who were wrongfully imprisoned in Illinois could see larger payouts under a newly signed law which raises the compensation cap.Illinois has the most exonerations of any state, according to the Registry of Exonerations. A new provision also makes children who were wrongfully convicted in juvenile court eligible to receive reparation.Josh Tepfer, an attorney and executive director of the Exoneration Project, said youth were previously excl

MR SONNY KNOWS for July 22, 2026

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

The post MR SONNY KNOWS for July 22, 2026 appeared first on Chicago Defender.

FEMA approves $15.8 million for Chicagoans winter storm recovery

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 14:09:00 +0200

FEMA has awarded $15.8 million to reimburse Michigan state and local governments and an electrical cooperative for costs to respond to and recover from the March 2025 severe winter storm. The funding reimburses costs to restore critical public safety communications infrastructure and debris removal services that made roads safe to travel and assisted power restoration efforts.These awards are distributed through FEMA’s Public Assistance program, which provides funding to local govern

10 Best AI Sex Chat Sites of 2026

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:38:00 +0200

AI sex chat sites occupy a strange and fascinating space between entertainment, technology, and human connection. What started as simple chat experiments has evolved into a growing category of tools built around conversation, character creation, fantasy, and digital intimacy. For some these platforms offer a creative outlet for storytelling and roleplay. For others, they provide […]
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Review: Manhunter: The Final Cut

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 22:45:00 +0200

Manhunter: The Final Cut in limited release in theaters
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NAACP, Attorney Benjamin Crump announces results of independent autopsy in death of Nolan Wells

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 22:17:00 +0200

Press Conference to Be Held During the 117th NAACP National ConventionThe NAACP and nationally renowned civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump will hold a press conference on Wednesday, July 22, to announce the findings of an independent autopsy conducted in connection with the death of Nolan Wells. Family members, legal representatives, and NAACP leadership are expected to be in attendance for the briefing.The press conference will provide media with an opportunity to hear directly from attorney

Anne Helen Wells’s new album honors the intimacy and care in BDSM

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 22:11:00 +0200

For the past couple years, Chicago electronic artist Anne Helen Wells has been working on pulsating, sugary tracks that cleave to a single theme: desire. That feeling smolders through her arty new second album, Edith, which documents her evolving relationship with her romantic and BDSM partner. She met her “daddy” in October 2024. “I have […]
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WNBA founding player Rushia Brown hosts ‘Play Like a Girl’ basketball skills clinic at South Side Y during All-Star Week

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 20:29:00 +0200

As the basketball world gathers in Chicago for WNBA All-Star Week, founding player Rushia Brown will host her signature “Play Like a Girl” Basketball Skills Clinic on Thursday, July 23, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the South Side YMCA, 6330 S. Stony Island. The event will bring together up to100 middle and high school YMCA girl members, ages 7-16 for a day of basketball instruction, leadership development, and mentorship.Brown will be joined by WNBA legends Monique Ambers, Redhe

Trump Finally Pays E. Jean Carroll $5.6 Million After Sexual Abuse Verdict

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 19:00:00 +0200

The sitting president of the United States has been found liable for sexually abusing a woman. It took three years, repeated appeals, and a Supreme Court that declined to intervene, but E. Jean Carroll finally received the millions Donald Trump owed her.
The journalist, who is 82, received $5,625,005.48 on July 9, court records confirm — the $5 million a unanimous nine-person jury awarded her in May 2023, plus three years of post-judgment interest that accumulated while Trump fought the v

Self-Help kicks off HBCU Promise+ Legacy Program with First Legacy Accelerator convening in Chicago

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 17:11:00 +0200

Self-Help today announced the launch of its HBCU Promise+ Legacy Program, kicking off the initiative with the inaugural HBCU Legacy Accelerator Program convening in Chicago. During the three-day workshop, leaders from six Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) came together to begin a two-year collaborative designed to strengthen institutional resilience, preserve campus assets, and expand long-term economic opportunity for students, alumni, and surrounding communities.The inaugura

Nolan Wells’ Mother Received Anonymous Hate Mail Before Son’s Funeral

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 17:00:00 +0200

The hate mail arrived as Wonsley and her family continue to grieve publicly while seeking answers about Nolan’s death.In an Instagram video shared July 16, she described the emotional weight of the previous two weeks.
“Right now everything is so heavy. Everything is so heavy,” she said. “I’m a healthcare provider so I talk about grief a lot. Now to be on the other side of this, it’s a lot. This loss, this pain, this grief hits different. It’s unsurmount

Commissioner Donna Miller Announces over $4 million to support infrastructure, housing, and development in Southland communities

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 16:54:00 +0200

Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller is proud to announce that more than $4 million in total funding has been allocated for communities and organizations across the 6th District through the Invest in Cook Program and the 2026 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), and related federal funding programs.These investments will improve critical infrastructure, expand transportation access, strengthen affordable housing and homelessness prevention efforts, support

Mayor Brandon Johnson, Chicago Youth Works on track to hire 29,000 young People, 4 years in a row

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 16:40:00 +0200

Over 28,000 young Chicagoans have been placed in summer jobs as additional spots continue to be filled. Today, Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) announced that, as of today, 28,793 young people have been hired for summer employment opportunities through Chicago Youth Works (CYW)—an increase of more than 40% since Mayor Johnson took office. The Mayor joined City officials

Former Miss Universe Jamaica Finalist LaToya Malcolm Dead At 35

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

LaToya Malcolm, a former Miss Universe Jamaica finalist and the 2024 Miss Jamaica Bikini International titleholder, has died at 35.
Miss Universe Jamaica announced her passing in a statement posted to Instagram on Saturday (July 18), per the Jamaica Observer.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Miss Universe Jamaica alumna LaToya Malcolm, who proudly competed in the 2024 Miss Universe Jamaica competition,” the organization wrote. “Our heartfelt condolences are with

What is Illinois Governor JB Pritzker really like when the cameras aren’t focused on politics?

Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:59:00 +0200

In this exclusive episode of Mama, I Made It!, Samantha Chatman sits down one-on-one with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker for a conversation that goes far beyond the headlines. Governor Pritzker opens up about the woman who inspired his life of public service, sharing the powerful story of his mother and the impact her battle with alcoholism had on his family. He also reflects on growing up as a Pritzker, the lessons he learned from his family’s business legacy, and how he became one of Ame

Cook County down payment assistance program now open

Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:07:00 +0200

The Cook County Bureau of Economic Development’s Department of Planning and Development today launched a third phase of the Cook County Down Payment Assistance Program. The Cook County Board of Commissioners approved the funds earlier this year. The approved allocation of $2 million will assist residents in the homebuying process. Lenders participating in the program can access fundin

Chicago songwriter Ktwheels refreshes classic alt-rock

Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Ktwheels Fri 8/7 at Cole's Bar
The post Chicago songwriter Ktwheels refreshes classic alt-rock appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The transformative power of public housing

Mon, 20 Jul 2026 15:18:00 +0200

“Nathaniel Mary Quinn: A Love Letter to My Mother” through 8/23 at the National Public Housing Museum
The post The transformative power of public housing appeared first on Chicago Reader.

EPA Rollback Could Bring Dirtier Air to Black Communities

Sun, 19 Jul 2026 13:43:00 +0200

by Willy BlackmoreFor decades, highways and industrial corridors have exposed Black communities to disproportionate levels of diesel pollution. As the Trump administration eases clean truck standards, environmental advocates warn those neighborhoods could once again pay the highest price.The research is conclusive: Black communities are disproportionately exposed to diesel exhaust and other traffic-related pollution. So when Biden-era crackdowns on diesel emissions were scheduled to take e

Salvation Army Centers open during air quality alert

Sun, 19 Jul 2026 13:40:00 +0200

Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services provides 600,000 masks to Chicago First RespondersAs hazardous wildfire smoke continues to impact the Chicago region and air quality levels reach unhealthy ranges, The Salvation Army is opening select facilities across Chicagoland as Air Quality Respite Centers for residents seeking relief from smoky outdoor conditions.Air quality across the region has deteriorated significantly due to smoke from ongoing wildfires in Canada and Minnesota. On Friday, Ai

Divorce in the Black Church: Why Women Often Bear the Blame

Sun, 19 Jul 2026 13:39:00 +0200

by Rev. Dorothy BoulwareNearly two centuries after the first Black woman preacher, more women are called to ministry — but tradition and bias still keep many from the pulpit.While there are some who preach, others who lead, and even an AME bishop, fewer than 1 in 10 Black church leadership positions are led by Black women. That’s despite the fact that 8 in 10 Black church congregants are Black women. Experts say progress has been slower and uneven than expected.Born into a free Blac

Cook County state’s attorney brings charges against Bellwood police officer

Sun, 19 Jul 2026 13:39:00 +0200

CCSAO Announces Official Misconduct Charge Filed Against Bellwood Police Officer CHICAGO – A Bellwood Police Officer has been charged with a felony count of official misconduct for allegedly sharing confidential law enforcement information with an acquaintance who was a suspect in a crime, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office announced Saturday. The CCSAO’s Law Enforcement Review Unit (LERU) approved a ch

Mike DFG plays the rap game as a team sport

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 20:22:00 +0200

Rising Chicago artists, whether they sign to major labels or stay independent, often partner with established local managers as their careers gain traction. South-side rapper Recoechi, fresh off last year’s Flavaz, works with John Monopoly (best known for managing Kanye West) and Alexander Fruchter (aka DJ RTC, cofounder of local label Closed Sessions). Thirteendegrees° is […]
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The power is in the people at the Chosen Few Picnic

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 18:10:00 +0200

In the more than 40 years since house music emerged from Chicago’s gay Black nightlife scene, it’s become vital to survival for many. Chicago-born DJ crew the Chosen Few helped turn the music into a movement, and since 1990, their annual Chosen Few Picnic has helped sustain that movement. Wayne Williams started the Chosen Few […]
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‘Everything Is So Heavy’: Nolan Wells’ Mother Speaks Out About Grief

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 17:46:00 +0200

Nolan Wells‘ mother is speaking publicly about what life has looked like in the days since losing her son.
Christine Wonsley posted a video to Instagram on Wednesday (July 16) in which she described the weight of grieving a child while simultaneously fighting for answers about how he died.
As a healthcare provider, she said she has talked about grief professionally for years. Being on the other side of it, she said, is something else entirely.
“Right now everything is so heavy. Ever

Chicago air quality among worst in the world: Cook County urges residents to protect health

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 16:49:00 +0200

Air quality alert in effect for Cook County through SaturdayChicago experienced some of the worst air quality in the world among major cities Thursday as wildfire smoke drifted into the region.The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency issued a Red Forecast Air Pollution Action Day, warning that air conditions could become unhealthy — and potentially hazardous — for everyone. Officials say the poor air quality could persist into Friday.City officials cautioned that older adul

Review: The Odyssey

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0200

The Odyssey in wide release in theaters
The post Review: The Odyssey appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Trump’s Election Speech Was Full Of False Claims — Here’s The Fact-Check

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 15:38:00 +0200

President Trump used a primetime address Thursday night (July 16) to revive disputed claims about election security, including assertions CBS News rated false, misleading, exaggerated or unsupported by evidence.
Trump opened by alleging that China “carried out what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history” during the 2020 election cycle. CBS News rated this claim misleading.
What Trump didn’t mention: most voter data — names, addresses,

Is southeast Chicago at the quantum crossroads?

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 00:11:00 +0200

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SAIC’s Palestine problem

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 23:01:00 +0200

Savneet Talwar is a well-respected art therapist, a subject she has taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for nearly 20 years. Talwar’s approach to art therapy is rooted in anti-colonial frameworks, social justice, and intersectional feminism. One former student told the Reader she chose SAIC’s art therapy program to study with […]
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New Audio & GPS Data Provide Clearest Timeline Yet In Nolan Wells Case

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 22:51:00 +0200

Newly obtained audio and GPS data are providing the clearest timeline yet of the boat’s movements before Nolan Wells was reported missing on Horn Island.
NBC News obtained audio through a records request capturing the group calling for emergency towing assistance on the afternoon of July 4, after their boat’s bilge pump failed.
“Hey, we’re at the west tip of Horn, and our bilge pump stopped working. We’re going. We’re sinking. Can you all please come?&rd

Getting Wilde with SALOMÉ

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 19:20:00 +0200

SALOMÉ, 7/19-7/31 at United Church of Rogers Park
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Nolan Wells Case Will Go To A Grand Jury — Here’s What That Means

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 19:00:00 +0200

The findings of the investigation into Nolan Wells‘ death will be presented to a grand jury once the inquiry is complete, Jackson County officials confirmed Wednesday (July 15) — while cautioning that the process does not necessarily mean investigators suspect criminal activity.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the Wells family, announced the development following a morning meeting between the family and Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath — th

Parts and sums

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 18:40:00 +0200

The Moviegoer is the diary of a local film buff, collecting the best of what Chicago’s independent and underground film scene has to offer. Movies are the sum of their parts, but those parts are also the sum of themselves. As my cinephilia continues to evolve, I find myself focusing on different things about the […]
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Indigenous-inspired fermentation fraternity Piñatta comes out of retirement at the next Monday Night Foodball

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 18:16:00 +0200

The 33-week-old anti–foie gras protest outside Lincoln Park’s Galit is a bonfire of the inanities that shows no signs of extinguishing. There are all sorts of productive measures for responding to such nontroversies. You can satirize. You can journalize. You can ignore. Or you could be moved to make something delicious, elegant, accessible, and ethically […]
The post Indigenous-inspired fermentation fraternity Piñatta comes out of retirement at the next Monday Night Fo

Disaster rehearsal

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0200

This piece was copublished with n+1 as part of City Mouse, a column by Morley Musick. At 7 AM on a Saturday in September 2025, I participated in a mass-casualty simulation drill held in the firefighter training area of O’Hare International Airport. Before the exercise began, the other volunteers and I gathered inside a retired […]
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The Huns exemplify Chicago’s joyful 1960s garage-rock explosion

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 16:55:00 +0200

Last year I walked into the Laurie’s Planet of Sound in Lincoln Square, and owner John Laurie handed me a copy of a new compilation called A Blast From the Cellar! Lost Gems From the ’60s Chicago Garage Rock Explosion. Released by Cheap Kiss Records in Villa Park, the album collects tracks from many killer […]
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Turning trash, and DNA, into art

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 16:30:00 +0200

Doyle Chappell exhibition through 8/7 at First Free Church Chicago
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Review: Our Hero, Balthazar

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Our Hero, Balthazar screening Thu 7/23 at 7 PM at Facets
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Here comes a regular

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 22:56:00 +0200

Dive, through 8/1, Dark Room District at Fritzy's Tavern
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The Best Musical Ever is a loving but sharp-elbowed parody fest

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 22:39:00 +0200

The Best Musical Ever, through 8/1, Corn Productions at the Cornservatory
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Newsies returns with Surging Films & Theatrics

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 22:20:00 +0200

Newsies, through 8/2, Surgings Films & Theatrics at Theater Wit
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It’s Wall Street vs. Main Street in Dry Powder

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 21:57:00 +0200

Dry Powder, through 7/26, Gwydion Theatre Company at Greenhouse Theater Center
The post It’s Wall Street vs. Main Street in Dry Powder appeared first on Chicago Reader.

No Dogs in the Kitchen brings comic physicality to The Importance of Being Earnest

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 21:40:00 +0200

The Importance of Being Earnest, through 7/26, No Dogs in the Kitchen at Facility Theatre
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Tongue of a Bird marks the first flight for Rosebud Theatricals

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 21:18:00 +0200

Tongue of a Bird, through 8/1, Rosebud Theatricals at Greenhouse Theater Center
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The School of Memory explores the Spanish Civil War through one family’s shifting POV

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 20:56:00 +0200

The School of Memory, through 7/19 at Theatre Y
The post The School of Memory explores the Spanish Civil War through one family’s shifting POV appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Max Subar grows into a sophisticated folk sound on his debut album

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 19:12:00 +0200

Singer-songwriter Max Subar got a feel for the local scene by gigging at house shows and playing open mikes at Uncommon Ground and the Elbo Room. In 2017, he made his recorded debut by self-releasing a rough-hewn folk EP called In a Dream. By the time he finished his third EP, an eponymous 2020 release, […]
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Home movies tell the story of Chicago’s Polish diaspora

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 17:48:00 +0200

At the reception following the May 15 screening of The Highlanders Wedding (1961), at the University of Chicago’s Film Studies Center, an attendee raised his cup of lemon vodka and toasted the film’s restorers. “Sto lat! Sto lat!” he shouted. “One hundred years! One hundred years!”—the traditional Polish toast and wish for prosperity. The huge […]
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Your Guide to Upscale Glamping: Locations, Tips and More

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 20:07:00 +0200

Camping has long been a favorite way to disconnect from busy schedules and spend time outdoors. For many people, though, sleeping bags, shared bathrooms and packing bulky gear can make the experience less appealing. That’s why upscale glamping is rising in popularity. Here’s what you can expect, when to go, tips for choosing the right […]
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Looking for Family Friendly Museums? These Are the 5 Top Options

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 20:06:00 +0200

If you’re looking for Chicago outings that spark curiosity, create lasting memories and encourage active learning, the city’s museum scene delivers. From classic natural history halls to immersive prehistoric adventures, these five family-friendly museums stand out for their variety and kid-approved fun. 1. Volo Museum Volo Museum is a top family-friendly museum that offers exceptional […]
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Guide to Parking Garages in Downtown Chicago: Your 4 Best Options

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 20:06:00 +0200

Downtown Chicago parking is competitive on any given day, but if you drive an electric vehicle, you face an extra step — confirming charger access before you arrive. Finding top-rated parking garages with EV charging in downtown Chicago doesn’t have to be a guessing game. This guide covers your four best options for convenient, reliable […]
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The unreal world

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 19:12:00 +0200

“The shroud the slip the surface the stain" through 8/16 at LVL3
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Drummer Lesley Mok ports their command of color and structure to a sparse electronics

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 18:39:00 +0200

Lesley Mok Fri 7/24 at Elastic Arts
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As Chicago’s biggest music festival, shouldn’t Lollapalooza do more to serve the city’s people?

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 18:39:00 +0200

Lollapalooza Thu 7/30 - Sun 8/2 at Grant Park
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The Budos Band bring heavy grooves and cinematic sounds to Millennium Park

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Budos Band Mon 8/30 at Millennium Park
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Review: Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass in wide release in theaters
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Magic Tuber Stringband enter the caution zone on their new record, Heavy Water

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Magic Tuber Stringband Wed 7/22 at Constellation
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Guitarless powerviolence band World Peace deal out razor-sharp two-bass beatdowns

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0200

World Peace Sun 7/26 at Empty Bottle
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Emmylou Harris celebrates at a coheadlining Ravinia performance with Graham Nash

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Emmylou Harris Sun 7/26 at Ravinia Festival
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Hija de Maria strikes the fire on a new Monday Night Foodball lineup

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 14:46:00 +0200

Itzel Hernández drew her breath in the Pasillo de Humo and saw a vision. Smoke Alley in Oaxaca City’s Mercado 20 de Noviembre is a place that chefs dream of. And a place where their dreams come true. Hernández rose above the crowd and floated down the hall flanked by stalls laminated with glistening sheets […]
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Suffragist city

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 21:52:00 +0200

Suffs, through 7/19, Broadway in Chicago at CIBC Theatre
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Oak Park Festival Theatre’s first season of rotating rep is a mixed bag

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 21:24:00 +0200

Hamlet, through 8/15, Oak Park Festival Theatre at Austin Gardens, Oak Park
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Dive explores second chances and third spaces

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 20:26:00 +0200

Theater people love bars. Like other second-shift workers, it’s second nature for actors or crew members to head to a friendly watering hole to decompress after a late show. Playwrights also love setting plays in bars: as the Goodman’s current production of Iceboy! reminds us, one of the most epic masterpieces in American theater history—Eugene […]
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Pride full

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:39:00 +0200

The Moviegoer is the diary of a local film buff, collecting the best of what Chicago’s independent and underground film scene has to offer. It’s no longer Pride Month, but I have yet to detail my Pride moviegoing. As always, it was fun, interesting, revelatory, and, most importantly, very queer. This past weekend, I saw […]
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A new summer lineup marks a half-decade of Monday Night Foodball

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 22:27:00 +0200

When I was five years old I lost my lunch all over the back of Todd Smith’s pleather jacket. We were on the way home, sitting near the back of the bus, as aspiring miscreants do. But I dropped out of that track as soon as the sour slurry of PB&J and milk carton moo […]
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Review: Nuestra Tierra

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 19:35:00 +0200

Nuestra Tierra screening Sat 7/11–Sun 7/19 at Facets
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Nightlife without nightcaps

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 18:01:00 +0200

When I’m scrolling on Instagram, perusing party promo photos of people dancing in some south-side warehouse or West Town lesbian bar, there are always red Solo cups and half-filled glasses in the hands of the smiling patrons. As a sober person who loves a 1 AM nightlife moment, my beverage of choice is a Heineken […]
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Synapse Arts 2026 New Works program focused on care, motherhood, and connection

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 16:53:00 +0200

From June 25 to June 28, Synapse Arts presented 2026 New Works at Berger Park Cultural Center, featuring trace by Qū Jié 曲洁 and Tending to the M{other}: Home Work by Aurora Tabar and Christine Shallenberg, works created with Synapse’s support, including rehearsal space, mentorship, documentation, and a stipend. On Sunday, the shared afternoon program […]
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Speaking for the silenced

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0200

For nearly a decade, the global media treated the high-profile death of Illinois socialite Sheila von Wiese-Mack as a one-dimensional true-crime spectacle. Most accounts zeroed in on the gruesome details of her murder in Bali, orchestrated by her daughter, Heather Mack, carried out with help from Mack’s boyfriend. But for retired Oak Park Police sergeant […]
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Black Dice Records launches a stacked screamo festival

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 21:37:00 +0200

Last year, Chicago microlabel Black Dice Records started releasing small-run CDs by fringe screamo bands. The label has branched out into cassettes too, including with the March reissue of Considerations 3, a mathy, metalcore-influenced 2025 album by New York City group Silverdollar. Black Dice has also done impressive work booking and promoting shows across a […]
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The future looks . . . uncertain

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 15:45:00 +0200

In the project 60 wrd/min art critic, writer Lori Waxman explores how art writing can serve an expanded field of artists—including those incarcerated, trying to gain visas, working to establish themselves professionally, or just wanting feedback for a secret hobby. For this iteration, Waxman reviews a recent exhibition by Chicago-based artist Non Charoenwattananon. Non Charoenwattananon […]
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MUBI Fest Brings Three Days of Cinema, Live Music, and Community to Chicago

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 23:40:00 +0200

MUBI Fest returns to Chicago July 10-12 with a weekend of exclusive screenings, live music, and special events across The Salt Shed, Music Box Theatre, and Gene Siskel Film Center Highlights include live performances from Current Joys and Delroy Edwards, the Chicago premiere of Jane Schoenbrun’s TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA, a preview […]
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Palestinian olive oil importers struggle with drought, tariffs, and settler violence to bring their product to Chicago.

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Kerry Shadid busied himself taping small Palestinian flags and a keffiyeh to the door of his Chicago Ridge warehouse. He wanted a picturesque backdrop for the products he imports from Palestine under the Tulkarm label—za’atar, mint, sage, makdous, and his 16-liter tin jerrycans of oil pressed from olives on his family’s estate in the West […]
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Summer of ’99 and Beyond is a festival for the C-suite executive in all of us

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Summer of ’99 and Beyond Festival Sat 7/18 and Sun 7/19 at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
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Sensory travel

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

I didn’t buy my first perfume until the lockdown era of the pandemic. At the time, my friend and fellow Reader contributor Joshua Minsoo Kim was writing semiregularly about perfume in his newsletter Tone Glow, and I was thinking a lot more about my sense of smell because so many were losing theirs to COVID. […]
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Local musician Maria Elena Silva creates spaces for centuries of songs

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Maria Elena Silva Sun 7/19 at Constellation
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Kate and Stacy see the legacy of their lifelong friendship extend to their preteen sons.

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Despite the structural barriers to traveling between Chicago’s 77 community areas, many friends are willing to face the city’s geographic hurdles and sustain relationships that transcend race, gender, age, and class. In an effort to chronicle human connection and love in spite of these challenges, the Going the Distance series examines the enduring friendships between […]
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Blu & Exile keep the conscious rap flexin’ two decades along

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Blu & Exile Wed 7/22 at Subterranean
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The World Cup runneth over

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0200

“The Soccer Show" through 8/22 at Elise Seigenthaler Gallery
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Taking the long way

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0200

This story was coproduced with Cicero Independiente. This version was translated by Jacqueline Serrato, and the original Spanish version can be read here. Traveling is a fulfilling activity that everyone should get a chance to enjoy. With that in mind, my partner and I started planning a trip to San Francisco a few months ago. […]
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Ruta alternativa: cuando el aeropuerto ya no es una opción

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0200

Este artículo fue coproducido con Cicero Independiente. Puedes leer la versión en inglés aquí. Viajar es una de esas actividades que suelen sentirse enriquecedoras. Por eso, hace unos meses, mi pareja y yo empezamos a planear un viaje a San Francisco: conocer la Bay Area, hacer catas de vino en Napa, ver las secuoyas y […]
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South Shore and Washington Park community members’ fight against displacement near the Obama Center is ongoing

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 20:20:00 +0200

Days after the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, residents of nearby South Shore and Washington Park are still fighting to stay in their communities. “I don’t stay in South Shore anymore because, last year, I was displaced,” said Mashawnda Price from the pulpit at Bryn Mawr Community Church. “We experienced plenty of dehumanizing things […]
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An unfrozen caveman, a Broadway star, Eugene O’Neill, and Frankenstein come together in Iceboy!

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 19:03:00 +0200

Iceboy! Or, the Completely Untrue Story of How Eugene O’Neill Came to Write The Iceman Cometh, through 8/9 at Goodman Theatre
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As You Like It delights with Midsommer Flight

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 18:33:00 +0200

As You Like It, through 8/2, Midsommer Flight at various parks (see website for schedule)
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Reality Detox: The Improv Experience takes Second City back to its roots

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 18:20:00 +0200

Reality Detox: The Improv Experience, open run at Second City e.t.c.
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Magic is the medium

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 17:57:00 +0200

“On Wonder, Mind, & Magic" through 8/23 at Elmhurst Art Museum
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St. Nicholas drives a stake in the vampiric heart of a theater critic

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 16:50:00 +0200

St. Nicholas, through 7/26, Black Button Eyes Productions at City Lit Theater
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Men of Soul returns to Black Ensemble Theater

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 16:38:00 +0200

Men of Soul, through 8/2 at Black Ensemble Cultural Center
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Circuit Theatre’s King John is a noble experiment

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 16:19:00 +0200

King John, through 7/10, Circuit Theatre at United Church of Rogers Park
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A property line symbolizes colonialism, racism, and capitalism in Native Gardens

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 16:07:00 +0200

Native Gardens, through 7/18, Theatre Evolve at the Den Theatre
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Water park paradise, powered by immigrants

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Nellie Kluz’s The Dells takes a headfirst dive into the frothy, aquamarine currents of American capitalism by showing that tourist economies are built on immigrant labor. Set in the Wisconsin Dells, the self-proclaimed “Water Park Capital of the World,” Kluz’s 2024 documentary creates a gestalt portrait of the city via atmospheric vignettes of the international […]
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The floor-cushion comfort of Kopi Cafe

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0200

There’s no WiFi at this 35-year-old cafe, which tends to take you off screens and on to more analog interactions. And wherever that leads you, whether it’s talking to people, or keeping to your thoughts or reading material, the place forms strong associations. Not enough? Listen in on neighboring conversations, particularly those near the front […]
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A Little Night Music lacks magic at Marriott

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 15:51:00 +0200

A Little Night Music, through 8/9 at Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire
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Inside the Pritzkers’ ‘Quantum Prairie’

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0200

This story is part of Quantum Crossroads, a series examining the impact of the quantum computing megadevelopment in South Chicago. In an April press conference, Governor J.B. Pritzker was asked about some southeast-side residents’ concerns that a large quantum computing development he has championed may negatively impact the local environment, leave them out of jobs […]
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About aboutism

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 20:00:00 +0200

In developing any kind of novel exhibition program, the presiding question is rarely that of the work itself or the program’s formal and historical bent, but rather that of the audience. Who is this for; to whom do we address? How do we do so? These questions, of course, only trouble one’s mind when there […]
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House of a million records

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 18:45:00 +0200

I hadn’t heard of Mendota before March, when I discovered a reason to visit. The town is about 90 miles southwest of Chicago and maybe a 30-minute drive north of Starved Rock State Park. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates Mendota’s population at 6,894 as of 2025, a 2.3 percent decrease since 2020. Mendota hosts a […]
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Oak Park Festival Theatre doubles the fun (and challenges) for this year’s outdoor season

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 18:15:00 +0200

Back in the day, rotating repertory was a hallmark of summer theater in the United States. Companies (many located in bucolic outdoor settings) would offer different shows on different nights of the week, often using overlapping ensembles of actors. It’s challenging for the artists, but also a treat for audiences, who don’t have to wait […]
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Under the sun

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Social Fabric is a glimpse into the vibrant lives, objects, and spaces that shape our city, cocurated with community archives and local photographers. On a hot summer night last July, I had the urge to go out and document. The sky was clear, I had a new flash for my camera I wanted to test […]
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Film (s)trips

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0200

The Moviegoer is the diary of a local film buff, collecting the best of what Chicago’s independent and underground film scene has to offer. It’s ironic that, on the occasion of the Reader’s Broke Day Trips package, I’ll be writing about attending the Temenos—the previously ongoing screenings of Gregory Markopoulos’s Eniaios—in Lyssarea, Greece. The only […]
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Where the paper at?

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

In 2013 I faced a life sentence. As I went through pretrial in Kane County’s jail, I received a heartfelt letter from my dad that reminded me I still had a lot to live for despite my incarceration. That letter became the most important piece of paper that I own, and under Illinois’s new mail […]
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What to do in Gary, Indiana

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Gary, Indiana, often gets a bad rap, but the Miller Beach neighborhood is a favorite summer day excursion for my partner and me. About an hour away by car, and accessible by the South Shore train line, Miller Beach is located at the southernmost point of Lake Michigan. The beach itself is clean, uncrowded, and […]
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Volo Bog State Natural Area’s living, quaking bog

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Drive about 55 miles northwest of Chicago to find the arcadian Volo Bog State Natural Area, home to what’s called the only open-water quaking bog in Illinois. That means plants, including tamarack trees, actually float (and quiver) atop a mat of moss on the bog. A short boardwalk, itself afloat on the water, explains it […]
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Unplug with nature, architecture, and pastry in Lake Forest

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

If “all” you do is stroll to the Skokie River Nature Preserve and meander 3.6 miles of trails through prairie, woodlands, sedge meadows, and savanna, Metra fare (or gas—parking is available at all destinations mentioned here) could be the only expense of your broke day trip. When stepping off the train, you might first power […]
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Time traveling in Sumter, Wisconsin

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

About 35 miles from Madison, Wisconsin, along U.S. Highway 12 between Baraboo and Sauk City, the membrane between parallel universes thins to nothing. Pull off the road at the big steel sphere, and you can walk into a world powered by “level seven love energy” and populated by extraterrestrials, colossal bugs, and an orchestra of […]
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Time traveling in Sumpter, Wisconsin

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

The Wisconsin boneyard where giant fiberglass mascots go to die

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Fiberglass isn’t forever, but the apparent corpses in this potter’s field of pop culture detritus will outlast us all. Beginning in 1978 with the 145-foot musky that greets visitors to Hayward, Wisconsin’s Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, the antecedents of the FAST corporation (Fiberglass Animals, Shapes, and Trademarks) built a reputation as a go-to manufacturer […]
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The McHenry Outdoor Theater is everything a drive-in should be

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

It’s easy to be a cinephile in a city like Chicago. Here, movie-lovers are spoiled with an embarrassment of filmhouse riches like the historic Music Box Theatre, the Siskel Film Center, the beloved Davis Theater, back-to-back Dolby cinemas, multiple dine-in venues, and even a (truly bizarre) seat-rattling, face-spritzing, amusement park ride-like 4DX. But when it […]
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The Eugene V. Debs Museum is a font of labor history

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

The crisp, early May air tickles my nose through open car windows as I veer off I-94 toward 111th for a quick pit stop. I pass the Walmart Supercenter and the municipal-landfill-turned-private-golf-club before easing to a stop in front of a towering building of glass and bright red brick. I look up at the Pullman […]
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Southeast Spotlight: Watson and Watson Dental Association

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Watson and Watson Association8325 S. Stony Island Ave, Mon, Tue, Wed, and Fri, 10 AM–6 PM, Thu closed, Sat 8:30 AM–1 PM once per month (773) 768-3100, watsonandwatsondental.com, Instagram @watsonwastondental A trip to the dentist should never feel like a clinical chore, but rather like a warm welcome home. At Watson and Watson Dental Association, exceptional […]
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Shore Land excavates Chicago’s buried histories

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Being a tourist in your own city offers a chance to look at your world anew. Artist JeeYeun Lee’s Shore Land project takes that premise a step further by delving deep into the contested history of the city’s lakefront. Shore Land looks at six sites along Lake Michigan through audio walks that mix historical documents, […]
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Reconnect with nature and yourself in the Palos Preserves

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Humankind has been looking to the skies for guidance and reflection for the entirety of its existence. However, in the course of technological advancement, we’ve sacrificed the stars—in heavily urbanized areas anyway. A night of camping at Palos Preserves goes a long way towards re-establishing that connection to our pre-Anthropocene selves. Established as an official […]
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Juju’s Vintage is the kitschy Harlem Avenue shop worth the trip

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Where the city flirts at the borders of Niles and Park Ridge, Juju’s Vintage greets you with a kitschy window display that resembles an animated short brought to life. Inside, bejeweled tiaras, jumbo seashell necklaces, and elaborate fur hats gather in color-coded pockets. I first visited the shop, run by the fabulous Jules “Juju” Breen […]
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Help support Illinois residents experiencing housing insecurity and homelessness regain their independence with your purchase of a 7X Bingo Multiplier instant ticket

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

The Illinois Lottery has been nationally recognized for its trailblazing work with specialty tickets dedicated to raising awareness and funds for worthy causes affecting our local communities. In collaboration with the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), a portion of every dollar raised by the 7X Bingo Multiplier ticket directly contributes to organizations that support […]
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Graphite love

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Encased in protective plastic sleeves is a quartet of letters from my daughter. On the back of each I’ve written the date I received it and my guess for when she wrote it. I reread them often, and they’re separated from the rest of my possessions like fine jewels that I carefully hold The first […]
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Get weird in Michigan City

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Of all the cities along the south shore of Lake Michigan, Michigan City has the funkiest vibe, lacking the overt swankiness of New Buffalo or the gritty industrial landscape of East Chicago or Gary. But what gives Michigan City its character are the strange, historic, architectural marvels that dot the harbor and downtown. That includes […]
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Drive yourself bananas in the best way at Long Grove’s Sock Monkey Museum

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

I was barely ten minutes into my trip to Long Grove, the quaint village located about 50 minutes outside of Chicago, and I was already being inundated with monkeys. “Illinois’s first historic district” may be well-known as the home of the Robert Parker Coffin Bridge (a site well worth checking out in its own right), […]
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Drive two hours south of Chicago and meet the giants of Route 66

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

It’s the 100th anniversary of Route 66, and in Chicago, you’re at the start of the Mother Road. A two-hour-and-change drive takes you to a colorful collection of statues illustrating their place in advertising history. Take I-55 south to Atlanta, Illinois, get off at exit 140, and see “Lumi,” a large fiberglass lady, greeting you […]
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Carbon Hill School Museum in Grundy County is preserving the state’s forgotten coal mining history

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Many of my hot summer days as a child were spent in the coal mines of Grundy County, floating in the water-filled caverns that bloom into a series of local lakes. Feeling the cold, dark depths beneath your kicking legs felt like a rite of passage, hovering above the infinite nothingness of those long-abandoned mines. […]
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Call your mom on the way to Little Palestine

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Committing to the 20-mile drive to Little Palestine offered the perfect amount of yap time with my mom on the phone. She loved the idea of a “broke day trip,” as we weren’t really a vacation family. But it was only on my way to Bridgeview’s Al Bawadi Grill that I realized she had never […]
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Berwyn is quietly becoming an art town

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Just west of Chicago, Berwyn makes for an easy, low-cost afternoon built around public art, neighborhood eats, and historic bungalows. Starting at the Berwyn Metra station, yellow banners hanging from light poles and lining nearby streets will signal your arrival in the Depot District, Berwyn’s historic downtown corridor. Established in the 1890s, the Depot District […]
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At Taylor Cemetery, Sangchris Lake’s eeriest secret has Donner Party roots

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

The forest is creepy enough on its own: eerie silence punctuated by sounds of skittering creatures, millennia of demonic legends, the constant threat of twisting your ankle and being left to rot among the mushrooms. But Sangchris Lake State Park in Rochester (just southeast of Springfield) holds a grisly secret with a connection to American […]
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At Cahokia Mounds, the largest ancient city north of Mexico hides in plain sight

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

About three hundred miles southwest of Chicago lies the largest pre-Columbian site north of Mexico: Cahokia Mounds. From around 1050 to 1350 A.D., Cahokia was the largest city in North America, with a population of between 15,000 and 20,000. The 2,200-acre site, located in what’s now Collinsville, Illinois, has 80 of the original 120 earthen […]
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A west suburban ice cream trail that is a dare more than a recommendation

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0200

I didn’t consult a medical professional when I set about visiting every west-suburban dessert destination on this trail. In full disclosure, I didn’t visit all these shops in a single day, so consider eating your way through this path all at once as more of a dare than a recommendation. In any case, I do […]
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Chicago Reader Volume 55, Number 18

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 14:33:00 +0200

Chicago Reader Volume 55, No. 18. July 2026.
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Put down your phone and pick up a map

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0200

Y’all, we are NOT spending this summer on our phones. Consider this a call to put down the device and pick up a map (or take the route suggested herein) for a Wisconsin getaway that combines nostalgia, vernacular art, and budget travel. Pack some snacks, make a playlist of road-trip bangers, and assemble your adventure […]
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At Galit the foie gras wars have reached a stalemate

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 23:07:00 +0200

On the mild night of May 6, ten members of the Animal Rights Collective of Chicago (ARCXChicago) carried laminated signs depicting bloodied, soiled ducks onto Lincoln Avenue. The protesters announced their arrival at the well-regarded Israeli restaurant Galit with loud blasts from plastic whistles. Restaurant staff had already drawn curtains across the windows, shielding diners […]
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What ‘don’t drop the soap’ gets wrong

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 16:56:00 +0200

“Don’t drop the soap.” We’ve all heard it. It’s been said in so many movies, TV shows, and comedy skits that mention prison. Before I was incarcerated, everything I knew about prison was from movies like The Shawshank Redemption and Half Baked, which sent a clear message: that prison is filled with sexually deviant “predators” […]
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Review: Supergirl

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Supergirl in wide release in theaters
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Who’s running for Chicago mayor in 2027? Meet the candidates so far

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 20:49:00 +0200

While the eyes of the country are turned toward the midterm elections on November 3, many Chicagoans are also looking to a heated race for the city’s next mayor. When is Chicago’s next mayoral election? The first round of voting for Chicago’s next mayor will occur as part of the city’s next Consolidated Municipal Election […]
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More than 30 years along, Hushdrops have a new pop masterpiece in the works

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 20:24:00 +0200

The great major-label feeding frenzy that descended on Chicago in the 90s famously launched the careers of Smashing Pumpkins, Liz Phair, and Urge Overkill, but many other less famous acts got signed amid the hype, including power poppers Material Issue and grunge rockers Veruca Salt. Still others, though at least as worthy, got passed over, […]
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Generación Suicida break free on Hombre Nuevo

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 19:30:00 +0200

Generación Suicida Sat 7/11 at Cobra Lounge
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Chicago sludge-thrash band Lair of the Minotaur come roaring back on I Hail I

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 19:30:00 +0200

Lair of the Minotaur Fri 7/10 at the Hideout
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Chicago band Cuss play grunge like it’s 1988

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 19:30:00 +0200

Cuss Thu 7/2 at Sleeping Village
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Review: Stop! That! Train!

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 19:01:00 +0200

Stop! That! Train! in wide release in theaters
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At Mickey, Leonardo Kaplan interrogates how images build beliefs

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 22:36:00 +0200

“thirteen" through 8/2 at Mickey
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By Hook or By Crook (2001) is a timeless trans buddy comedy

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 22:30:00 +0200

The expression “by hook or by crook” is a more poetic take on “by any means necessary”—or, at least, that’s how most people today hear it. While the phrase has no clear etymology, one theory roots its origins in peasants reveling in abundance. In medieval England, there were strict laws about using the resources available […]
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Julieta Venegas reflects on home and homecoming on Norteña

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 18:11:00 +0200

Julieta Venegas has been a defining voice in Latin alternative pop since the late 90s, when she emerged from Tijuana, a city whose musical crossroads teem with constant exchanges of ranchera, punk rock, cumbia, norteño accordion, rock en español, and English-language radio. Her latest full-length, May’s Norteña, is a companion to her new memoir, Norteña: […]
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Icelandic singer-songwriter Árný Margrét keeps fulfilling her dreams

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 18:11:00 +0200

Árný Margrét Wed 7/8 at Hideout
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Review: Leviticus

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 17:40:00 +0200

Leviticus in wide release in theaters
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Water for Elephants breathes new life into old tropes

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 17:02:00 +0200

Water for Elephants, through 7/5, Broadway in Chicago at the James M. Nederlander Theatre
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Chicago youth fight for a better future through the summer Environmental Justice Freedom School

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Traveling to Black Oaks Center, a Black-owned farm located in Pembroke, Illinois, roughly 80 miles south of Chicago, Derion Melton looked out at the farmland as he ate his lunch, taking it all in. “The fact that I’m far from home is already a big thing in itself,” Melton said. “I’m not in my own […]
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Jade Court rises from the ashes at the next Monday Night Foodball

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 23:35:00 +0200

Carol Cheung is a pioneer’s daughter. Eddy Cheung was already a successful restaurateur with three Toronto Hong Kong-style Cantonese brick-and-mortars under his belt when he decided to move his family to Chicago to show the midwestern rubes how it’s done. In 1996 Canada was going through a recession, and business was stagnant, but he saw […]
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Review: Maddie’s Secret

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 21:42:00 +0200

Maddie’s Secret in limited release in theaters
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Review: Girls Like Girls

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 21:42:00 +0200

Girls Like Girls in wide release in theaters
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Inside the Chicago Courier Classic, bike messenger culture refuses to die

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 20:13:00 +0200

Day one I knew I’d arrived when I saw the kaleidoscope of bikes. I was greeted by Sam Crossland—a courier with long, auburn hair and a surfer’s inflection—who introduced me to a pod of messengers. Some wore Lycra, cleated cycling shoes, and helmets; others wore stylishly baggy pants and sneakers, eschewing protection. Almost everyone was […]
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Champions of Magic offers a family-friendly extravaganza

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 17:30:00 +0200

Champions of Magic, through 8/23 at the Studebaker Theater
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An Oak Tree tackles grief and the nature of performance

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 17:13:00 +0200

An Oak Tree, through 7/5, Couch Penny Ensemble at the Greenhouse Theater Center
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Happy Birthday Mars Rover takes us through space and human history

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:53:00 +0200

Happy Birthday Mars Rover, through 7/5, Sandbox Theatre Collective at Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro
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Toxic workplace misogyny unfolds in a real office in Do You Feel Anger?

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:34:00 +0200

Do You Feel Anger?, through 6/28, Here's the Exit at Platform Coworking
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Two women find themselves living in drought and despair in Deserted

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:15:00 +0200

Deserted, through 8/2 at Redtwist Theatre
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Two women find themselves at the mercy of drought and despair in Deserted

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:15:00 +0200

Deserted, through 8/2 at Redtwist Theatre
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The Chosen Few Picnic remains the gold standard for summertime Chicago music festivals

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Chosen Few Picnic Sat 7/11 at Jackson Park
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Junglepussy brings her raw, liberating rap to the Empty Bottle

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Junglepussy Sat 7/18 at Empty Bottle
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Brazilian legend Marcos Valle brings his summery bossa nova to Millennium Park

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Marcos Valle Thu 7/16 at Millennium Park
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AstonRep’s Uncle Vanya misses some of the subtext

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 15:56:00 +0200

Uncle Vanya, through 7/5, AstonRep at Edge Off Broadway
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A patchwork of love and labor at Andrew Rafacz

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 18:00:00 +0200

“Sorri fi maaga dawg . . . " through 8/1 at Andrew Rafacz
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What Should You Look for in a Whistleblower Attorney? Consider These 9 Insights

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 23:16:00 +0200

Deciding to expose illegal activities within your organization requires careful consideration. The right lawyer can determine whether your case receives the attention and resources it deserves. Know what to look for in a whistleblower attorney so you can navigate legal risks, protect your identity and evaluate the strength of your claim. A thorough understanding of […]
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Step inside time itself at Weatherproof

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 19:46:00 +0200

“everything looks blurry" through 6/21 at Weatherproof
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The scent of resurrection

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Audrey Robinovitz sat at the center of a long wooden table, the quiet axis of a fragrant orbit in a small room at Wheeler Hall, part of the Church of the Ascension, an Anglo-Catholic Episcopal parish in the Gold Coast. The church’s worship draws on older Christian traditions, but its Episcopal setting also points to […]
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Art is my little bit of freedom

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0200

My journey into art began as a little boy with my mother. She was, in many ways, not a good mother. We kids had to fend for ourselves, enduring physical, mental, and sexual abuse from the people in her life. I have a lot of physical and mental scars from that time. Yet, some of […]
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Umami from Scratch summons BTS at the next Monday Night Foodball

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 23:31:00 +0200

Divs Ray’s therapy budget goes toward Spotify Premium. Her therapists? RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, otherwise known as the members of the K-pop supergroup BTS. Ray discovered the Bulletproof Boy Scouts in 2017 as she was navigating the pressures of grad school, a job search, and her own epilepsy. She didn’t […]
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Leopoldstadt is a monumental final gift from Tom Stoppard

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 22:29:00 +0200

Leopoldstadt, through 8/16 at Writers Theatre
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The Chicago Reader is an Official Partner of Chicago Story Fest

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 22:07:00 +0200

The oldest human art form comes to the stage for the inaugural Chicago Story Fest – live journalism that celebrates the best stories of our city. Real stories, real stakes, told equally by journalists that have spent their lives covering Chicago, and your neighbors who call it home. Story Fest showcases the city’s best storytellers […]
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Displaced during Pride Month

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 22:00:00 +0200

Just Neighbors examines the city’s homeless encampment sweeps, focusing on the human impact of a fragmented, interdepartmental process. At the beginning of June, while Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community was gearing up for Pride month, Ray was sorting through gender-affirming belongings, trying to figure out what to keep and what to give away. The 39-year-old resident of Logan […]
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Untitled Vampire Play is a toothsome delight at Lookingglass

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 21:41:00 +0200

Untitled Vampire Play, through 7/12 at Lookingglass Theatre
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Two Out of Three Falls is a cunning look at kayfabe

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 21:23:00 +0200

Two Out of Three Falls, through 7/18 at Factory Theater
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Two families face minor irritations and major cataclysms in Catch as Catch Can

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 21:11:00 +0200

Catch as Catch Can, through 7/12 at Steppenwolf Theatre
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Southern Rapture tackles the culture wars

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 20:54:00 +0200

Southern Rapture, through 6/28, Tin Drum Theatre at Theater Wit
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The Elephant Man explores the real-life story of John Merrick

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 20:40:00 +0200

The Elephant Man, through 6/28, Surging Films & Theatrics at Theater Wit
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The frenzied marks of Willem de Kooning

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 20:16:00 +0200

He called himself a “slipping glimpser” and, indeed, to take in one of Willem de Kooning’s paintings is always a series of momentary glances—nothing waits long enough to be apprehended. No artist I know has conveyed the frenzy of animality in quite this way. This show is billed as the first to focus on the […]
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Malcolm Riordan, DIY community builder

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 21:00:00 +0200

Malcolm Riordan, 32, born in the Edgewater neighborhood, founded Chicago Community Fest (CCF) in 2024. CCF presents concerts to raise funds for mutual aid in Chicago and beyond. He’s organized shows with CCF and the Meg Memes x Malcolm Fest that have raised thousands of dollars for organizations such as the Midwest Immigration Bond Fund, […]
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Chicago tech-death duo Become Death vent their rage on Vorara

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 19:17:00 +0200

Become Death Thu 7/2 at the Burlington
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WHPK builds a digital archive to broadcast its place in music history

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 18:23:00 +0200

On Sunday, nonprofit community radio station WHPK announced an ongoing effort to digitize its collection of program guides and magazines. The University of Chicago provides the great bulk of WHPK’s funding, and the station’s headquarters are in the school’s main student center, the Reynolds Club. Station staffers and volunteers dug up the archival material by […]
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Shallowater and Cancer House bring new vitality to slowcore

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Shallowater, Cancer House Sat 6/27 at Beat Kitchen
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Rated Q remains an unquestionable success

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0200

On a bitter winter night in 2023, I settled in at the Music Box Theatre with my best friend to enjoy my first ever Rated Q screening: Twilight (2008). It’s a night I cherish deeply and recount often as one of my most unique movie outings, and since then, I’ve regularly brought new people to […]
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Chicago native KeiyaA carves a new path through R&B with Hooke’s Law

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0200

KeiyaA Tue 6/30 at Schubas
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Review: Disclosure Day

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 19:30:00 +0200

Disclosure Day in wide release in theaters
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Mansa build immersive songs with the feeling first

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 19:04:00 +0200

Mansa build songs layer by layer, with feeling first. Long before instruments enter the process, the Chicago-based collective lay a foundation through language. At the center of the band is Alonzo Sanders Jr., a 33-year-old producer, songwriter, and saxophonist. “The lyrics come first,” he says. “Then we build the world around what we’re trying to […]
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Samuel Schwindt shapes leather like poetry

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:07:00 +0200

“Pleasure Puncture" through 6/27 at Ignition Projects
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The Brown Line Presents: Whose World Cup? Where Chicago’s Global South gathers to watch

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 20:48:00 +0200

The Brown Line is an emerging, independent Chicago newsletter named for the elevated train—aiming to cut through redlining to elevate the underground arts, culture, and community life of the city’s Global South diasporas. Hop on board with the newsletter here, and make sure you never miss a stop on Instagram. This guide will continue to […]
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Nitrate kisses

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 19:15:00 +0200

The Moviegoer is the diary of a local film buff, collecting the best of what Chicago’s independent and underground film scene has to offer. This is the third Nitrate Picture Show I’ve written about in my Moviegoer column, and as long as they both continue, the festival will be an annual staple of my moviegoing […]
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Milo’s Market gets in our cabeza at the next Monday Night Foodball

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 16:37:00 +0200

On the second day of Sueños, Grant Park got soaked, and so did Gilberto Bahena. That was the summer of 2024, which was shaping up to be the Summer of Berto. His three-year-old pop-up concept was riding high on an ingenious Mexican riff on the classic French croque monsieur, aka the quesabeeria—a sourdough birria-stuffed grilled […]
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The completely true story of Iceboy!‘s Chicago fringe theater connections

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Iceboy! Or, The Completely Untrue Story of How Eugene O‘Neill Came to Write "The Iceman Cometh", 6/20-8/9 at the Goodman Theatre
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A first-of-its-kind exhibition at the MCA explores the impact of dancehall and reggaeton

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0200

“Dancing the Revolution: From Dancehall to Reggaetón" through 9/20 at the MCA
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Brokeback Mountain is spare and heartfelt at Chicago Shakespeare

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 19:31:00 +0200

Brokeback Mountain, through 6/28 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
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Envy and emoticons in gay romantic comedy Smiley

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 19:17:00 +0200

Smiley, through 6/21 at Open Space Arts
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Uncle Vanya goes to church

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 19:04:00 +0200

Uncle Vanya, through 6/22, Split Lip Theater at United Church of Rogers Park
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Antigone grasps for relevance

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 18:42:00 +0200

Antigone, through 6/27, Promethean Theatre Ensemble at the Den Theatre
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Andy Warhol Presents: The Cocaine Play offers a dark, fictionalized look at art, fame, and friendship

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 18:29:00 +0200

Andy Warhol Presents: The Cocaine Play
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Eugene Onegin makes a stirring debut at Joffrey

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 17:33:00 +0200

Eugene Onegin, through 6/14, Joffrey Ballet at Lyric Opera House
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In search of lost tunnels

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Earlier this year, I interviewed a retired steelworker named Tom Wells, who had taken hundreds of color photographs of Chicago’s freight train tunnels in the late 80s and early 90s. At their peak, the tunnels encompassed 60 miles of track, 40 feet below the sidewalk, extending from Superior Street south to 16th. Inside, small train […]
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In Yorkville, Democrats and Republicans are fighting three massive data centers, and it might be changing how they see each other

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 17:06:00 +0200

In late May, a small contingent of the group Preserve Our Yorkville met in a room on the grounds of an equestrian center. Multicolored ribbons, presumably from previous competition winners, filled the room, which featured a large window overlooking an empty indoor horse training facility. The group of people included single parents, small business owners, […]
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In Yorkville, Democrats and Republicans are fighting three massive data centers, and it might be changing how they see each other.

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 17:06:00 +0200

‘Chicano Camera Culture’ maps out Chicano contributions to photography

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0200

“Chicano Camera Culture: A Photographic History, 1966–2026” is the first major survey of its kind. On view at the Riverside Art Museum’s Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, the exhibition does not merely document—it explores the connection between Chicano photographers across the U.S. While you might not be able to get to California […]
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Internet radio station Redux throws a party for its first birthday compilation

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 22:54:00 +0200

Chicago-based Internet radio station Redux launched in March 2025, and for its first birthday the station will release its debut compilation album on Friday, June 12. Twenty acts, mostly making a vast variety of dance music, appear on the Redux comp Track & Field. They include Grand Rapids duo S+K, aka Sam Hall and Kristine […]
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Experience Juneteenth with these celebrations of Black life through space and time in Chicago

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 20:19:00 +0200

I overheard two white women on the sidewalk the other day, excitedly making plans to see each other on June 19. “Yay, we have Juneteenth off! So we’re going to—” yadda yadda yadda. When President Joe Biden signed Juneteenth into law as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021—commemorating the 1865 day Union soldiers arrived […]
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UIC has a James Turrell, and it’s falling apart

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0200

On a midday drive down to Greektown for a meeting, I passed a baffling structure. Located on the University of Illinois Chicago’s urban campus, in a plaza on the southwest corner of Roosevelt and Halsted, stands a nearly 30-foot high brick-red freestanding pavilion. Strewn with litter, its only visitors were a few houseless people on […]
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Celebrate Pride with these Reader-recommended events

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 20:48:00 +0200

June is here, which means another Pride month is underway. Pride can be a fraught time—from corporate appropriation to cops marching in parades. As staff writer Micco Caporale writes in this month’s staff note, “It’s been a pretty terrible year for LGBTQ+ people in general,” prompting our “official ethereal terror of Homosexual Month” to ask […]
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‘Between Us’ brings together neurodiverse artists from Osaka and Chicago

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0200

“Between Us" through 6/27 at Project Onward
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Actual intelligence

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 21:19:00 +0200

The Moviegoer is the diary of a local film buff, collecting the best of what Chicago’s independent and underground film scene has to offer. Any writer worth the ink won’t touch AI with an infinity-foot pole. Nevertheless, many of us have had to spill such ink over our thoughts on it, and for good reason—words […]
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Who wouldn’t be curious about a band called the Purple Cucumber?

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 20:59:00 +0200

Longtime readers know that the Secret History of Chicago Music likes obscure, far-out 60s bands, whether they recorded one ballistic garage-rock single in their basement or released several failed acid-rock 45s through a major label. Odd or over-the-top band names are a plus too—Secret History has covered the likes of Bangor Flying Circus; Khazad Doom; […]
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Talking About Godard is a love letter to tangled friendships

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 17:07:00 +0200

Talking About Godard, through 6/28, Curious Theatre Branch at Facility Theatre
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Two couples bare their teeth in A Dog’s House

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 16:32:00 +0200

A Dog's House, through 6/14, Ego Death Theatre Collective at the Greenhouse Theater Center
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The Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash shows how big a grassroots hip-hop fest can get

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash Fri 6/12 - Sun 6/14 at Seatgeek Stadium
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Longtime collaborators Stephan Crump and Eric McPherson join forces with Darius Jones in Otherlands Trio

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Otherlands Trio Sun 6/14 at Constellation
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Be you at the Bijou

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0200

When I meet Steven Toushin at a coffee shop in Irving Park, he’s just come from selling his longtime motorcycle, a 1963 BMW with a chrome frame and decals of Adam and Eve on the front and rear fenders. “It’s really a work of art,” he says in a thick Brooklyn accent as he excitedly […]
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Babe Haven empower the babes and tweak their enemies on Nuisance

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Babe Haven Sat 6/13 at Beat Kitchen
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Arrested Development bring their timeless Afrocentric hip-hop to Millennium Park

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Arrested Development Mon 6/15 at Millennium Park
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Queer Contra’s monthly dances are a crash course in community feeling

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 15:00:00 +0200

I am, at heart, a partner dancer. I primarily do two-step and lindy hop. I’ll line dance if the song is right, but it has never moved me the way two people dancing hand in hand does. This past winter, a friend invited me to go out dancing on a snowy Chicago evening. We entered […]
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Chicago’s transmasc tipping point

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 15:00:00 +0200

My introduction to the nascent group that would eventually mature into Transmasc Society of Chicago was my homie posting a photo of himself and 20 trans guys in someone’s living room—I swiped up immediately. “What’s this?” “A friend invited me to a big group dinner, and it’s turning into something regular,” he says. “I added […]
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The Matchmaker is a good bet at Theatre Above the Law

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 19:41:00 +0200

The Matchmaker, through 6/28, Theatre Above the Law at Jarvis Square Theater
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Damn Yankees brings old-fashioned charm to Theo

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 19:26:00 +0200

Damn Yankees, through 7/5, Theo at the Fred Anzevino Theatre, Evanston
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Going Bacharach focuses on the music rather than biography

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 19:10:00 +0200

Going Bacharach: The Songs of a Icon, through 6/21 at Apollo Theater Chicago
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A Black woman and an Irish man share romance and literary references in keerah

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 18:49:00 +0200

keerah, through 6/28 at Definition Theatre
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Event discovery platform EverOut launches in Chicago

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 17:00:00 +0200

CHICAGO, IL — Noisy Creek announced today the expansion of event discovery platform EverOut to Chicago, alongside advertising launch partners Goose Island Beer Company and 16” on Center. First launched in 2019 by The Stranger in Seattle and the Portland Mercury, EverOut currently boasts over 700,000 users in both cities. The platform combines curated expert […]
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A heated rivalry between sports and politics

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:33:00 +0200

Seven months ago, Loyola grad student Nathan Perl first fed his curiosity for amateur adult hockey at the Warren Park ice rink, armed with no hockey experience and a used pair of skates. But his passion for the ice germinated inside his shared studio apartment as he beheld his Samsung TV. Born in Colorado, Perl […]
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‘Let’s find out who you are’

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Matthew Keller, 47, is from all over, but he grew up in northwest Ohio. “I went to college and got my bachelor’s degree and lived my life,” he told me. “And then I decided at fortysomething, I was going to move back to Ohio and buy a Victorian house. And I did that, and I […]
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Pidgeon and Sarah-Ji’s 16-year friendship embodies the expansiveness of queer chosen family

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Despite the structural barriers to traveling between Chicago’s 77 community areas, many friends are willing to face the city’s geographic hurdles and sustain relationships that transcend race, gender, age, and class. In an effort to chronicle human connection and love in spite of these challenges, the Going the Distance series examines the enduring friendships between […]
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Chicago drag shows up and shows out

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 15:00:00 +0200

“Drag performers fill a lot of roles in the community, and one that we’ve always filled from the beginning is—not only the jester or the town crier—but the community organizer, the person that brings people together,” says legendary drag performer Lucy Stoole. Lucy learned early on that organizing and community support were just part of […]
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Chicago Reader Volume 55, Number 17

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:20:00 +0200

Chicago Reader Volume 55, No. 17. June 2026.
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Where Chicago’s leather history lives

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Social Fabric is a glimpse into the vibrant lives, objects, and spaces that shape our city, cocurated with community archives and local photographers. There is a former synagogue on North Greenview Avenue in Rogers Park that holds the memory of a world most people don’t know exists. The Leather Archives & Museum is one of […]
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‘We really try to be a place where they can be themselves’

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Back in March, Jackalope Theatre Company produced the first show for young audiences in their history. The Dress-Up Play, written by Juliet Kang Huneke and directed by Karina Patel, showed four kids (played by adults) in a play session where they tried on clothes and took on characters, all while sharing aspects of their own […]
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Queer Wrath

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Recently, I saw Derry Queen start her headlining set for a comedy variety show at the Hideout by announcing a fake Snapple sponsorship. “The brand paid me $500 to say this,” she said, as she unfolded a piece of paper, then composed herself for the audience. “Throw this down your throat, faggots!” That’s kind of […]
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Gamjatang at To Soc Chon

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0200

A popular saying in Korea, “Fight fire with fire,” argues that the best way to cool down during the sweltering summer months is to sip on a hot bowl of soup. The method may seem counterintuitive, but it’s actually scientifically proven. Raising your internal temperature triggers your body’s thermoregulation response; in other words, it makes […]
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Support Illinois’ fight to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic by purchasing a 7X Bingo Multiplier ticket

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:00:00 +0200

The Illinois Lottery has a long-standing history of launching specialty tickets that spread awareness and support worthy causes impacting our local communities. In 2008, the state of Illinois launched the Quality of Life Illinois Lottery game, the nation’s first lottery ticket that would designate funds to support HIV/AIDS education, prevention programs, and services. So far, […]
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Spend your summer immersed in art and performance at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:00:00 +0200

For nearly 60 years, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA) has sought to nurture and showcase some of the world’s most-renowned interdisciplinary contemporary artists. Nestled into the heart of the city, just off Michigan Ave near the Water Tower and John Hancock building, the MCA has grown to become home to a collection of […]
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Southeast Spotlight: The Bodi Shop

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:00:00 +0200

The Bodi Shop8754 S. Stony Island Ave, Hours by class and appointment(773) 930-9022, calendly.com/arithebodi, Instagram @arithebody Summertime Chicago is officially here, and so is your summer body. Yes really, because at The Bodi Shop, fitness meets fun. It’s not about becoming an influencer on social media for this crew, it’s about influencing those around you […]
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Southeast Spotlight: PODS School + Developmental Center

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:00:00 +0200

PODS School + Developmental Center1401 E. 79th Street, Mon–Fri 8 AM–5 PM(773) 221-7171, projectorg.com, hello@projectorg.com, Instagram @podspreschooldevcenter, Facebook: PodsPreschool At PODS School + Developmental Center, children get to be kids. Safely, joyfully, on field trips to museums and trampoline parks, in inclusive classrooms built around curiosity, in a building on East 79th Street where every […]
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In 32 years of incarceration, memories of my great-grandmother have kept me from disappearing into the system

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:00:00 +0200

I keep the picture pressed between thin, worn pages. It’s creased at the edges, softened by time, like my childhood memories. Every time I open my Bible, it falls to the same page where it sits, as if guided by something greater than habit. And there is Ruth: my great-grandmother, my anchor, my first teacher […]
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Jackie Robinson West’s title strip remains an open wound for south siders

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0200

Recently, I watched a documentary detailing the events of 12 years ago that rocked Black Chicago in a way where the sheer mention of what took place could negatively impact someone’s mood. One Golden Summer tells the story of Jackie Robinson West, the first all-Black baseball team to win the U.S. bracket of the Little […]
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Flowers in the mirror, moon in the water

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0200

“Martin Wong: Chinatown USA" through 7/18 at Wrightwood 659
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Don’t call it a Philly when Windy City Burger Social Club returns to the next Monday Night Foodball

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:06:00 +0200

Nas Masoud’s cheesesteak took ten months to perfect. “I was in Philly a couple years ago, and I went to Angelo’s,” says Masoud, the peripatetic sandwhichero behind Logan Square’s South Loop Market. “They’re one of the top-ranked cheesesteaks—and it changed my life. So I got the inspiration to create my version, and it took me […]
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In bed with Andrew Sa

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 20:48:00 +0200

It’s hard to imagine Andrew Sa as lonely. Since 2019, he’s been performing as Lonesome Andrew in the Cosmic Country Showcase, a tripped-out roving variety show where he’s often flanked by comedians, drag queens, extraterrestrials, and more. In 2020, he began hosting Andrew Sa’s Lonesome Holiday, a campy, music-driven annual revue whose ragtag camaraderie and […]
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Sparklmami steps into the spotlight with a debut album for Verve

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 18:05:00 +0200

On Friday, June 5, Verve Records (in conjunction with Los Angeles boutique label Slowplay) will release In This Body, the debut album from multidisciplinary Chicago artist Ariella Granados, who makes music as Sparklmami. Granados is a visual artist too, working with video, costuming, makeup, and sculpture, and her music similarly occupies several lanes at once. […]
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Review: I Love Boosters

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 17:38:00 +0200

I Love Boosters in wide release in theaters
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Review: Backrooms

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 17:38:00 +0200

Backrooms in wide release in theaters
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Big Payback People’s Assembly calls for overdue reparations for Black Chicagoans

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 16:11:00 +0200

For some, reparations for the centuries of harm done to Black Americans can look like affordable housing, investing in disinvested communities, and direct payments to the descendants of chattel slavery. These were some of the ideas presented during the Big Payback People’s Assembly on Saturday, May 30, in Alt Space’s Austin location. “Reparations looks like […]
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At Jem Junkies, grillz tell a story

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:00:00 +0200

On the fourth floor of Lacuna Lofts in Pilsen, Doechii’s Tiny Desk relaxes a small group of clients at Jem Junkies who wait for custom grillz and tooth gems. Jem Junkies, a Black-, queer-owned studio opened by couple Kristy Ramsey and Kimberly “Kim” Randall in 2025, offers custom grillz and tooth gems, dental decorations rooted […]
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Penelope Trappes ruminates on life and death amid haunting ambience

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:46:00 +0200

Penelope Trappes Sun 6/7 at Sleeping Village
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Chicago newcomers Ache play hardcore that can make you a believer

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:38:00 +0200

Ache Opening for Terror on Thu 6/4 at Metro
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Queers on the Rocks builds community among LGBTQ+ climbers

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Rock climbing is all the rage right now, with most specialty gyms in Chicago opening in the last decade. But with high membership costs and a predominantly white, heterosexual audience, the sport struggles to prove itself accessible to marginalized groups. Queers on the Rocks, an organization fostering community between queer, trans, nonbinary, and gender-non-conforming climbers […]
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Ron Steele has kept the gears inside Chicago music turning

Fri, 29 May 2026 20:53:00 +0200

I’ve been writing the Secret History of Chicago Music for more than two decades, and some artists have taken me years to track down. But for all that time, my white whale has been Ron Steele, whose name I’ve been seeing on loads of local recordings since I started paying attention in the 1990s. This […]
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Review: Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu

Fri, 29 May 2026 18:47:00 +0200

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu in wide release in theaters
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Review: Corporate Retreat

Fri, 29 May 2026 18:47:00 +0200

Corporate Retreat in limited release in theaters
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Stoner metal titans High on Fire rev up for Motoblot weekend

Fri, 29 May 2026 16:00:00 +0200

High on Fire Sat 6/20 at Ramova Theatre
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Singer and rapper Elujay calls for realness on A Constant Charade

Fri, 29 May 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Elujay Sun 6/28 at Empty Bottle
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Prostitute make postpunk noise rock with a global conscience

Fri, 29 May 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Prostitute Sat 6/27 at Empty Bottle
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Hyperpop standout Underscores makes music that can go toe-to-toe with the biggest pop acts

Fri, 29 May 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Underscores Fri 6/19 at Radius
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Macerelli’s conjures a Pittsburgh red sauce Sunday lunch at the next Monday Night Foodball

Fri, 29 May 2026 00:24:00 +0200

“Bugga” Macerelli hid full pots of Sunday gravy under her bed to keep her kids from stealing it. If she didn’t, the piccole pesti would dip the bread in it—and loaves of Mancini’s simply weren’t growing on dogwoods in mid-50s McKeesport, a steel town just outside of Pittsburgh. As a little girl, Levia Maria and […]
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Pure visions

Thu, 28 May 2026 22:16:00 +0200

The Moviegoer is the diary of a local film buff, collecting the best of what Chicago’s independent and underground film scene has to offer. Congratulations to fellow Reader contributor Joshua Minsoo Kim on the occasion of the first Tone Glow Film Festival, which took place last weekend. It was four days of extraordinarily deep cuts […]
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Why is Pistols and Pilates selling out? Inside the women’s class at an Orland Park gun range

Thu, 28 May 2026 17:34:00 +0200

It’s a Saturday morning at the gun range in Orland Park, and pilates mats are set up in the VIP room—a first for me. To my left are chilled, handcrafted matchas and iced coffees, and to my right is a room full of semi-automatic pistols, revolvers, and rifles. Between three Palestinian-owned businesses—Cello Cafe, Olive Pilates […]
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New gallery tête-à-tête-à-tête proffers an intimate setting for art

Thu, 28 May 2026 14:00:00 +0200

“Shadow" through 7/4 at tête-à-tête-à-tête
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ICE deported them. Cook County prosecutors still want them arrested for missing court.

Thu, 28 May 2026 14:00:00 +0200

This story was produced by Injustice Watch, a nonprofit newsroom in Chicago that investigates issues of equity and justice in the Cook County court system. Sign up here to get their weekly newsletter. It seemed, at first, to be a typical day in traffic court. A steady flow of people trickled in and out of […]
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Chicago sound artist Kikù Hibino collaborates with his noise hero Merzbow

Wed, 27 May 2026 19:24:00 +0200

Experimental Chicago producer and sound artist Kikù Hibino has long dreamed of collaborating with Japanese noise artist Merzbow, aka Masami Akita. Hibino, a Japanese native, traces this desire to 2002, when he noticed Merzbow backstage at the inaugural stateside edition of artist-curated music festival All Tomorrow’s Parties, held at the University of California, Los Angeles. […]
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Spaceman is a tour de force for Ashley Neal

Wed, 27 May 2026 19:00:00 +0200

Spaceman, through 6/13, [producing body] at Edge Off Broadway
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Hyde Park Academy students sound alarm on removal of Peace Room from high school

Wed, 27 May 2026 18:47:00 +0200

Students at Hyde Park Academy are speaking out after they said the principal removed organizers and a Peace Room from the Woodlawn high school. The move comes after a town hall that took place on Wednesday, May 13, where students voiced frustrations about the lack of resources and support at the school following the deaths […]
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Gee’s Bend provides a vibrant tapestry

Wed, 27 May 2026 18:24:00 +0200

Gee's Bend, through 6/7, Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre at Noyes Cultural Arts Center, Evanston
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CIRCA Pintig gives King Lear a new adaptation

Wed, 27 May 2026 18:09:00 +0200

King Lear, through 5/30, CIRCA Pintig at the Rizal Center
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CAConrad’s poems are “breathing wild creatures”

Wed, 27 May 2026 15:44:00 +0200

“First Light" through 8/1 at Poetry Foundation
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Chicago actor Netta Walker adds ‘playwright’ to her résumé

Tue, 26 May 2026 19:26:00 +0200

keerah, 5/29-6/28 at Definition Theatre
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Pokémon Fossil Museum makes its North American debut

Tue, 26 May 2026 18:12:00 +0200

“Pokémon Fossil Museum" through 4/11/27 at the Field Museum
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Taj Mahal tops an eclectic multigenerational bill at the 2026 Chicago Blues Festival

Fri, 22 May 2026 20:50:00 +0200

Chicago Blues Festival Thu 6/4 at Ramova Theatre, Fri 6/5-Sun 6/7 at Millennium Park
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The best films you’ll never see

Fri, 22 May 2026 20:43:00 +0200

Last month, I provided full review coverage of a film festival for the first time. Over 12 days, I watched 15 feature films and nine shorts from 17 different countries, catching as many as three movies in a day, enduring the exhausting but fulfilling whiplash of quickly alternating between genres (and sometimes quality) and filing […]
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Girls, wives, and . . . sheep?

Fri, 22 May 2026 16:38:00 +0200

The Moviegoer is the diary of a local film buff, collecting the best of what Chicago’s independent and underground film scene has to offer. An ardent moviegoer’s life is largely one of scheduling. Admittedly, I have it easier than most, as I help run a site, Cine-File, that catalogs what’s screening on a weekly basis. […]
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Pioneering underground pop act Worldpeace DMT will make you a laptop-twee believer

Fri, 22 May 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Worldpeace DMT Tue 6/16 at Schubas
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Chicago indie-folk group Widemouth drop a debut that invites your closest listening

Fri, 22 May 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Widemouth Fri 6/5 at Schubas
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Brazilian DJ Marcal brings his hard-driving futuristic sound to Smart Bar

Fri, 22 May 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Marcal Sat 6/13 at Smart Bar
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The Targeted is a smart and empathetic look at conspiracies and paranoia

Thu, 21 May 2026 22:09:00 +0200

The Targeted, through 6/14, A Red Orchid Theatre at Chopin Theatre
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In the Continuum remains a compelling drama about Black women and HIV

Thu, 21 May 2026 21:44:00 +0200

In the Continuum, through 6/14, Pegasus Theatre Chicago at Chicago Dramatists
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Spamalot brings the bright side of parody to life

Thu, 21 May 2026 21:29:00 +0200

Spamalot, through 5/31, Broadway in Chicago at CIBC Theatre
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An Enemy of the People kicks open the doors of TimeLine’s new home

Thu, 21 May 2026 21:13:00 +0200

An Enemy of the People, through 6/14 at TimeLine Theatre
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The life and times of the Harold Washington Library

Wed, 20 May 2026 21:15:00 +0200

I’ve been going to the Harold Washington Library Center diligently since I was 18. The summer between high school and college, I would write four days a week on the fourth floor, in the wooden cubbies that face State Street. It was at this age that I began to take writing seriously, so seriously that […]
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Le Bal gives us history without words

Tue, 19 May 2026 20:52:00 +0200

Le Bal, through 6/20 at Trap Door Theatre
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The Golden Girls: The Cheese Pyramid balances kitschy homage and diva drag perfection

Tue, 19 May 2026 20:39:00 +0200

The Golden Girls: The Cheese Pyramid, through 6/21, Hell in a Handbag Productions at the Clutch
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True grift

Tue, 19 May 2026 20:23:00 +0200

Tartuffe, through 6/7, the Conspirators at Stars & Garters
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A tale of two Rogers Parks

Tue, 19 May 2026 20:21:00 +0200

Two Summers on Hayes Avenue screening Thu 5/21 at 7 PM at the Berger Park Cultural Center
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Work Hard Have Fun Make History looks at the destructive impulses behind Big Tech

Tue, 19 May 2026 20:01:00 +0200

Work Hard Have Fun Make History, through 6/6, First Floor Theater at Raven Theatre
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Fire House offers stories about burning down and rebuilding

Tue, 19 May 2026 19:42:00 +0200

Fire House, through 5/30, Chicago Shpatz at Firehouse Art Studio
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Urban legend and teenage tragedy combine in Hookman

Tue, 19 May 2026 19:25:00 +0200

Hookman, through 5/30, Bump in the Night Theatre Company at Bramble Arts Loft
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Parallel Play invites you to listen closely at Sonic Study Hall

Tue, 19 May 2026 19:11:00 +0200

This past Sunday, self-described Humboldt Park “listening room and learning center” Parallel Play (825 N. California) debuted Sonic Study Hall, a weekly series that invites a local artist or other music lover to spin records and discuss them with an intimate crowd. Daku, a producer and DJ specializing in music from South Asia, inaugurated the […]
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Cook County expands Flock license plate reader network

Tue, 19 May 2026 16:58:00 +0200

The Cook County Board of Commissioners on May 14 approved roughly $1 million to nearly double the size of Sheriff Tom Dart’s license plate reader network. The vote came a day after the sheriff’s office admitted it had worked with the surveillance company Flock Safety for years without an active contract governing the collection or […]
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Death-metal lifers Cryptopsy never say die

Mon, 18 May 2026 20:22:00 +0200

Cryptopsy Sat 5/23 at Bottom Lounge
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Stygian Bough examine magic and interconnectedness on Volume II

Mon, 18 May 2026 20:11:00 +0200

Stygian Bough always catch lightning in a bottle. The trio combines the two members of Seattle doom duo Bell Witch, bassist-vocalist Dylan Desmond and drummer-keyboardist Jesse Shreibman, with guitarist-vocalist Erik Moggridge, who makes dark folk as Aerial Ruin. They’d already been collaborating for years, with Moggridge providing guest vocals on Bell Witch’s albums, when they […]
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Modern sarangi master Sabir Khan brings his lyrical playing to the Old Town School of Folk Music

Mon, 18 May 2026 20:11:00 +0200

Sabir Khan Wed 6/3 at Old Town School of Folk Music
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Chicago rapper Heavy Crownz celebrates Trench Baby Turned Farmer with a homegrown lineup

Mon, 18 May 2026 20:10:00 +0200

Heavy Crowns Fri 5/22 at Lincoln Hall
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Strength in Fragility: The Material Truths of Jenn Hassin

Mon, 18 May 2026 18:20:00 +0200

There is something Jenn Hassin knows about paper and clay. Not just how it forms, tears or holds pigment, but what it remembers. Across the twenty-nine works gathered in Strength in Fragility, she returns again and again to the idea that surfaces carry histories, and that histories, pulped and pressed, reformed and fired, can become […]
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Help the United Negro College Fund make higher education possible for Illinois students by purchasing a 7X Bingo Multiplier ticket

Mon, 18 May 2026 18:20:00 +0200

For more than 80 years, the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) has been providing educational scholarships and opportunities to students in Illinois. In 2024, the Illinois Lottery launched a joint specialty ticket that contributes directly to ten different admirable causes, including UNCF. With its vibrant design and rich purple background, the 7X Bingo Multiplier ticket […]
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The Chicago Reader Names Malik Jackson New Publisher

Mon, 18 May 2026 17:14:00 +0200

CHICAGO, IL — Noisy Creek announced today that Malik Jackson will be the new publisher of the Chicago Reader starting June 1. Jackson most recently served as executive director and publisher of South Side Media Works, which operates community newspapers South Side Weekly and the Hyde Park Herald. Founded in 1971 in a tight Kenwood […]
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Meet the Reader‘s new publisher, Malik Jackson

Mon, 18 May 2026 17:14:00 +0200

We’re excited to announce that Malik Jackson will be the next publisher of the Chicago Reader! Jackson most recently served as the executive director and publisher of South Side Media Works, which operates community newspapers South Side Weekly and the Hyde Park Herald. You can read the full press release here. We sat down with […]
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Take Your Show Beyond Chicago With These 7 Need-to-Know Tips for Touring Musicians

Mon, 18 May 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Chicago has long been a launchpad for musicians. From intimate neighborhood venues in Logan Square to packed stages in Wicker Park and River North, the city gives artists countless opportunities to sharpen their sound and connect with audiences. However, eventually, many musicians hit the same turning point and want to successfully take their show beyond […]
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Celebrating the textiles of everyday life

Mon, 18 May 2026 14:00:00 +0200

“Side by Side: Color and Textiles" through 6/5 at Cochrane Woods Arts Center
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Tofu tikka masala at Arya Bhavan

Fri, 15 May 2026 21:17:00 +0200

The tofu tikka masala at Arya Bhavan tastes of sunsets melting on the tongue. Thinly sliced onions and bell peppers—green, yellow, orange, and red—are cooked in a fragrant tomato sauce until their flavors are so sweet and vibrant they threaten to wither. To swallow a heaping spoonful is to invite a striation of sensation; each […]
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Review: The Sheep Detectives

Fri, 15 May 2026 19:56:00 +0200

The Sheep Detectives in wide release in theaters
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Review: LifeHack

Fri, 15 May 2026 19:56:00 +0200

LifeHack in wide release in theaters
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Hungary for discovery

Fri, 15 May 2026 19:56:00 +0200

The Moviegoer is the diary of a local film buff, collecting the best of what Chicago’s independent and underground film scene has to offer. In my estimation, one of the most exciting film-related things happening in Chicago right now is the Judit Elek: Reality by Itself series at the University of Chicago’s Doc Films. (It […]
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Do Something Pretty is an aching look at adolescent longing and fear

Fri, 15 May 2026 17:45:00 +0200

Do Something Pretty, through 6/6 at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble
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Covenant is a compelling Southern Gothic thriller with a sorrowful soul

Fri, 15 May 2026 17:22:00 +0200

Covenant, through 5/31 at the Goodman Theatre
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Online affordable housing pilot advances to City Council for a vote

Fri, 15 May 2026 17:21:00 +0200

A tool to make finding affordable housing easier to locate may soon be a reality after the Committee on Housing and Real Estate advanced an ordinance to pilot a centralized online affordable housing portal. “We’ve all heard the issues with how difficult it is to find affordable housing in Chicago and to navigate the multiple […]
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Always . . . Patsy Cline celebrates the singer and her superfan

Fri, 15 May 2026 17:06:00 +0200

Always . . . Patsy Cline, through 6/21 at American Blues Theater
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Desire and refusal

Fri, 15 May 2026 14:00:00 +0200

“Dispossessions in the Americas” through 7/18 at Wrightwood 659
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Ketapanen Kitchen’s bison and wild blueberries return to the next Monday Night Foodball

Thu, 14 May 2026 19:19:00 +0200

Jessica Walks First smudged the bison with smoldering sage. Smoke rose from her left hand and she fanned it with the eagle feather in her right as she walked the length of the livestock trailer. Inside were three cows, two juvenile males, and a bull. Then the tailgate opened, and the bull loped onto the […]
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The unsettling beauty of the life cycle

Thu, 14 May 2026 14:00:00 +0200

In the project 60 wrd/min art critic, writer Lori Waxman explores how art writing can serve an expanded field of artists—including those incarcerated, trying to gain visas, working to establish themselves professionally, or just wanting feedback for a secret hobby. For this iteration, Waxman reviews work by Chicago-based artist Victor Olaoye. Victor Olaoye The paintings […]
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Confronting the monster of the Internet—through song

Wed, 13 May 2026 17:44:00 +0200

Octet, through 6/21 at Raven Theatre
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Scaramouche is a fun theatrical fandango

Wed, 13 May 2026 17:29:00 +0200

Scaramouche, through 6/14 at City Lit Theater
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Spark provides history lessons, inspiration, and a call to action

Wed, 13 May 2026 17:14:00 +0200

Spark, through 5/22, Free Street Theater at Pulaski Park Building
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Circle stories

Wed, 13 May 2026 16:57:00 +0200

The Hula Hoopin' Queen, Young People's Theatre of Chicago at the Greenhouse Theater Center
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Dirt, death, and redemption

Wed, 13 May 2026 16:41:00 +0200

Crime and Punishment, through 6/28 at TUTA Theatre
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A fractal and heartfelt Architecture of Memory

Wed, 13 May 2026 16:19:00 +0200

Architecture of Memory, through 5/23 at Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble
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Hothouse

Wed, 13 May 2026 14:52:00 +0200

In the project 60 wrd/min art critic, writer Lori Waxman explores how art writing can serve an expanded field of artists—including those incarcerated, trying to gain visas, working to establish themselves professionally, or just wanting feedback for a secret hobby. For this iteration, Waxman reviews a recent exhibition on view at M House in Chicago. […]
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The Save Our SNAP Block Party rallies musicians to fight food insecurity

Tue, 12 May 2026 21:01:00 +0200

On Saturday, May 16, the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) and the Greater Chicago Food Depository team up to host the Save Our SNAP Block Party. Some of the finest Chicago acts who blur hip-hop, R&B, and jazz will perform for the cause, including emerging rapper Zion Ali, singer-producer (and former Reader staffer) Shawnee Dez, […]
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‘You don’t want to put your heroes on a pedestal’

Mon, 11 May 2026 21:28:00 +0200

Chicago-born and raised muralist Robert Valadez remembers the song “Cult of Personality,” a 1988 single from the band Living Colour. “In the song, they say ‘Only you can set you free,’” Valadez said while taking a break, slightly stained from painting the side of CocoBar restaurant on the Chicago Riverwalk at Wabash and Wacker in […]
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Sheriff Tom Dart’s wandering eye

Mon, 11 May 2026 21:28:00 +0200

Sheriff Tom Dart is quietly lobbying the Cook County Board of Commissioners to expand surveillance both inside the Cook County jail and on the streets. Within the jail’s walls, he’s eyeing a system that uses artificial intelligence to monitor cameras for drug use, while outside, he’s seeking nearly $1 million to fund his office’s growing […]
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Data centers are cropping up all over Illinois. How do they work?

Mon, 11 May 2026 14:43:00 +0200

The explosion of proposed data centers across Illinois has sparked a fierce, bipartisan backlash and even legislation to curb the long-lasting effects on people’s air quality, water quality, and energy bills. In town halls from Pekin to Joliet to Chicago’s southeast side, people have packed rooms and spent hours discussing the impact of potential developments […]
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Luther “Guitar Junior” Johnson carried west-side blues around the world

Fri, 08 May 2026 19:15:00 +0200

The Secret History of Chicago Music covered bluesman Jimmy Johnson in 2020, and I recently got a nice message about it from a fan named John Suiter. He offered me a free copy of Margo Cooper’s Deep Inside the Blues: Photographs and Interviews, which he’d helped get published in 2023. Suiter took the bus from […]
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Laughing into the abyss

Fri, 08 May 2026 17:54:00 +0200

Pandemonium, Please Hold, open run at Second City
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Abstraction as investigation

Fri, 08 May 2026 17:54:00 +0200

“Story Structure, Pt. 2" through 6/28 at Neubauer Collegium
 
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Frasier and family ties

Fri, 08 May 2026 17:33:00 +0200

Spinoff, through 5/16 at the Neo-Futurist Theater
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Rock gods

Fri, 08 May 2026 17:12:00 +0200

Loki—The End of the World Tour, through 6/14 at Lifeline Theatre
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Review: Widow’s Bay (Season one)

Fri, 08 May 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Widow's Bay streaming on Apple TV+
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Review: The Devil Wears Prada 2

Fri, 08 May 2026 16:00:00 +0200

The Devil Wears Prada 2 in wide release in theaters
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Review: Mortal Kombat II

Fri, 08 May 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Mortal Kombat II] in wide release in theaters
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Punk-funk legends ESG pass the torch to the next generation of femme and queer artists at the first Ragbagalia Fest

Fri, 08 May 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Ragbagalia Fest Sat 5/16 at Sleeping Village
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Philadelphia band Evil Sword make the evilest lo-fi punk

Fri, 08 May 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Evil Sword Fri 5/15 at Burlington
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Lolina’s mischievous avant-pop sound collages defy expectations

Fri, 08 May 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Lolina Thu 5/14 at Empty Bottle
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Australian indie rockers Armlock reinvent an old wheel with new polish

Fri, 08 May 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Armlock Sun 5/17 at Schubas
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Spencer & Melanie are public transit baddies, traversing the city to sustain their friendship

Fri, 08 May 2026 14:00:00 +0200

Despite the structural barriers to traveling between Chicago’s 77 community areas, many friends are willing to face the city’s geographic hurdles and sustain relationships that transcend race, gender, age, and class. In an effort to chronicle human connection and love despite systemic and structural barriers, the Going the Distance series examines the enduring friendships between […]
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Review: Hekla

Thu, 07 May 2026 22:21:00 +0200

Hekla screening Sun 5/10 at 7 PM at the Music Box Theatre
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Review: Erupcja

Thu, 07 May 2026 22:21:00 +0200

Erupcja in limited release in theaters
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Review: Blue Heron

Thu, 07 May 2026 22:21:00 +0200

Blue Heron screening through Thu 5/14 at the Siskel Film Center
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Sapphopalooza, the Music Box Theatre’s lesbian film series, returns for a second year

Thu, 07 May 2026 19:07:00 +0200

Elizabeth Arnott, 36, is a local film programmer and the director of marketing and publicity at Music Box Films. Last year, she guest programmed Sapphopalooza, a new sapphic film series hosted at the Music Box Theatre throughout May. The 13-film program included queer classics, cult favorites, and exploratory options such as Bound (1996), But I’m […]
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Johnny Jones is telling North Lawndale stories

Thu, 07 May 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Johnny Jones, aka MrLingoHimself, is a Chicago-based filmmaker, entrepreneur, and community builder. He spent his early years at the west-side public housing project Rockwell Gardens before moving to North Lawndale at age eight following the death of his mother. He was primarily raised by his grandmother alongside his two sisters and grew to be an […]
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Our neighbors

Thu, 07 May 2026 15:00:00 +0200

I don’t remember the exact day that Simmy and I met on the quiet street where I’d recently put down roots. When he asked to clean my car, as he does for all the cars on the block, I brushed past him. Eighteen months later, Simmy and I are close friends: two mercurial Gemini companions. […]
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Exploitation masked as ‘charity’ and other thoughts from our readers

Thu, 07 May 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Bianca Pastel’s article [in the April 2026 issue, entitled “What Kyoto taught me about designing cities for humans”] was beautiful and brilliant, just like her work. It would be incredibly thoughtful and nice if people who design public spaces made them accessible and welcoming for everyone. I have always been intrigued by Kyoto, and now […]
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Solitary confinement is a mental health crisis

Thu, 07 May 2026 14:00:00 +0200

I began work that day as I did any other, sweeping the floor in solitary confinement at Pinckneyville Correctional Center in my $0.04-per-hour job. The cacophony of dozens of men roaring over one another, competing to be heard from behind the steel confining them, never allowed for silence during my eight-hour work shifts. As I […]
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Margot’s Fusion Kitchen opens a Guatemalan market at the next Monday Night Foodball

Thu, 07 May 2026 01:11:00 +0200

Shirley Cisneros spent four months perfecting her rose water flan. “It was a challenge because I didn’t want people to eat perfume,” she says. “I had to figure out how to balance it with the caramel, because if you go slightly over with the sugar, it leaves that bitter aftertaste.” It was an early triumph […]
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Saul, Barack, Andy, and Pam

Wed, 06 May 2026 18:55:00 +0200

I Killed Andy Breitbart, through 5/17 at Apollo Theater Studio
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Sun Tea is a refreshing celebration of Black women’s friendships

Wed, 06 May 2026 17:30:00 +0200

Sun Tea, through 5/31, MPAACT at the Greenhouse Theater Center
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Celestial silliness

Wed, 06 May 2026 17:14:00 +0200

moonwatchers, through 5/17, Lazy Susan Theatre Co. at the Greenhouse Theater Center
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Mars and mortality

Wed, 06 May 2026 16:52:00 +0200

Farewell Opportunity, through 5/17 at Filament Theatre
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Chicago Reader Volume 55, Number 16

Wed, 06 May 2026 16:13:00 +0200

Chicago Reader Volume 55, No. 16. May 2026.
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Tool or threat?

Wed, 06 May 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Artificial intelligence as a narrative subject is popping up a lot onstage right now. In Ryan Stevens’s Static-Head—which recently received a local premiere with the Impostors—an AI-enabled social media app at a tech college begins consuming the students’ minds and lives. Earlier this year, Shattered Globe Theatre produced Kirsten Greenidge’s Morning, Noon, and Night, in […]
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The last days of Legion Park, before the city swept it

Wed, 06 May 2026 16:00:00 +0200

This story is the second installment in a Reader accountability series, Just Neighbors, examining the city’s homeless encampment sweeps and focusing on the human impact of a fragmented, interdepartmental process. At their request, all unhoused and undocumented people and some housed people who spoke to the Reader for this story are identified by their first […]
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Fresh churros at a Little Village stoplight

Wed, 06 May 2026 16:00:00 +0200

If you’re the sort of lead foot who believes a yellow signal just means there’s room for one more, you’re prioritizing risk over reward at this traffic light. Blow the red, and on the odd chance you cross paths with a CPD patrol car, there’s an only slightly odder chance you’ll get a ticket. But […]
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‘All of us go together’

Wed, 06 May 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Social Fabric is a glimpse into the vibrant lives, objects, and spaces that shape our city, cocurated with community archives and local photographers. shira@chicagoreader.com I spoke often with Tita Carmen, a 73-year-old unhoused grandmother and community leader, in the weeks leading up to the planned Legion Park eviction on the city’s northwest side. On March 17, […]
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Weaving together past and present

Wed, 06 May 2026 15:19:00 +0200

“My Future Heritage" through 8/7 at the Swedish American Museum
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Southeast Spotlight: The Retro Grill

Wed, 06 May 2026 15:00:00 +0200

The Retro Grill8126 S Stony Island Ave, Chicago, IL 60617Mon–Fri 11 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun 12 PM–10 PM (773) 902-2800, www.theretrogrills.com, Instagram @TheRetroGrillonStony “Everything made fresh” is the infamous motto of the Southeast Side institution, The Retro Grill. If you’re craving a nostalgic diner vibe, walking into The Retro Grill is like being transported back in time, […]
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Southeast Spotlight: BuenGro

Wed, 06 May 2026 15:00:00 +0200

BuenGro3016 E. 92nd St, Tues–Thu 11 AM–6 PM, Fri 1 PM–6 PM, Sat 1 PM–4 PM(773) 824-5131, buengro.com, Instagram @BuenGro_LLC Looking for those May flowers that Spring always promises? BuenGro is buzzin’ with all of your plant and floral needs to make your space beautiful and picturesque, just in time for Chicago’s best seasons. In […]
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One Fair Wage: Separating fact from fiction

Wed, 06 May 2026 15:00:00 +0200

After the chicken caesar wrap at the bar Little Victories went “super mega viral” on TikTok last year, bartender Eddy Gordillo says he’s making the most he’s ever made in his 15 years as a tipped worker across 60 bars and restaurants. The spike in customers has brought his hourly wage with tips up to […]
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Cook County state’s attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke’s complicated relationship with the Pretrial Fairness Act

Wed, 06 May 2026 15:00:00 +0200

On a Wednesday in mid-March, Janica Barnes sat in the gallery of room 102 at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse and waited for a judge to decide what would happen to her son, 22-year-old James Jones. He was accused of illegally possessing firearms while on parole for a prior firearm possession case, and a prosecutor with […]
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Conspiring with ‘Style’

Tue, 05 May 2026 20:50:00 +0200

Tartuffe, or, the Charlatan, 5/8-6/7, the Conspirators at Stars & Garters
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Fire-Toolz levels up to Warp Records

Tue, 05 May 2026 19:01:00 +0200

Chicago multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, and recording engineer Angel Marcloid is so prolific that a list of the credits for all her many projects would be as heavy as a phone book. Longtime Reader readers will know Fire-Toolz, the name Marcloid uses for an alter ego that smashes together prog, screamo, plunderphonics, smooth jazz, and pop […]
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Inga steps into her own sound

Mon, 04 May 2026 21:52:00 +0200

At 26, Inga has emerged as one of Chicago’s most compelling new voices—a singing artist whose work lives, as she puts it, “where art meets ritual.” Born Inga Mutimura and shaped by her Rwandan heritage, she roots her singing career in spirit, care, and self-examination. Her 2025 release “Leo Venus,” the first single from her […]
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The faces of quantum

Mon, 04 May 2026 18:19:00 +0200

This story is part of Quantum Crossroads, a series examining the impact of the quantum computing megadevelopment in South Chicago. The push to transform Chicago into a world leader in quantum computing research and development has been yearslong and required collaboration among local, state, and federal governing bodies, universities, tech companies, and nonprofits. Now, Chicago […]
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Road hard

Fri, 01 May 2026 18:22:00 +0200

The Moviegoer is the diary of a local film buff, collecting the best of what Chicago’s independent and underground film scene has to offer. I’ve never taken a proper road trip. I haven’t driven in almost 15 years, and the last time I did was before moving to Chicago from Ohio, where I drove for […]
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What’s on for spring? Summonings and symbolic systems

Fri, 01 May 2026 17:50:00 +0200

There is something crude in attempting to locate a theme or thesis of what’s going on in the pluralistic “art world” while the rest is seemingly going belly up. Exhibitions in Chicago seem to ask very different questions; some concern our shared existence, others reshape the logics of symbolic order, testing the context and conventions […]
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What’s on for spring? Spiritualism and symbolic systems

Fri, 01 May 2026 17:50:00 +0200

There is something crude in attempting to locate a theme or thesis of what’s going on in the pluralistic “art world” while the rest is seemingly going belly up. Exhibitions in Chicago seem to ask very different questions; some concern our shared existence, others reshape the logics of symbolic order, testing the context and conventions […]
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Chicago ambient-pop sensation Gia Margaret goes wide-screen with Singing

Fri, 01 May 2026 17:22:00 +0200

Gia Margaret Tue 5/12 at Thalia Hall
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Whitney Johnson, Lia Kohl, and Macie Stewart form a trio of great Chicago string improvisers

Fri, 01 May 2026 17:21:00 +0200

Whitney Johnson, Lia Kohl, and Macie Stewart Thu 5/7 at Constellation
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The 12th Chicago Jazz String Summit celebrates the diversity of string-mediated improvisation

Fri, 01 May 2026 17:21:00 +0200

Chicago String Jazz Summit Fri 5/8 and Sat 5/9 at Constellation, Sun 5/10 at the Hungry Brain
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The 12th Chicago Jazz String Summit celebrates the diversity of string-mediated improvisation

Fri, 01 May 2026 17:21:00 +0200

Chicago String Jazz Summit Fri 5/8 - Sun 5/10 at Constellation and Hungry Brain
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Liz Cooper steps up her songwriting and embraces her true self on New Day

Fri, 01 May 2026 17:21:00 +0200

Liz Cooper Thu 5/7 at Empty Bottle
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Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month on local stages (and abroad)

Fri, 01 May 2026 16:50:00 +0200

Fifty years ago, congressional staffer Jeanie Jew attended the bicentennial celebration of the United States—and noticed the absence of recognition given to Asian Americans. Jew was a fourth-generation Chinese American whose great-grandfather had helped build the railroad as an immigrant before being murdered during a period of anti-Chinese violence in Oregon. She felt certain that […]
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How does our shoegaze grow?

Fri, 01 May 2026 15:00:00 +0200

On September 29, a newish music festival called Slide Away announced its first Chicago event, to be held at the Aragon Ballroom in late May. Champaign space-rock band Hum, whose highest-charting Billboard single came out more than 30 years ago, will headline. The other midwestern projects on the bill at that point—Sunshy, Cloakroom, and Lovesliescrushing—tend […]
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How Julyssa Rose turned Chicago into a jewelry box

Fri, 01 May 2026 14:00:00 +0200

There is something old-world and whimsical about a Chicago woman pulling beauty through fire and shaping metal into a precious animal, as if the act itself were part of a private mythology, using a gentle touch to coax something ethereal from the material. Julyssa Rose, a Latina artisanal metalsmith and a north sider, has built […]
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Chicago’s May Day events celebrate workers’ struggle and solidarity

Fri, 01 May 2026 00:12:00 +0200

May Day was born out of the fight for an eight-hour workday in Chicago. Over the preceding decade, an international movement had grown to regulate the length of a working day, which could often run around 16 hours. Joining the fight, the American Federation of Labor set May 1, 1886, as the date that U.S. […]
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Make America Sane Again with the Street Vendors Association of Chicago at the next Monday Night Foodball

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 22:52:00 +0200

Last year, when an armed and violent gang of government-enabled goons stormed through the city kidnapping Chicagoans, some of their easiest targets were street vendors. The chaos and fear emptied the streets, depressing the foot traffic and spending power that sustains this vulnerable but mighty economic engine. In some ways, it was nothing new. For […]
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Cosmic connections

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0200

In the project 60 wrd/min art critic, writer Lori Waxman explores how art writing can serve an expanded field of artists—including those incarcerated, trying to gain visas, working to establish themselves professionally, or just wanting feedback for a secret hobby. For this iteration, Waxman reviews work by artist Natalia Titova. Natalia Titova What would the […]
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Review: Mother Mary

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 23:46:00 +0200

Mother Mary in wide release in theaters
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Review: Michael

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 23:46:00 +0200

Michael in wide release in theaters
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West-side rap pioneer Twista plays two intimate hometown sets with a full band

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:17:00 +0200

Twista with the Cabrini Kings Sat 5/9 at City Winery
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Warm Love Cool Dreams builds the case for the Salt Shed as a hub for music fests

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:17:00 +0200

Warm Love Cool Dreams Music & Arts FestivalSat 5/23 and Sun 5/24
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Singer and violinist Mehrnam Rastegari fires up a Persian psychedelic fusion

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:17:00 +0200

Mehrnam Rastegari Wed 5/13 at Old School Town of Folk Music
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Michigan death-doom crew Temple of Void get more focused and filthy on The Crawl

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:17:00 +0200

Temple of Void Sat 5/16 at Reggies Music Joint
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Guitarist Marisa Anderson follows the global gaze of folklorist Harry Smith

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:17:00 +0200

Marisa Anderson Sat 5/30 at Constellation
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Anjimile welcomes love and liberation on You’re Free to Go

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:17:00 +0200

Anjimile Wed 5/20 at the Hideout
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The Beatles and Brendan Hunt

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 18:36:00 +0200

The Movement You Need, through 5/10 at Steppenwolf Theatre
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Ice fishing in America

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 18:23:00 +0200

Eelpout!, through 5/30, Shattered Globe Theatre at Theater Wit
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Fault falters at Chicago Shakes

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 17:24:00 +0200

Fault, through 5/24 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
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A glitzy Gatsby

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:53:00 +0200

The Great Gatsby, through 5/3, Broadway in Chicago at Cadillac Palace Theatre
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A city made of brick

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0200

When I moved to Chicago in 2019, my dad wanted to make sure I was prepared for life in the big city. Whereas he had come of age in public housing in postwar New York City, I spent the first 22 years of my life in the suburban hellscape of Clearwater, Florida. He peppered me […]
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Weirdo dance night Hot on the Heels celebrates 20 years with its biggest bill ever

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 21:48:00 +0200

More than 20 years ago, Chicago producer and DJ Beau Wanzer and his friend Chris Pappas decided to launch a dance series dedicated to underground sounds. “At the time, there really wasn’t a night where you could hear old industrial with punk, techno, and electro—the stuff on the fringes of normal music and normal dance […]
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Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in Chicago

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 21:45:00 +0200

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month—and there’s no shortage of ways to celebrate in Chicago. Reader staff have put together a sprinkling of recommended events, from the 29th Annual Asian American Showcase at the Siskel Film Center to a staging of choreographer Chih-Jou Cheng’s new dance piece Unfinished Island Songs to […]
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‘Salsa is back on Division Street’ with Studio E

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 20:52:00 +0200

Humboldt Park was quiet on October 3. That afternoon, Austin Moulder walked to the neighborhood Health Wellness Center, but he was turned away because the Center had shut down early after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents deployed under Operation Midway Blitz had questioned their staff. As he left, he noticed the shells from tear […]
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Light shift

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:29:00 +0200

In the project 60 wrd/min art critic, writer Lori Waxman explores how art writing can serve an expanded field of artists—including those incarcerated, trying to gain visas, working to establish themselves professionally, or just wanting feedback for a secret hobby. For this iteration, Waxman reviews a recent exhibition by artist Matthew Herriot. Matthew Herriot If […]
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On a Saturday in April, families of the missing came to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office with binders, DNA swabs, and 30 years of questions

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 18:15:00 +0200

A middle-aged woman in thin red glasses carried two binders bursting at the seams with photos of her missing daughter. She showed picture after picture of a little girl with bright pink glasses and an even brighter smile to Chicago Police Department officers. It was when she showed the officer a photo of her holding […]
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A portrait of Chicago, decades in the making

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0200

John A. Knudsen (1938-2014) was not the first artist to fall for Chicago’s transit system, and he won’t be the last, but few have used it as a motif over decades, across several media, the way he did. Knudsen’s oil paintings, watercolors, woodblock prints, etchings, and engravings teem with train cars and canyons of brick […]
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How fire is reviving Illinois’s vanishing prairie

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:00:00 +0200

As a red-tailed hawk swoops from the scraggly burr oaks above us, the smell of burning brush cuts through the crisp air at the entrance of Northbrook’s Somme Preserves. The fires, set by “burn bosses,” crackle while volunteers and staff of Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves greet each other for a day of restoration, using […]
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Real life

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 22:00:00 +0200

The Moviegoer is the diary of a local film buff, collecting the best of what Chicago’s independent and underground film scene has to offer. It’s time I make a confession: I watch reality television. And like many women (and for a variety of things), I have Tom Sandoval to blame. Several years ago, having forsworn […]
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Windfall gets a stirring world premiere at Steppenwolf

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 16:42:00 +0200

Windfall, through 5/31 at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
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Static-Head imagines a toxic AI-generated world

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 16:22:00 +0200

Static-Head, through 5/2, the Impostors at the Den Theatre
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12 Ophelias imagines another chance at life for Shakespeare’s wronged woman

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 16:06:00 +0200

12 Ophelias, through 5/24, Strawdog Theatre at Factory Theater
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Dozzy’s Grill settles the great jollof debate at the next Monday Night Foodball

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 23:38:00 +0200

The debate rages: Which country makes the best jollof rice? Is it Senegal, where the one-pot, tomato-based long grain rice dish was born? Sierra Leone? Liberia? Cameroon? Or is it one of the two most populated players: Ghana or Nigeria? As the dish migrated and adapted across West Africa and the world, the argument followed, […]
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Guitarist Vince Black has crossed oceans and genres

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:24:00 +0200

In 2024, the Secret History of Chicago Music covered hippie counterculture band Yama & the Karma Dusters. An outgrowth of an early-70s rock sound company called Euphoria Blimp Works, this musical collective had several names and tons of members during its few years in existence. When I wrote about the Karma Dusters, I couldn’t reach their […]
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Recapping EXPO Art Week

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 15:08:00 +0200

EXPO Art Week kicked off with the Renaissance Society’s RenBen, where over 400 guests attended Maurizio Cattelan’s Silent Party at the Chicago Athletic Association. Sticking a pin in the vacuousness of small talk at art socials, Cattelan and Ren director-curator Myriam Ben Salah guided guests through a roving gala with one condition: two hours of […]
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Out Here explores the liminal spaces in divorce

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:04:00 +0200

Out Here, through 5/10 at Court Theatre
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Redtwist stages a riveting revival of ʼnight, Mother

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 23:50:00 +0200

'night, Mother, through 5/24 at Redtwist Theatre
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An anguished tech employee and a therapist face off in Job

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 23:35:00 +0200

Job, through 6/14 at Writers Theatre
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Both gives a chilling spin to a family drama

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 23:22:00 +0200

Both, through 5/10, Teatro Vista and Steppenwolf Theatre Company at Steppenwolf 1700 Theater
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The Angel Next Door offers a heaven-sent take on a classic

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:55:00 +0200

The Angel Next Door, through 5/10, Northlight Theatre at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Skokie
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Ghostlight Ensemble stages a pre-Pooh play by A. A. Milne

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:33:00 +0200

The Dover Road, through 5/3, Ghostlight Ensemble Theatre Company at Glessner House
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Heartbreak Hotel shows us three faces of Elvis

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:18:00 +0200

Heartbreak Hotel, through 5/31 at Marriott Theatre, Lincolnshire
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Teaching for justice

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:14:00 +0200

In fall 2001, weeks after the September 11 attacks, Teachers for Social Justice held their first curriculum fair, themed around what it meant to teach for justice in that tense, heavy national moment. On March 14, almost 25 years after that first fair, and as the U.S. is engaged in more destructive and dubious wars […]
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Alt-country progenitors Souled American drop their first album in 30 years

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 20:24:00 +0200

Last week, Oregon label Jealous Butcher Records released Sanctions, the first album from Chicago alt-country group Souled American in 30 years. That’s a long time for any band to go without a new full-length record, especially a band that previously put out six albums in less than ten years. Before Sanctions, the most recent Souled […]
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Amy Pearl Lang’s semiotic puzzle

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 14:51:00 +0200

“Castle" through 5/17 at Sawhorse
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10 Best Adult Cam Sites with Live Cam Girls of 2026

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0200

The world of adult cam sites has evolved significantly in recent years, offering a diverse range of platforms catering to every imaginable desire and preference. Whether you’re exploring intimate one-on-one experiences with a cam girl, interactive group chats, or engaging live performances, the options are more plentiful and exciting than ever. In 2026, the best […]
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Review: The Christophers

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 21:58:00 +0200

The Christophers in wide release in theaters
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Review: Lee Cronin’s The Mummy

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 21:58:00 +0200

Lee Cronin's The Mummy in wide release in theaters
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Shivani Gupta’s debut poetry book centers her relationship with her mother

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 17:46:00 +0200

“Next on deck is Shivani!” There aren’t many poetry spaces in Chicago where I share a name with someone else. There is typically no need for my last name on a sign-up sheet at an open mike. But at this particular open mike in 2023, as I, Shivani Kumar, stood up, so did Shivani Gupta. […]
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This year’s Doc10 Film Festival comes with a call to action

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 22:03:00 +0200

Documentary film reflects the world—its strangest corners and its most pressing issues. At this year’s Doc10 Film Festival, falling at a time when humanity feels overwhelmed with a tempest of sociopolitical issues, the question is: What happens after we’re exposed to the problem? “When you have a really great story that engages people,” says Doc10 […]
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These Are the 7 Best Destinations for Pop Culture Exhibits

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 18:15:00 +0200

Chicago is famous for music, sports and festivals year-round. Pop culture is vibrant in the Windy City and has been for over a century. If you want to appreciate art and history, there are numerous places to absorb it. Here’s a guide to pop culture exhibits in the Chicago area. What Are the Best Destinations […]
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The Messthetics continue their heavy jazz-punk explorations with saxophonist James Brandon Lewis

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:00:00 +0200

The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis Thu 4/30 at Constellation
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The Afghan Whigs celebrate 40 years ahead of a new album

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:00:00 +0200

Afghan Whigs Sat 5/9 at Metro
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Chicago indie-rock darlings Friko go for broke with Something Worth Waiting For

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:00:00 +0200

Friko Sat 4/25 at Metro
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Ambient composer Colleen stares down fear on Libre Antes del Final

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:00:00 +0200

Colleen Wed 5/6 at Constellation
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Gelli Haha creates an immersive dance-pop world for your inner child

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:41:00 +0200

Gelli Haha Sat 4/25 at Schubas
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Projection events

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 23:33:00 +0200

The Moviegoer is the diary of a local film buff, collecting the best of what Chicago’s independent and underground film scene has to offer. I’d argue Chicago is one of the great cities for experimental film, and the Onion City Experimental Film Festival is a big reason for that. Last week’s edition was its 36th, […]
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Panlasa bridges the seas at the next Monday Night Foodball

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 23:29:00 +0200

More than 5,500 miles of ocean separate the salt beds of Pangasinan from the cacao orchards of North Hilo. But Roland Floro Calupe found a way to close the distance. He’s watched seawater flood the clay reservoirs on the northwestern coast of Luzon in the Philippines, where the water evaporates in tropical heat, leaving behind […]
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Public art that isn’t

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:25:00 +0200

Chicago takes its public art seriously. The murals and installations we have on view represent us, our communities, our values—from the Haymarket Memorial in the West Loop to Alexander Calder’s iconic Flamingo to Kerry James Marshall’s gorgeous mural on the side of the Chicago Cultural Center. After Casa Aztlan was whitewashed by developer City Pads […]
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The workers at the world’s largest library association have a story they want to tell

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:00:00 +0200

Workers at the American Library Association announced on March 2 that they are forming a new union, ALA Workers United. After registering with the National Labor Relations Board in early April, the nonprofit’s workers will vote on April 24 on whether to recognize it. Headquartered in Chicago, ALA advocates for libraries across the country at […]
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Review: Exit 8

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 23:33:00 +0200

Exit 8 in wide release in theaters
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The Real Housewives of Windsor

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 18:43:00 +0200

The Merry Wives of Windsor, through 5/3 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
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Goodnight Moon wins over the youngest critics at Chicago Children’s Theatre

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 18:30:00 +0200

Goodnight Moon, through 6/7 at Chicago Children's Theatre
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Mrs. Krishnan’s Party delivers a warmhearted good time

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 18:14:00 +0200

Mrs. Krishnan's Party, through 4/26, Indian Ink Theatre at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
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Maybe Tomorrow draws from a disquieting real story about marriage and isolation

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:58:00 +0200

Maybe Tomorrow, through 5/24, Wild Door Theater at Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture
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Odessa gives a poignant twist to a story of human and extraterrestrial relationships

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:43:00 +0200

Odessa, through 4/19, Subtext Studio Theatre Company at UrbanTheater Company
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‘We’re standing in the middle of something that should have always existed’

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 23:23:00 +0200

After years of planning, fundraising, lobbying, and other preparations, leaders at the Chicago South Side Birth Center are closer than ever to establishing the first independent, Black midwife–led maternity care facility in the city’s majority Black south-side neighborhoods. In early April, the nonprofit’s leaders were joined by political representatives, community partners, neighbors, birth workers, funders, […]
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Review: The Testaments

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 22:36:00 +0200

The Testaments (Season one) streaming on Hulu
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Rogers Park gets a new brick-and-mortar record store

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 19:53:00 +0200

Record Store Day returns this Saturday, April 18, and the following week, Chicago will get its newest brick-and-mortar music shop. High Voltage Records & Hi-Fi will open its Rogers Park storefront on Saturday, August 25. Owner Daniel Ranegar has been tabling as High Voltage Records at Chicagoland record shows and pop-ups since 2024. He’s also […]
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Eddie Condon deserves his due as a forefather of jazz

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 19:53:00 +0200

Why aren’t more jazz pioneers associated with the Windy City? Sure, we have legends such as the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Von Freeman, and Fred Anderson, but we definitely get short shrift compared to New York City and New Orleans. No figure is more foundational to Chicago jazz than Eddie Condon, who helped build the […]
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Best dressed

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 22:32:00 +0200

Thursday night at Navy Pier, outside of the typical crowd that tends to fill the halls of Chicago’s landmark by the lake, hundreds of artistically minded locals and flashily dressed visitors made the lengthy trek out to Festival Hall for the 13th EXPO Chicago. Running through Sunday, this year’s art fair features 130 galleries, alongside […]
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Review: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 22:00:00 +0200

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie in wide release in theaters
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Croissant bánh mì at Haibayô Café

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 21:22:00 +0200

The best culinary discoveries often remind me how refreshing it is to wander off the beaten path. Haibayô Café’s croissant bánh mì gives you the heat and pickled veg of a classic bánh mì but subs out the Vietnamese baguette for another French-style bread: the croissant. The sandwich will not only win you over—it’ll stand […]
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Avant-garde filmmaker Angelo Madsen doesn’t want to make easy work

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 20:57:00 +0200

When body piercing began shifting in the late 80s and early 90s from an obscure underground practice to something more mainstream, there was a particularly fascinating but fraught character at the center of it all: Fakir Musafar. Born Roland Loomis, the South Dakota–raised former Lutheran lived as an adult in the San Francisco Bay Area, […]
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Lyric Opera unveils its 2026-27 season

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 19:29:00 +0200

Lyric Opera of Chicago announced Thursday that its 2026-2027 season will feature seven mainstage operas and—after a four-year hiatus—the return of the spring musical with a new (2025) production of Frank Loesser’s Guys and Dolls. Also on deck: two movies—Encanto and Amadeus—with live performance of the score by the Lyric Opera Orchestra (and, for Amadeus, […]
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Aliah Sheffield is sick of earth and wants you to sing along

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 17:58:00 +0200

Aliah Sheffield Sun 4/19 at Ramova Loft
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Unsheathed Glory transports you to the peaceful depths of dungeon synth

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 17:57:00 +0200

Unsheathed Glory Sat 4/18 at Cole's Bar
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Swedish cloud-rock pioneers Horse Vision bring their cheeky indie rock to Chicago

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 17:57:00 +0200

Horse Vision Thu 4/16 at Sleeping Village
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Sunn O))) are one with nature on their new self-titled album

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 17:57:00 +0200

Sun O))) Thu 4/16 at Salt Shed
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Saxophonist Dustin Laurenzi and guitarist Matt Gold team up on Devotional Fade

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 17:57:00 +0200

Matt Gold & Dustin Laurenzi Sun 4/19 at Color Club
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At the Sticks, woodworking is for everyone

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 15:00:00 +0200

I made two mistakes in my beginner woodworking class at the Sticks, a woodshop and makerspace that opened in June 2025. First, I ran the wrong edge through the joiner, a machine used to flatten and smooth rough pieces of wood. Gary Hou, one of my instructors, gently pointed it out after the mistake was […]
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Going beyond

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 23:48:00 +0200

The Moviegoer is the diary of a local film buff, collecting the best of what Chicago’s independent and underground film scene has to offer. The first iteration of Beyond Chicago, an expansion of the LA-based genre festival, took place at the Music Box Theatre from April 2–5. It seemed to be a big hit; the […]
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The horrors and miracles of the 25th Chicago Palestine Film Festival

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 23:29:00 +0200

“No director could re-create the horror of Gaza.” A woman says this in Hala Bou Saab’s 2025 documentary The Miracle of Gaza; the titular miracle is her daughter, Halmia, who, at six years old, was presumed dead following an Israeli air strike. She remained in the morgue for several hours and was even prepared for […]
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Review: The Serpent’s Skin

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 22:11:00 +0200

The Serpent’s Skin screening Sat 4/11 at Alamo Drafthouse Wrigleyville
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Review: Alpha

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 22:11:00 +0200

Alpha in limited release in theaters
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Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom returns to the Goodman

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 19:57:00 +0200

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, through 5/3 at Goodman Theatre
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The Sugar Wife explores capitalist exploitation and philanthropy

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 19:48:00 +0200

The Sugar Wife, through 5/3, the Artistic Home at Theater Wit
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It’s the end of the world as she called it

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 19:32:00 +0200

Kassandra at the Top of the World, through 4/18, Fat Theatre Project and the Terror Cottas at Berger Park Coach House
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Eos Theatre Company makes its debut with a new version of The Trojan Women

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 19:31:00 +0200

The Trojan Women, through 4/19, Eos Theatre Company at Bramble Arts Loft
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The Official Biography explores the murky gap between truth and fiction

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 19:24:00 +0200

The Official Biography, through 4/19, Her Story Theater at the Den Theatre
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Chicago mayor visits Illinois prison, meeting with Northwestern Prison Education Program students

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 16:32:00 +0200

On Sunday, March 15, Mayor Brandon Johnson met with 60 of us graduates and current students of Northwestern University’s Prison Education Program at Sheridan Correctional Center. It was an extraordinary, history-making event: According to Brandon Wyatt, one of the students who spoke, Johnson was the first sitting Chicago mayor, at least in recent history, to […]
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The Chicago underground rock community grieves engineer Simon Small

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 17:38:00 +0200

Around a year into the pandemic, Into It. Over It. main man Evan Weiss got a message from UK musician and recording engineer Simon Small. Weiss knew Small casually. They’d met in the 2010s at Fest, an annual multiday punk gathering in Gainesville, Florida, where Small was playing with his old band Apologies, I Have […]
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Omnia Sol, glitch artist and cinematic raver

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 16:15:00 +0200

Syd Ross resists tidy categorization, but as an artist they’ve made contributions that echo throughout Chicago’s creative avant-garde. Ross, 35, has been vibrating in the city’s background since moving here in 2018: They’ve made signs for the Exchange in Wicker Park that look like video-game-themed crop circles, and they have a bit part in Monogamy […]
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“Nocturne” glows at Document

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 15:04:00 +0200

“Nocturne" through 6/6 at Document
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The Chicago Electronic Music Conference returns for year two

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 18:00:00 +0200

The Chicago Electronic Music Conference debuted in 2025 at the Ramova Theatre, and for year number two it’s returning to the same venue on Saturday, April 11. Like any good music conference, CEMC will have a vendor hall (in this case loaded with DJ and synth gear), a record shop pop-up, and plenty of panels, […]
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Review: The Drama

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 20:17:00 +0200

The Drama in wide release in theaters
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There will be no kings when Gilda returns to Monday Night Foodball

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Two years ago, the Basque separatist Euskal Herria Bildu party rejected the legitimacy of Spain’s King Felipe VI. Along with Catalan and Galician independence parties, they declared that the monarchy was “incompatible with essential democratic principles.” If that sounds familiar, it’s probably because last year, Chef Jeremy Leven of the Basque-inspired pop-up Gilda, along with […]
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Review: Faces of Death

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Faces of Death in wide release in theaters
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Missives from the Midwest: Detroit in 24 Hours with Abby Pucker, Chanelle Lacy, and Emma McKee

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0200

Meet the Flyover Gals: Gertie’s Abby Pucker and Chanelle Lacy, alongside Mariane Ibrahim Gallery’s Emma McKee—three women rooted in Chicago’s art scene, sending back vivid dispatches from their art world journeys across the midwest. In this Chicago Reader series, the trio captures the creativity, grit, and unexpected beauty shaping the heartland’s cultural landscape. We’ve all […]
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Detroit is the mirror that Chicago needs

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0200

Meet the Flyover Gals: Gertie’s Abby Pucker and Chanelle Lacy, alongside Mariane Ibrahim Gallery’s Emma McKee—three women rooted in Chicago’s art scene, sending back vivid dispatches from their art world journeys across the midwest. In this Chicago Reader series, the trio captures the creativity, grit, and unexpected beauty shaping the heartland’s cultural landscape. We’ve all […]
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Review: Kontinental ’25

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 19:37:00 +0200

Kontinental ’25 screening through Thu 4/9 at the Siskel Film Center
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North Carolina band Verity Den do indie rock right

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:58:00 +0200

Verity Den Sun 4/12 at Hideout
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Rami Gabriel makes music like no one else in Chicago

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:57:00 +0200

Rami Gabriel Thu 4/9 at Empty Bottle
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Lala Lala went west and emerged with the dramatically stripped-down Heaven 2

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:57:00 +0200

Lala Lala Thu 4/9 at Thalia Hall
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Drummer Tim Daisy hosts a residency of improvised and composed music that searches for shades between

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:57:00 +0200

Tim Daisy Homeroom Residency Every Monday in April at Elastic Arts
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Cult legend Kath Bloom brings her homespun visionary folk to the Hideout

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:57:00 +0200

Kath Bloom Fri 4/10 at the Hideout
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Cult legend Kath Bloom brings her experimental folk to the Hideout

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:57:00 +0200

Kath Bloom Fri 4/10 at Hideout
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Yasmin Williams finds folk music for everyone on her guitar

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:56:00 +0200

Yasmin Williams Fri 4/17 at SPACE
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The first Imminence Festival celebrates the diversity of the spontaneously made music presented by Elastic Arts

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:56:00 +0200

Imminence Festival Thu 4/16 -Sat 4/18
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Snow Tha Product’s bilingual barrio party rolls into the Ramova Theatre

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:56:00 +0200

A concert by Snow Tha Product is part no-holds-barred political rally and part barrio party, full of rhythm and humor. I witnessed such an evening last summer at Ruidosa Fest in New York’s Lincoln Center, where the San Jose rapper born Claudia Alexandra Madriz Meza lit up the crowd with her rapid-fire rhymes, incisive lyricism, […]
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Poison Ruïn express their fatalist worldview on Hymns From the Hills

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:56:00 +0200

Poison Ruïn Wed 4/22 at Subterranean
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GZA brings his tour for the 30th anniversary of Liquid Swords to Avondale Music Hall

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:56:00 +0200

GZA Fri 4/24 at Avondale Music Hall
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Dance Mania Legends Year 2 celebrates the past and future of ghetto house, footwork, and juke

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:56:00 +0200

Dance Mania Legends Year 2 Sat 4/18 at Avondale Music Hall
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Campus wars

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:50:00 +0200

The Ally, through 5/2 at Theater Wit
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The new Monday Night Foodball spring schedule is stormproof

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 16:34:00 +0200

I’m crouched like a vampire over the counter in my half-lit kitchen, wondering why I left the house yesterday. I haven’t slept in almost 24 hours, and my drooping flesh bag needs to drag itself back to the coffin before sunrise. My brain has other ideas. Bad ideas. It wants to stay awake and relive […]
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Ten must-see shows for EXPO Art Week

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0200

EXPO Chicago—our city’s premier art fair, now in its 13th edition—returns this week, bringing with it gallerists, collectors, and art enthusiasts from around the globe. Much ado has been made about the downsizing of this year’s fair—the first under the direction of Kate Sierzputowski and the third since Frieze acquired it. The number of participating […]
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Start making sense

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 21:31:00 +0200

Theater of the Mind, through 7/12, presented by Goodman Theatre at 333 N. LaSalle
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Undesirable friends

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 21:11:00 +0200

The Moviegoer is the diary of a local film buff, collecting the best of what Chicago’s independent and underground film scene has to offer. Julia Loktev’s five-and-a-half-hour documentary My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow (2024) is a movie of its moment. Loktev follows several Russian journalists in fall 2021 and winter […]
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Community members, legal advocates speak out over pending charges against Broadview ICE jail protesters

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 20:48:00 +0200

Community members and legal advocates spoke out Wednesday in Daley Plaza against what they see as brutal arrests and unjust prosecutions stemming from protests outside the ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois. A group of people facing or who have faced criminal charges in Cook County stemming from the protests joined attorneys with the National Lawyers […]
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Charles Joseph Smith brings his music aboveground

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:57:00 +0200

Dr. Charles Joseph Smith wants to stage an opera called War of the Martian Ghosts. In 2018, he issued an album of neoclassical piano pieces with that title through local indie Sooper Records. On April 3, the label will release a compilation of Smith’s recordings that spans a 30-year period called Collected Works and War […]
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Review: Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen streaming on Netflix
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Review: Forbidden Fruits

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Forbidden Fruits in wide release in theaters
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What Kyoto taught me about designing cities for humans

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 15:00:00 +0200

On a recent trip to Kyoto, Japan, I experienced something rare in American cities: a world shaped by thoughtful design. It made me realize something simple but radical—the people building our world should think like artists. Kyoto’s environment felt like it had been designed for the human nervous system, especially people with ADHD and anxiety. […]
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The warehouse model of prison isn’t working, education is

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 15:00:00 +0200

I have been in prison for 33 years now, and for 28 of those years I tried, unsuccessfully, to get an education. When I was on death row, I was told by corrections officers that getting an education would be a waste of time. After I got off death row, I tried, once again, to […]
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In situ minimus

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0200

“Barely Fair", 4/3–4/19
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Review: They Will Kill You

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 20:52:00 +0200

They Will Kill You in wide release in theaters
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Review: Ready or Not 2: Here I Come

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 20:52:00 +0200

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come in wide release in theaters
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From steelworkers to care workers

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 20:02:00 +0200

In December 2024, Advocate Health announced plans to invest $1 billion into new locations on Chicago’s south side, often colocated with churches and community centers, in addition to a brand-new hospital at the former U.S. Steel South Works plant, which will soon be home to a multimillion dollar quantum computing campus.Last year, state regulators overwhelmingly […]
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Hunt for treasure at the 36th Onion City Experimental Film Festival

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 19:08:00 +0200

When I asked Onion City Experimental Film Festival programmers Elise Schierbeek and Nicky Ni what they hope will draw people to the 36th iteration of the festival, their answers were somewhat surprising. Schierbeek hopes “that treasure hunting draws people in.” Ni (also an occasional Reader contributor) hopes people come to the fest “to check out […]
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A living archive on the west side

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 18:17:00 +0200

Social Fabric is a glimpse into the vibrant lives, objects, and spaces that shape our city, cocurated with community archives and local photographers. shira@chicagoreader.com Chicago’s west side is rich in history, not only in its monuments and institutions but also in the everyday rituals of memory: family photographs passed hand-to-hand, kitchen table stories told between bites, […]
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The Pynk Portal is open

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 18:06:00 +0200

Editor’s note: Sex work remains criminalized in Illinois. Some sources in this story are identified by first name or stage name only; their full names have been withheld to protect their safety. They are marked with an asterisk on first mention. The room on Lawndale The students had gone home. The studio’s luminous neon sign, […]
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Random ICE raids have slowed for now, but this popular neighborhood chef still isn’t cooking outside

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 17:00:00 +0200

Editor’s note: Bertin, Ricardo, and Chuy’s names have been changed for this story out of concern for their safety. They are marked with an asterisk on first mention. Ricardo* squeezes behind his little cousin, who sits cross-legged on an office chair, playing on an iPad. “We have Coke, we have Sprite, we have water,” he […]
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Southeast Spotlight: TNT Ramen

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0200

TNT Ramen8929 S. Commercial Ave, Wed–Sun 11 AM–8 PM (773) 300-1020, tntramen.com, info@tntramen.comInstagram @TNTRamen Like actual TNT, Chicago’s Southeast Side has a new ramen spot that is entering the neighborhood with a bang! Founded by partners Mari and Tony Macias, TNT Ramen keeps community at its core. Since opening in August of 2025, the Macias […]
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Southeast Spotlight: Colibri Coffee

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Colibri CoffeeSun–Fri 7 AM – 4 PM, Sat 8 AM – 4 PM (773) 437-3584, order.dripos.com/Colibri-CoffeeInstagram @ColibriCoffeeChi Like the hummingbird it’s named after, Colibri Coffee has fluttered into the hearts of East Side residents. The coffee shop cafe has filled a void in the community by providing quality sources of caffeine and a casual daytime space […]
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Out Here gives a fresh musical spin to the family drama

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Out Here, 4/10-5/10at Court Theatre
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Community Cinema makes moviegoing accessible

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0200

Movie theaters, like libraries, have no limitations on who is welcome through their doors. However, as ticket prices and the runtime of preshow trailers steadily rise, the financial cost for moviegoing is becoming a burden, and patrons are forced to sit through excessive advertisements. In 2019, with support from the Chicago Public Library Foundation, the […]
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Chicago Reader Volume 55, Number 15

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 15:25:00 +0200

Chicago Reader Volume 55, No. 15. April 2026.
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Chicago thaws, worlds emerge

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 15:00:00 +0200

April is Chicago’s season of transition from dark to light as the great thaw hits and buried bulbs finally emerge. Spring is the opening of the many worlds that make up this city, especially those that hide in plain sight. Drive down any street or look down any alley: without recognition, sometimes in deliberate quiet, […]
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A long, strange trip

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0200

Walking into Doyle Chappell’s Rogers Park apartment feels like it belongs to Willy Wonka, if Wonka had a one-bedroom on the north side of Chicago—it was vivacious, organized chaos. With the landlord’s consent, the 87-year-old painted his walls a deep red and arranged his vibrantly colored acrylic portraits edge-to-edge like a gallery in his living […]
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Chicago is having a poetry moment, and here’s where to be

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 22:22:00 +0200

In honor of National Poetry Month, we’ve rounded up a selection of readings, performances, workshops, and celebrations of poetry’s vital place in our city’s culture. Whether you’re a poet, poetry lover, or just poetry curious, head out to Chicago’s bookstores, libraries, stages, and shared spaces to not just listen to great poems but to participate […]
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Modern Gentleman depicts transition with humor and heart

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 22:14:00 +0200

Modern Gentleman, through 4/18, About Face Theatre at Raven Theatre
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The Three Musketeers swashes all the buckles at Idle Muse

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 21:52:00 +0200

The Three Musketeers, through 4/25, Idle Muse Theatre Company at Edge Off Broadway
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Out, Darn Spot! gives a darkly comic twist to Lady Macbeth

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 21:39:00 +0200

Out, Darn Spot!, through 4/12 at the Chopin Theatre
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Gift Theatre’s Ten 25th! celebrates the art of the short play

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 21:25:00 +0200

Ten 25th!, through 4/4, Gift Theatre at A Red Orchid Theatre
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DIY institution the VCR closes after nine years

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 20:29:00 +0200

After nearly a decade in operation, north-side DIY space the VCR will shut down in April. Last week, sound engineer and musician Chris Lee announced that he’d decided to close the venue he’d cofounded before his lease on the building lapses in June. Lee is the sole tenant on the lease, and despite sharing the […]
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A bookstore to get lost in the flock

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0200

Super Exclusive eXpo 2, Fri, 4/11 at Sheep Cult Comics
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The passion of the critic

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 17:43:00 +0100

The Moviegoer is the diary of a local film buff, collecting the best of what Chicago’s independent and underground film scene has to offer. Before I prematurely exited the mid-March screening of Todd Verow’s 2012 documentary Bottom at the Leather Archives and Museum—not because I was shocked by the film’s subject, but because I had […]
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Power and grace

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 15:52:00 +0100

During Trinity Irish Dance Company’s February 28 performance at the Auditorium Theatre, founder and artistic director Mark Howard came out and announced that Chelsea Hoy, longtime associate artistic director for the company, is now co-artistic director. It’s not surprising, given that Hoy has been instrumental in the company for years as a performer and choreographer […]
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Enmolada blasts off with happy tuna, mole, and lots of masa at the next Monday Night Foodball

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 17:57:00 +0100

Nick Muniz found a nice tuna for you. The tuna’s name is Colin. He’s been fed a diet of sheep’s milk, soy, and hazelnuts. He’s a happy little guy who swims around in an ocean located about two thousand miles east of Chicago. No. But you can expect a happy tuna like that on your […]
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Experimental keyboardist and composer Kelly Moran gives you something to reflect on with Don’t Trust Mirrors

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 16:02:00 +0100

Kelly Moran Sun 4/5 at Constellation
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Ratboys graduate but don’t move out

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 15:33:00 +0100

It was a frosty February night in Chicago, but the Beat Kitchen was warm and cozy. Ratboys were playing their sixth album, Singin’ to an Empty Chair—released that morning on the band’s new label, New West—from start to finish. Ratboys have made a tradition of playing their albums in full on release day (except 2021’s […]
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Anne Hills carries folk music’s Chicago heyday in her head and heart

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 22:52:00 +0100

One of my favorite ways to discover a local artist is to study the liner notes of a thrift-store LP. I always grab albums by local folk legend Bob Gibson when they turn up at the nearby Salvation Army. His 1980 record The Perfect High, recorded live at Charlotte’s Web in Rockford and the Earl […]
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Forever Deaf Fest 7 champions heavy sounds from near and far

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 21:33:00 +0100

Forever Deaf Fest 7 Fri 4/10 and Sat 4/11 at various locations
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The Hallogallo crew celebrate a scene-defining compilation at the Empty Bottle

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 21:31:00 +0100

Red Xerox release show Sun 4/5 at Empty Bottle
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Experimental bass clarinetist Emily Rach Beisel drops a new album of heavy winds

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 21:31:00 +0100

Emily Rach Beisel Fri 4/10 at 8:30 pm
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Review: Miroirs No. 3

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 21:00:00 +0100

Miroirs No. 3 screening through Thu 4/2 at the Siskel Film Center
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Silver screen shenanigans

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 19:52:00 +0100

Grelley Duvall Best Actress, through 4/12 at Chopin Theatre
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A depressed artist, a dead pope, and a Temu Übermensch walk into a theater . . .

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 19:25:00 +0100

The Cuttlefish, or the Hyrcanian Worldview, through 4/25 at Trap Door Theatre
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Poison, patriarchy, and purgatory

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 19:11:00 +0100

The Posthumous Trial of Giulia Tofana, through 4/5, Larkspur Productions at the Den Theatre
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Tenants at Chinatown’s storied Richland Center food court brace for potential rent increases

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 18:05:00 +0100

For more than 15 years, the lower-level Richland Center food court on Wentworth Avenue near Archer Avenue in Chinatown has been a hub for regional Chinese cuisine and a launchpad for immigrants seeking to establish businesses. The renowned Qing Xiang Yuan Dumplings got its start from the basement, as did the dearly departed Lao Pi […]
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Review: Reminders of Him

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 22:16:00 +0100

Reminders of Him in wide release in theaters
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Review: Imperfect Women (Season one)

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 22:16:00 +0100

Imperfect Women streaming on Apple TV+
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Stuck take a sleek turn on their third LP, Optimizer

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 20:05:00 +0100

Stuck front man Greg Obis forged his band in response to bad times. The group dropped their gnarly, serrated debut album, Change Is Bad, a couple weeks after the pandemic shut down the country in 2020, and their 2023 follow up Freak Frequency skewed even more wound-up and aggressive. This Friday, Exploding in Sound will […]
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Fake eyes and forklifts

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 17:34:00 +0100

“I got a fake eye that a guy gave to me. He wants it back,” says comedian and singer-songwriter Ryan Oliver. I let out a “whoa,” like a little kid, and Oliver nods. “It was at a comedy show. I’d seen him a few times. He was saying he really likes my jokes. I think […]
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Unwritten

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 18:34:00 +0100

In the project 60 wrd/min art critic, writer Lori Waxman explores how art writing can serve an expanded field of artists—including those incarcerated, trying to gain visas, working to establish themselves professionally, or just wanting feedback for a secret hobby. For this iteration, Waxman reviews an exhibition by recent SAIC MFA student Abdulrahman Hamdi. Abdulrahman […]
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El ultimo sueño de Frida y Diego is a fanciful take on a well-worn story

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 18:28:00 +0100

El ultimo sueño de Frida y Diego, through 4/4 at Lyric Opera
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Evanston faith leaders denounce Chicago real estate firm for contracting with ICE

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 13:41:00 +0100

Interfaith clergy, immigrant rights advocates, and a former prisoner of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) gathered at Evanston’s Sherman Plaza on Friday to announce their opposition to Chicago-based real estate investment trust Highlands Real Estate Investment Trust’s plan to lease a vacant jail near Denver to the federal government for immigration detention. “Our message […]
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Filter Photo’s annual survey show

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0100

“Context 2026" through 4/18 at Filter Photo
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The trippy vibe at Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 22:03:00 +0100

After my son’s basketball games, it’s not uncommon for us to take the kids out for ice cream. But this time, we got a lot more than a simple sugar high. It was late in the evening, and we innocently headed to the closest ice cream shop Google Maps had to offer. Little did we […]
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Local witch-house artist Häxa welcomes spring at Reggies Music Joint

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 19:54:00 +0100

Häxa Sun 3/29 at Reggies Music Joint
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Acoustic guitarist Gwenifer Raymond plays sci-fi-themed fingerstyle blues at escape velocity

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 19:54:00 +0100

Gwenifer Raymond Sun 3/29 at the Hideout
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One TRiiBE, divided?

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 19:39:00 +0100

*Disclosure: Chicago Reader social justice reporter Devyn-Marshall Brown is a unionized employee represented by the Chicago News Guild, which currently represents workers who are unionizing at the TRiiBE. What do the Christian Bible and the National Labor Relations Board have in common? They both say you only need a minimum of two people to start […]
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Blowouts, quince curls, and 27 years of miracles at Margarita’s Hair Design

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 17:00:00 +0100

In October 1998, Margarita Duarte did not know that a short walk with her husband would lead her to the hair salon that would shape nearly 27 years of her life. She thought they were headed to the corner store near their home in Avondale. Instead, he opened the door to the space and told […]
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The fight over Illinois’s data center boom is coming to a head

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 15:35:00 +0100

At a packed and contentious Joliet City Council meeting on Tuesday night, opponents outnumbered supporters of a proposed data center at the edge of the city, not far from a large warehouse development. People spilled out of the chamber. Some wore union shirts bearing the names of their local chapters, and representatives for IBEW 176 […]
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You’ll feel beautiful when Eat Steak Chips and Late Night Noods unite at the next Monday Night Foodball

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 22:44:00 +0100

Last week, Tony B and Chef T were shopping for fresh chicken paws at Costco. At roughly $11 for a five-pound package, that’s a good score. B, the chef and steak chip tycoon formerly known as Tony Balestreri, gave pedicures to the paws he purchased, with rainbow polish and a topcoat. “It took forever,” he […]
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Memories of a Window captures a revolutionary portrait of Iran

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 20:11:00 +0100

In Memories of a Window, revolution arrives framed by a phone screen. The documentary short by Chicago-based Iranian filmmakers Mehraneh Salimian and Amin Pakparvar had its world premiere in February at the 2026 Berlinale. Assembled from footage the pair recorded as students in Tehran alongside videos posted online during the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protests, […]
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Colors that rhyme, clash, and dance

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 18:54:00 +0100

“Matisse’s Jazz: Rhythms in Color" through 6/1 at the Art Institute of Chicago
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The Drowsy Chaperone delights at Theo

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 19:04:00 +0100

The Drowsy Chaperone, through 4/19 at Theo, Evanston
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White Rooster examines ghosts, longing, and desire at Lookingglass

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:49:00 +0100

White Rooster, through 4/26 at Lookingglass Theatre
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The Jackie Wilson Story returns to Black Ensemble Theater

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:25:00 +0100

The Jackie Wilson Story, through 4/26 at Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center
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When words fail

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:06:00 +0100

Song About Himself, through 4/5, Theater Oobleck at Facility Theatre
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A tasty amuse-bouche

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 17:53:00 +0100

Fully Committed, through 3/28 at the Den Theatre
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A nose for sweetness

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 17:40:00 +0100

Cyrano, through 4/12, Theatre Above the Law at Jarvis Square Theater
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Review: Project Hail Mary

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 16:00:00 +0100

Project Hail Mary in wide release in theaters
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Heavy Crownz aims for the Chicago rap canon with Trench Baby Turned Farmer

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0100

Last week, Englewood rapper Heavy Crownz released his accomplished new album, Trench Baby Turned Farmer. “Clap for Me!” makes a great showcase for his earthy vocals, emotive flow, and forthright lyrics, and its lightly funky, dragging melody sounds like a sun-beaten G-funk track played backward. Crownz clearly wants to canonize himself in Chicago hip-hop history, […]
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How the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin got their land back

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0100

The Oneida people have inhabited the Great Lakes region for millennia, and their ancestral lands include approximately six million acres in present-day New York state. During the American Revolution, the Oneidas served as crucial allies of George Washington’s colonial army, delivering hundreds of bushels of corn to feed his starving soldiers at Valley Forge. After […]
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The Sunny Naqvi case shows how outrage, politics, and incomplete information collide

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 19:34:00 +0100

As a journalist, it’s always been important for me to center the people directly impacted by injustice and tell stories that capture their full humanity, not just ones that fixate on their trauma. So, when I opened Instagram last Friday and learned that 28-year-old Sundas ‘Sunny’ Naqvi, a U.S. citizen of Pakistani descent, had allegedly […]
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Review: Undertone

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 16:00:00 +0100

Undertone in wide release in theaters
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After O’Grady

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0100

“I Dream I Cross the River in One Stride" through 3/28 at Mariane Ibrahim
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Review: Divine Hammer

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 22:26:00 +0100

Divine Hammer screening Wed 3/18 at Facets
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Review: André Is an Idiot

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 22:26:00 +0100

André Is an Idiot in limited release in theaters
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Framing a new Butterfly

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 21:03:00 +0100

Madama Butterfly, through 4/12 at Lyric Opera
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Rapper Chris Patrick hopes his good luck holds on Pray 4 Me

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 17:01:00 +0100

Chris Patrick Wed 3/25 at Subterranean
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Portland’s Spoon Benders will transfix you with their timeless vintage grooves

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 17:00:00 +0100

Spoon Benders Fri 3/20 at the Hideout
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Lamb of God hew to their antiauthoritarian roots on Into Oblivion

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 17:00:00 +0100

Lamb of God Wed 3/25 at Aragon Ballroom
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Footballhead prove that butt-rock nostalgia is real

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 17:00:00 +0100

Footballhead Sat 3/21 at Reggies Rock Club
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Imagining a world where the people win

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0100

Ask an independent Chicago bookseller what’s been a consistent bestseller over the last few years, and they’ll point you to an aqua blue paperback emblazoned with a New York City subway map and the five boroughs in varying shades of red. It’s called Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune 2052-2072, […]
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Drawing is magic

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 18:39:00 +0100

“Cataclysmic Ecstasy and Apocalypse" through 3/15 at UIC 5th floor gallery
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Sandy Shinner: a godmother of Chicago theater

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 17:56:00 +0100

Women’s History Month can feel like a joke sometimes (a whole month? For us? Golly!), given the ways that women’s rights are being torn apart here and elsewhere. But one thing I’ve learned in my many years of covering the performing arts is that women are often the backbone of these organizations as administrators, artists, […]
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Bland ambition

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 22:00:00 +0100

The Moviegoer is the diary of a local film buff, collecting the best of what Chicago’s independent and underground film scene has to offer. “Ambitious” can mean many things when it comes to a movie. Sometimes it’s used reverentially—for example, one might call a film like Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 […]
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Review: Vladimir

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 17:31:00 +0100

Vladimir streaming on Netflix
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Review: The Bride!

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 17:31:00 +0100

The Bride! in wide release in theaters
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Age gaps and power traps

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 14:51:00 +0100

“Emancipation Park" through 3/28 at SkyART South
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Chekhov in the tropics

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 21:43:00 +0100

Two Sisters and a Piano, through 3/29 at Writers Theatre, Glencoe
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The Dress-Up Play encourages kids to embrace their identities

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 21:29:00 +0100

The Dress-Up Play, through 3/22, Jackalope Theatre at the Broadway Armory
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The ‘Red Scare’ and the small screen

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 21:08:00 +0100

Changing Channels, through 4/12 at City Lit Theater
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Scratching under the surface

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 20:54:00 +0100

Cats, through 3/29, Music Theater Works at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Skokie
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Walkabout jumps back onstage

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 18:55:00 +0100

Poor Poor Lear, 3/12-3/15, Walkabout Theater at Chopin Theatre
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What are REITs—and what do they have to do with immigration jails?

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 17:23:00 +0100

The rapid growth of immigration jails across the U.S. is an unfolding horror story—one financed by more ordinary Americans than many would care to imagine, often without their knowledge. On February 27, Chicago Reader news editor Shawn Mulcahy reported on one such prospective detention facility, Big Horn Correctional Facility in Hudson, Colorado. The 1,200-bed prison […]
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Preview the new and uncompromising Kimski menu at the next Monday Night Foodball

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 16:16:00 +0100

Won Kim plated up the kimchi-topped Polish sausages at Maria’s to keep the freeloaders from taking advantage of the bar. The year was 2015, and Kim, a culinary student, graffiti artist, and DJ, had become a regular at Bridgeport’s Maria’s Packaged Goods. On Mondays—industry nights—Ed and Mike Marszewski began offering free Polish sausages topped with […]
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In Pursuit Of updates Crime and Punishment

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 15:39:00 +0100

In Pursuit Of, through 3/15, Sub Rosa Theatre Collective at Greenhouse Theater Center
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The new Roadhouse Magazine comes with an OK Cool option

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 20:10:00 +0100

Since its launch as an online publication in 2023, Roadhouse Magazine has been covering Chicago’s independent rock and punk scene. Its turf includes classic-rock lovers Damager, good-vibes queer pop-punks Pinksqueeze, and art-punk imps Background Character, who often play at venues such as Gman Tavern, Beat Kitchen, and the downstairs space at Subterranean. Readers of the […]
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Review: Sirāt

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 15:00:00 +0100

Sirāt in limited release in theaters
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Review: Hoppers

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 15:00:00 +0100

Hoppers in wide release in theaters
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‘What does real investment look like to you?’

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 18:12:00 +0100

What if the $500 million in state dollars dedicated to the development of a sprawling quantum computing campus in South Chicago was instead given to local residents to invest in their community as they see fit? That was the question at the heart of the Southeast Side People’s Assembly, a gathering organized by the community […]
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Best Free Sexting Websites and Apps for NSFW Messaging Online in 2026

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 07:26:00 +0100

‘The days of romantic ink and parchment love letters are long gone, and digital seduction has become all the rage. Why wax poetic when you can hammer out a few crass lines and toss in some dubious emojis? Whether we like it or not, sexting has become a widespread and normalized part of modern communication, […]
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Reader-recommended Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr events

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 22:07:00 +0100

Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan—a time when Muslims come together for prayer, shared meals, charity, and moments with family and community. After a month of fasting from dawn to sunset, Eid arrives as a celebration and a time of togetherness for Chicago’s Muslim communities, which span many cultures, traditions, […]
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The death of diversity

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 21:56:00 +0100

The University of Illinois (UI) system’s administration emailed department heads on October 14 that it was pulling funding for scholarships awarded to students based on race. Jeremiah Abiade, head of a program created to support Black students pursuing careers in science and engineering at the college’s Chicago campus, didn’t get the message. “Communication was not […]
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Wao wows at the Goodman

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 21:29:00 +0100

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, through 4/12 at Goodman Theatre
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Ed Wilkerson Jr. has helped Chicago jazz turn a sound into a community

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 21:29:00 +0100

On November 1, 2025, I saw an incredible show at the Empty Bottle as part of the club’s 33⅓ Anniversary Series. The concert also celebrated the release of a new box set of live recordings from the Empty Bottle Jazz & Improvised Music Series, which John Corbett and Ken Vandermark ran from 1996 till 2005. […]
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Chicago Opera Theater’s Der Silbersee

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 18:30:00 +0100

Der Silbersee, through 3/8, Chicago Opera Theater at the Studebaker Theater
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South siders Lost Legion make oi! for everyday people fighting back against the feds

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0100

Lost Legion Sat 3/14 at Cobra Lounge
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Nuestro Chicago Archives and the power of family photographs

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0100

Nuestro Chicago Archives values the nostalgia of physical media. The act of printing photographs, picking them up from Jewel or Walgreens, and placing them in a physical photo album is now a deliberate practice, given the ubiquity of digital photography. Established in 2024, our community archival project intentionally seeks submissions of printed family photographs taken […]
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Clarinetist James Falzone makes solo music that imagines a long-overdue better world

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0100

James Falzone Sat 3/14 at 2156 W. Fulton
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Chicago’s Broken Left Foot draw from alt-rock’s deep well on Adaptor

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0100

Broken Left Foot Wed 3/18 at Beat Kitchen
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Chicago experimental duo Cleared make drone tracks for ambient dance heads

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0100

Cleared Sat 3/14 at Constellation
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Paletero bells to whistles: Latine creation is an act of resistance in Chicago

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 23:02:00 +0100

I grew up on Chicago’s south side, in the heart of Little Village, surrounded by the sounds of paleteros ringing the bells of their ice cream carts, the bright colors of freshly cut fruit, and the aroma of tamales filling the streets. The bells meant summer. They meant joy. They meant children running outside with […]
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An AI character comes to life in Morning, Noon, and Night

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 20:14:00 +0100

Morning, Noon, and Night, through 3/28, Shattered Globe Theatre at Theater Wit
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Theatre Y’s Charges (The Supplicants) updates Aeschylus for the urgency of our times

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 19:53:00 +0100

Charges (The Supplicants, through 3/29 at Theatre Y
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A wedding and a funeral

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 19:39:00 +0100

Pivot, through 3/21 at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble
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Going through the motions

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 16:54:00 +0100

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s Winter Series, which ran February 26 to March 1 at the Harris Theater, featured a mixed bill of three full company works by Amy Hall Garner, Juel D. Lane, and Nacho Duato. The works by Garner and Duato were created on different cohorts of the company, 17 years apart. In Garner’s […]
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Estrella del Mar’s pan-Latin-Hawaiian coastal cooking comes to the next Monday Night Foodball

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 16:03:00 +0100

It is often said that the best poke on Oahu is served at Foodland Farms supermarkets. But for Star Urquidi, her best poke was her first poke: at a little restaurant near her junior high school in Honolulu. “Me and my friends would go whenever we could come up with some money and get spicy […]
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Meet me in the middling

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 16:00:00 +0100

The Moviegoer is the diary of a local film buff, collecting the best of what Chicago’s independent and underground film scene has to offer. As many of my fellow film critics will attest, the hardest films to write about are often the middling ones. Perhaps you even liked such a film, enjoyed the time you […]
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Gasoline and slot machines

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0100

It’s long been frowned upon to drink beer at a gas station. But a quirk in Illinois law has recently led such businesses across the state to secure liquor licenses that let customers drink on premises. It’s not really about the booze. It’s about gambling. In 2009, Governor Pat Quinn signed the Video Gaming Act, […]
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Reform in reverse at the State’s Attorney’s Office

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 16:24:00 +0100

It has been just over a year since Eileen O’Neill Burke took office as Cook County state’s attorney. Now is an appropriate time to assess how her policies are impacting our communities. The state’s attorney is one of the county’s most powerful elected officials, determining who receives mercy and who faces lengthy sentences, whether law […]
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Best Chicago DJ bottling music into scent

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 16:09:00 +0100

Zernell Gillie I first heard of Zernell Gillie when midwest perfumer Alie Kiral (Pearfat Parfum) mentioned him on Instagram, which led me to discover his fragrance House, a lush scent named for the homegrown electronic music style. One whiff and I was back at Smartbar in 2016 with my husband, bodies in motion under the […]
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Best way to see Black Chicago (and beyond) through a fresh lens