Hey, Chicago! We’d love to hear what your plans are this fall.
Fall Theater & Arts preview 2023
‘125 is feeling very good’
Celebrating Chicago’s cultural past and present at the Fine Arts Building
Setting the stage for queer stories
A seasonal preview of LGBTQ+ theater
‘We don’t want to get bigger. We want to get deeper.’
Jenny Magnus on 35 years with Curious Theatre Branch
Latest Stories
Review: Chasing Chasing Amy
Look back at the 1997 film Chasing Amy through a new queer lens in this thoughtful documentary.
High Fidelity gets the oral history treatment
An interview with Andrew Buss, author of Top Five: How High Fidelity Found Its Rhythm and Became a Cult Movie Classic
In Chicago’s ‘top five,’ High Fidelity is a chart-topper
John Cusack will host an intimate screening of one of Chicago’s most impactful films at the Auditorium Theatre in early 2024.
Review: Sex Education (Season 4)
The final season of this Netflix hit series isn’t the best, but it’s totally necessary.
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News & INVESTIGATIONS
Dying while in the county’s care
At least 15 people have died in 2023 while detained at Cook County Jail; family members and advocates cite a lack of transparency from the sheriff’s office.
Narcan for everyone
How to get the drug for free—and possibly save a life
Chicago church part of Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument
Bronzeville’s Roberts Temple Church of God In Christ was the location for Emmett Till’s 1955 funeral.
Columns & Opinion
RICJ Racial Justice Writers’ Room Launches Cohort Two
This year’s cohort is made up of six journalists who will be mentored by journalists and media professionals
The butterfly in your throat
A thyroid expert reconsiders 50 years of dogma.
Oppenheimer‘s Loyola connection
One Chicago chemistry professor cast the lone vote against revoking the father of the atomic bomb’s security clearance.
Film
CIFF’s killer lineup
This autumn, Cinema/Chicago presents the 59th Chicago International Film Festival.
Reeling returns
Chicago’s LGBTQ+ international film festival celebrates its 41st year with stories of found family, gay disco, bigoted parasitic worms, and more.
Review: A Haunting in Venice
Kenneth Branagh’s newest Agatha Christie adaptation is a waste of potential.
Arts & Culture
Theo lights up a new Asian American musical with Baked!
Cannabis, pastries, and family dynamics combine in this new in-development show.
Harlem stories
Remy Bumppo’s Blues for an Alabama Sky is stellar.
Collective power
Jane: Abortion and the Underground reminds us to find strength in organizing.
Big songs, too much story
Gift’s The Rise and Fall of Little Voice is at its best when it sings.
Never trust the tyrants
The Duchess of Malfi is at its best dissecting the underlings.
Music
Hammered dulcimer player Joel Styzens celebrates a lushly orchestrated new solo album
Plus: Rapper Matt Muse ends a four-year gap between major releases with two EPs this summer, including the brand-new So Far, So Decent.
CITY LIFE
Hecho En Arts & Craft Fair, Mothers of Murdered Transpeople annual picnic, and more
The To-Do: a curated list of things to do and events to check out in Chicago
First pitch: a journey through ceremony and baseball
A summer project for a Reader writer reveals how minor league baseball—and the people who see themselves in it—measure success
Food & Drink
From Le Perroquet to STREET
Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival premiers an intimate documentary of a former Chicago chef’s rise.
The Melanin Martha celebrates the sweets of the south at the next Monday Night Foodball
Jordan Wimby gives love to the Black bake sale at the Reader’s weekly chef pop-up at Ludlow Liquors.
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Bright Endeavors provides a guiding light for young mothers in Chicago
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As the proverb goes, it takes a village to raise a child. The folks at Bright Endeavors know that…
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In Motion: Chicago’s M.A.D.D. Rhythms is on a mission to share the gospel of tap
Around the dawn of the new millennium, Chicago tap dancer Bril Barrett began to share his love of tap…
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In recognition of World AIDS Day in 2009, the Illinois Lottery and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH)…
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The Origin of Lil’ Salty
It started on a cold fall evening in 1952 When a boat transporting salt barreled down the Chicago River,…
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In Motion: Joel Hall Dancers & Center uplift local artists and promote social change through urban jazz dance
In 1974, Chicago dancer and choreographer Joel Hall cofounded the Chicago City Theatre Company to amplify the creative talents…
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Immerse yourself in the darkest side of humanity at Chicago’s Medieval Torture Museum
Learn the history of torture and execution, and chase ghosts at one of the Loop’s hottest attractions Have you…
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Best Dating Sites for Real Relationships in 2023
The top websites to meet someone special for a real relationship
If you’re open to giving online dating a try, these are the best dating sites to actually meet someone…