Update as of 4:00 PM on Tuesday, September 26, 2023: Abhijeet’s name was previously misspelled in several places in this article and has since been corrected. And the Vanguard Awards were previously categorized as posthumously awarded; this is not entirely the case as several awards will be given to living people. The Reader regrets the […]
Category: Feature
Posted inCity Life
First pitch: a journey through ceremony and baseball
I threw the worst pitch of my life on a Saturday afternoon in Gary, Indiana. My brain lagged behind my body as it went through the motions that should result in a clean throw; everything went sour once my torso began to twist in the direction of home plate and I became fully conscious of […]
Posted inFeature
Alex Nall’s comics are building a small-town world
Writers idealize themselves, spending hours at the computer, polishing their prose to make themselves sound better than they are. Cartoonists spend as much time, or more, to make themselves look, well, cartoonish. Lynda Barry erases her chin and hides her eyes behind opaque spectacles. Art Spiegelman turns himself into a neurotic mouse. In his self-portrait […]
Posted inFeature
NASCAR’s DuPage County connection
When Chicago’s NASCAR events take over downtown streets in July, people may either leave town to avoid the spectacle or stay and curiously catch sight of something never seen in the city. One person watching with great interest will be Fred Lorenzen, who will see the NASCAR events through the eyes of a guy who […]
Posted inCity Life
‘The prisoner is me’
Although her shop is closing its doors, the mark that Faith Phillips and Wish Me Luck Tattoo left on Chicago will always remain.
Posted inCity Life
Black high school lacrosse is here to stay
Black teenagers can view lacrosse as a healthy outlet and a new gateway to seek athletic or academic scholarships. It’s very understandable that Chicago wants to send a clear message that this sport is for everyone.
Posted inFeature
Ghosts, cryptids, and Chicago
When Jack Wagner was 15, he made a documentary about the haunting of Wheaton’s Grand Theatre. Built in 1925, the historic theater went through several identities over the decades (including an aughts-era punk venue where Wagner’s band played). When he showed up with his camera, the owner shut Wagner and his buddies in the empty […]
Posted inFood & Drink
M is for Mariano’s
Despite the popularity of the wine bar in Mariano’s locations across the city, nobody knows who Nob is or how the grocery store bar got its name. Regulars call it the M bar, for Mariano’s. And at the M bar, neighbors love to hang out and grab a drink—or three.
Posted inFeature
Getting sober and drawing rabbits
“Since I was a little kid, I’ve been drawing rabbits,” said Whitney Wasson. The Chicago-based comics artist and comedian said that rabbits are cute and easy to draw, which were two ideal qualities for their early childhood doodles. “[The drawing] could be terrible, but as long as you [make] long rabbit ears it reads as […]
Posted inFeature
A potato-themed speed dating venture
In the red-hued darkness of the California Clipper in Humboldt Park, a few dozen speed daters chattered on a damp Tuesday evening. Some arrived alone, others accompanied by friends or coworkers. They sat with name cards that got the basics out of the way: name, pronouns, sexuality. People lean in to hear over the noise […]
Posted inFeature
The year in photography
For the cover of our last print issue of 2022, we wanted to capture the spirit of the year, as we see it, in our own Reader way. We asked photographer Carolina Sanchez to see if she could find a street musician who was being ignored, a situation which many can relate to as the […]
Posted inCity Life
Your guide to outside
Thirteen of Chicago’s new queer and/or BIPOC recurring events
Posted inCity Life
’Well done, Gloria Allen’
Black trans icon Mama Gloria is remembered for living an extraordinary and full life.
Posted inCity Life
‘Existing without question’
“In roller derby they don’t care if you’re gay or trans or whatever—they just accept you.”
Posted inFeature
Strong and steady
Modernity and tradition. Relaxation and tension. Chaos and order. Yin and yang—roughly speaking. These are complementary universal forces that can easily lose balance and therefore create trouble. But not at Hyun’s Hapkido and Tae Kwon Do School, a Bucktown martial arts storefront rooted in the same location for over 50 years; an unexpected harmony permeates […]