I was a reporter at the St. Petersburg Times in 1980, when St. Pete got the idea of turning itself into Salvador Dalíwood. Not everyone was on board: on the one hand, there were grumbles about Dalí’s apparent tolerance for fascism (including a cozy long-term relationship with Franco), and on the other, sneering art-world objections […]
Category: Columns & Opinion
Posted inOn Politics
The Tunney-Vallas Alliance
I realize we’re in the silly season of the mayoral race, as candidates bombard us with propaganda we know we shouldn’t believe. But the recent commercial in which Alderperson Tom Tunney praises mayoral candidate Paul Vallas for being on the front lines in the fights for LGBTQ+ and abortion rights is particularly misleading even by […]
Posted inOn Politics
The Vallas surge
Back in our country’s less enlightened days that have, of course, long since passed (ha, ha, ha), there was a concept in boxing called the “great white hope.” That was a white boxer (any white boxer) who was viewed as the defender of the race’s wounded pride and honor when he fought a Black boxer […]
Posted inStaff notes
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
There’s a quiet poeticness to cover subject Diana Solís’ work. The Mexico-born photographer prefers for her stills to do the talking, and doesn’t fuss about whatever recognition her pieces might garner. Being fixated on her work leaves little room for, as she puts it, adding too much crema to her tacos. Learning more about the […]
Posted inStaff notes
Publisher’s note
In late August 2018, I was with my father at the hospital, where he was recovering from open-heart surgery, when I received a call from a representative of the Chicago News Guild asking if I’d like to buy the Chicago Reader from its parent newspaper, the Chicago Sun-Times. The Guild represents the Reader’s editorial union, […]
Posted inOn Culture
Good guy with a gun
John Mossman has a scary new movie, but he’s not just trying to scare us. Good Guy With a Gun (not to be confused with a 2020 short with the same title) is a feature-length drama/thriller slated for a regional premiere February 27 as part of the Midwest Film Festival at the Gene Siskel Film […]
Posted inOn Prisons
Mayoral debate was a poor night for Chicago
The mayoral candidates need to remember that hope is political.
Posted inPress releases
RICJ Racial Justice Writers’ Room Launches
The Reader Institute for Community Journalism (RICJ), which publishes the Chicago Reader, has launched the first Racial Justice Writers’ Room Cohort. Eight early- to mid-career journalists will work for 12 weeks on racial-justice related reporting projects under coordinator Judith McCray. The Racial Justice Writers’ Room is part of RICJ’s Racial Justice Reporting Hub and Writers’ Room […]
Posted inOn Politics
Chaos theory
One of the more revealing scenes in City So Real—Steve James’s insightful documentary about Chicago politics, takes place in a Gold Coast penthouse. It’s 2019. And James, chronicling the last mayoral election, is filming a dinner party hosted by Christie Hefner. They’re talking politics and one of the guests—Norman Bobins, a retired banker—opines that no […]
Posted inStaff notes
Chicago Reader welcomes four new staff members
The Reader Institute for Community Journalism, which operates the 51-year-old newspaper, Chicago Reader, has announced recent staff hires, including two in leadership. Alia Graham (she/her) has joined as director of people and culture, a new position at RICJ. Graham brings a host of expertise to the role; she has an extensive background in diversity and […]
Posted inOn Prisons
Torture by any other name
Solitary confinement is brutal torture. I have experienced it firsthand.
Posted inStaff notes
Resolute
As January inches to a close, it’s a good time to take stock of what this year has been like thus far, and where we stand on those pesky New Year’s resolutions we promised we’d actually stick to this time around. Remember those? Well, smart indoor rowing machine, meet the storage unit; promise to drop […]
Posted inOn Culture
Who’s getting tarred?
No industry has been more of a closed and creaky old white boys club than classical music. Things are grudgingly changing now that the Western canon appears to be on its deathbed, but, according to research by the League of American Orchestras, “Women conductors are still rare, especially in the high-status position of music director.” […]
Posted inOn Politics
The early days
With roughly seven weeks to go until round one of the mayoral election, here’s what we know so far from the latest polls. If the election were held today, the winner would be . . . Karen Lewis! OK, I’ll get to that. But, first, a word or two about a recent “poll.” It was […]
Posted inOn Culture
No walk in the park
Update: 01/12/2023In an email today seeking to “clarify misinformation posted on the museum’s website,” Chicago Park District Director of Communications Michele Lemons said this: “The Chicago Park District did not approve construction on a 5,000 square foot facility nor did the District approve a structure of any size.” Juanita Irizarry delivered a gut punch of […]