In late August, the Chicago Sun-Times calculated that more than 13,000 immigrants had arrived in Chicago since August 2022, when Texas governor Greg Abbott started his busing scheme. While our city is navigating the care and feeding of all our people, and not always getting it perfect, we’ve received an influx of even more people […]
Category: Staff notes
Posted inPress releases
[UPDATED] RICJ Racial Justice Writers’ Room Launches Cohort 2
The Reader Institute for Community Journalism (RICJ), which publishes the Chicago Reader, has launched the second cohort of the Racial Justice Writers’ Room. Six early- to mid-career journalists will work for eight 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 […]
Posted inPress releases
RICJ Racial Justice Writers’ Room Cohort 2 applications now open
The Reader Institute for Community Journalism (RICJ), publishers of the Chicago Reader, will launch its second cohort program for writers interested in and/or working on stories directly addressing racial justice issues in the first of two three-month sessions. This cohort will be limited to six (6) participants and will last eight weeks. Applications will be […]
Posted inStaff notes
Pride is our reality
The best way to make a TikTok name for yourself is by making constant, short, pithy videos about the same subject, including your possibly controversial opinions (but not, like, in a Mein Kampf way, just in a “Finally! Someone said it, and they said it well!” kind of tone that travels well in social sharing), […]
Posted inStaff notes
Little treat season
In my household, we’re currently celebrating “little treat” season. It occurs every year just as Chicago is shaking off the winter weather; on days when it’s extra sunny or unseasonably warm, my partner and I allow ourselves to go out and get a little treat. Now, “little treat” can mean anything from a shared iced […]
Posted inColumns & Opinion
The city in bloom
I have a personal tradition each vernal equinox of posting on social media some recorded version of “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most.” (This year I opted for Sarah Vaughan.) But the truth is, it’s hard to feel hung up when I look over this week’s spring theater and arts preview issue. (Feeling […]
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 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 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 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 inStaff notes
Break a leg, kid!
Our recent anniversary UnGala was an affair to remember for myriad reasons. For starters, it brought out Chicago’s finest in droves to the Museum of Contemporary Art for a night of intimate performances, revelry, and reflection, Reader-style. The night also summoned Reader brass, new and old, including cofounder Bob McCamant, longtime executive editor Michael Lenehan, […]
Posted inStaff notes
Editor’s note: I remember
The who’s who of local journalism gathered recently at the Newberry Library for the 83rd annual Chicago Journalists Association awards. As the organization’s first in-person ceremony since the pandemic took its grip, a buoyant feeling was in the air (aided perhaps by an open bar), as Chicago journalists rocked their finest duds (props to Sun-Times […]
Posted inStaff notes
Chicago Reader announces new hires
The Chicago Reader is pleased to announce some new hires in our editorial and marketing departments. Kerry Cardoza (she/her) is the Reader’s newest culture editor, and her focus will be on art, architecture, books, literary arts, and other related cultural topics. She is a Chicago-based journalist who often writes about art, culture, labor, and power. […]
Posted inStaff notes
The road ahead
“Good things come to those who wait,” the adage goes. Back in the summer of 2009, I found myself in Chicago as an alternative journalism fellow at Medill, and I quickly fell in love with the city, its people, culture, and greasy spoons (if I close my eyes and concentrate hard enough, I can still […]