Win a $50 gift box from Hustler Hollywood
The Chicago Reader has officially made it to 50 years. Let’s celebrate it with a 50 day prize giveaway!
Two priests, a rabbi, and the Sex Pig
My 25 years shooting for the Reader
50 years of a Chicago weekly
The history of the Reader reflects the larger history of newspaper publishing in the United States. This timeline traces the paper’s changing fortunes over the course of a half-century.
Queer history through the eyes of the Reader
A reflection on how LGBTQ+ issues, subjects, and writers have appeared on the paper’s pages over the last five decades.
Long live the classifieds!
A young person’s dive into the history of the once lucrative section and its humble future.
50th Anniversary Button Pack, in partnership with Busy Beaver Button Co.
A groovy button pack celebrating five decades of the Reader.
The Chicago Reader at 50: A half-century of revolutionary storytelling
A Chicago Reader archival exhibition hosted by the Newberry Library, from October 6 – January 21, 2022.
NEW Reader 50 Merchandise
Celebrate the Reader in style. Every purchase from our store supports independent media.
Reader House Parties
We are celebrating 50 years of the Reader, and your support will ensure another 50 years.
A note on this week’s cover
And also a goodbye
The Reader at 50
A deep dive into how this city’s alt-weekly made it through five decades
No assignments, no deadlines, no promises, no job
How I met and fell for the Reader (great editors: part I)
The long haul
My not-quite-50-year love affair with the Reader
Archive Dive
A daily dip into the stacks, leading up to our 50th anniversary
In 1971 the Reader’s free classifieds hosted a future folk star
Music discovery has changed a lot in 50 years, but the Reader is still around—and so is Bonnie Koloc.