Has there ever been a better year for funny books about Chicago? Thanks to a pithy rap memoir, an absurdist satire of the mayor’s office, and a pair of comedic novels, 2022 offered Chicago readers a refreshing dose of literary laughs. Per usual, I’ve limited this list to books with a strong focus on the […]
Tag: Gwendolyn Brooks
Posted inTheater Review
‘And then I laughed’
At one point in Theatre Y’s ambulatory Laughing Song: A Walking Dream, Marvin Tate as George W. Johnson (the first Black American recording artist) is asked by a reporter at a press conference, “Is your laugh real, or is it fake?” It’s a reasonable question—but by the end of this four-hour show, which weaves together […]
Posted inMusic
Chicago’s Black musical visionaries charted paths for their communities in the 1950s and ’60s
Since the 1950s, Chicago has hosted a succession of visionary Black musical groups and societies. They’re best known as purveyors of avant-garde jazz, but that characterization sells short Sun Ra and his Arkestra, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), and Phil Cohran’s Artistic Heritage Ensemble. Each was—and in some cases still is—a […]
Posted inColumns & Opinion
Angela Jackson is the state’s new poet laureate
That shouldn’t cost her, right?
Posted inCity Life
Bronzeville’s best
This longtime boutique has garments—and bling—for every walk of life.
Posted inMusic
Angel Bat Dawid taps into the root of all black music
Chicago singer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Angel Bat Dawid talks about the improvisation and inspiration that shaped her new album, The Oracle.
Posted inArts & Culture
Haki Madhubuti has lived his life as an act of defiance
And the 76-year-old Chicago educator, essayist, activist, and founder of Third World Press is as radical as ever.
Posted inArts & Culture
Manual Cinema turns Gwendolyn Brooks into poetry magic
With the help of Eve Ewing, Nate Marshall, and Jamila and Ayanna Woods, the performance collective creates an immersive audiovisual event out of the poet’s life story.
Posted inBlogs
LCD Soundsystem and more of the best things to do in Chicago this week
A live recording of Kellye Howard album recording , a cooking demonstration from Chef Damao, and more happenings the week of 11/6-11/9
Posted inArts & Culture
The Comedy of Errors, Marie Christine, and eight more new stage shows to see
A cartoon-inspired staging of the Bard and a creole update of Medea are among this week’s best bets.
Posted inArts & Culture
Chicago Renaissance celebrates the people who built the city’s cultural scene
A new book examines the local art and literature milieu in the early 20th century.
Posted inColumns & Opinion
The Chicago Picasso isn’t the only public artwork worth celebrating
The Wall of Respect is gone, but its impact shouldn’t be forgotten.
Posted inMusic
A people’s history of Kevin Coval
Louder Than a Bomb cofounder Kevin Coval in the words of people in Chicago’s poetry, spoken-word, and hip-hop scenes whose lives he’s touched
Posted inArts & Culture
Gwendolyn Brooks gets the centennial birthday party she deserves
Our Miss Brooks 100 is a yearlong celebration of the great poet of Bronzeville.