Hip-hop prodigy Kaicrewsade puts community first
The Chicago rapper and mental health advocate builds his tracks by connecting musicians and builds safe spaces by connecting his people.
music
George Freeman returns to the cosmos
The youngest of the Freeman brothers leaves behind a legacy of radiant good humor, inspiring idiosyncrasy, and inimitable jazz guitar.
Arnold Dreyblatt draws maelstroms of energy from excited strings
Wed 4/30 at Constellation
Latest Stories
Review: On Swift Horses
On Swift Horses bursts out of the gate with too many legs, stumbling before it finds its stride.
Review: The Visitor
The Visitor is a timely retelling that encourages confronting the relationship between racial, sexual, and gender paranoia.
Timothée Chalamet will set you free
In an increasingly surveilled world, makeup is for more than just looks.
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Nowhere to go
People with sex offense convictions struggle to find housing in Illinois.
Uncovering the roots of Chicago’s vibrant theater history
The exhibition and mini festival “Act Well Your Part” connect Hull House Theatre’s history with the present.
Cosmic Underground opens in Logan Square
A new intimate space for magic and improv reflects the values of its owners.
Niis’s raging punk draws from the best of LA’s classic scenes
Fri 4/25 at Subterranean
News & Politics
The Lager Beer Riot of 1855
One hundred seventy years ago, an uprising over beer changed policing as we know it in Chicago.
Sheriff to shutter electronic monitoring unit
On April 1, Cook County began a long-discussed process to consolidate parallel electronic monitoring programs under the Office of the Chief Judge.
Dispensary 33 becomes first worker-owned pot shop in Illinois
Plus: Pritzker vetoes a bill to protect warehouse workers, Tony’s Fresh Market rejects union push, and more labor news from across the state.
Columns & Opinion
Editor’s note: death and taxes
Solidarity to those of you who had to file someone else’s taxes this year.
Besties
Our Best of Chicago party this year was small but mighty.
Writer’s note: a preface to our feature story on Geneva’s youth prison
Wayward or not, children shouldn’t have to risk death to be free.
Film & TV
New Generation Filmmakers Forum makes space for emerging, cutting-edge, and underrepresented filmmaking
Heading into their fourth year, founders and directors Moon Abbott and Alex Tammaru have big plans for their festival built by and for the Chicago filmmaking community.
Review: Sinners
Sinners is an awe-inspiring ode to what music means to communities and cultures.
In waves and war, Doc10 returns
The documentary film festival celebrates its tenth anniversary with house music, nostalgia, politics, and more.
Theater, dance, comedy
The suitcase or the coffin
In Prayer for the French Republic, a French Jewish family wrestles with questions of survival and belonging.
Romance language
Brian Friel’s Translations finds a beautiful voice at Writers Theatre.
Bunny angst
Scary Town blends melodrama and whimsy.
Visual Arts, books
Owning art history
South Side Community Art Center’s latest exhibition demystifies art collecting.
Must love dogs
In comics and oil paintings, Muchen Wang shares her enthusiasm for pets—and snacks.
Music
Building a SWANA ecosystem on dance floors and beyond
Laylit brings the party to Sleeping Village.
The Notations have never left 60s soul behind
They didn’t climb to the heights they should have, but after six decades they’re still putting out new music.
CITY LIFE
‘This is who we are’
Chicago’s inaugural Leather Pride weekend lands May 2–4.
Green season: cannabis events
A chronicle of things to do while celebrating the kind.
Food & Drink
Las Flores rises from the ashes
Jazmin Flores’s reborn taqueria comes to the next Monday Night Foodball, the Reader’s weekly chef pop-up at Frank and Mary’s Tavern.
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Help the United Negro College Fund provide scholarships to Illinois students by playing the $200,000! Bingo Tripler!
For nearly two decades, the Illinois Lottery has been a pioneer in creating specialty lottery tickets dedicated to…
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Art Design Chicago platforms local perspectives and histories through diverse exhibitions and events
The sprawling arts initiative features dozens of free and low-cost exhibits and programs throughout the city and suburbs…
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Mubi Fest 2025 wants you to get lost in film and music
In its second year, the international cinema and culture festival offers a curated mix of film screenings, discussions, and live music as well as a pop-up market
MUBI FEST is back! Now in its second year, the acclaimed cinematic festival returns to Chicago. The two-day…
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An excerpt from TAXI GIRL, a novel by Maria Schreiber
“All About Yogurt,” a four-minute read.
“All about Yogurt” Four-minute read On Monday, June 3, 1974, Tania and Dan began selling cartons of yogurt…
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Demystifying Acupuncture provides answers for the curious skeptic
Acupuncture is a form of Traditional East Asian Medicine (TEAM) that involves the placement of hair-thin needles into…
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At the California Clipper, everyone is welcome
The newly relaunched Humboldt Park lounge champions community, inclusivity, and fair labor practices Since the 1820s, Chicago’s pubs…