Is SAIC trying to stifle free speech?
The school seems to be cracking down on political activity, including banning SAIC lecturer and union organizer Kelly Xi from campus.
visual arts & culture
Raw material
Chicago artist Michael Smith has made a career out of lampooning the absurdities of life.
Relearning modes of music production
At Comfort Station, Madeleine Aguilar and Jordan Knecht invite anyone to jam.
Tony Tasset cuts to the bone
The artist’s first show at Corbett vs. Dempsey is no facile victory lap.
Latest Stories
Chicago Record Report: May 2025
New releases from Angel Bat Dawid & Naima Nefertari, Bussy Kween Power Trip, Pelican, and more
Get collared with Piñatta at the next Monday Night Foodball
It’s hamachi collar al pastor and more when the Brothers Guerrero return to the Reader’s weekly chef pop-up at Frank and Mary’s Tavern.
The Radiants helped drive the shift from doo-wop to soul
Despite some minor hits in the 1960s, this Chicago vocal group couldn’t ride the wave they’d helped create.
Review: Mountainhead
Mountainhead has nothing cutting-edge to say about billionaires and tech moguls.
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Sesame Street meets Seinfeld on Trenchies TV
Chicago indie-rock band the Trenchies combine music, comedy, and puppetry in their ongoing webseries.
Building community—one puppet at a time
The Chicago Puppet Lab s diversity in styles and stories for emerging artists.
News & Politics
When fatal shooting victims are Black, Chicago police arrest rates drop
A Trace analysis found that Chicago’s clearance rates are declining even with fewer homicides to solve. Thousands of families are still looking for closure.
Illinois police, retailers don’t want you to mask up
As masked federal agents kidnap people off the streets, a state bill to protect medical face coverings sits in limbo.
Music
Brooklyn MC Your Old Droog headlines a night of high-level lyricism
Sat 5/31 at Metro
Calgary postpunks Preoccupations face reality with optimistic dread on Ill at Ease
Sat 5/31 at Empty Bottle
Problems’ freaky electronic sounds drip with sincerity
Fri 5/30 at Cole’s
Film & TV
Review: Tornado
Despite its action and atmosphere, Tornado is littered with tangents and loose ends.
Review: Hurry Up Tomorrow
Hurry Up Tomorrow is dazzlingly tropey and out of touch, only shedding light on who the Weeknd wants his audience to think he is.
Theater, dance, comedy
The story behind the statue
Antinous, lover of Hadrian, tells his own tale in Scandalous Boy at Open Space Arts.
The winters of our discontent
Evanston Salt Costs Climbing combines existential dread with mundane frustrations.
Samuel Beckett’s bleeding heart
Facility Theatre’s Endgame finds the emotional stakes in the postapocalyptic classic.
Visual Arts, books
The defiant acts of the working class
Chicago author James Stewart III’s debut novel details an interracial family’s complexities.
Ways of seeing
Artist Jiaming You’s paintings make our complex selves tangible.
CITY LIFE
Dilla's Chicago, sponsored by Clayco
Everything dope (including the pope) comes from Chicago
Chicagoland has a variety of historical Catholic connections in addition to Leo XIV.
Agenda: leather, basketball, and more
International Mr. Leather, the Randolph Street Market kicks off, plus more activities to add to your datebook.
Food & Drink
Bridgeview’s Al Manakeesh bakes Arabic flatbread and ‘bagels’ 1,001 ways
Before there were pizza and bagels, Arabs ate manakeesh and ka’ak.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
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Help the United Negro College Fund provide scholarships to Illinois students by playing the $200,000! Bingo Tripler!
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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…