iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 09/09/2026

Chicago Story Fest is next week. One night. One stage. No replays. Features writer Katie Prout will be telling the story of Tita Carmen and Oscar, community leaders who fought the sweeping of their encampment in Legion Park. Get your tickets now: bit.ly/4et5Tkn

072

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 28/08/2026

The first one was a hit. We’re doing it again. The Chicago Reader and Pop Quiz Hot Shot are back at The Lincoln Lodge for comedy, trivia, and a great night out. Only two shows left. Don’t miss it. Tickets: popquizhotshot.fun

010

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 23/08/2026

LAST CHANCE! Our giveaway for a pair of tickets to Outlaw Music Festival closes tomorrow, August 24, at 9AM. Don't miss out on your chance to win! bit.ly/4qyPpNC

010

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 21/08/2026

DEADLINE EXTENDED! Our giveaway for a pair of tickets to Outlaw Music Festival now closes on Monday, August 24, at 9AM. Enter now for your chance to win! bit.ly/4qyPpNC

020

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 18/08/2026

We're giving away a pair of tickets to Outlaw Music Festival next week! Enter for a chance to see Willie Nelson, The Avett Brothers, Stephen Wilson Jr., and more at Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island. Submissions close this Thursday! Don't miss it! chicagoreader.com/contests-giv...

011

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 28/07/2026

Seeking a top-tier night out? The Chicago Reader is teaming up with Pop Quiz Hot Shot for our next event at The Lincoln Lodge this Sunday August 2nd at 7:30 PM. Come for the trivia, stay for the laughs. Tickets available at: popquizhotshot.fun

020

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 10/06/2026

AFSP is dedicated to improving access to LGBTQ-affirming physical and mental health care that in turn reduces stigma, harm and suicide risk. We all have a role to play in preventing LGBTQ suicide. Learn more and find resources at: afsp.org/LGBTQ #ad

040

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 03/06/2026

A portion of every dollar you spend positively impacts the United Negro College Fund in support of educational scholarships for university and college students. Learn more: bit.ly/432Ucfi #ad

030

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 26/05/2026

A portion of every dollar you spend positively impacts the United Negro College Fund in support of educational scholarships for university and college students. Learn more: www.illinoislottery.com/giving-back… #ad

021

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 20/05/2026

Is your most treasured possession a product of a Chicago alley? Have you taken a random item home and made it your own? Maybe you found a used DVD, a vintage lamp, or furnished your entire apartment. We’d love to talk to you for an upcoming story! Email us at themail@chicagoreader.com or comment.

4319

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 18/05/2026

Read the full interview at chicagoreader.com/MeetMalik

052

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 18/05/2026

We sat down with Jackson to ask him some of the questions you may have, including which neighborhood he calls home, why Chicagoans should read the Reader (in print!), and what a publisher even does.

171

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 18/05/2026

We’re excited to announce that Malik Jackson will be the next publisher of the Chicago Reader! Jackson most recently served as the executive director and publisher of South Side Media Works, which operates community newspapers South Side Weekly and the Hyde Park Herald.

2273

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 05/05/2026

What do you want to know about the multibillion-dollar Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park? Come ask us!

1259

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 19/04/2026

Win a Vinyl Starter Kit from Rattleback Records! Head to our contest page to fill out the form for a chance to win. Entries accepted until Sunday, April 19 at 11:30 PM. bit.ly/4sXBy2Z

030

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 16/04/2026

Win a Vinyl Starter Kit from Rattleback Records! Head to our contest page to fill out the form for a chance to win. Entries accepted until Sunday, April 19 at 11:30 PM. bit.ly/4sXBy2Z

073

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 27/03/2026

Join us next Saturday, April 4 at Magnífico Coffee Roasters & Coffee Shop! We're hanging out with the pub, a print-only quarterly publication. Grab a copy of our April issue and the pub's Spring issue while enjoying some music and a specialty coffee made just for the occasion. We'll see you then!

182

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 27/03/2026

Beginning in the summer of 2025, the staff of Richland Center landlord Heung Seng Corporation began verbally telling tenants they would nearly double the rent in their next leases. This comes at a time when commercial rents have skyrocketed throughout the neighborhood.

130

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 24/03/2026

We're hiring! The Chicago Reader is seeking a full-time creative and strategic Social Media & Content Manager to grow and engage our audience across multiple platforms. Learn more and apply: bit.ly/3NUbF5v

11713

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 19/03/2026

Win a pair of tickets to see FKA Twigs! Enter for a chance to see the show on Thursday, March 26 at Wintrust Arena. Entries accepted until 11:30 PM TONIGHT; 3 winners will chosen on March 20. bit.ly/4rDuyrj

020

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 14/03/2026

Marty Supreme: chicagoreader.com/film-tv/movi... Sentimental Value: chicagoreader.com/film-tv/movi...

000

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 14/03/2026

Sinners: chicagoreader.com/film-tv/movi... Frankenstein: chicagoreader.com/film-tv/movi... Bugonia: chicagoreader.com/film-tv/bugo... Train Dreams: chicagoreader.com/film-tv/movi...

100

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 14/03/2026

Hamnet: chicagoreader.com/film-tv/movi... One Battle After Another: chicagoreader.com/film-tv/movi... F1: chicagoreader.com/film-tv/movi... The Secret Agent: chicagoreader.com/film-tv/movi...

100

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 14/03/2026

If you didn't catch all of this year's Best Picture nominees, we've got you covered! The Reader's film critics reviewed each film before the competitive awards season kicked off. Here's everything you'll need to know heading into the Oscars on Sunday: chicagoreader.com/tag/2026-bes...

110

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 10/03/2026

Mark your calendars for this Friday, March 13! Swing by our local journalism pop-up at Co-Prosperity from 5-7PM to meet the humans behind some of Chicago's coolest independent newsrooms: the Chicago Reader, Lumpen Radio, and @injusticewatch.org

1107

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 06/03/2026

Over 126K votes were cast in the Food & Drink category—if there's one thing every Chicagoan has opinions about, it's where to eat and drink. 📸 Section photography: Kirk Williamson

260

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 05/03/2026

This cultural moment feels medieval. Maybe it’s something about the collapsing of traditional social models, the rise of authoritarian hierarchies, or the spreading of once preventable diseases and viruses that can kill large swathes of people.

210

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 04/03/2026

Over 86K votes were cast in the City Life category, which includes everything from where Chicagoans are getting their news to the elected officials that lived up to their campaign promises. 📸 Section photography: Kirk Williamson

140

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 04/03/2026

Best of Chicago is out now! Check out this year's ballot winners voted on by nearly 40,000 Chicagoans in over 200 categories. 🏆 chicagoreader.com/best

Print cover of the Chicago Reader's Best of Chicago issue.

1113

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 02/03/2026

Best of Chicago drops on March 4! The ballot was chosen entirely by almost 40,000 Chicagoans who voted for their favorite things about our city. Find out who made the final cut this Wednesday! Take a sneak peek as our production department photographs this year's cover.

050

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 01/03/2026

Whether it is sweet or spicy, send us your opinion about a story in this month's issue.

010

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 13/02/2026

Looking for last-minute Valentine's Day plans? Editor in chief Sarah Conway suggests a trip out to King Spa & Sauna, complete with discount sushi at H Mart and The Matrix 3. Listen to the full conversation with City Cast Chicago's Jacoby Cochran and "Food Guy" Kevin Pang: bit.ly/4ae80Ia

072

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 04/02/2026

The cover of this month’s issue: New egg, who dis? Photographed by Kirk Williamson with creative direction by Corianton Hale.

1143

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 29/01/2026

Huge thanks to Chicago NOW’s Anthony Ponce and Kaitlin Cody at @fox32chicago.bsky.social for chatting with new editor in chief Sarah Conway about what’s ahead for the Reader!

1113

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 12/12/2025

Between 2018 and 2024, more than 4,100 IHWAP applications from Chicago homeowners were denied. Of those, over half were from homeowners in predominantly Black neighborhoods, compared to 15 percent from majority white zip codes.

152

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 12/12/2025

It’s Best of Chicago season! Don’t miss your chance to vote for your favorite Chicago business, artist, community organizer and more. The ballot closes December 31 so get your vote in before it’s too late! Cast your vote at chicagoreader.com/best

021

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 11/12/2025

Every year, senior staff writer Leor Galil writes a roundup of the year’s best overlooked local albums, which includes his take on the state of the music scene. This year, he wrote about how event listings (like the ones we publish here at the Reader!) have nearly disappeared over the years.

160

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 10/12/2025

We are nearly half way through Best of Chicago voting and we need your help deciding who deserves the title this year. Make sure your voice is heard! Vote before December 31 at chicagoreader.com/best

022

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 10/12/2025

New issue drop! On the cover: A true midwestern vaudevillian; an interview with Dennis Scott, longtime Music Box Theatre organist By Joshua Minsoo Kim 📸 Kirk Williamson Pick yours up tomorrow or read the PDF now! bit.ly/4oQv2sp

0192

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 09/12/2025

“I resent Spotify for monopolizing how people imagine you can experience music.” Alongside Sam Cantor of Minor Moon, Reader senior staff writer @imleor.bsky.social spoke to Sasha-Ann Simons on @wbez.org's In the Loop about Chicago musicians and listeners leaving Spotify.

3127

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 06/12/2025

We’re nearly a week into Best of Chicago and we want to highlight one of our favorite categories: City Life. This category is about what makes Chicago feel like Chicago. It’s about your favorite alderperson, the best Chicago slang, the best place to throw a party. Vote at chicagoreader.com/best!

040

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 05/12/2025

This week, the CHAAD Project, a hospitality worker advocacy group, released a ten-page tool kit for restaurant workers and owners on how to prepare and protect their most vulnerable employees amid raids from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agencies.

1166

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 05/12/2025

Now, alongside her fellow worker–owners at Cooperation Racine, she’s planning a vast, multi-use community arts center in Englewood. The plans include a community gallery, podcast studio, incubator kitchen, darkroom, event spaces and more.

101

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 05/12/2025

This loss of culture and community made her want to work in public spaces, revitalizing underutilized areas. Her project “in c/o: Black women,” a peacekeeping initiative centered on care and intimacy, spurred her to start co-op in order to pool resources and share opportunities with others.

101

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 05/12/2025

Chicagoan Andrea Yarbrough is an artist, curator, and connector who is deeply dedicated to fostering community and building a more sustainable art ecosystem. After returning to the city after a few years away, Yarbrough noticed how many of her favorite places had disappeared over the years.

111

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 05/12/2025

“What I’m ultimately interested in is art that is shifting something about the world and our systems, which I know is a big task.” – Andrea Yarbrough

111

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 03/12/2025

New issue drop! On the cover: Artist, curator, maker, connector: Meet the unstoppable Andrea Yarbrough By Kerry Cardoza 📸 Kirk Williamson Pick yours up in person tomorrow or read the PDF now! bit.ly/48z0plt

030

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 02/12/2025

Today is #GivingNewsday, one of the biggest days for local newsrooms across the country. We are joining over 300 newsrooms in raising money to keep communities connected through local news. Please consider donating today, your gift will be doubled! bit.ly/4rDKlHO

042

Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 02/12/2025

Sarah Conway, a Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative journalist, has joined the Reader as the new editor-in-chief. She comes to us after eight years at City Bureau. Conway’s approach to journalism “is inventive, ambitious, and deeply accountable” Welcome to the team, Sarah! bit.ly/4ryDsHG

1488