My husband has a changed heart, said Denise Bartik, who stood with a crowd of other advocates outside Governor J.B. Pritzkers office in downtown Chicago on Thursday to call for compassion and a reinstatement of parole in Illinois. Jeff Bartik, her husband, has served 48 years in state prisons for murder. His clemency petition was […] The post Rally calls ...

Its 2004. Danny Belrose used to be an up-and-coming Chicago actor with a flourishing drug habit. Now hes in recovery, driving his van around Portland, Oregon, picking up corpses. Ghosts ride shotgun with Dannyhis murdered mother and others no longer in his life. At times, young women come, looking for the outr thrill of sharing […] The post Inside the ...

History has forgotten all the trashy, ill-conceived schemes that stumbled into existence in taverns, saloons, and bars. But great, history-making ideas are occasionally hatched in them: The Boston Tea Party was plotted in the Green Dragon. At Pete’s Tavern in New York City, O. Henry wrote The Gift of the Magi. Had Antnio Carlos Jobim […] The post Beach ...

Sometimes the Secret History of Chicago Music plays the long game. Ive been trying to get the story of early local punk band Seismic Waves for almost a decade. Before I explain how I finally succeeded, I have to thank experimental musician Dani Jean-Baptiste, who performs solo and in the group Fruitleather. Danis father, Patrick […] The post Seismic Waves ...

The Attic: Things I've Seen While Lying on My Back, through 10/4 at the Goodman Theatre The post The Attic celebrates circus arts and human resilience appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The post Zines are still being printed in the 21st century appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The post The lesson no one talks about in 1993’s Rookie of the Year appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The post E. Saffronia Downing on her new show, “PRESSED FLOWER” appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Witch, through 10/10, Idle Muse Theatre Company at the Edge Off Broadway The post The devil meets his match in Witch appeared first on Chicago Reader.

A Wrinkle in Time, through 10/18 at Lifeline Theatre The post A Wrinkle in Time remains a beautiful journey appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Ten billion years ago, in the 90s, aspiring filmmakers would mail a VHS tape of their film to the Chicago Underground Film Festival (CUFF) for consideration. The old process feels quaint to CUFF cofounder, programmer, and artistic director Bryan Wendorf, who fields thousands of submissions annually with his global team. Wendorf has been a staple […] The ...

The Humanities, through 10/4 at Victory Gardens Theater The post The Humanities takes too many easy shots appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Jekyll & Hyde, through 11/8, Kokandy Productions and Broadway in Chicago at Broadway Playhouse The post Jekyll & Hyde returns at Broadway Playhouse appeared first on Chicago Reader.

In the grand digital bazaar of human interaction, where algorithms play matchmaker and pixels replace pheromones, adult video chat sites stand as the wild frontier of virtual rendezvous. Whether you’re seeking a fleeting moment of visual chemistry, a playful exchange of wits, or something a little more risqu, these platforms offer an immediate, unfiltered ...

Once upon a time, just a few short decades ago, chat rooms were the wild frontier of the internet, digital watering holes where people gathered to discuss everything from niche fandoms to teenage angst, all while aggressively lying about their age. Fast forward to today, and while some corners of the internet have moved on […] The post 13 Best Adult Chat ...

The Birth of the Pill, through 10/4 at TimeLine Theatre Company The post The Birth of the Pill blends fact and fancy appeared first on Chicago Reader.

The Swallow, through 9/27 at Open Space Arts The post A complicated relationship comes to light in The Swallow appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Birds of North America, through 10/4 at A Red Orchid Theatre The post Birds of North America comes back to its Red Orchid nest appeared first on Chicago Reader.

You Can't Fake the Funk, through 10/25, Black Ensemble Theater at Black Ensemble Cultural Center The post You Cant Fake the Funk frees the mind and the ass appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Por'Knockers, through 10/4, Gwydion Theatre Company at the Greenhouse Theater Center The post Gwydion Theatre stages Lynn Nottages PorKnockers appeared first on Chicago Reader.

Test screening Sat 9/19 at 7 PM for Reeling Film Festival The post Review: Test appeared first on Chicago Reader.

During the 2010s, there was a renewed awareness of predatory and speculative housing practices such as redlining, contract buying, blockbusting, and segregationist violencewhich had fueled disinvestment across broad swaths of the south and west sides. Daniel Kay Hertz, who had been writing for the online outlet City Observatory and finishing graduate school ...

Famous Chicago show taper Aadam Jacobs has long wanted to release records. In the early 90s, he briefly ran his own label, Dead Bird, which he launched with the 1991 Trenchmouth seven-inch Kick Your Mind and Make It Move! The label petered out after just a handful of releases.  I was not a record-company guy. […] The post Aadam Jacobs finally releases ...

Over the course of four weeks, the Chicago Film Archives (CFA) will present Inside/Out: Stories of Origin and Dis/Placement. The series, hosted at the Epiphany Center for the Arts, features free screenings of films made by Chicago-based women, each with special guests who will illuminate the subject matter featured therein. A regional film archive, CFA ...

ramos Silencios" through 10/31 at Mariane Ibrahim The post Deconstructing identity appeared first on Chicago Reader.