Maybe it’s a given for a paper so rooted in Chicago culture, but the theater and arts preview special issues are a big deal for us here at the Reader.
Did you know? The Reader is nonprofit. The Reader is member supported. You can help keep the Reader free for everyone—and get exclusive rewards—when you become a member. The Reader Revolution membership program is a sustainable way for you to support local, independent media.
Lately, we’ve been putting out almost one per season, which means that by the time we wrap up one, we’re nearly due to start planning for the next. It can feel exhausting to editors like me who cover the arts, but it can also be uniquely invigorating. These preview issues always remind me that things are happening in our city. Writers send extra pitches, eager to call dibs on covering upcoming events; advertisers are extra engaged, booking far in advance with the anticipation of a supersized print issue; and readers across the city pick up extra copies, knowing that each one is a comprehensive and reliable schedule for the season.
The fall edition, in particular, helps provide some solace at a time when I, for one, am completely in denial about the impending turn of the weather. But after creating this jam-packed issue, which teases film screenings, book releases, art exhibitions, and more, I’m in no hurry to hunker down indoors and wait for winter—Chicago is calling.