What’s New

The Chicago Reader is published in print every other week and distributed for free to the more than 1,100 locations on this map.

The latest issue

The latest print issue of the Reader is the issue of May 26, 2022. The issue is being distributed now, Wednesday, May 25, though the evening of the issue date, Thursday, May 26.

You can download the print issue as a free PDF.

The next print issue will be the issue of June 9, 2022, the Pride Issue with a Windy City Times insert.

Subscribe

Never miss a copy! Paid print subscriptions are available for 12 issues, 26 issues, and for 52 issues from the Reader Store.

Please consider donating.

Chicago Reader print issue dates

The Chicago Reader is published in print every other week. Issues are dated Thursday. Distribution usually happens Wednesday morning through Thursday night of the issue date. Upcoming print issue dates through December 2022 are:

6/9/20226/23/20227/7/20227/21/20228/4/20228/18/20229/1/20229/15/20229/29/202210/13/202210/27/202211/10/202211/24/202212/8/202212/22/2022

Download the full 2022 editorial calendar is here (PDF). See our information page for advertising opportunities.

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The cost of everything is going up, but we still have the occasional need for new furniture. When your bedroom furniture is on its last legs, you may be looking for ways to cut corners on costs for a new bedroom furniture set. Gas prices aren’t likely to come down soon, causing increases at every level of the supply chain. 

You can still afford to get new bedroom furniture, but you might need to do it a bit differently than you have in the past. Instead of hitting your local furniture showroom, look for your next furniture set in the following places.

Vintage trends

The 80s and 90s have made  comeback in a big way, and many people want to have vintage furniture in their bedrooms. You can find truly vintage bedroom furniture in junk shops, thrift stores, flea markets, swap n shops, or yard sales. However, it could take you some time to find enough pieces to put together a full bedroom set. You could spend hours driving around and shopping before finding everything you need.

Instead of looking for used furniture that may not last as long as new anyway, look for online furniture stores that offer new furniture in vintage styles. You’ll be able to get a set of matched bedroom furniture and still have the look you were going for. Meanwhile, you’ll be saving a ton of gas over scouring the countryside for vintage pieces.

Bohemian and eclectic bedroom design

If you want an eclectic look that is eco-friendly, the bohemian bedroom is for you. The key here is for the room to have a unique look that is designed with eco-friendly furniture and décor. Those who want to live a bohemian lifestyle will want features such as:

Made with natural materials via sustainable manufacture
Eclectic or vintage designs in new furnishings
Popular styles are rattan wicker, or layering natural textiles in the décor

You can find sale bedroom sets that meet all of these needs when you shop online. Mix and match fabric patterns and textures within the same furniture collection. This will give you an eclectic look with pieces that are sure to be complimentary.

Modern minimalist

Modern minimalism isn’t just an interior design style, it’s a way of life. Many people are no longer connected to the material, wanting simple bedroom furnishings that serve their purpose but do not clutter up a room. They want functional and clean looking environments conducive to focus on more important things. 

The modern minimalist lifestyle also tends to be a bit nomadic. When you are not staying in one place longer than a year or two, it doesn’t make sense to have a lot of big and bulky furniture. Beds in the modern minimalist style are designed to be lightweight and easy to move from place to place, making them the perfect option for apartment living. 

You’re not going to find modern furniture anywhere but a new furniture store, but that doesn’t mean you have to pay high prices. Shopping online can help you cut your costs as well as decrease the stress on the nation’s fuel resources. Online furniture stores also have frequent or ongoing clearance sales and departments that can even further decrease your costs. Buying a full set that includes, at minimum, a bed, nightstand, and dresser can also afford you some discounts.

Another bonus to shopping online – free shipping

If you purchase used furniture, you have the responsibility and expense of getting it from the location to your home. If you purchase new furniture from your local furniture store, they are going to charge you delivery. They must do so to cover their own expenses related to such deliveries including manpower, vehicle maintenance, and fuel. 

When you shop online you can often get free shipping to your door, making it much  more affordable than purchasing furniture from your local furniture dealer. Having the furniture delivered directly to you cuts out part of the supply chain, lowering your costs. Online furniture stores that sell directly to consumers are able to offer free shipping on most orders, although like other online shopping there may be minimum requirements to do so.

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MIAMI – Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has said repeatedly over the past year that he felt disrespected by being left off of last year’s All-NBA teams — a decision that cost Tatum tens of millions of dollars on his current contract.

After Tatum was selected to the All-NBA first team Tuesday evening, he said Wednesday ahead of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat that there should be some sort of criteria for voters to follow in making their selections.

“What’s the saying, a day late and a dollar short?” Tatum asked with a wry smile following Boston’s shootaround at FTX Arena. “Obviously, I’m thankful. First team All-NBA, that’s a big deal. So I’m grateful for that recognition.

“It wasn’t really incentivized for me [to make it last year] with the money and all of that. It was more just I felt kind of disrespected, and I talked about this quite a bit, just on the criteria and how it’s voted is just so wide open … there’s not really set rules on who should qualify.

“I think that was the frustrating part. But it happened. Did I think I was one of the best 15 players last year? One thousand percent. But that’s behind me now, and I made it this year and now we’re trying to win a championship.”

Being left off the list last year caused Tatum to miss out on a provision in his contract that would have bumped his salary up to the next level of a max contract – 30 percent of the salary cap – as opposed to the 25 percent that typically falls under rookie extensions under a rule in the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement named after Derrick Rose.

This year, Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young qualified for that same bump by making third team All-NBA, while Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns both are now eligible to sign massive four-year supermax contract extensions this summer because they made it.

While Tatum said he wasn’t sure exactly what the criteria should be for voters, he did say he thinks it should go from being by positions (guard, forward and center) to positionless, and made his point by saying it didn’t make much sense that Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, who finished second to Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic in MVP voting, should be a second-team All-NBA player.

The irony is that had the league been positionless with its ballot this year, Tatum would’ve been second team, and Embiid would’ve been first.

“There just should be some rules in place,” Tatum said. “I don’t know exactly, but maybe you should have to play a certain amount of games, or maybe you’re a playoff team or not.

“I think it should just be like the 15 best players. Obviously with some guys in a contract year, supermax deals involved, that’s tough. I’m sure that’s tough on the voters as well. So I think there’s a lot that could be changed in that area, in that regard.”

After Boston disappointed last year, finishing with a .500 record in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 regular season, Tatum finished just out of the voting. He said the biggest reason for his inclusion this year, besides Boston playing better, was his improved playmaking.

“We won more games than last year,” he said. “But I think playmaking, just being able to read the game a lot better slowed it down for me in a lot of ways. And I think that has shown just with my playmaking ability and running the offense at times.”

Read More

The Chicago Reader is published in print every other week and distributed for free to the more than 1,100 locations on this map.

The latest issue

The latest print issue of the Reader is the issue of May 26, 2022. The issue is being distributed now, Wednesday, May 25, though the evening of the issue date, Thursday, May 26.

You can download the print issue as a free PDF.

The next print issue will be the issue of June 9, 2022, the Pride Issue with a Windy City Times insert.

Subscribe

Never miss a copy! Paid print subscriptions are available for 12 issues, 26 issues, and for 52 issues from the Reader Store.

Please consider donating.

Chicago Reader print issue dates

The Chicago Reader is published in print every other week. Issues are dated Thursday. Distribution usually happens Wednesday morning through Thursday night of the issue date. Upcoming print issue dates through December 2022 are:

6/9/20226/23/20227/7/20227/21/20228/4/20228/18/20229/1/20229/15/20229/29/202210/13/202210/27/202211/10/202211/24/202212/8/202212/22/2022

Download the full 2022 editorial calendar is here (PDF). See our information page for advertising opportunities.

Read More

At the end of April, The Curio and the Chicago Fashion Coalition joined forces to promote a networking event for the local fashion crowd at Chop Shop in Wicker Park. The turnout was truly impressive; so many recognizable names in the fashion scene were there: accessory designer and SAIC faculty member Gillion Carrara; luxury boutique owner Robin Richman; the Chicago Fashion Incubator executive director Anna Hovet Dias; entrepreneur Amanda Harth; and on and on and on. The party room was packed, the music was blasting, and the spirits were high. There was an obvious post-COVID excitement in the air, filled with hope, plans, and plenty of number exchanges. 

The main orchestrator of the gathering was New York transplant Ian Gerard, the co-founder and principal of The Curio. According to Gerard, the goal of his recently launched enterprise is to “bring people together around their passions for fashion, art, film, food, and music.” “We are starting by showcasing the best Chicago fashion talent for both Chicagoans and for a national consumer audience, as well as elevating the Chicago fashion community in the eyes of the city and nation. We are working in collaboration with most existing Chicago fashion organizations, and hopefully soon [local officials themselves], to successfully achieve this,” explains Gerard, who intends to throw a large-scale fashion show this fall. 

The Curio
curioexperience.com and Instagram
Chicago Fashion Coalition
chicagofashioncoalition.org and Instagram

Christopher Reavley Credit: Isa Giallorenzo

With so many guests dressed to impress, two young fashion designers stood out thanks to their dashing style topped off by colorful wide-brimmed hats: Estefania Galvan, 28, and Christopher Reavley, 27. Galvan is a petite powerhouse hailing from Colombia, whose brand MŌS she accurately describes as “elegant but never boring.” Her clothes have a classic and tailored feel, but always with a fun extra detail—such as the printed lining of her jacket, or her versatile trousers with an optional fastening at the hem. Reavley is a precocious talent who started sewing in his mid-teens, when he was given a sewing machine by one of his father’s employees. “I flew off from there, self-taught,” he says. Six years ago he started his own line—CR Collection—and now designs for a glitzy clientele from Chicago and New York.

Both designers will be showcasing their collections next month. Galvan will be celebrating the first anniversary of her brand with Garden of the Elements, which she calls “a multi-sensorial immersive fashion show.” The event, scheduled for June 25, will feature not only her creations, but also mixed media arts, live music and performances, augmented reality, and more. As for Reavley, his annual fashion show (this year titled “The Art of Wealth”) is scheduled for June and will feature 30 pieces in which, according to him, “classy meets edgy.” Reavley’s customized tuxedo jacket, with ripped sleeves and a rhinestone Chanel brooch on the lapel, says it all.

MŌS presents Garden of the Elements, Sat 6/25, 8 PM, 1010 W. 35th, Suite 500, $35-$120, tickets and more information at themosbrand.com and Instagram
CR Collection presents The Art of Wealth, Fri 6/17, 6 PM, Chicago Hotel Collection, 166 E. Superior, $60-$105, tickets at rebelity.com, more information at christopherreavley.com and Instagram

Read More

MIAMI – Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum has said repeatedly over the past year that he felt disrespected by being left off of last year’s All-NBA teams — a decision that cost Tatum tens of millions of dollars on his current contract.

After Tatum was selected to the All-NBA first team Tuesday evening, he said Wednesday ahead of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat that there should be some sort of criteria for voters to follow in making their selections.

“What’s the saying, a day late and a dollar short?” Tatum asked with a wry smile following Boston’s shootaround at FTX Arena. “Obviously, I’m thankful. First team All-NBA, that’s a big deal. So I’m grateful for that recognition.

“It wasn’t really incentivized for me [to make it last year] with the money and all of that. It was more just I felt kind of disrespected, and I talked about this quite a bit, just on the criteria and how it’s voted is just so wide open … there’s not really set rules on who should qualify.

“I think that was the frustrating part. But it happened. Did I think I was one of the best 15 players last year? One thousand percent. But that’s behind me now, and I made it this year and now we’re trying to win a championship.”

Being left off the list last year caused Tatum to miss out on a provision in his contract that would have bumped his salary up to the next level of a max contract – 30 percent of the salary cap – as opposed to the 25 percent that typically falls under rookie extensions under a rule in the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement named after Derrick Rose.

This year, Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young qualified for that same bump by making third team All-NBA, while Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns both are now eligible to sign massive four-year supermax contract extensions this summer because they made it.

While Tatum said he wasn’t sure exactly what the criteria should be for voters, he did say he thinks it should go from being by positions (guard, forward and center) to positionless, and made his point by saying it didn’t make much sense that Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, who finished second to Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic in MVP voting, should be a second-team All-NBA player.

The irony is that had the league been positionless with its ballot this year, Tatum would’ve been second team, and Embiid would’ve been first.

“There just should be some rules in place,” Tatum said. “I don’t know exactly, but maybe you should have to play a certain amount of games, or maybe you’re a playoff team or not.

“I think it should just be like the 15 best players. Obviously with some guys in a contract year, supermax deals involved, that’s tough. I’m sure that’s tough on the voters as well. So I think there’s a lot that could be changed in that area, in that regard.”

After Boston disappointed last year, finishing with a .500 record in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 regular season, Tatum finished just out of the voting. He said the biggest reason for his inclusion this year, besides Boston playing better, was his improved playmaking.

“We won more games than last year,” he said. “But I think playmaking, just being able to read the game a lot better slowed it down for me in a lot of ways. And I think that has shown just with my playmaking ability and running the offense at times.”

Read More

Margaret Knapp directs the world premiere of Martha Hansen’s first play (presented by Light and Sound Productions) about five women on an Alaskan cruise—each hoping to sight something other than a bunch of glaciers. Bailey (Hansen) is a chattering busybody looking for a first love late in life, Cora (Judi Schindler) is sliding into dementia and using the cruise as a last hurrah, Teresa (Millie Hurley) is freshly divorced and accompanying her cancer-survivor bestie, Audrey (Adrianne Cury), while cruise director Gloria (Stacie Doublin), there to make sure the ladies have a good time, winds up meeting some needs of her own.

Seven Days at Sea
Through 6/5: Thu-Sat 7 PM, Sun 3 PM; Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway, lightandsoundproductions.org, $40 ($30 seniors/$20 students).

These women are good company and the issues they grapple with ring true, but the structure of the play does them no favors. Comprised of what seem like dozens of five-minute-or-less scenes, it’s as if Hansen is afraid her audience will get bored if she lingers or leans in too much. The stage set (designed by Michelle Lilly) is dominated by three beds, the middle of which is stowed away under the ship deck, then brought back out about ten times. During several of these changes, the poor stagehand tasked with handling the bed struggled to jam it behind the decorative panel. I mention this not to point out a bit of opening-night jitters, or a rough spot to iron out, but as an emblem of a piece of drama that’s trying too hard. As she writes in the program, Hansen wants to give voice to older women, who are often not much heard from. She succeeds in that. Let’s hope next time she also lets them breathe a bit.

Read More

This is an impeccable production of a play whose weaknesses outweigh its considerable strengths. It’s the 1960s episode of August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle, tracing a century of life in the African American Hill District, and urban renewal shadows everything. (Jack Magaw’s set presents this vividly.) The diner where the play takes place is nearly empty of customers but remains the community center for half a dozen men, each with his own fixed idea of how to get happy or rich or out of there. Their monologues suggest that the title’s “two trains” represent the material and spiritual worlds—the latter indomitable, while the former ebbs and flows in a pattern no one can understand.

Two Trains Running
Through 6/12: Wed-Fri 7:30 PM, Sat-Sun 2 and 7:30 PM; Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis, 773-753-4472, courttheatre.org, $37.50-$84.

So far, so fine. But as Chekhov says, if you bring a gun onstage in act one, you have to shoot it in act two. So Wilson’s decision to supply one character with an enormous gasoline can during a conversation about fire insurance seems ill-judged, unless this is a prose poem rather than a play. The happy ending is unearned. And the one woman (waitress Risa, played by Kierra Bunch) gets nothing to do and little to say: mostly she’s talked about instead of talking.  

But nothing can undermine the ensemble’s superb work under Ron OJ Parson’s sensitive direction. A.C. Smith and Alfred H. Wilson, two of Chicago’s foremost interpreters of the playwright’s work, handle the famously iterative dialogue with their trademark fluency. They are first among equals in a cast which wears its awesome skill lightly. But special laurels for Joseph Primes, who manages to make two lines of dialogue endlessly repeated into an entire life story.

Read More

This is an impeccable production of a play whose weaknesses outweigh its considerable strengths. It’s the 1960s episode of August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle, tracing a century of life in the African American Hill District, and urban renewal shadows everything. (Jack Magaw’s set presents this vividly.) The diner where the play takes place is nearly empty of customers but remains the community center for half a dozen men, each with his own fixed idea of how to get happy or rich or out of there. Their monologues suggest that the title’s “two trains” represent the material and spiritual worlds—the latter indomitable, while the former ebbs and flows in a pattern no one can understand.

Two Trains Running
Through 6/12: Wed-Fri 7:30 PM, Sat-Sun 2 and 7:30 PM; Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis, 773-753-4472, courttheatre.org, $37.50-$84.

So far, so fine. But as Chekhov says, if you bring a gun onstage in act one, you have to shoot it in act two. So Wilson’s decision to supply one character with an enormous gasoline can during a conversation about fire insurance seems ill-judged, unless this is a prose poem rather than a play. The happy ending is unearned. And the one woman (waitress Risa, played by Kierra Bunch) gets nothing to do and little to say: mostly she’s talked about instead of talking.  

But nothing can undermine the ensemble’s superb work under Ron OJ Parson’s sensitive direction. A.C. Smith and Alfred H. Wilson, two of Chicago’s foremost interpreters of the playwright’s work, handle the famously iterative dialogue with their trademark fluency. They are first among equals in a cast which wears its awesome skill lightly. But special laurels for Joseph Primes, who manages to make two lines of dialogue endlessly repeated into an entire life story.

Read More

Margaret Knapp directs the world premiere of Martha Hansen’s first play (presented by Light and Sound Productions) about five women on an Alaskan cruise—each hoping to sight something other than a bunch of glaciers. Bailey (Hansen) is a chattering busybody looking for a first love late in life, Cora (Judi Schindler) is sliding into dementia and using the cruise as a last hurrah, Teresa (Millie Hurley) is freshly divorced and accompanying her cancer-survivor bestie, Audrey (Adrianne Cury), while cruise director Gloria (Stacie Doublin), there to make sure the ladies have a good time, winds up meeting some needs of her own.

Seven Days at Sea
Through 6/5: Thu-Sat 7 PM, Sun 3 PM; Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway, lightandsoundproductions.org, $40 ($30 seniors/$20 students).

These women are good company and the issues they grapple with ring true, but the structure of the play does them no favors. Comprised of what seem like dozens of five-minute-or-less scenes, it’s as if Hansen is afraid her audience will get bored if she lingers or leans in too much. The stage set (designed by Michelle Lilly) is dominated by three beds, the middle of which is stowed away under the ship deck, then brought back out about ten times. During several of these changes, the poor stagehand tasked with handling the bed struggled to jam it behind the decorative panel. I mention this not to point out a bit of opening-night jitters, or a rough spot to iron out, but as an emblem of a piece of drama that’s trying too hard. As she writes in the program, Hansen wants to give voice to older women, who are often not much heard from. She succeeds in that. Let’s hope next time she also lets them breathe a bit.

Read More