I began working for the Chicago Reader in October of 2020, in the depths of the COVID crisis. It was COVID that caused the shutdown of the paper I had worked for previously, Windy City Times, leading to my move to the Reader. Prior to that move I had worked at WCT for just a touch less than 20 years. Times were uncertain, and I've never been one for drastic change: Same job for 20 years. Same apartment for 20+ years. It takes an earthquake to move me.

The following year, in 2021, the Reader celebrated our 50th anniversary and I undertook a project called the Archive Dive, where I featured, year by year, one notable thing published in our pages. In the process of scouring the archives for material, I ran across an ad in the classifieds from June 1999 for a one-bedroom apartment for rent in Rogers Park. It was this exact ad, nestled amongst hundreds of others, that I responded to and, 26 years later, I am still in the same apartment. The rent is no longer $545/mo., but things change.

I know that thousands of Chicagoans, both current and lifelong, have similar stories of how the Reader shaped their lives. Whether it's a couple that met at a punk show they found in our Music section, or a suburban queer kid who found community thanks to a profile we published, or a budding activist spurred on by our award-winning social-justice journalism, the Reader has been the beating heart of Chicago now for over half a century. And we have more stories to tell and more lives to change.

We need your help today

After more than 50 years of serving Chicago, the Reader faces imminent closure. 

Can you imagine Chicago without the Chicago Reader? We can’t either. But a perfect storm of sudden economic downturns has put us in a precarious position, without much time to spare.

We’re not giving up though. We have a clear path forward, but only if we can raise enough from enough supporters to make it through this crisis. 

If you value the Reader, and want to see it survive, please chip in now with a tax-deductible donation. 

Questions about giving? Email development@chicagoreader.com or at:

Reader Institute for Community Journalism, 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 102 Chicago, IL 60616

The Reader Institute for Community Journalism is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 84-3670420). Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.