Precedented times? 2024 doesn’t know her.
It’s been a year we won’t soon forget, and through 150 posts and 133,000 words, our talented staff was there to document its highs, lows and everything in between. The pieces that resonated most with readers in 2024 are a perfect reflection of who we are and what we do best: Entertainment Editor Laurie Fanelli’s breathtaking live music coverage, Arts & Culture Editor Janet Arvia’s incisive film reviews and Cultural Education Editor Michelle Duster’s pull-no-punches column, Centering Ourselves.
We don’t know what 2025 will bring, but we’re grateful to be spending it with you.
Thank you, as always, for rebelling with us. Happy New Year!
I Survived the RNC: Observations on MAGA World from a Progressive Black Chicago Woman
I went to Milwaukee July 18 and 19 to see for myself what the people and atmosphere were like at the Republican National Convention. After all, I’m a citizen, a writer, a voter and an educator, and I wanted to actually meet the folks who support a person who has…
Ani DiFranco’s Broadway Debut in ‘Hadestown’ Ends June 30
Grammy Award winner and overall badass singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco’s Broadway debut as Persephone in “Hadestown” is coming to an end. Her run began February 9, 2024, at the Walter Kerr Theatre and ends June 30. I got to see the show in February, and I want you all to gooooo! Even if you aren’t necessarily…
Photos: SWV & Xscape bring The Queens of R&B Tour to Tinley Park
The dream of the nineties was alive and thriving in Tinley Park on Aug. 11 as The Queens of R&B Tour treated fans to a night of non-stop hits. Music-lovers from all around Chicago and the surrounding suburbs converged at Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre to sing-along with SWV and Xscape, along with Mýa, Total, 702,…
The Presidential Election Proved Black People (Especially Women) Need to Take Care of Ourselves
If we’re to believe the presidential election results, the majority of non-Black people who voted in the United States have spoken loud and clear. There is no ambiguity. No guessing. No questioning. The majority chose hate over love. Division over unity. Misogyny over women. Themselves over racial solidarity. So Black people overall, and specifically Black…
The 92 Percent of Us Are Tired. The National Day of Rest for Black Women is a Start to Recharging.
Most of the 92 percent of Black women who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris — a smart, overqualified, more-than-ready Black and Asian woman who had a solid policy agenda on how to run the country — are bracing for the anticipated four-year continuation of divisiveness, insults and hostility from the 47th president. With the help…
Photos: The City of Lockport hosts ‘Somebody Somewhere’ Season 3 Premiere
Somebody Somewhere, a Peabody Award-winning comedy-drama that follows Sam, a woman coping with grief, reconnecting with her roots, and finding her community in the least expected of places – her hometown of Manhattan, Kansas, has been charming audiences since it first aired on HBO in 2022. If you are familiar with the suburbs of Chicago,…
Review: ‘My Lady Jane’ Wrestles With History & Originality
Lady Jane Grey, the ill-fated teen who was briefly deemed Queen during the British Renaissance, is the latest historical figure to undergo a 21st century makeover. Prime Video’s My Lady Jane (2024) follows the “you go girl” formula seen in Apple TV+’s Dickinson (2019-2021) and Hulu’s The Great (2020-2023), which reimagines the past through the…
Just the Tip: Preparing to Couple Swap
Just the Tip is a sex and relationship column hosted by queer non-monogamous kinkster Jera Brown. Here you will find interviews with sexuality researchers and educators as well as smart and compassionate responses to anonymous questions. If you would like to be interviewed or have a sex or love question you’d like Jera to answer,…
Review: The Flawed Feminism of ‘Poor Things’
Make your inbox more Rebellious! Click here to sign up for our free weekly newsletter. The macabre comedy Poor Things (2023) has a lot going for it — Holly Waddington’s gorgeous BAFTA-winning costumes; Jerksin Fendrix’s delightfully distorted score; the dreamy BAFTA-winning sets by Shona Heath and James Price; and the freshest, funniest dance in any movie…
Photos: Sarah McLachlan Celebrates 30 Years of ‘Fumbling Towards Ecstasy’ in Chicago
Back in October of 1993, Sarah McLachlan released her now-iconic studio album, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. With songs like “Possession,” “Good Enough,” “Hold On,” and “Ice Cream” on the tracklist, the album was – and still is – a refreshing look at complicated romances, peaceful love, and self-discovery. In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Fumbling…