Fall 2025 Events & Meetups
Hey, did you know we offer seasonal MEMBERSHIPS?
Whether you’re looking for accountability, community, unique ways to explore Chicago or simply something different, we can’t wait to have you join our Fall 2025 membership.
🎉 Fall 2025 Kickoff Happy Hour
Join Read & Run Chicago founder Allison and community lead Cynthia at Fleet Feet Lincoln Square from 5-7pm for a Fall 2025 kickoff happy hour with cookies, beer, a FREE running photoshoot, and more! RSVP required.
Printer's Row Lit Fest 2025
Join for our third year at Printer’s Row Lit Fest, the largest outdoor literary festival in the Midwest! We’ll have goodies, giveaways, treats, and more. Come see your favorite author speak or just stop by our table to be part of our fun.
Book Club Run of Death in the Cards with Mia P. Manansala
Read the YA novel Death in the Cards and run a 4-mile guided run to bring the book to life, followed by Q&A with author and tarot readings!
Photo credit: Jamilla Yipp Photography
Volunteer: CARA's 20-Miler
Join Read & Run Chicago at CARA’s Ready to Run Aid Station #3 at Belmont Harbor and cheer on our fellow readers & runners!
Running Tour of Music Box Lounge: Searching for Lost Lesbian Bars
Celebrate Gerber/Hart Library & Archives’s second season of the podcast Unboxing Queer History with this pre-launch running tour around Lakeview tracing the lost Lesbian bars.
Marathon Encouragement Postcard Writing
Join us to write postcards to the Read & Run Chicago community members racing the Chicago 26.2!
The Dog Lover’s Companion to Chicago Fun Run/Walk
Are you dog-loving reader & runner? Look no further than this super special dog-themed Read & Run Chicago event! Even if your dog tends to skip to the tail end of the story, they’ll still love the photoshoot, pup treats, and more!
Community Run + Book Discussion: The Warmth of Other Suns
Join Read & Run Chicago founder Allison Yates and guide Chris Smith at the Bronzeville Farmer’s Market for an easy-paced (12:00 minute/mile) three-mile run in historic Bronzeville, followed by a book discussion of The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson in collaboration with Urban Canopy.
September Move + Book Swap x Garbage Girls
Join Read & Run Chicago and Garbage Gals for our September Move + Book Swap, this month in Andersonville!
Marathon Course Car Flyering
Make sure our Bank of America Chicago Marathon readers & runners stay safe as they tackle 26.2! Join us to flyer the cars along the marathon route.
Chicago Transit Hikes Trail Run/Hike: North Branch Trail with Lindsay Welbers
Join Read & Run Chicago at New Book Joy in Edgebrook to celebrate the second edition of Lindsay Welbers’s guidebook, Chicago Transit Hikes!
Book Club Run of Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry with Black Girls Read Book Club
Join Read & Run Chicago and Black Girls Read Book Club on a guided running tour of one of Chicago's most celebrate poets!
Queer Literary Horror Series Fun Run with Author David Jay Collins
Join us for a spooky, season-appropriate run into the chilling world of the Summerdale trilogy with author David Jay Collins!
Made in Chicago Fun Run/Walk with Monica Eng and David Hammond
Love Chicago food? Then you’ll love this six-mile Fun Run inspired by David Hammond and Monica Eng’s deliciously delightful book, Made in Chicago: Stories Behind 30 Great Hometown Bites!
Running Tour of The Salt Shed with Sandra Steinbrecher
Spend an afternoon learning about one of Chicago’s most iconic buildings, the former Morton Salt warehouse, now transformed into the Salt Shed, one of the city’s most beloved new music venues.
Book Club Run of Refugee High with Elly Fishman
Join Read & Run Chicago guide Courtney Ruhland for a three-mile run through Rogers Park, one of the city’s most diverse neighborhoods, as we bring to life Elly Fishman’s award-winning book Refugee High.
Outdoor Reading Gathering: Montrose Beach in Uptown
Join Read & Run Chicago and Books with Betsy for a casual outdoor reading gathering at Montrose Harbor!
Outdoor Reading Gathering: Wild Mile in Lincoln Park
Join Read & Run Chicago founder Allison Yates for a fun evening of outdoor reading at Wild Mile, the world’s first-ever floating eco-park.
Outdoor Reading Gathering: The Plant in Back of the Yards
Join Read & Run Chicago at The Plant for an evening of outdoor reading and an optional 1-mile run. Bring a book, a donation for the Love Fridge, and something to sit on.
Members-Only Private Running Tour with Author Greg Borzo
We’re saying thank you to our Summer 2025 members with a private running tour with author Greg Borzo inspired by his book, Chicago’s Fabulous Fountains!
August Move + Book Swap
Join Read & Run Chicago, Electric Athletic Club, and Vuori Southport for a special edition of Move + Book Swap, Read & Run Chicago’s monthly meetup that brings fellow book lovers together.
Free Run & Book Club with Chicago Public Library: Hunting for Frogs on Elston
Join Read & Run Chicago founder Allison Yates this summer for a series of three-mile, easy-paced runs inspired by books set in Chicago featuring or about our natural landscape. After the route, discuss the book back at the library branch.
End-of-(Our) Summer 2025 Party
Join us for a celebration of all the miles we ran and book we read this Summer 2025 season, plus meet an author, buy a cookbook, and support one of our most precious running paths!
Running Tour of A Few Red Drops with Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project
Join Read & Run Chicago and CRR19 for a 5-mile running tour in Bronzeville to commemorate the 1919 Chicago Race Riots.
Running Tour of Jane, Chicago’s Revolutionary Abortion Counseling Service
A 4-Mile Running Tour in Hyde Park followed by a panel with reproductive rights activists.
Cover photo credit: AP
Free Run & Book Club with Chicago Public Library: Chicago Transit Hikes
Join Read & Run Chicago founder Allison Yates this summer for a series of three-mile, easy-paced runs inspired by books set in Chicago featuring or about our natural landscape. After the route, discuss the book back at the library branch.
Book Club Run of The Most Fun We Ever Had with Claire Lombardo
Run a 3-mile route in historic and charming Oak Park inspired by Claire Lombardo’s novel, The Most Fun We Ever Had, followed by a virtual Q&A with the author.
July Move + Book Swap
Got books to swap? Join our monthly Move + Book Swap, a casual event for you to meet fellow book lovers, move your way, and get your next favorite read. RSVP required.
American Writers Museum Get Lit Happy Hour
Join Read & Run Chicago at this month’s American Writers Museum Get Lit Happy Hour! The theme is SPORTS, and you’ll be able to test your knowledge, give a locker room pep talk, and sip on sports-themed cocktails.
Free Run & Book Club with Chicago Public Library: Becoming by Michelle Obama
Join Read & Run Chicago founder Allison Yates this summer for a series of three-mile, easy-paced runs inspired by books set in Chicago featuring or about our natural landscape. After the route, discuss the book back at the library branch.
Chicago Public Library Go Green Fair
Join Read & Run Chicago at the Chicago Public Library’s Go Green Fair at Harold Washington Library to learn more about jobs and volunteering options this summer!
Running Tour of 1950s Lesbian Pulp Fiction with Gerber/Hart Library and Archives
Join Read & Run Chicago and Gerber/Hart for an easy-paced 4-mile running tour exploring Valerie Taylor’s groundbreaking 1950s lesbian pulp fiction novel The Girls in 3-B and post-run lecture at Vuori.
Running Tour of We Are The Culture with author Arionne Nettles
Join Read & Run Chicago and Black Girls Read Book Club for trivia with Arionne Nettle inspired by her book, We Are the Culture: Black Chicago’s Influence on Everything, followed by a 3-mile running tour in the Loop.
Book Club Run of Cold Girls with author Maxine Rae
Run a 3-mile route in Evanston inspired by Maxine Rae’s queer young adult novel, Cold Girls, followed by an in-person Q&A with the author.
A Night at the Queer Archives
Join Read & Run Chicago and Gerber/Hart for an evening exploring the largest LGBTQ archives in the Midwest!
Book Club Run of Last Summer on State Street
Join Read & Run Chicago and Black Girls Read Book Club for a 5-mile Book Club Run in Bronzeville inspired by Toya Wolfe’s Last Summer on State Street.
The Gayborhood: A Literary Fun Run with author David Jay Collins
Run a 3.5-mile literary-inspired route with author David Jay Collins, visiting several Boystown locations featured in his novel, Gaybash!
Weekly MOVE + BOOK SWAP
Join our weekly Monday night informal meetup, MOVE + BOOK SWAP!
Free Day at the American Writers Museum
Join Read & Run Chicago at the American Writers Museum free day this May!
Chinatown Fun Run with author Kara Eng
Run a 3-mile literary-inspired route with author Kara Eng, visiting several Chinatown locations featured in her books!
American Writers Museum Get Lit Happy Hour
Join Read & Run Chicago at the American Writers Museum May Get Lit Happy Hour, Grown-Up Book Fair!
Weekly MOVE + BOOK SWAP
Join our weekly Monday night informal meetup, MOVE + BOOK SWAP!
Running/Walking Tour of the Haymarket Riots with author Joseph Rulli
Run a 3-mile route (or walk a 1-mile route) with author Joseph Rulli to commemorate the 139th anniversary of the Haymarket Affair, which later became a symbol of the international struggle for workers' rights.
Photo credit: Chicago History Museum; ICHi-040013; Jay Crawford, photographer
Weekly MOVE + BOOK SWAP
Join our weekly Monday night informal meetup, MOVE + BOOK SWAP!
Weekly MOVE + BOOK SWAP
Join our weekly Monday night informal meetup, MOVE + BOOK SWAP!