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2025 Ultimate Guide to Chicago’s Literary Scene: Bookstores, Clubs, & Events
Cynthia Okechukwu, Betsy Tomszak, and Allison Yates round up the best book clubs, bookstores, events, landmarks, and more for Chicago book lovers.
Join Read & Run Chicago’s Team for the Read-a-Thon For Immigrant Justice
Join Read & Run Chicago’s team for ¡Viva! Los Libros’s Read-a-Thon for Immigrant Justice running April 12-May 10.
Explore Chicago’s Indie Bookstores with Read & Run Chicago’s 2025 Bookstore Day Run Crawl
Read & Run Chicago is hosting five different guided running crawls between some of Chicago’s most beloved bookstores for Independent Bookstore Day 2025!
Read & Run Chicago Hosting April Book Drive for the L.Y.D. Foundation
Donate books at every MOVE + BOOK SWAP meetup in April to support the L.Y.D. Foundation’s two new community libraries.
Chicago Readers & Runners Race the Chicago Distance Series in the Entries for Equity Program
Read & Run Chicago was one of the Chicago-based organizations selected for the 2025 Bank of America Chicago Distance Series Entries for Equity program.
Who to Support in Chicago This International Women’s Day
While at Read & Run Chicago we celebrate women’s stories today and everyday, here are a few places related to our programming to tangibly support women, non-binary, and trans people in Chicago this International Women’s Day.
Where to Read Mia P. Manansala’s Murder Mysteries—and What to Eat While You’re There
Read & Run Chicago volunteer Leslie Hiquiana rounds up some of the best Filipino restaurants and cafes in Chicago—and which Mia P. Manansala mystery to read while your’e there.
Live Q&A With Clark and Division Author Naomi Hirahara
Watch a recording of a live Q&A with Clark and Division author Naomi Hirahara that Read & Run Chicago hosted in April 2023.
“A Love Letter to Lake Michigan,” A Poem by Stephanie Sarabia
Read poet Stephanie Sarabia’s original poem, “A Love Letter to Lake Michigan,” originally performed at a February 2024 Read & Run Chicago event.
What Was Queer Lakeview Like In The 1980s?
To understand more the real-life parallels between Makkai’s novel and 1980s Lakeview, Read & Run Chicago hosted three LGBTQ elders after our Book Club Run of The Great Believers in January 2025 in partnership with Gerber/Hart Library & Archives, the largest LGBTQ archives in the Midwest and a resource for Rebecca Makkai.
What It Was Like to Work at Jane, Chicago’s 1970s-era Underground Abortion Network
Watch this video to hear from two former members of Jane, the revolutionary underground abortion network in Chicago.
Best Black-Owned Bookstores in Chicago 2025
These three Black-owned Chicago bookstores celebrate writing by people of color and provide inclusive spaces for all readers.
Best Places to Read in Chicago This Winter
From Chicago Public Library’s crown jewel to dive bars, here are the Chicago bookish community’s list of coziest places to read in Chicago this winter.
Best Chicago Bookstores to Visit in 2025
Our ultimate list of independently-owned bookstores in Chicago.
2024 Holiday Gift Guide For The Chicagoans In Your Life
There are countless books set in Chicago that teach us the food, history, and culture of the city we love. Here’s our 2024 Holiday Gift Guide for the Chicagoans in your life.
Three Readers & Runners Reflect on Their Quinceañeras
Do you remember your quinceañera? We asked this question to readers & runners at our October 2024 Book Club Run of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, a three-mile loop around Cicero, Illinois, inspired by Erika L. Sánchez’s award-winning young adult novel. Here’s what three runners have to say.
A Guide to Donating (Money) To A New-To-You Nonprofit
Guide Kaylee Tock rounded up some best practices for deciding where to spend your advocacy dollars.
Historical Context of Jane, Plus Contemporary Resources
Guide Kaylee Tock rounded up resources, further reading, and even a self-guided route to help you continue your learning of Jane and reproductive rights advocacy in Chicago and beyond.