⏰ Craving a break and a good nap

December pulls us in different directions towards the finish line. [READER]( The Daily Reader December 13, 2023 I can tell I’m rushing through the end of the year... ...not just because it’s getting colder out and the sun seems intent on spending time anywhere else, and not just because random houses and businesses sit aglow in strings of lights and chintzy lawn displays while chipper music tells me to embrace the cold, and not just because I am juggling a bunch more work than normal as the Reader prepares to close for the very end of the year, and not just because listicle season seemingly consumes anything related to culture journalism for the foreseeable future. I think it has something to do with the feeling of being pulled in several different directions that I specifically associate with December and not any other month. I often write in this space about my desire to make more time when there is none and my longing to participate in more events than any one person can, and those concepts are common all year long. But I arrive at this time of year with a clear end goal—the quiet week that separates the last twelve months and the forthcoming new year—and my brain becomes mush as I soldier toward a finish line of my own making. So, in lieu of a longer message this week, I hope you are able to take a moment to collect yourself amid the grueling early winter months, and the particularly fraught state of the world that so many of us (myself included) are trying to manage the best we can. With that in mind, among the many stories that [I wrote for the new issue is a Gossip Wolf piece]( built from an interview I conducted with Palestinian American musician Ronnie Malley; his newish collective, Chicago Maqam, will perform a Gaza fundraiser benefiting Doctors Without Borders and the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. I relished my conversation with Malley; as I told him over the phone, I could have talked to him for hours. One of the benefits of reporting on Chicago’s many disparate music communities is the explicit feeling I have that the conversations never end. Yes, I eventually have to stop an interview to write the story. But my place in this media ecosystem means I can always pick up the phone tomorrow—or in a month or year—and continue my conversations where they left off. And I look forward to having these talks in the coming months. I just need a couple more naps before then. Sincerely, [“We Are No Strangers to Human Suffering, but We’ve Seen Nothing Like the Siege of Gaza,”]( by Michelle Nunn, Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, Jan Egeland, Abby Maxman, Jeremy Konyndyk and Janti Soeripto (New York Times) [“Losing the Plot: The ‘Leftists’ Who Turn Right,”]( by Kathryn Joyce and Jeff Sharlet (In These Times) [“The call of Tokitae,”]( by Caitlin Gibson (Washington Post) Chris Robbin’, [Langston’s Hue]( Imelda Marcos, [Agita]( Harold Matthews Jr., [Peripheral Vision]( ❄️ Leor’s [“Second December 2023 playlist”]( [The Arab virtuosos of Chicago Maqam play a relief concert for Gaza]( Plus: Jazz voyager Isaiah Collier celebrates an inspired new album with two shows in one night at Dorian’s. by [J.R. Nelson]( and [Leor Galil]( | [Read more]( → [Three visions of new Chicago underground rock from a band named after an NPR host, another hard-to-google group, and Sunshy]( by [Leor Galil]( | [Read more]( → [Hollyy help keep rock and soul alive in Chicago]( by [Noah Berlatsky]( | [Read more]( → [Chicago garage and punk veterans Boybrain show us how it’s done]( by [Monica Kendrick]( | [Read more]( → What's now, what's next. For the latest in visual and performing arts in the city, sign up for our arts and culture newsletter, Second and Fourth. The next issue drops tomorrow (12/14) at 3 PM - with an introduction written by Culture Editor Taryn Allen. [SIGN UP FOR SECOND & FOURTH TODAY!]( [Issue of Nov. 30 – Dec. 13, 2023 Vol. 53, No.]( [VIEW / DOWNLOAD ISSUE [PDF]]( [View this e-mail as a web page]( [@chicago_reader]( [/chicagoreader]( [@chicago_reader]( [Chicago Reader on LinkedIn]( [/chicagoreader]( [chicagoreader.com]( [Forward this e-mail to a friend](. Want to change how you receive these e-mails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. Copyright © 2023 Chicago Reader, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Chicago Reader, 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 102, Chicago, IL 60616