Custom Placements: Front Page Lead
Forget Me Not
The University of Chicago’s Wilma Bainbridge is getting to the bottom of what makes certain artwork memorable.
A Casual Enthusiast’s South Side Doughnut Crawl
Perhaps limited by picked-over pastry cases, our writer takes his friend for a tour of notable doughnut shops.
Welcome to Northwestern University at Stateville
Inside this maximum security prison, a groundbreaking program offers inmates the chance to earn a degree from one of the country’s top schools. Some will never leave these walls. Here’s why it still matters.
“Cleaning Is Something I Can Do”
In this essay for Northwestern professor Alex Kotlowitz’s narrative nonfiction class, a Stateville inmate from the South Side writes about how he manages to regain a sense of control in prison.
Read Our Award-Nominated Stories
Check out some of Chicago magazine’s best 2023 stories, from a profile of a master violin repairer to the tale of a Japanese-American who made his way up the Chicago mob ranks, only to see it turn on him.
Richard Wright’s Theatrical Dreams
The Chicago author found great success as a novelist but struggled as a playwright. Here’s what we learned from a new book on his dramatic pursuits.