This fall, the Chicago Humanities Festival is bringing some of the biggest names in film, politics, music, literature, and activism to stages across Chicago for entertaining, inspiring, and provocative conversations addressing the theme of “PUBLIC” and how we are all re-imagining our public lives today.
With whistleblower Chelsea Manning and Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova, CHF will ask what right the public has to information. Experts from The Verge will discuss the relationship between the public and Big Tech in a series called “The Social Mind.” Marianne Williamson will address the role of public politics after the midterm elections. Reporter April Ryan and political advisor Valerie Jarrett will talk about how Black women can save the public. And poet Elizabeth Alexander, photographer Devin Allen, artist Jefferson Pinder, and scholar Margaret A. Burnham will all explore how racism still divides our American public. These PUBLIC issues—and more—will permeate all the conversations at CHF this fall.
As always at Chicago Humanities Festival, many events feature some of the biggest names in culture including legendary musician Patti Smith; Academy Award winner Jessica Lange; artist, filmmaker, and writer Miranda July; literary giants Jonathan Franzen and George Saunders; filmmakers Jim Jarmusch and Jonathan Ames; country singer Margo Price; and comedians Iliza Shlesinger, Kevin Nealon with Tim Meadows, and Chicago native Jeff Garlin talking with Curb Your Enthusiasm co-star Susie Essman.
“As we return to our first fully in-person Fall Festival since the start of the pandemic, we wanted to explore how each of us is returning to public life, how attitudes towards America’s various publics have changed, and how we can use this transition to better engage in the vital public conversations of our time,” says CHF’s Executive Director Phillip Bahar. “From deep conversations about gun violence, religion and politics, to laugh-out-loud events with comedians and entertainers, we have a broad range of programs to tempt Chicagoans to come out and re-engage with the remarkable public life of our great city.”
Most events will take place on various Neighborhood Days—where all of the events are held within walking distance in a specific neighborhood to encourage audiences to spend all day hopping from one event to another. Neighborhood Days include Northwestern on October 22, Hyde Park on October 29, Southport on November 5, and Lincoln Park on November 12.
Fall Festival
October 13 – December 9