Author: WBEZ Chicago

As summer winds down, theater season kicks into full swing. From small storefront productions and family dramas to high-intensity wizarding spectacles, there’s something for everyone. Reset hears what Chicago’s theaters have in store as we get into fall from WBEZ’s Mike Davis. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Nnedi Okorafor has been pioneering African Futurism since she began writing, from her award-winning book ‘Who Fears Death’ to the critically-acclaimed Akata Witch series. ‘She Who Knows: Firespitter’ continues to weave science fiction with the African world, exploring what happens when a young girl is chosen for a journey reserved only for boys and men. Reset sat down with Okorafor to learn about the story and her world-building process. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Omar Apollo is on the road for his tour promoting his highly anticipated sophomore album “God Said No.” He says the title means “it is what it is” or “lo que será, será” and that it’s a response to all the songs on the album. Apollo stopped by the WBEZ studios ahead of his August Chicago show at the Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island. Reset sits down with the singer to talk more about creating his album, embracing his queer identity, hot sauce and heartbreak. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Four people were killed in a mass shooting on the Blue Line, a Palestinian coffee shop in Uptown was vandalized and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker spent Labor Day campaigning for Kamala Harris in New Hampshire. Reset breaks down those stories and much more with journalists Block Club investigative reporter Manny Ramos, Fox 32 political correspondent Paris Schutz and Chicago Sun-Times reporter and editor Tom Schuba. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

The Insect Asylum began as a traveling exhibit in 2018, and its brick-and-mortar space opened in 2022. There are over 5,000 taxidermy specimens ranging from beetles and butterflies to a giraffe named Long John as well as over 40 live animals and insects. Reset producers Ari Mejia and Lynnea Domienik visited the Avondale museum and share how it acts as a haven for people with unconventional interests. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

How did a spirit that “tastes like bandaids” and has been the butt of many jokes survive generations and go from a lone bottle collecting dust in the back of bars to so closely linked with Chicago that bartenders and enthusiasts alike tattoo it on their bodies? Well, it has to do with a plucky businessman named George Brode and his secretary Pat Gabelick. Reset learns the history as laid out in a new book from a veteran food writer Josh Noel, author of Malört: The Redemption of a Revered and Reviled Spirit. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

For the first time in five years, the Chicago Abortion Fund is going to have to limit how much financial aid it provides to people seeking abortions in Illinois. This comes as people from 32 states seek abortion care in Illinois and national funding is drying up, putting more strain on local funding to cover the costs. Reset checks in with Kristen Schorsch, WBEZ public health and politics reporter. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Mary Mitchell, former columnist and director of culture and community engagement retired in 2019 but returned to the Sun-Times a year later. This time around, she says she’s leaving “for real.” Reset sits down with Mitchell to reflect on her career and what she’s learned about herself and Chicago in the process. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Reset wraps a summer “What’s That Building?” series about Chicago’s incredible music venues at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Lincoln Square. Sasha-Ann Simons and Dennis Rodkin explore this old library turned music school and venue and dive deep into the history of its exterior as well as what lives inside. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.