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Author, Daniel Kraus captured at Jarvis Beach ahead of the movie Whalefall, which is based on his book of the same name. Photographed on Tuesday, August 4th, 2026. (Kevin Serna/for Chicago Magazine)

The Nightmare Maker

Daniel Kraus adapts his monster bestseller into a claustrophobic big-screen thriller.

 

Artist Tony Lewis, at his Bridgeport studio for Chicago Magazine Best of Fall feature. Photographed on Tuesday, August 11th, 2026. (Kevin Serna/for Chicago Magazine)

The Graphic Stenographer

Tony Lewis connects the dots between language and art.

 

Alynda Segarra photographed in the Old Town Ale House in August 2026. (Kevin Serna/for Chicago magazine)

The Punk Troubadour

Alynda Segarra keeps John Prine’s legacy humming.

 

Mexodus creators Nygel D. Robinson (left) and Brian Quijada (right) outside the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena, California on July 31, 2026. (Brian Guido/for Chicago Magazine)

The Hip-Hop Historians

Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson bring a contemporary groove to a show about escaping 19th-century slavery.

 

Artist Dorothy Burge photographed in August 2026. (Akilah Townsend/for Chicago magazine)

The Crafty Activist

Dorothy Burge stitches historical significance into her quilts of Black veterans.

 

Graphic novelist Kat Keyh, photographed in August 2026. (Akilah Townsend/for Chicago magazine)

 The Hope Messenger

Graphic novelist Kat Leyh envisions an encouraging postapocalyptic future.

 

Self-portrait of author Audrey Niffenegger. (Audrey Niffenegger)

The Inadvertent Soothsayer

More than 20 years after The Time Traveler’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger conjures a sequel.

 

Stella Lefty photographed in Chicago. (Jack Balaban)

The Soul Searcher

Back to her country roots, singer Stella Lefty is out to prove she’s no one-hit wonder.

 

From right: Martin 'Tre' Dumas III and Bril Barrett of M.A.D.D. Rythms at the Harold Washington Cultural Center in Chicago on Thursday, August 6th, 2026. (Kevin Serna/for Chicago Magazine)

The M.A.D.D. Men

Tap legends Bril Barrett and Tré Dumas reunite onstage.

Mikael Burke photographed outside Raven Theatre in August 2026. (Akilah Townsend/for Chicago magazine)

The Daring Director

Mikael Burke stages an acclaimed metamusical that others wouldn’t tackle.