The Creators of THING
Robert Ford Publisher of THING magazine, Robert was undoubtedly a Black intellectual. He was the creator of Think Ink and, along with Trent Adkins and Lawrence Warren, was a co-founder […]
Tag: chicago
History of Thing Magazine
Founded in Chicago in 1989 by Robert Ford, Trent Adkins, and Lawrence Warren, THING magazine was a Black gay and lesbian underground arts journal. THING Magazine began with issue no. […]
House Music: Chicago Testimony
An Oral History Podcast Series with DJ Lori Branch and Hannah Viti. Chicago house music built a world. Every story about Chicago house music starts somewhere different. A record, a […]
THING Reviewed in the Whitney Review of New Writing
by Umesi Michael Louis, in the January 2026 issue of the Whitney Review of New Writing Personified, THING is that cool older cousin who blows into town with stories to […]
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Scenes from City in a Garden
On Saturday, March 28, 2026 from 2-3:30 p.m. at Chicago’s MCA, several short films were shown, including Stephanie Coleman’s 1992 film, Having a Ball! with the House of Avant Garde. […]
Having a Ball! with the House of Avant Garde
Stephanie Coleman’s 1992 documentary includes amazing footage of ballroom performances. Established in the 1980s, the House of Avant-Garde was the first Chicago ballroom house. It served as a safe haven […]
Chicago Home of House Exhibit at O’Hare Airport
Travelers moving through O’Hare International Airport are being welcomed into Chicago by more than runways and terminals—they’re stepping directly into the city’s musical soul. The new “Chicago: Home of House” […]
Black, Queer, & Untold: Reclaiming Erased Histories
A tribute to the incredible designers, artists, and people at the center of queer Black publishing. Jon Key’s Black, Queer, & Untold: A New Archive of Designers, Artists, and Trailblazers […]
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Chicago’s Legendary Club LaRay
One of the city’s most exciting, most creative Black queer dance clubs in the 1980s. Opened in 1986, Club LaRay was located at 3150 North Halsted in Chicago. The club, […]
Move Ya Body: The Birth of House
Out of the underground dance clubs on the South Side of Chicago, a group of friends turn a new sound into a global movement. On Thursday, August 21, 2025, watch […]