The Chicago Critics Circles: Part I (Black Authorship)

The Chicago Critics Circles: Part I (Black Authorship)

Chicago Critics Circles position criticism as a vital cultural practice—one that not only reflects Black progress, but actively participates in shaping it. As the final gathering of Court Theatre’s Spotlight Reading Series, this program offers a space to pause, reflect, and collectively ask:  What does it mean to inherit, interpret, and carry forward a century of Black cultural life?

This conversation centers Black publications as sites of cultural production, political imagination, and narrative control. Featuring a crucial network of local critics, writers, and cultural workers dedicated to archiving, amplifying, and shaping the documentation and interpretation of Black life, this discussion examines the role of self-determination and narrative sovereignty in A Century of Black Progress.

Artwork by Brandon Breaux.