Read & Run Chicago™️

Welcome to Read & Run Chicago, readers & runners! 👟📚 We exist for YOU: the Chicagoans who want to connect with the city in a meaningful, one-of-kind way. The Chicagoans who want to get OUT and learn history, move through time and space, and spend their energy supporting the people, communities, and small businesses that make Chicago great. We’re so happy you’re here—let’s explore Chicago together this year using movement and stories ✨ 📍Learn more: readandrunchicago.com ⁉️ Not in Chicago but love the idea of book-themed guided running routes where stories take place? ➡️ Apply to host your own independently-organized event through @readandrunontheroad .

I found these precious 1978 photos of the Austin Branch of @chicagopubliclibrary in the @chicagomuseum archives earlier this week. Excited to see the modern-day version tomorrow at our Running Tour of From the Westside, With Love with @bykenncook ! 👉Tickets in bio if you still need yours! See you there. © Chicago Sun-Times Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Credit: ST-90003258-0037, Chicago Sun-Times collection, Chicago History Museum

How many bookstores did you hit for independent bookstore day? @readandrunchicago held a scavenger hunt. My mother and I accepted the challenge. We found a bookstore overlooking Grant Park inside a historic building… A two-floor downtown bookstore packed with hidden gems… An underground bookstore in Old Town named after a line in an Emily Dickinson poem… And a tiny shop filled with community events, murals, and incredible curated reads. Every stop felt completely different, which is honestly what makes Chicago’s indie bookstore scene so special. #chilovesbooks #independentbookstoreday #chicagobookstore #scavengerhunt #enjoyillinois

📣 Hey, Chicago runners! We’ve got some warm weather coming up this weekend—are you ready? Writer @chelseygrassfield rounded up five expert-backed tips to keep you cool, hydrated, and safe while running in hot weather. Tap the LinkTree in our bio to visit the blog for the full list!

✨ 📣 Special pre-release: From the Westside, With Love This Saturday, May 16, Austin-based photographer @bykenncook is giving readers & runners a special pre-release sale of his new photography book, From the Westside, With Love! Kenn is a Chicago-based visual storyteller and photographer whose work centers on preserving Black cultural identity. Rooted in his upbringing on Chicago’s Westside, his images merge artistry and advocacy, using photography to amplify underrepresented voices and celebrate the strength and beauty of the Black experience. Introduced to photography by his father, Kenneth Sr., his practice is grounded in family, memory, and legacy. Kenn makes images that function as acts of care, bridging personal memory and public history while offering space to reimagine how Blackness is seen. His ongoing body of work, #MyWestsideStory, highlights community resilience while exploring themes of displacement, belonging, and place. 👇 Here’s how to get your copy: 👟 Join our running/biking tour through Austin with us and Kenn Cook Jr. at 2pm on Saturday, May 16 out of the Austin Branch of @chicagopubliclibrary . 🎙️ Join the FREE post-run/bike Q&A with Kenn at 3:15pm at the Austin Branch. RSVP for the Q&A and grab your tickets to run or ride 🚴🏾 via the ‘Events’ link in our bio!

Are these your horror movies too??

The best way to celebrate the launch of the all-new @brooksrunning Ghost 18? A ghost tour, of course! 👻 We took the Ghost 18 for a spin through Old Town while @readandrunchicago shared stories about the spooky haunts of Chicago’s oldest neighborhood. Thanks to everyone who joined us for a haunted evening of miles and history! The Ghost 18 is available to shop in-store and online now. 👟 📸: @dariusbakerjr

📣 Tickets are LIVE for our first signature event of the season, our Running Tour of From the West Side, With Love with photographer @bykenncook ! We could write a whole description, or just say it like Gen Z: it’s giving West Side love. ✨❤️ 👟 Run (or ride with @bffbikes !) through Austin with us and Kenn Cook Jr. on Saturday, May 16 out of the Austin Branch of @chicagopubliclibrary . 🎟️ Tickets in bio.

Miles for Migraine’s Walk/Run returns for its 11th annual event this summer! 👟 Raise funds for local migraine research and education while taking advantage of one of the most affordable chip timed 5k races in Chicago (and spot some readers & runners!). 🧠 Join @milesformigraine on Saturday, June 6 at Diversey Harbor for a free untimed 2-mile walk or chip timed 5k run. Your entry includes: 🏅Customized finishers medal 🏆Awards for the top three male, female, and nonbinary runners 🧘🏽 Relax activities like coloring Love the color purple? As purple is the official color of migraine awareness, all attendees are encouraged to sport the color—and the one who does it best will get a prize! 💅🏼 🚨 Register by May 14 to lock in $12 early bird pricing! 🔗 Register: bit.ly/4enrKvl Happy walking, running, and relaxing for a cause!

📸 Meet Austin-based photographer Kenn Cook Jr. Kenn Cook Jr. (@bykenncook ) is a Chicago-based visual storyteller and photographer whose work centers on preserving Black cultural identity. Rooted in his upbringing on Chicago’s Westside, his images merge artistry and advocacy, using photography to amplify underrepresented voices and celebrate the strength and beauty of the Black experience. Introduced to photography by his father, Kenneth Sr., his practice is grounded in family, memory, and legacy. Kenn makes images that function as acts of care, bridging personal memory and public history while offering space to reimagine how Blackness is seen. His ongoing body of work, #MyWestsideStory, highlights community resilience while exploring themes of displacement, belonging, and place. Want to learn more about Kenn and get a behind-the-scenes look at the neighborhood that inspires him? 👟 Run (or ride!) through Austin with us and Kenn Cook Jr. on Saturday, May 16 out of the Austin Branch of @chicagopubliclibrary . 🎟️ Tickets to run or ride 🚴🏾 release TONIGHT, May 4 at 8pm via our newsletter. Any remaining tickets will release to the general public on Wednesday, May 6. 👉 Tap the link in bio to subscribe for early access.

Welcome to May, readers & runners nationwide! Here are this month’s signature events we created—the book-themed guided routes where stories take place—hosted by Read & Run Chicago and independent organizers with the Read & Run on the Road program, plus Read & Run Tours’s experiential events for authors and creative 5ks. 👟 📅 May 5 📍Chicago More Calm, Less Stress: An Experiential Evening with @megykarydes Host: @readandruntours 📅 Wednesday, May 13 📍D.C. Read & Run on the Road: Book Club Run of Lost in the City Host: @chelseygrassfield 📅 Saturday, May 16 📍Chicago Running Tour of From the West Side, With Love with @bykenncook Host: @readandrunchicago Sunday, May 17 📍Chicago Storytelling 5k with @dare2tri_ Host: @readandrunchicago x @dare2tri_ 🎟️ Tap the ‘Events’ link in our bio for info and tickets! For free community events and gatherings in Chicago 👉 Follow @readandrunchicago and subscribe to their newsletter.

This is the sign you’ve been waiting for! ✨🤩 If you’re looking to shake up your running routine, meet thoughtful, curious, and like-minded Chicagoans, or just want a reason to leave the house with a book in one hand and running shoes on your feet, a Read & Run Chicago All-Access Membership can give you all that and more. 🥰 Members get exclusive perks like: 🥂 FREE, reserved entry to all signature events included in membership ($105 value/season, $315 value/year)) 🗺️Special members-only meetups 🎁FREE giveaways when available for things like books and goodie bags …AND MORE Tap the link in bio to learn more and get yours today!