A ‘mouthy black lesbian feminist’ is one of Chicago’s most influential media leaders

Karen Hawkins—self-described “recovering mainstream media reporter and editor”— is doing a terrible job of recovering: She’s now co-publisher of the Chicago Reader, the founder of Rebellious Magazine, and a leader of the upstart Chicago Independent Media Alliance. She joins hosts Sheila Solomon and Charlie Meyerson to survey Chicago’s 21st-century media landscape.