Jamie Ludwig was born with a passion for music; by age six she figured out how to request songs at her local radio station and transform the airwaves into mixtapes via her Fisher-Price tape recorder. She’d already spent years working in various facets of the industry by the time she was in grad school in Chicago and landed an internship in advertising at a locally based music and culture magazine. Though she’d never harbored journalistic ambitions, her career trajectory shifted when she accepted an editorial gig at that publication and discovered she liked talking to strangers and collaborating with writers almost as much as she loved concerts, guitars, and records. Jamie was well-versed in indie mags when the Reader hired her as an associate editor in 2017, but she’d never worked in a newspaper setting, and she was stoked for the opportunity to shine a light on Chicago’s dynamic music landscape while learning from some of the best community media professionals in the country. Despite Jamie’s sonic obsessions, she’s hardly a onetrick pony: A Sagittarius and poli-sci nerd who hates being bored, she’s expanded her writing career into culture and business journalism, copywriting, technology, and book editing, and she’s brought some of those skills to the paper with projects such as the “Best of the Reader” book series (and our “Meet the Reader” staff bios). Along with work and music, Jamie enjoys—in no particular order—drinking coffee, petting dogs, watching documentaries, studying skincare and nutrition, reading almost any book in front of her, and spending ample time with family and friends. Her favorite spots in the city include the lakefront, the Chicago Cultural Center, the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, and practically every independent music venue.
Twitter: @unlistenmusic
