Chicago Writes

House of Honor: Margaret Philbrick, A Stolen Caravaggio and a Prodigal Child

Margaret Ann Philbrick is an award-winning author and poet. she is the contributing editor of the essay and poetry collection for women, Everbloom—Stories of Deeply Rooted and Transformed Lives. Her poems and articles have been featured in numerous anthologies and publications, including her award-winning poem, A Mother’s Art. Margaret is a founding member of the Red-bud Writers Guild NFP and a member of the Door County Published Author Collective. Margaret Ann is also the author of Margaret’s Child – A Young Entrepreneur of America’s Competition Winner, 2020. Her latest novel is House of Honor.   The website is margaretphilbrick.com and whostolethepainting.com

Writing for Educators: The Advocate Educator’s Handbook's Rebecca Kling and Vanessa Ford

On this episode of Chicago Writes, the Podcast of the Chicago Writers Association, Educator and Award-winning Children's Author of Calvin, Vanessa Ford M.A.T. and Author of the Critically-acclaimed No Gender Left Behind and Educator Rebecca Kling, Authors of The Advocate Educator’s Handbook: Creating Schools Where Transgender and Non-Binary Students Thrive available on Amazon. 
The websites are theadvocateeducator.com, also jrandvanessaford.com and rebeccakling.com.
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Registratration is open  for Let’s Just Write: The Chicago Writers Association Conference, March 21–23, 2025. To book your room at the iconic Warwick Allerton Hotel at the conference rate of only $129.00.
Visit Chicago writes .com

Writing to Make a Change with Tom Tresser

From CWA BOTY winner Linda Gartz' Redlined: A Memoir of Race, Change, and Fractured Community in 1960s Chicago, to Civic Lab founder Tom Tresser's NO GAMES CHICAGO How A Small Group of Citizens Derailed the City’s 2016 Olympic Bid, there are lessons writers can learn about storytelling, structure, media messaging, and marketing. The websites is nogameschicagobook.com.
CWA’s 9th Annual First Chapter Contest Opens August 10th. Visit chicagowrites.org
The Chicago Writers Association returns to Printers Row Lit Fest on September 7 and 8, 2024. Note: We have sold out all open slots for the weekend. If you'd like to add your name to the wait list in the event of any cancellations, please send an email to info@chicagowrites.org with the subject heading: "Add me to the Printers Row wait list."  
 
 

Registry of Forgotten Objects; DePaul's Miles Harvey

Miles Harvey is the author of three nonfiction books, The King of Confidence (a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice selection), Painter in a Savage Land, and The Island of Lost Maps, a national and international bestseller. He teaches creative writing at DePaul University in Chicago, where he chairs the Department of English and is a founding editor of Big Shoulders Books, a nonprofit, social-justice publisher. The Registry of Forgotten Objects is his first work of fiction. https://www.milesharvey.com

The Art of the Memoir with Kevin Hall and Risa August

Kevin M. Hall is a New York author. He is the author of 3 books, Ilion My Childhood My Memories, My Rosemount MN. Memories, and SIGNS - The Veil is Thinner Than We Imagine. The website is Kevin-Hall.com.
Risa August is a champion. She is the author of the award-winning memoir, or the biography of Bubba the tumor, if you like… The book is The Road Unpaved: Border to Border with a Brain Tumor and a Bike   Learn more about Risa at: https://www.risaaugust.com
Chicago Writes is the podcast of the Chicago Writers Association
For just $25 per year become a member of CWA and join a great community of fellow writers and authors from anywhere on the planet and unlock a wealth of writer's resources. Visit chicagowrites.org

Pulitzer Prize Winning Author Jonathan Eig, King: A Life and the Art of the Biography

Jonathan Eig is an American journalist and biographer and the author of six books. His most recent King: A Life (2023), a biography of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was just awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Mr. Eig is also the author of…
Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig (2005). Ali: A Life. Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season. For Get Capone, Eig discovered thousands of pages of never-before-reported government documents from its case against the infamous gangster. He is also the author of The Birth of the Pill. The website is www.jonathaneig.com
The Chicago Writer's Association is a 501c3 charitable organization, visit Chicago Writes.org
With host WC Turck.

Anatomy of an Amazon Book Promotion

Host WC Turck takes you along for a need-to-know marketing hack on Amazon for his new novel, The Assassination of Baby Hitler: A Love Story with Dan Davies from Renegade Press LLC, renegadepresspublisher.com.
Unlock a wealth of writer resources by joining the Chicago Writers Association today. Visit chicagowrites.org.

Marketing and Cross Marketing for Authors with Janet Sutherland-Madden

After recovering from a brain aneurysm in 2004 that left her blind and paralyzed, Janet Sutherland Madden wrote an astounding book of trauma and the courage to overcome is titled “Nose Over Toes.” Her latest project is a children's book titled, "Rhett, the kind little Corgi," a No.# 1 Amazon bestseller. Janet spent a life in media, journalism and marketing and shares some lessons learned. Janet Sutherland Madden has also turned her energies towards lobbying and fundraising for the Brain Aneurysm Foundation, visit: www.bafound.org.  
Plus, a sample of great literary events in and around Chicago.
Read "How to Write a Children’s Book," at:
thejohnfox.com/2019/02/how-to-write-a-childrens-book/

Chicago Writes, March 2024: A Conversation with Jill Christman and Gary D. Wilson

On this episode of Chicago Writes, our remaining Book of the Year authors, Prof. Jill Christman and Gary D. Wilson discuss their award-winning books and offer advice they give their writing students. 
Gary D. Wilson is a critically acclaimed novelist and writer of narrative short story fiction. His latest Book of the Year winning collection is For Those Who Favor Fire. Gary's latest novel, The Narrow Window, will be released in March 2024 by Roundfire Books, an imprint of Collective Ink. His website is www.garydwilson.com
Jill Christman's Book of the Year is titled, If This Were Fiction: A Love Story in Essays, a lyrical, sometimes blushing, sometimes shocking, and eminently insightful memoir. Her website is jillchristman.com
Additional Links:
Jill Christman is a producer for the podcast Indelible: Campus Sexual Violence. 
Writing by hand may increase brain connectivity more than typing on a keyboard, by Deborah Pirchner, February 16, 2024. Cognitive Science, Neuroimaging.
The Books of Lorrie Moore at Amazon.
The Chicago Writer Association is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. Visit chicagowrites.org.
 
 

Book of the year Winners, Rita Woods and Lois Hoitenga Roelofs

Lois Hoitenga Roelofs is one of CWAs Book of the Year winners for her moving memory, Marv in Charge: A story of Bold Love and courage, from Deep River books. An uncommonly candid book on death, dying and faith. Her website is loisroelofs.com
Rita Woods Latest novel, The Last Dreamwalker, was just named one of the Chicago Writers Association’s Book of the Year. This sumptuous mystery is destined to take its place among the very best set along the coast of South Carolina. It has the drama and deep hues of Pat Conroy’s Prince of Tides, while exploring the tumultuous mystery as a daughter unravels her late mother’s life, reminiscent of Sue Monk Kidd’s, The Secret Life of Bees. Her website is ritawoodswrites.com.
The Chicago Writers Association is a 501c3 charitable organization. Like us on Facebook. Visit chicagowrites.org.