We are a writing group that focuses on literary fiction. Established in 2007, we meet every other week at a local coffee shop to discuss members' stories, share writing prompts, and support each other through our literary journeys.
We keep our group small, so that everyone has the opportunity to have their writing workshopped on a regular basis.
Workshop Methodology
Frequency.
We meet every two weeks and read 2-3 stories per week.
Critiques.
Every piece is discussed in three stages: Aboutness, Strengths, Suggestions.
Silence.
The author listens, takes notes, and remains quiet throughout the critique.
Questions.
The author gets a chance to dive into their question at the end.
Meeting by ZOOM.
We hate it too, but we’d rather keep writing together so we are meeting virtually by ZOOM every other Thursday until it’s safe to get back together. This gives us a great chance to meet with new and old members that have left Chicago. Interested in joining virtually?
As we occasionally have members who move on for graduate school or other life changes, we do find ourselves with openings in the group from time to time.
To apply to join the Chicago Literary Writers, submit an application. We ask for a sample of your work which is read by the entire group. After the group discusses the application, we sometimes ask for candidates to join a trial meeting.