Chicago Writes

Mike O'Mary knows book marketing. As an Indie publisher he produced several NYT bestsellers, including Dina Kucera's Everything I Never Wanted to Be-A Memoir of Alcoholism and Addiction, Faith and Family, Hope and Humor . Together with his daughter, Kathleen Meyer, they began an online newsletter featuring only indie authors and publishers with some 13,000 subscribers. LitNuts.com features a uniqu...

Professor Ana Castillo is an author, poet and visual artist. Her latest critically acclaimed book is a thought-provoking collection of short stories transcending demographics titled Doña Cleanwell Leaves Home , published by Harper Collins. Available at Amazon and all fine bookstores. Her website is anacastillo.net . Plus, Micheal Finney, business strategy consultant focused on media and message, t...

Writing compelling Sex Scenes for novelists, with author, screenwriter and Producer Dorothy Mackevich Marks. Her latest book is Les Beaux Châteaux which tells the story of father and son antique dealers amid the twilight of a romanticized legacy French culture. Visit www.dorothymackevichmarks.com . You can also keep up to date on facebook.com, at DorothyMackevichMarks Also, in this episode of Chic...

Nora Neus is an Emmy-nominated journalist and author. Neus field-produced Anderson Cooper’s CNN coverage of the 2017 white supremacist riot in Charlottesville, Virginia. Before joining CNN, she worked as a local news reporter and fill-in anchor for the CNN affiliate in Charlottesville. Nora also co-authored Muhammad Najem, War Reporter: How One Boy Put the Spotlight on Syria , available at Amazon....

Maggie Smith founded ArtSource, a leading art consulting company. In 2017 she switched gears to pursue a dream to be a full-time writer. Her debut novel Truth and Other Lies is about truth and coming clean to yourself and about truth and honesty. It is about perseverance and second chances. Maggie is the host of the podcast Hear Us Roar for the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and is available...

Kristin Oakley’s latest young adult novel is “The Devil Particle”. Kristin teaches writing workshops, has critiqued manuscripts through the University of Wisconsin‘s -Madison Division of Continuing Studies, and has helped writers hone their agent pitches at the Division’s Writers’ Institute. She is also the author of The Award-winning Leo Townsend Series, as well as blogs from writing to home scho...

Christina D. Rodriguez is an award winning Latinx poet, and entrepreneur from New York, currently living in Chicago. Her poems have appeared in Tupelo Quarterly, Yes, Poetry, Rust + Moth, Satin Soulbits, and elsewhere. She is a board member of the Chicago Writers Association as the organization’s social media manager and poetry editor for CWA's The Write City Magazine. She is also a contributor to...

Chili Dog MVP: Dick Allen, The '72 White Sox and a Transforming Chicago, by David Fletcher, John Owens, and George Castle, was a runner up for this year’s Book of the Year Award for non-Fiction. David Fletcher speaks about the book, story structure techniques and collaboration on a writing project. Chili Dog MVP is available at Amazon . To register for CWA Presents with host Sandra Colbert and a c...

Toya Wolfe scored with her debut novel, "Last Summer On State Street". This is good and necessary storytelling. Toya joins host WC Turck for a deep diving into this critically acclaimed, and CWA Book of the Year award winner for Traditional Fiction. From Faulkner to Sista Souljah and much more. Find Last Summer on State Street on Amazon. Check out more from Toya Wolfe at toyawolfe.com Follow her o...

On this episode of Chicago Writes, News about the 2023 CWA Writer's Educational Series. Also, A reminder to register now for Let's Just Write! An Uncommon Writers Conference. March 25-26, 2023 Visit ChicagoWrites.org ! Plus, Associate professor of English and Creative Writing, Shawn Shiflett on ChatGPT and the future of writing.  Ken Korber from the Center for Functional Learning on writing books...

It's a brand-new year, as The Chicago Writers Association Celebrates the 2022 Book of the Year Award Winners! We talk rhythm and vulnerability in writing with the sumptuous memoir This Jade World author Ira Sukrunruang , voice and mythology with Christina Marrocco from her powerful novel Addio, Love Monster , and researching truths and character with Mark Hutson with his outstanding debut historic...

The independent bookstore means far more to their communities, as well as for authors. We thought we’d explore that relationship, how and if brick and mortar retail stores are the best option for self-published authors, as well as the challenges independent bookstores face in our ever-changing world. In the heart of Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood, once known as Germantown for its German pub...

Like love and sex, fear is instinctual. The fight or flight response to things which may cause us harm is centered in our amygdala, a roughly almond-shaped mass of gray matter inside each cerebral hemisphere, involved with the experiencing of emotions. The root of our nightmares. This is the domain of the horror writer. But there is more to horror stories in what they teach us. It is a training gr...

On the October episode of Chicago Writes host WC Turck talks with author Alex Poppy on Writing with purpose, and a bit from Radio misfits hosts Rick and Dave and their conversation with bestselling author Scott Turow. Catch their full interview at radiomisfits.com . Plus, October announcements and a bit of news for writers. Alex’s books are available on Amazon and at her website. For more on Alex...

Dan Davies is best known as the writer, actor, and producer of the cult-film “Ed Gein- the musical.” He co-starred with Sadie Kaye in Miss Adventure meets Motörhead, which was a highly rated video on Will Ferrell/HBO's Funny or Die. He won for Best Supporting Actor (Comedy) along with Majid Michel and John Dumelo in the 2017 Golden Movie Awards for his work in A Trip to Jamaica. In 2017 he appeare...

On this episode of Chicago Writes, a conversation with Book Doctor Donald G. Evans. Writers News in our new Around the Web segment and pushing the envelope on audio books and telling the truth in memoirs from R&B star Danny Boy Steward. A link to Donald G. Evans.com , book doctor, author, and Founding Executive Editor of the  Chicago Literary Hall of Fame For more on Stories Around the Web: From e...

Host WC Turck speaks with First Chapter contest winners, Cheryl L. Reed and Mary Dean Cason about landing the right agent, characterization, story structure and more. The opening chapter to Map of My Escape by Cheryl L. Reed captured first place in this year’s very competitive first chapter contest. Cheryl was awarded a full scholarship to attend either the All-Genre Novel-In-Progress (NIP) Bookca...

Anne Beall and Judi Goshen are the publishers of Chicago Story Press. Their latest book is a collection of stories expanding upon concepts of love titled Storytellers' True Stories about Love. Chicago story press.com is the website. For Submissions to Chicago Story Press, click HERE Find Anne Beall's books and blog HERE Anne is also CEO of Beall Research a Boutique full-service market research par...

In the May episode of Chicago Writes, a Podcast of the Chicago Writers Association, host WC Turck talks Branding with Michael Finney. Michael Finney is a Business Strategy Consultant focused on Media and Message. Find his workbook and course "How to Create a Personal Band in 10 Steps" at michael-finney.com . Back in February we heard from David W. Berner about Substack , the online publishing foru...

In just 3 short years the Chicago Writers Association's Let's Just Write! An Uncommon Writer's Conference has become a must attend event for Writers and Authors. In it's first 2 years Let's Just Write earned critical accolades from Writer Magazine, calling it one of the Best conferences in America. This year's sold-out conference exceeded expectations. In this value-added Episode we bring you a fe...

Continuing with our spotlight on the CWA Book of the Year award winners for 2021, this episode features our outstanding authors for Indie and Traditional Non-fiction. Plus CWA announcements and upcoming events! Edith: The Rogue Rockefeller McCormick by Andrea Friederici Ross describes the enigmatic and rebellious life of industrialist John D Rockefeller’s daughter. Andrea talks about this enigmati...

Libby Fischer Hellmann and Rachel Swearingen are the 2021 Chicago Writer's Association Book of the Year winners for Fiction. In this Episode Libby and Rachel talk about the Art and Business of Writing, Marketing and more. Libby Fischer Hellmann's website is https://libbyhellmann.com/ Rachel Swearingen's website is https://www.rachelswearingen.com/ And don't forget to visit www.chicagowrites.org

Rachel Swearingen won this year’s award under Traditional Fiction for her latest work is “ How to Walk on Water  and Other Stories.” In 2019, the Guild Literary Complex named her one of 30 Writers to Watch. She lives in Chicago and teaches in Cornell College’s low-residency MFA program. www.rachelswearingen.com is the website.

Critically acclaimed author Libby Fischer Hellman writes strong women. From her Ellie Foreman Mysteries, to the suspenseful adventures of blond and beautiful Chicago PI, Georgia Davis. And Hellman has taken us around the world, to war, and across history through the eyes of female characters-you know, the other half of the world. She is also a 2021 Chicago Writer’s Association’s Book of the year a...