Windy City Writers

The snow has mostly melted, but the memories remain. Many who wanted to be there couldn't because of the wintry weather that night. Still, many braved the elements and made it a warm, unforgettable evening inside. For those who may have over-indulged in the free-flowing Chimay beer and lost a few memories, these photos will help to refresh your bank. Many thanks to those who did come out that night to make the night a huge success. We truly appreciate your support.

Check out JoAnn Fastoff's images of the Sheffield's fundraiser.

Check out Danny Smith's other images of the Sheffield's fundraiser.

We're so giddy about the tremendous response we've received for our silent auction call for donations that we just had to share it with you. The collection of items that will be auctioned or raffled at our Jan. 7 Sheffield's fundraiser keeps growing, and we hope it continues to grow up until the day of the event. Below are the items donated or pledged so far. Many, many thanks to our generous donors. 

Signed books 

• Peter Abresch - If They Ask for a Hand, Only Give Them a Finger & Easy Reading Writing, Easy Reading About Writing Easy Reading
• Arnie Bernstein - Bath Massacre: America’s First School Bombing
• Cynthia Clampitt - Waltzing Australia
• Scotti Cohn - It Happened in Chicago and One Wolf Howls
• Stump Connolly – The Long Slog: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the White House
• Don De Grazia- British and American 1st edition hard covers of American Skin
• Stuart Dybek - 1st Edition hard cover of Brass Knuckles
• Donald G. Evans et al. – Cubbie Blues: 100 Years of Waiting Till Next Year
• JoAnn Fastoff – The Gordian Knot and The Pact
• Neil Gaiman - Newbery Award winner The Graveyard Book
• Jane Hamilton - A Map of the World
• Libby Fischer Hellman –1st edition hard covers of Doubleback and Image of Death and limited edition chapbook of the story, "The Murder of Katie Boyle" 
• Alex Kotlowitz
• Maureen Lipinski – A Bump in the Road
• Rachel Madorsky - Create Your Own Destiny - Spiritual Path to Success and Symphony of Your Karma: Healing Destiny of Your Soul
• John McNally - 1st edition hard cover of Ghosts of Chicago
• Audrey Niffenegger - 1st edition hard cover of Her Fearful Symmetry
• Bayo Ojikutu – 47^th Street Black and Free Burning
• Marcus Sakey – 1st edition hard cover and audiobook of The Amateurs
• William Savage
• Mary T. Wagner – Heck on Heels
• Robert W. Walker - 1st edition hard cover of Dead On and paperback of Shadows in the White City
• Rick Kogan and Charles Osgood - 1st Edition hard cover of Sidewalks ii: Reflections on Chicago
• Sharon Rendell - Living with Big Cats
• Monte Irvin and 5 other Negro League players - Few and Chosen: Defining Negro Leagues Greatness

 Miscellaneous items

• Gift certificate for two for the Chicago Dramatists' production of Jade Heart by senior network playwright Will Cooper
• Pair of gift certificates for Black Ensemble Theater
• Pair of tickets for an upcoming Chicago Bulls game at the United Center
• Collection of vintage fountain pens donated by Paul Neilan - three vintage Esterbrook fountain pens (ca. 1950s), all in good - excellent condition, working, with a retail value of around $40-50, as well as some vintage pen nibs (1920s) from the Chicago Public Schools. The nibs are embossed with "CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS." 
• Handmade jewelry by Star Girl Jewelry
• One-year membership to the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park
• Two certificates to have your manuscript evaluated by The Knife Editing Services donated by Robert W. Walker
• Two certificates to have your name in Robert W. Walker's next book
• Beer packages from Chimay, Hofbrau and Founders donated by John Freyer
• Manuscript evaluation by The Word Bird Editing Services donated by Kelly O'Connor McNees
• "Royko and the Goat" DVD donated by Stump Connolly
• One-hour blog consultation donated by Marcie Hill
• The Ultimate Oliver Stone Collection: CD set featuring 12 of the director's films 
• 1 hour air time on WRMN-1410 AM Elgin

The Chicago Writers Association invites you to join us Thursday, Jan. 7, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., at Sheffield's, 3258 N. Sheffield Ave., Chicago, for a post-holiday celebration to benefit the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame. 

We'll have special guest authors, readings, a silent auction and a raffle. Tickets are $25 for members, $30 for non-members. Your ticket gets you unlimited specialty beer selections (Founders, Chimay and Hofbrau) and hearty appetizers (hot wings, grilled cheese bites, hot spinach and cheese dips, and a vegetable tray). An appetizer-only, cash bar option is also available at a discounted ticket price of $15 for members  and $20 for non-members.

We encourage you to buy tickets in advance. All tickets are $5 more if purchased at the door. 

Money raised will help to build the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame. The funds will go to pay: basic infrastructure cost such as Web site development and maintenance; planning and production of the first induction ceremony; acquisition of literary artifacts for the traveling exhibit; and marketing. The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame is a project of the Chicago Writers Association, a federally-registered 501(c)(3) voluntary, not-for-profit organization. Visit the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame Web site for more information.

Update on Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 9:56PM by Chicago Writers Association

We are thrilled to announce that award-winning author Bayo Ojikutu will appear as a special guest of honor at our Sheffield's fundraiser.  Ojikutu's first novel, 47th Street Black (Random House/Crown, 2003), received both the Washington Prize for Fiction and the Great American Book Award. Ojikutu's second novel, Free Burning (Crown, 2006), short fiction has appeared in several publications, including the 2005 Akashic Press anthology Chicago Noir. His short, "Yayi and Those Who Walk on Water: A Fable" received a nomination from the Pushcart Prize for outstanding fiction published in small literary presses in 2009. By then, Crown Books had released his second novel, Free Burning (2006), to considerable critical acclaim.

Ojikutu has taught creative writing with DePaul University and in the Division of the Humanities at the University of Chicago.

Update on Wednesday, December 16, 2009 at 9:24PM by Chicago Writers Association

It just keeps getting better. We've just confirmed that celebrated crime fiction writer Marcus Sakey will be attending as a special guest.  Don't miss your chance to meet this budding literary superstar whose first three works have all been optioned for film (Ben Affleck's production company is developing a movie based on Sakey's first novel, The Blade Itself, and Tobey Maguire has picked up the rights to his third book, Good People).

 

Update on Monday, December 21, 2009 at 11:54AM by Chicago Writers Association

And better. Acclaimed author Don De Grazia has been added to the honored guest list.  De Grazia's powerful Chicago epic American Skin has been hailed worldwide as an American classic . 

STOCKYARD is an American online cultural magazine that focuses on society, politics, art, and literature. While the magazine’s articles often center on its native Chicago, STOCKYARD fascinates readers from across the nation and around the world. It publishes highly stylized reportage, commentary, reviewing, fiction and poetry, satire, narrative nonfiction, and art.

Launched in 2008, the magazine takes its name from the Union Stockyards, whose cleavers helped the City of the Big Shoulders hack its way to national import. In this spirit, STOCKYARD reports on a variety of both gritty and glamorous urban interests; a genuinely Chicago publication, it tackles both the high and the low—stripping the city, and America, all the way down.

Writing

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The subject line of all submission emails should indicate the genre(s) of the work(s) attached. STOCKYARD prefers to receive only three submissions per author semi-annually, and only through electronic submission.

Internships

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