Anyone willing to give a thoughtful, honest, yet respectful, critique is welcome. All genres and forms are welcome (Ex. chapter of a novel, short story, play, screenplay, poem, article, etc.). The works critiqued, in this group, are generally by dedicated, serious writers. Published authors, and those who are dedicated to the pursuit of publishing, or the creation of a worthwhile piece of writing, will benefit from this group. However, all members are welcome to share work, for critique. The way in which our group operates is flexible, and may change, based on the will and interests of its members.
Although work in any form or genre is accepted, we encourage works which focus on human issues (i.e. memoirs, fiction about personal struggle or triumph, social justice issues, etc.).
At our meetings, writers share a piece of their work, and the people at the meeting share their thoughts (in discussion and / or writing). The way writing is shared and critiqued is flexible, and may change, based on the preferences of the group. It is best to read the details of each meeting. However, there are some common features.
One option for sharing work is posting online. This allows people to think about the piece, during the time between meetings, and hopefully give a better critique. Members may add, edit, or delete their own piece, whenever they want. You can go to the link below, to post your own work (please indicate the meeting at which you want the work critiqued). Also, you can view the work of other members:
http://www.meetup.com/author/files/
Work can also be read aloud. Some meetings provide other options as well.
Meetings are held about weekly. Generally, there is a North Side meeting, around Wicker Park (i.e. Milwaukee and Division), about every two weeks, and an Evanston meeting, around Davis St. by the Metra and CTA train station, about every two weeks. Both are within walking distance of public transportation and parking.
In addition to regular writing critique meetings, we may host or participate in other writing related activities (i.e. collaborative writing sessions, writing workshops, readings, discussions and more.) These may be scheduled by member request. Please discuss ideas for this on the Message Board.
Feel free to email about any questions or suggestions.
We are now meeting at Atomix (see above for address).
Please RSVP as soon as possible, and change it as soon as plans change. Ideally, please make a final decision 24 hours in advance. If the group is large, we may need to make arrangements with Atomix. If the group is small, we don't want to burden them unnecessarily. Read more
What members are saying
“ The more people that attend, the more diverse and useful the group will become to all of us. It's a casual, laid-back way of receiving a little constructive criticism. ”
“ The attendees are there for the right reason; they care about their writing and expect you to care about yours, too. ”