Let me start with my street cred.
Every morning for four years, starting when I was thirteen years old, I stood on a lonely corner four blocks from the Cook County Jail waiting to catch my second CTA bus of the day, the one that would travel south on California Avenue to the Marquette Park neighborhood and my high school.
I learned a lot during that period of my life—and not all of it from my classes. Every trip to and from school carried the potential for trouble: flirtatious drunks; determined beggars; obnoxious guys who hassled young girls for kicks. Sometimes all three at once. Commuting served as a master class in navigating streets and strangers.
Another four years of daily treks to and from Loyola University offered more of the same—the only difference was the route. By this time, my formerly quiet, blue-collar neighborhood was being targeted by gangs. I traveled from our modest home up and through the glitter of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, all the while observing, listening, and developing techniques to survive. Along the way, I made friends with strangers, spotted the occasional rat, and sighed at the glittering blue-green of Lake Michigan. I also had my hair petted, my thighs massaged, and my butt kicked, among other indignities.
I dealt with it. What other option did I have? This was Chicago. All of it.
Little did I know at the time how much these experiences would shape me. Many years later, when I finally managed to make crime fiction writing a priority in my life, I found myself drawing on these memories to capture the precise emotional blend of fear and sass needed to create believable scenes. I’m grateful for every single moment.
Are my experiences unique? Hardly.
Pick up a book by any Chicago crime fiction author: Sara Paretsky, Gillian Flynn, Hugh Holton, or Lori Rader-Day, to name a few. What is it about this beautiful, angry, chilly, sweltering, glittering, innovative, crumbling, magnificent, shiny-skyscraper city that captures so many writers’ imaginations? Could it be…all of the above?
Whether the setting is an alley behind a four-star hotel, or a shadowed corner of Lower Wacker Drive; whether our character is a greasy politician, or a newbie teacher in a troubled school, Chicago is the city that never stops giving.
“Fine,” you say, “I get that Chicago is great for storytelling.” What you may wonder—especially after watching the news and hearing terrible updates on crime and taxes and corruption—is why so many crime fiction authors live here and why we all love it so much.
That’s easy.
For the record: There is no better city in the world for crime fiction writers than this one.
Hold on, New York. You folks on the West Coast too.
What is it about this beautiful, angry, chilly, sweltering, glittering, innovative, crumbling, magnificent, shiny-skyscraper city that captures so many writers’ imaginations?This is no slam against novels set in Times Square or along Venice Beach. Cities and towns across the globe can proudly lay claim to the thousands of brilliant books set within their borders.
But, what I’m talking about now is living here.
When it comes to nurturing new writers, networking, and opportunity, Chicago leaves all other cities in the dust.
Bear with me.
Not only do we have energetic, busy chapters of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, we have a slew of writing organizations that regularly sponsor local events. Some confer “Best of” awards. Some grant fellowships. The Society of Midland Authors and the Ragdale Residency come to mind.
Every summer, the Chicago Tribune sponsors Printers Row Lit Fest—a free event that draws more than 100,000 attendees from the city and suburbs. These are readers eager to talk to authors, attend presentations, and—most important—buy books. It’s an amazing weekend of fascinating conversation and serendipitous finds.
Oh wait, you want bricks-and-mortar bookstores? We have plenty. A few chains, natch, plus lots of welcoming independents that roll out the red carpet for visiting authors. In any given week, you may find Jamie Freveletti at Volumes Bookcafe, Susanna Calkins at the Book Cellar, Clare O’Donohue at Anderson’s Bookshop, Libby Fischer Hellmann at 57th Street Books, or Raymond Benson at Bookends and Beginnings.
Are you interested in conferences? Don’t miss Murder and Mayhem in Chicago—attendees rave about this one-day conference—it takes place on a Saturday in March. If you can’t wait that long for your literary fix and you’re willing to drive up north a bit, Murder and Mayhem in Milwaukee brings readers and writers together for a fun Saturday every November.
You already know that Chicago offers world-class attractions, cultural opportunities, food, and drink. (Food and drink are always monumentally important… just saying.) Our museums are among our greatest treasures and 2017 saw the opening of the amazing American Writers Museum on Michigan Avenue. If you haven’t been there yet, you need to make time for a visit. It’s a real treat.
But the very best part of being a writer in Chicago—the thing keeps all of us writers sane and prolific and doggedly determined (even after a bad review)—is the camaraderie. The crime fiction community in Chicago is incredibly inclusive. There’s a real sense of paying it forward here, a kindness evident in nearly every interaction.
Here in Chicago, if you’re a crime fiction author, you’re my friend. Or you will be soon enough. When I first joined MWA and started hanging out at conferences, writers like Michael Black, Harriette Gillem Robinet, Michael Allen Dymmoch, and so many others didn’t have to be warm and generous. But they were. Barb D’Amato blurbed my first book. I’m forever grateful.
It’s that particular kindness—a Chicago thing—that binds us all. That legendary Midwest-friendliness you’ve heard about is real. We root for one another. We champion each other. Most of us are far more comfortable promoting our friend’s book than mentioning our own. I’ve seen that in action more times than I can count.
Any determined author can write believably about Chicago and its warts, its beauty, its complexity. Authors who reside in the Chicagoland area, however, have the benefit of actually living and breathing that same beauty, those scars, the exhilaration, and the fear that comes from being a part of this vibrant city.
Come join us. We’ll welcome you with open arms. And trust me: Once Chicago grabs hold of you, it’ll never let you go.
