The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame

I serve as president of the Chicago Writers Association, a position that I sort of stumbled into in a Forrest Gump-like way. It's a job that has somewhat ironically taken away a lot of my writing time. But I do it because I believe that there's a real need for a group like the CWA, a group that brings together Chicago's writers and its literary community. 

I don't get paid for any of the work I do for the CWA. It's purely a labor of love. And I truly believe that since the CWA obtained its nonprofit status a little over a year ago, it has done some truly wonderful things, like starting a program in conjunction with the Teen Writers and Artists Project to mentor teen writers.

But by far the most ambitious project CWA has embarked on is the development of a Chicago Literary Hall of Fame. Chicago has such an incredibly rich literary tradition, but has had no place to honor and celebrate those on whose words and acts that tradition was built. That is until now.

A lot of hard work has gone into this project, and there's a lot more work to be done. Much of the credit for this project goes to my good friend Don Evans, whose vision and tireless energy has brought a dream closer to reality.

Check out the all-new online home of The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame. One day we hope to build a physical home, but you've got to start somewhere and this is, I think, a pretty nice first home.  

Update on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 09:32PM by Randy Richardson

Check out what some of the Chicago literary blogs are saying about the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame:

• Chicago Literary Scene Examiner
• Pete Lit
• Gapers Block