Printers Row Lit Fest

Four years ago I started lobbying to get the Chicago Writers Association to be represented at the Chicago Tribune's Printers Row Book Fair (now called the Printers Row Lit Fest), the Midwest's largest free outdoor literary event, covering five Chicago city blocks (on Dearborn, from Congress to Polk). I applied for a tent on behalf of CWA and our application was shot down. But I persisted. The next year I applied for a tent again and they gave us a table. Last year I applied for a tent and they gave us two tables. This year I applied for a tent, and, lo and behold, they gave us a tent.

Persistence pays off. I'm also sure that it doesn't hurt that CWA is now a federally-registered nonprofit organization. When I first applied for space at Printers Row CWA was a Yahoo! group, a loose affiliation of writers that 'met' mostly by email.

CWA has come a long way in a short time. It's a good feeling seeing something that you've helped to guide grow in a positive way.

This week the respected Chicago ezine Gapers Block cited CWA in its Guide to the Printers Row Lit Fest. It included CWA in its list of booksellers, publishers and organizations "that have become essential to the promotion of Chicago's literary scene." 

How cool is that?

I'll be at the book fair, er lit fest, all weekend, just like I have been each of the last two years. This year I'll be under tent (GG on the Printers Row Lit Fest map), on Polk Street near the Kids Corner Stage. On Saturday morning from 10 a.m. to noon I'll be signing copies of "Cubbie Blues: 100 Years of Waiting Till Next Year," a book that I contributed to as a writer, editor and publisher, a book that was born from a relationship formed through CWA. 

If you are a fan of the written word, there's no better place to spend a weekend. Additional information about the Printers Row Lit Fest is available at its website