Chicago Writers Association Let’s Just Write! Conference 2026
A few weeks ago I attended the Chicago Writers Association’s annual conference for the first time. I went by myself and didn’t know what to expect, so of course I was anxious. So much so, I almost didn’t go, but I did.
It began with breakfast, which I missed because I already ate. Besides, the line was really long!
The conference took place in a rehearsal room at the Steppenwolf Theater. Rows of chairs were in front, and towards the back were long tables with chairs. I sat at a table between two strangers.
Pulitzer winner Junot Diaz gave the keynote speech about being unable to write for years after publishing his first novel. Honestly, I couldn’t concentrate, but it could be because it was 9:30 in the morning and I wasn’t fully awake.
The next speaker was Julia Borcherts, a publicist, who talked about how authors have to promote their own books more than ever because, unless you’re a big-time author, the publisher doesn’t provide much publicity. I kind of tuned out on this one because I’m nowhere near the promotion stage of my novel.
Lunch was served, and I made it to the front of the line! I had the boxed sirloin sandwich with pasta salad, chips, and fruit. The other choice was turkey pesto, and admittedly, I’m not a fan of turkey. Not even on Thanksgiving.
There was a dining area, and I sat at an empty table because I was too shy to ask anybody if I could join them. I was okay with people sitting with me though. At the table, we each described the type of writing we do. I mentioned micro memoirs, which they hadn’t heard of, mainly because I think it’s a newish genre.
Rebecca Makkai, Pulitzer finalist and artistic director of StoryStudio Chicago (where I’ve taken and occasionally still take writing classes) talked about how difficult writing a book is. She didn’t sugarcoat it. I was very interested in what she had to say because I agree with her. My biggest takeaway was to persevere.
Next up was Alexis Pride, a creative writing professor at Columbia College Chicago who talked about rewriting, especially for writers who aren’t sure what to do next after writing the first draft, and identifying what needs to be done. This talk was just okay because I’m already in the rewriting stages of my novel.
Finally, there was a conversation facilitated by Samantha Hoffman, executive director of the annual conference, between Stuart Dybek and Alex Kotlowitz. Dybek is one of my favorites. I especially love his short story collection, The Coast of Chicago. 1 Kotlowitz wrote There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in the Other America, which is on my TBR. The New York Public Library named it one of the twentieth century’s 150 most important books. The host asked them various questions about their writing and favorite authors. It was a lot of fun.
There was a Q&A after each session. Also, they held pitch sessions where you have like ten minutes to pitch your book to an agent. Again, I’m nowhere near that stage, plus it cost extra.
Would I do this again? I don’t know. It would depend on who the speakers are and what their talks would be about. I didn’t meet anybody, but that was okay. It was mainly sitting around from 9:30am to 4:45pm in an auditorium, which is as tiring as it sounds.
We did get swag though, including a tote bag, water bottle, lip balm, and a memo pad and pen with the conference’s name on them. But yeah, I’m not sure I’d do it again.
If you purchase a book through these affiliate links, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Also, please check out the Comedy, Tragedy Bookstore for more books!
Alternatively, please consider buying me a brown sugar, almond milk boba tea! Thanks for reading!
Sounds like a great event.