Friends of American Writers

01/29/2026

Friends of American Writers Feb 11, 2026 meeting features Natalie Y. Moore, Journalist and Author. Reservations due by 6:00 pm Feb 3.

Natalie Y. Moore, a Chicago award-winning journalist, is known for her reporting on race, housing, economic development, food injustice and violence. She writes a monthly column for the Chicago Sun-Times and has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Weekend Edition. Her book, The South Side: A Portrait of Chicago and American Segregation, received the 2016 Chicago Review of Books award for nonfiction Natalie’s work has helped shift the way Chicagoans today think about segregation in the region. Come hear this sought after speaker.

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FAW, Friends of American Writers, Literary Organization, Literature Programs, FAW is the premier Literary Organization in Chicago. Come join us.

10/27/2025

Our November 12 program features an internationally recognized fashion designer, Jeffrey Banks. His consummate personal taste and way of putting clothes together have perennially earned him a spot on the "International Best Dressed" list. His professional style combines genuine talent for design and merchandising with an acute understanding of what contemporary men really want to wear. Banks' approach to design has earned him some of fashion's most prestigious awards and honors. He has an upcoming book to be released in early 2026, Storyteller: Tales from a Fashion Insider.

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FAW, Friends of American Writers, Literary Organization, Literature Programs, FAW is the premier Literary Organization in Chicago. Come join us.

10/27/2025

Friends of American Writers will be at CPL's upcoming inaugural "Write at CPL Celebration". This experiential event will take place on Monday, December 1 from 5-7pm in the beautiful Winter Garden at Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State Street.

This event is targeted towards adults in Chicago who are aspiring authors, including CPL writing groups, participants in CPL's writing workshops, or anyone who writes! Like all CPL events, it is free and open to the public. You can imagine the event as similar to an activity or information fair, with various "stations" set up around the room with activities like an open mic, pop up writing workshop, storytelling games, refreshments, and more. Come celebrate writing with us.

05/07/2025

The FAW 2024 - 2025 Literature Award Winners

Adult Literature Awards

MICHELLE EPHRAIM for Green World: A Tragicomic Memoir of Love & Shakespeare (University of Massachusetts Press)
ROBERTA HARTLING GATES for Number 12 Rue Sainte-Catherine: and Other Stories, (Running Wild Press)

Young People's Literature Awards

JOHN SCHU for Louder Than Hunger, (Candlewick Press) $2,500
NADIA AHMED for The Ghost Who Was Afraid of Everything, (Beaming Books) $2,500