Join us for the FAW luncheon on November 13^th, 12:00 noon at The Fortnightly of Chicago.

From the Fortnightly - The City of Chicago has passed legislation that requires us to publish employee schedules 14 days in advance and provides a penalty if we change the schedule with less notice. This affects our meeting reservation dates. Due to this policy we are required to have more notice for the reservations.

Luncheon reservations and cancellations are due no later than 6:00 PM Monday, November 4.

No reservations or cancellations will be accepted after this time. Call and check that your reservation has been placed if you are in doubt.

FAW has a new Reservation Team! Call:
(Sorry - no reservations by email!)
• Karen Klatt - 312-909-4581 or
Kathy Quaid - 708-704-2161

• $50.00 Pay by check(preferred) payable to FAW at the door. Cash is accepted also.
• Vegetarian meals may be requested at the time you make your reservation.
• You must call to cancel your reservation, otherwise you will still be charged.
• Discounted parking is available two doors west of the Fortnightly at 100 Bellevue Place
• Group reservations - please only have one person make the group request to avoid confusion.

Seating Arrangements

Please mention any special seating arrangements when you make your reservation.
--Guests
--Seated with a Friend or group
--Disability seating
Every effort will be made to honor your request.

Do you have trouble climbing stairs? For a stair-less entrance to the Fortnightly call in advance to the Fortnightly (312-944-1330) and staff will give you instructions.

Click here for a map to The Fortnightly

Adult Literature Awards

A.D. NAUMAN for Down the Steep (Regal House Publishing) $2,500
THAO THAI for Banyan Moon, (Mariner Books)$2,500
LAUREL J LANDIS for Gunshots in Grudgeville and Other Stories, (Ten16 Press) Honorable Mention

Young People's Literature Awards

JACK CHENG for The Many Masks of Andy Zhou, (Dial Books for Young Readers) $1,650
SONDRA SODERBORG for Sky Ropes, (Chronicle Books) $1,650
SHARI SWANSON for The Darling Duck of WWII, (Sleeping Bear Press) $1,650

President's Message October 2024

Friends of American Writers is over 100 years old! Our mission is to "encourage new, talented writers associated with the Midwest and to promote the arts, especially literature, among our members."

We accomplish this mission in several ways. We award prizes to emerging writers at our May meeting. The Adult and Young People's Awards Committee reads between 90 and 100 books and chooses the best for the awards. Our Membership supports these awards by funding the Patrons Fund. We sponsor a writer from Columbia College for a Master of Fine Arts scholarship usually awarded in November and funded by the Foundation Fund. Finally, we have a monthly luncheon at the Fortnightly Club with literary programming to serve our members and provide a stimulating program and social opportunity for our members.

Our membership numbers have fluctuated throughout the years from the original 100 to up to 400 over the past 100 years. One thing is for sure, we would like to share our beloved organization with others who share our commitment to the arts and literature. We know from our members that the most efficient way to gain new members is from our current members. Those who invite their friends, family, and colleagues to our luncheons become new members. In October, you will find some envelopes on your table that mention our mission and have an application for membership on the flip side. We ask that each member identify someone they think shares our mission. We hope to increase our membership to at least 100 and you never know, maybe even the 400 we once had. Thank you for your support and leadership in our goal to increase our membership. ~ Karen Burnett

Click HERE to donate to the Patrons Fund