About the Chicagoland Chapter

EFA Chicagoland Chapter header

Hello Chicagoland!

Our regular monthly meetings are held online the fourth Wednesday of the month at 5:30 p.m. Central Time. The November and December meetings are combined into a single meeting due to the holidays.

Meetings are open to EFA members in good standing, guests of members, or those with a guest membership—but registration is both required and limited.

Hyperlocal meetups and events are held in person throughout the year. If you’re interested in being an organizer of or attending a meetup in your neighborhood, suburb, or city, check out scheduled meetups below or email us to find out more.

We look forward to meeting you!

Sincerely,

Kandy Hopkins, Amy Spungen, and Susan Barnes
EFA Chicagoland Chapter Co-coordinators

JOIN US

Want to join the Chicagoland Chapter? It’s easy! And you don’t have to live in Illinois; we have members from across North America. To join, either sign up for our e-newsletter via the archive (and read past issues) or email us to let us know you want to be added to our mailing list.

SAVE THE DATE(S)

Future meeting dates and times:

  • SEP 9 & 10 | in person [booth] | Printers Row Lit Fest
    Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 9 & 10, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. CT [Volunteer for our booth!]
  • SEP 28 | online | Getting Editorial Work From Book Publishers, with Jennifer Lawler [presented with the WI and MI chapters]
    Thursday, Sept. 28, 5–6 p.m. CT [register here]
  • SEP 30 | in person | N Side Chicago meetup in Lincoln Park
    Saturday, Sept. 30, 1–2:30 p.m. CT [RSVP for details]
  • OCT 25 | online | How to Start a Podcast (and why it’s good for business), with Tara Whitaker
    Wednesday, Oct. 25, 5:30–7 p.m. CT [registration starts Oct. 1]

Do you have a suggestion for a speaker or topic? Let us know!

See more events on the Media Types Omnicalendar, which lists nationwide media- and publishing-related conferences, webinars, and other events of interest to self-employed editorial freelancers. You can also follow EFA Chicagoland on Eventbrite.

Note: Inclusion of non-EFA events on the public calendar does not denote endorsement by the EFA or the Chicagoland Chapter. Events are collected from many sources; any errors or omissions are purely accidental.

Past events:

2023

  • AUG | in person | N Side Chicago meetup in Lincoln Park
  • JUL | in person | N Side Chicago meetup in Lincoln Park
  • JUL | online | Antisemitism in Fiction & Fantasy: Help Clients Avoid Unintentional Harm
  • JUN | in person | N Side Chicago Meetup in Lincoln Park
  • MAY | in person | N Side Chicago Meetup in Lincoln Park
  • MAY | in person | N & NW Suburbs Meetup in Evanston
  • MAY | online | Networking and General Discussion
  • APR | in person | N Side Chicago Meetup in Lakeview
  • APR | in person | W & S Sides Chicago Meetup in the South Loop
  • MAR | online | Networking and General Discussion
  • MAR | in person | N Side Chicago Meetup in Lakeview
  • MAR | in person | N & NW Suburbs Meetup in Highland Park
  • FEB | in person | N Side Chicago Meetup in Lakeview
  • FEB | online | The Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How of Indexing as a Freelancer
  • JAN | online | Editors as Writers: How Blogs and Books Fit into a Freelance Editing Business

2022

  • NOV | November Networking & 2023 Brainstorming Session
  • SEP | in person (booth) | Printers Row Lit Fest
  • AUG | Pay Yourself First
  • JUL | Networking and General Discussion
  • JUN | in person (informal chat) | A Conversation With Carol Saller
  • MAY | Workshop: How to Write a Social Media Bio
  • APR | Website Peer Review
  • MAR | in person (tour) | Field Trip to the Hemingway Birthplace Museum
  • FEB | The Challenges and Joys in Working With First-Time Authors
  • JAN | Trivia Night

2021

  • NOV | Reframing the Way We Network
  • OCT | The Where, What, and How of Building Your Freelance Business Website
  • SEP | in person (booth) | Printers Row Lit Fest
  • AUG | Networking and General Discussion
  • JUL | Networking and General Discussion
  • JUN | PRO Act Update
  • MAY | Red Flag Clients
  • APR | The Six Ps of LinkedIn Success
  • MAR | Brainstorming session
  • FEB | Getting the Most From Your EFA Membership
  • JAN | Welcome to the EFA Chicagoland Chapter, First Virtual Meeting

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