Last fall, I had the absolute pleasure of visiting the new American Writers Museum in Chicago. The museum opened to the public in May 2017, and I visited in October 2017, only five months later. What a treat!

I was accompanied by my writer friend and co-member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Nancy Johnson, who lives in Chicago. It was wonderful to spend time with Nancy and in such an inspiring place for writers!

The mission of the American Writers Museum is to “engage the public in celebrating American writers and exploring their influence on our history, our identity, our culture, and our daily lives.” For a life-long reader and writer like me, it was like sending a kid to the best candy store imaginable. The exhibits were interesting, inspiring and interactive. Nancy and I took our time, reading quotes, interacting with the various exhibits, taking photos, and sharing stories with each other about our favorite books and writers along the way.

What a treasure!! The museum captures the unique power of the written word beautifully. It ties literature to events in history and shows how the written word has played an integral part in our culture.

The museum will be inspiring to any reader or lover of literature. But if you are a writer, it will be even more powerful. The writers featured in the museum spent years honing their craft. The museum gives visitors a glimpse into the mysterious world of writers that one rarely gets to see or experience. It offers insights into the daily discipline and practice necessary to produce works of literature, and into the way the writers think and create. It is awe inspiring, albeit sometimes intimidating!

If you are in the Chicago area and are a writer, book worm, or lover of the written word, do yourself a favor and go visit the new American Writers Museum. I promise you it will be time well spent. For more information, check out the museum’s website at https://americanwritersmuseum.org.