Sacred Harp singing is a form of 'a cappella' singing that regularly takes place in communities across the United States and beyond.  It has brought people together to sing in living rooms, churches, and community centers since 1844.  It is rich in history and tradition, and it continues to be a thriving form of American shape note singing.  Its distinctive melodies and harmonies attract many singers for a lifelong journey of singing.  Sacred Harp singing made its way to Chicago thirty years ago …

First and foremost: We are not a critique group. We are not a workshop group. We are a group of writers who get together to...just write. This is a group that meets to WRITE, to socialize, and to offer encouragement and inspiration to others as we practice our craft. We're focused on the process, not the product.  Writing can be a solitary activity...but it doesn't have to be. This is a group where the focus is actually on DOING the work as opposed to critiquing already finished works. I found s …

Creatively Caring provides opportunities for families to get involved in hands-on community service projects that help people, animals, and the environment.  Families with children of all ages are encouraged to participate in our projects.  By taking an active part in community service, our youth develop self-confidence and cultivate a greater sense of responsibility, tolerance and empathy for others.  When we plant these values as seeds in our children, they grow with our children and eventuall …

Authentic Connections Networking is about the true basis of networking - creating relationships. For years I avoided networking events because although I had read about building relationships, when I went o an event all I seemed to find were people that handed out business cards and made sales pitches. One day though, I came across people that practiced what I was reading and my view on networking changed dramatically...I went from hating it to LOVING it! My love for it has driven me to creat …

Ours is a book club on the old model: a long-term, ongoing group of women that reads and discusses a variety of books and enjoys great friendships. We're now just over a year old, and while people have come and gone, a core group is in the process of forming. Our meetings are fun, boisterous affairs where lots of interesting and often diverging views are aired. The books we read span a wide spectrum: fiction, biography, non-fiction, classics, etc. We don't read self-help or how-to books, and w …

This is a group that has dinners in restaurants. While there is a number of vegan and raw groups, our focus is a little different. We are looking to have events at restaurants that will provide vegan and raw options at our events. It may not always be possible to have a raw option but that is one of our goals. Another one of our goals is to have events at restaurants thay may not be only vegetarian/vegan or raw. We would like to show the traditional types of restaurants that there is a market fo …

There are several book clubs out there but they either seem to be disbanding, specialized or for women only so I decided to start this one. I am the former organizer of a large book club in Nashville which, I'm proud to say, is still going strong and I hope to bring that same success to this one. I had the opportunity to read a lot of great books I may not have picked up on my own and I hope to be introduced to even more! This is a co-ed bookclub that will meet once a month, at local coffee sho …

We like reading compelling books on feats of science, technology and engineering derring-do! If you love reading about the amazing lives of radical inventors, laboratory wizards, eccentric investigators, audacious builders and their triumphs and tragedies, then you've found your club! We'll pick out a book, devour it cover-to-cover, and then meetup to discuss what we really liked about it. We'll pick different meeting places in or around Chicago, so everyone's welcome!

This bookclub is open to anyone in their 20s. The limit per event is 12 people so that we can have a good, organized discussion and each member is required to pay dues of $5 either via paypal or cash at their first Meetup event (as the organizer I have to pay Meetup to maintain the website so this goes towards that). RSVPs are open for each book selection 2 weeks before the discussion so make sure you've read the book (or are reading it) before you commit to discussing it. At each Meetup we co …

What would happen if you took a culinary club full of fun foodies and added gourmet reading and travel? Join us for exciting culinary and literary adventures here in Chicago and around the world!  If you enjoy eating, reading, writing, cooking, dining out, reviewing great restaurants and immersing yourself in fascinating new cultures and cuisines, Litereati is for you. Whether you're a professional chef, a food blogger or just someone who enjoys good food and good books shared with friends, you' …

I've just moved to Evanston from Southern California and woulld love to start a book club for women aged 40-65. I have a great meeting place, and would love to meet new friends, read some great novels, and possibly share some great wine. If you are interested please contact me at christine.mcquinn@yahoo.com

Who We Are The Chicago Female-Focused Film Meetup & Festival is a group of film industry artists who are interested in actively participating in the creation, support, development, and promotion of films and screenplays that offer increased opportunities for women in film, especially in broadening the types of roles, stories, ages, body-types, diversity and the overall presence and number of women in film. Members range in experience from student filmmakers to professionals and include writers …

This group is focused on women who want to get healthy, but can feel self-conscious going to a gym or group exercise class by themselves for any number of reasons. Maybe you don't think you're fit enough? Maybe you want a slower pace? Maybe you want friendly easy going gals to get you there and through the class?. Let's get a group together to exercise together, relieve any intimidation you may feel about doing certain activities alone, with the additional accountability that comes with making a …

My goal in starting this group is to create a friendly place where the women of Evanston (and surrounding areas) can meet other women in their neighborhood for friendship, sharing and support. The only rule for joining this group is that you are a women. It is not limited to whether you have children, whether you are married, what books you like to read or what kind of work you do, but rather is a place where all kinds of women can get together and do something that appeals to the women who show …

This group started in May 2011, and we've read novels by Joyce, Malraux, Kafka, Wright, Mishima, Faulkner, Nabokov, Unamuno, Ellison, Hamsun, Woolf, Biely, Gide, and many others.  We try to have a good time discussing the books without descending to small talk, think critically without descending to pedantry, etc. Also, as the title shows, we've expanded our reading list since the group started.  We don't really want to title the group something as vague as "Chicago Literature Group," etc., and …

We are an established book group that is looking to expand our membership. We meet at 2:00 p.m. on the first Sunday of the month. We are co-ed; most current members are over 40 but we welcome members of any age. We read fiction and non-fiction; usually books are chosen by group consensus.

We decide as a group what to read/discuss. We read one book per month (or try, anyway). We meet up in Logan Square.  No themes, no restrictions on membership -- anyone is welcome (even if you don't live near the Logan Square neighborhood). Who's with me??

I'm starting this group to encourage myself to read more and to meet new folks in the neighborhood. Join if: You are in your 30s You live in or around West Lakeview. You want to meet folks in the neighborhood to discuss books with and potentially become friends with as well. You like to have lively discussions. The group Meetups will be capped at around 30 people to keep it manageable.

I would love to meet other women in the Skokie area who are working professionals and love reading! Let's start a book discussion group with slightly older women, 50ish, who would love to laugh, talk, and enjoy great books!

Celebrate your freedom to read! BANNED! is the perfect book club for anyone who enjoys reading and thinks that literary censorship has gone a little too far. We will be working through the Banned and Challenged Book list from the Radcliff Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century as well as the NCTE Banned and Challenged Book list and will be discussing not only the book, but why it has been banned or challenged in the US and if we agree that it should be banned from our libraries and …

This is a book club dedicated to exploring great writings about the environment. We will discuss both the great past works and their influence on society as well as explore the pioneering notions and ideas found in the present literature.  Field trips, lectures and other activities will supplement the reading (or provide a way for our fellow Naturalist Book Lovers to get to know each other better).

Inspired by Kinna Reads' Africa Reading Challenge, I decided to create an offline space to share my newfound appreciation for African literature. If you are interested in reading books from the African diaspora (with emphasis on authors from Africa and the Caribbean), join us! Check us out on Tumblr: http://CHI-ReadingAfrica.tumblr.com & on GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/87568-chicago-reading-africa

Have you read the Fifty Shades books by E.L. James? Multiple times? If you'd like to talk about Anastasia and Christian with other devotees, please join us. We'll delve into the characters, plot lines, and what makes these books so compelling to so many people.

We hope to critique each other's drafts of all sorts in a mutually supportive and awesome environment. This group is invite-only to ensure that we stay tiny (hence the name). We meet about twice a month and share drafts to read a few days in advance. We're into all sorts of writing styles, from humorous to serious to abstract. Many of us are sex-positive feminists; if you're not down with that please don't apply.

Meeting to discuss our own poetry. Working out chinks in the armor, making improvements, listening for sounds, searching for themes and generally becoming more self-aware as a writer, as well as learning to become better self-critics. And of course a good place to chat with other poets and find community, and lay it on thick with pet peeves regarding the state of poetry. We would also go to occasional readings and maybe if everyone is up to it to an Open Mic as well. We will begin by meeting o …

This is Book Club for those who have a passion for reading. We will select books that are simply so good you have to talk about it ! If you have a book you have read and you want to swap with someone that would be great too. If you have not yet read the book but have heard about it. We will read our fav parts and hopefully motivate you. Men and women ages 18 and up are welcome.

Let's get together to discuss some excellent books over fantastic food. We'll meet monthly on a weeknight in the Evanston/Rogers Park area. No background in lit crit necessary, but we will all try to read the books and have thoughtful insight. And a joy of eating is perhaps a must. Fiction and non-fiction are on the table. Initial book ideas include Fic: The Known World (Edward P. Jones) Tenth of December (George Saunders) Telegraph Avenue (Michael Chabon) Vampires in the Lemon Grove (Karen Russ …

Most women dislike, even hate their periods but on my journey in understanding my cycle I discovered that society and media creates a stigma about something that should be natural and empowering to women. Being on the Board of the Red Web Foundation (http://www.theredweb.org/#) in California, I have discovered and read and seen many great books, video and art regarding menstruation. I believe that if most women understood and learn to accept their periods, body and mind perceptions would change …