November Program:
A Taste of CWIP

What is it exactly that CWIPers do, and what have they accomplished?

The Taste of CWIP gave participants a chance to show off their work: design portfolios, copies of articles or books they wrote or edited, copies of magazines they contributed to, portfolios of edited manuscripts or marketing materials they created. One participant even brought in her university's yearbook for which she was the editor-in-chief.

With this first-ever "show-and-tell" event, attendees met one-on-one for in-depth conversation and a chance to see and understand exactly what projects their colleagues delve into every day.

To start the event off, everyone in the room introduced themselves and the materials they were presenting. Tables were arranged for showcasing work, and out of the 30-35 people who attended, approximately 25 presented their work. Among them were freelance editors, writers, and graphic designers; editorial and marketing coordinators; authors; a printing press sales rep; and a women's historian and columnist.

CWIP even invited a couple representatives from a temp/temp-to-hire agency, Digital People, to assist those in the middle of a career change and provide more clients for freelancers.

The nonpresenting "audience" consisted of a communication coordinator/director, freelance editors and writers, magazine editors, journalists, a student from Northwestern University, and an author and career planner at Robert Morris College. The rest of the evening was spent mingling, reading people's work, admiring artwork, conversing with old friends, and collecting handouts.

Maureen Glasoe and Dorothy Ryan, Taste of CWIP's coordinators, had hoped to launch such an event for a long time. "We wanted to do this [to] learn about, to actually see, the work of fellow CWIP members," Ryan explained. "We see each other month after month...yet we don't really know what we do every day and what talent and dreams lie within. By learning about the work of others, we thought attendees could learn about new career paths, find mentors or kindred spirits."

Being the first event of its kind, no one knew what to expect. People who hesitated to attend or weren't sure which samples to show off were happy in the end with their decision to participate. Rachelle Cera, a freelance editor and new CWIP member, commented, "It didn't seem as if that was the first time CWIP held an event like that. I think the event was a success, and there was a good turnout."

Taste of CWIP was a great way for CWIPers to share with others what they do on a daily basis. And, of course, it was a great way to network: publishers looking for copyeditors, writers and designers collaborating, and freelancers landing a gig from Digital People. Everyone went home satisfied with copies of colleagues' magazines, books and/or writing samples, and with newfound connections and friendships.

"It was fun, energizing, very positive...it achieved the goals," Ryan concluded. "[Taste of CWIP] opened up new connections, relationships, and ideas for all who attended. I see it becoming an annual event."

Rachel Winokur graduated from Columbia College Chicago's Fiction Writing Program in May 2006. Currently, she is a freelance writer and editor.

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