About Us - Midwest Romance Writers
Who: Midwest Romance Writers (MRW) is a Kansas City area chapter of Romance Writers of America® (RWA). MRW was founded in 2002 by four enthusiastic members who critiqued together. Nancy Parra, De Sicard, Sharon Flannery and Candy Cole were sitting around a table critiquing when the idea for MRW came to be. Candy did the paperwork to become an RWA chapter and served as the first President. Their first meeting was held at the Antioch Branch of the Johnson County Library in 2002. Julie Garwood presented their first program and became a member, along with several other guests who attended. By RWA standards, MRW is still a real baby, but our members are mighty, enthusiastic and getting published left and right. And that's a big part of our purpose.So though our roots aren't old, they are pretty deep and meaningful.

RWA® is an international non-profit organization founded in 1980 to promote excellence in the romance genre. Since then, RWA® has grown to nearly 10,000 members worldwide, 1,600 of whom are published authors. (Please see our links page to connect to RWA.)

What: Our mission is to nurture each other and strive for excellence as we stretch to reach our writing and publication goals in the various romance and women's fiction genres, to educate ourselves as writers and authors and to support our members on their writing journey and in their publishing careers.

We are a professional organization with the primary function of educating and networking with other writers in an atmosphere of mutual respect and personal responsibility. We never lose sight that romance writing is a business and an important part of the publishing industry.
When: We come together monthly to support our members in an atmosphere of integrity, harmony, and peace. (Our founders even gave us a mantra of sorts: Leave your negativity at the door.) We encourage our fellow writers with unconditional support, incisive critiques, and a professional network dedicated to encourage and inspire.
Where: Please check the calendar for the meeting location and monthly events.
How: We recognize our members individual achievements with Stepping Stone awards for achievements and charms for each book sale. Another of our traditions is an annual Stepping Stone Contest which we strive to make a step on the way to a Golden Heart for some hard-working winner. We time our contest so that the entrants get their critiques and evaluations back, just in time for a final revision for the RWA Golden Heart contest.

Our MRW Members have access to:

  • Constant connection to other writers through the MRW loop
  • Access to our monthly informative newsletter MRW Im*pres*sions
  • Monthly craft and industry programs and association with other writers
  • Our Goal Getters incentives
  • Prime Time member support
  • Book Reviews of our author's books
  • Help finding a Critique Group
  • Attendance at our events and activities
  • Attendance at our Write-A-Thon
  • Updates about other RWA events and contests
  • And so much more

No one person or Board is responsible for the history and success of an organization like MRW. Many members have given many, many hours to this chapter. We honor and appreciate them all.

Our members have attained a varied history of writing success. Forty-four percent of our membership is published with the other fifty-six percent right on track to follow. All our members benefit from the loving, understanding, and enthusiastic support we share with each other. Success is revered and celebrated by all here. We are friends who care and share.