Illinois

Authors from Illinois cover a range that runs from Chicago crime fiction to small-town stories and books written for younger readers. The state's writing tradition reaches back through the twentieth century and keeps producing new voices.

This tag gathers novelists and storytellers whose work is tied to Illinois, whether by birth, by setting, or by the long stretch of a career spent there.

What separates the Illinois names here from the California or New York ones is reach: Jeffery Deaver writes crime fiction that travels far past the state line, while Ann Bannon's novels belong to a quieter, older tradition of Chicago writing. Blue Balliett sets her mysteries for younger readers in and around the city, and Shelby Van Pelt writes about ordinary people in small towns. David Blixt works in historical fiction, Joe Chianakas writes for young adults, and Kalisha Buckhanon writes about Black life and family. Together they cover crime, history, young readers and literary fiction, a wider spread than most states. To find well-known writers from Illinois, begin with Deaver and Bannon, then turn to the more recent names.