About

Hi there! I’m really glad you’re here.

I’m Christine Wolf. I’m a memoir coach, literary agent, live storytelling instructor, and owner of Writers’ Haven, a cooperative workspace for women writers in Evanston, Illinois.

I’ve been documenting life since I was 7, using tiny diaries to preserve my earliest observations. Over many years, my passion for words has evolved into blogs, newspaper columns, and books (coming soon).

And, I invite you to join my free Substack newsletter, Writers’ Haven by Christine Wolf. It’s a wonderful community of writers and readers connecting and advancing authentic literary citizenship.

My work has been regularly curated and distributed, particularly with the Chicago Tribune and on the front pages of Medium.com, where I’ve been tapped to write for publications including The Writing Cooperative, Bulletproof Writers, Writers Guild, The Ascent, and The Post Grad Survival Guide. I’m also the Founder & Editor of Women This Way — a digital magazine dedicated to stories by and about women navigating business, love, parenting, resilience, survival, and vulnerability.

For the past 15 years, I’ve been writing professionally about topics as varied as advocacy, anxiety, community, death, education, empowerment, failure, feminism, government, gratitude, grief, gun violence, healthcare, hope, humility, humor, journalism, judgment, kids, legislation, medical breakthroughs, mental health, opinions, parenting, politics, publishing, race, radical acceptance, resilience, sexual harassment, shame, social media, transitions, travel, trauma, violence, vulnerability, white privilege, women, and — of course — writing.

And when I'm NOT writing and editing, I rely on my Master’s in Teaching degree to coach, encourage and inspire writers (and non-writers) of all ages. I also love spending time in Chicago’s vibrant live-lit scene, sharing my observations through spoken word performances at The Moth, Mortified, and Louder Than A Mom.

Some highlights of my career (so far) include:
• A 2017 national award for my essay on sexual harassment
• My first book deal — a biography about two former members of the U.S. Congress (to be released December 19, 2023)
• A 2012 interview with President Barack Obama during the first-ever White House hangout — as well as this promotional piece for Google
• A spot on the board of the Chicago Headline Club — the nation’s largest chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists
• A 2022 Moth StorySLAM championship
• Becoming a literary agent in 2023

Pretty cool stuff for a girl who launched her writing career at 37 from her kitchen table and never went to journalism school.

As always, I’m passionate about observing and documenting the human condition — and learning something new every single day.

Thank you for visiting my site. I’m grateful you’re here.

My Journey As a Writer (so far)

College
From 1986-1990, I attended the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, where I was admitted to the College of Media my junior year. When asked to declare a major, I was torn between Journalism and Advertising.

My parents (who, mind you, underwrote my education) convinced me that advertising would provide a more dependable income.

Early Work — Advertising/Marketing
And so, after graduation, it was off to Leo Burnett USA I went. I started in the Media department and was promoted to Client Service within the year — but I knew by my first week that I was not only in over my head, but also miserable.  

I stayed in advertising and marketing for nearly 10 years (until I was 29), always hoping things would get better -- but they didn't. Still, I made lifelong friends and gathered some incredible stories. I even survived a fatal Amtrak crash on my way to a client meeting. 

Transition To Teaching
I left the world of advertising and marketing in 1998, just after my first child was born. By that time, I'd already begun work on a Master's Degree in Teaching. For 10 years (1998-2008), I taught school while raising my 3 kids (now 21, 19, and 16), and I loved it. 

Writing For Hire
During this time, I was approached to write for educational companies -- mostly supplements to textbooks and study guides. I'd always loved writing, and this work came naturally to me. It didn’t hurt that the money was incredible -- far more than I’d ever earned from teaching. It wasn’t very exciting work — and I longed to add my personal voice—but I'd officially caught the writing bug. 

A Leap Of Faith: “I Want To Write A Book”
Then, in 2007, just before I turned 40, I decided to take a year off from teaching to write my own book. I didn't know how to do this, and I didn't have any connections outside educational publishing, but I knew in my heart it was the right thing to do. I considered writing memoir, but ultimately decided to write a novel for children.  

Immediately, I began networking and attending workshops and conferences, trying to learn everything I could. During one conference, a speaker urged all of us *fledgling writers* to start a blog, and I did. She suggested it would give us a sense of accomplishment -- and to help us fine-tune our voices. She was right. 

How I Was “Discovered”
Within months, an editor from a startup called Patch.com found my blog online and offered me a paid position as columnist. I wrote more than 500 enterprise pieces and survived multiple rounds of layoffs as the company struggled with its business model. I've been told that what kept me on staff when so many others were let go was my authentic connection with the community. I’m convinced this connection was grounded and reinforced by my willingness to share my personal views, imperfections and vulnerabilities with readers.

When my editor at Patch was hired by the Chicago Sun-Times, he invited me to move my column over there. Shortly thereafter, the Sun-Times was acquired by the Chicago Tribune. Once again, I was asked to come along.

Small But Scrappy
While writing for these papers, I was also
• working on my children's novel
• attending conferences
• participating in critique groups
• writing on my personal blog (which I'd moved to ChicagoNow for more exposure).

The only compensation I earned at this point was $100/week for my newspaper column (hardly enough to live on) and the occasional gift card from ChicagoNow when my blog performed well. I was exhausted and exhilarated. And though it wasn’t much money, I had control of what I wrote and was getting paid to do it.

My Interview With President Barack Obama
And then, in 2012, I received an email from the folks at Google. They were asking people to submit questions for President Obama following his State of The Union address. If your question was lucky enough to be selected, you’d get to ask your question directly to the President in the first ever Google+ Hangout from the White House.

I was editing my children’s novel at the time, and so I channeled the mindset of my protagonist and submitted my video question with her in mind to Google. For the record, I hadn’t showered yet that day and was wearing dirty sweats when I filmed my question on my phone.

A few days later, Google called to tell me my question was selected. I would be 1 of 5 Americans who’d interview President Barack Obama.

And a few days after that, Google showed up at my house, established an Internet connection between my laptop and the White House. And then, they let me do my thing.

During the interview, I interviewed the President about the economy and his marriage. When I introduced him to my three children, President Obama waved and told them to “do good in school — and listen to your mom!”

After that, I landed a literary agent who shopped my first novel around to major publishing houses in New York. Just as we entered discussions with several editors, my life took a major detour. 

Deep Breaths
You hear people taking time off for personal reasons, but rarely do they explain or elaborate. Sometimes they're responding to illness...or divorce...or the death of a loved one...or the profound depression that accompanies any one of those things. For me, it was all of those things. For two years, I barely wrote a word. I was in survival mode, trying to put my life back together, and almost certain my career as a writer was over. 

And yet, a funny thing happens once you put your writing into the world. It stays with people, even when you’re not writing.

My First Book Deal
One person who'd been following my work was in need of an author who knew our community and wrote from the heart. She had a biography in mind — about two individuals who'd served in the United States Congress — and suggested I write the book

I love biographies, and the project sounded fascinating. After numerous conversations, I was asked to serve as co-author for the book. Though I hadn’t written for two years (and had no prior experience writing a biography), I had the desire to learn and to try my best. I signed that book deal —my first —in 2017.

The process of writing a political biography took me across the country, through the halls of Congress and throughout classified areas of Capitol Hill. The book, Politics, Partnerships, & Power: The Lives of Ralph E. and Marguerite Stitt Church, will be released by Master Wings Publishing on December 19, 2023.

It's been a lifelong dream to write and publish a book. And while I never dreamed my debut would be a political biography, I’m thrilled this will be the first of many books I share with the world.

**********

In 2021, during the pandemic, I dove into coursework through The National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine (NICABM), learning as much as I could about how people respond to life with traumatized brains, as well as approaches to rewire thinking toward mindfulness. I became particularly fascinated with NICABM’s brain research, especially with what the organization refers to as the Neurobiology of Mindfulness. Through my learning, I gained knowledge about various approaches to shame and fear, as well as how to create a safe space for reflection and healing.

Hope has always been my True North. Even during my life’s hardest moments, hope has been the unquestionable, uncompromising force guiding me through. More than anything, learning self-awareness has been the most life-changing experience for me, and I’m grateful to meet others willing to learn and talk about mindfulness and acceptance.

And, as a student of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), I’ve cultivated a practice in which I’ve learned to notice my unconscious drifting from awareness, as well as what so many of us grapple with on a daily basis: the tendency to be unkind to and judgmental with myself. I’ve found that when I make time for mindful writing, I’m better able to focus, process life, stay positive, ease feelings of stress and anxiety, and navigate life’s twists and turns with an increased sense of agency.

“Walking the Walk” With My Clients
Having coached writing (and, specifically memoir) for the past several years, I asked myself why I hadn’t carved out the time to write my own memoir. After all, memoir is my favorite genre, and I’ve made a career out of writing personal essays and opinion columns. So what’s been holding me back from putting my own story into the world?

Let me tell you a brief story. Not too long ago, someone in a writers’ Facebook group wrote of me, “No offense, but how does she coach memoir if she hasn’t written one herself?” At the time, that comment stung deeply, especially since I wasn’t ready — or able — to share my authentic response. Instead, I slid hard into a brick wall that many of us refer to as “imposter syndrome”.

For years, I’d been putting off writing my own memoir for several reasons — many of which related to my deep love, concern, and respect for others who’ve asked me (or demanded that) I hold their secrets. The truth was, I was too scared and overwhelmed to write and share the story of my life. Perhaps you can relate?

But in 2022, I attended the annual conference of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, and it was there that I interviewed several international award-winning and best-selling memoirists. During our discussions, I always asked a version of this question:

”How do you write about your own life experiences when some of those events involved other people who’ve explicitly asked you not to share details of what occurred?”

The best reply came from memoirist Joanna Rakoff, author of My Salinger Year, who suggested I ask myself two critical questions:

1. Who am I protecting by staying silent?
2. Who am I harming by not sharing my story?

Prompted by Rakoff’s two simple questions, I discovered the sense of agency I’d been searching for. After considering those questions, not only did my fear dissipate, but an outline for my memoir began to form in my head.

I’m now working on my manuscript, “walking the walk” alongside my clients. Like them, I understand what it’s like to push through the hard moments, to work a day job and protect my sacred writing time, and to counteract anxiety about what others may think of what I write. Like my clients, I’m challenging myself to dig as deep as possible, finding important threads, searching for meaning, and reflecting on how life has changed me.

And, as for what I’d say to that person who asked, “How does she coach memoir if she hasn’t written one herself?” I’d simply ask my own questions:

• Do you know my whole story?
• Would you like me to put you in touch with my published clients?
• Have you personally written a memoir? And if so, which parts did you struggle with most?
• Do all coaches and mentors follow the same paths and timelines as their clients and mentees?
• Do the interests, prior experiences, and approaches of coaches not add value to a client’s journey?
• How, in your view, do well-rounded coaches actually gain experience?

Here are just a few words from some of my past and current memoir-coaching clients:

Subscribe to my FREE Substack Newsletter, “Writers’ Haven by Christine Wolf” for more content, including writing tips, author interviews, my fledgling podcast, and opportunities to support my writing (and to get your name published in my memoir when it’s published).

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