A Brief History of Sisters in Crime

In 1986, women wrote 40% of the mysteries published in the United States, but received only 15% of the reviews in the New York Times. Sisters in Crime was founded to “combat discrimination against women in the mystery field, to raise awareness of the contributions of female authors, and to promote the professional advancement of women who write mysteries.”

Founders included best-selling author Sara Paretsky and Kate Mattes, owner of the former Cambridge literary fixture, Kate’s Mystery Books, who started the national organization at the Bouchercon mystery conference in Baltimore in 1986. Read more about the history of the Sisters in Crime.

Today the national Sisters in Crime organization includes more than 3600 members. Our Twin Cities/Minnesota chapter serves more than 100 local members.

Benefits of Membership

As a member, you become a part of a community where you can meet mystery authors at all phases of their careers, network, advance your skills, promote your work and get and give advice. Twin Cities Sisters in Crime offers its members the following benefits:

Monthly meetings. Examples of meeting topics include writing advice, guest sessions from experts in related fields such as law enforcement and the publishing industry. We also have a few social events each year.
Field trips. Sisters in Crime organizes periodic field trips to sites such as the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Hennepin County Courts, firearms practice ranges, and can help you find out about CSI coursework, police ride-alongs, and other similar field work.
Share information with other members. Talk with peers about about resources and challences, including social media and marketing, editors, photographers, publicists and subject matter experts.
Promote your work. Participate in our Speakers Bureau, on this website and through our active presence on Facebook and Twitter. We also promote chapter members through outreach mailings to libraries, as well as exhibits at book fairs and festivals, bookseller trade shows, and library conferences.
Communicate online with fellow readers and writers. Connect with us on our Facebook FanPage and follow us on Twitter.

Follow this link to join Twin Cities Sisters in Crime.

Thanks for helping us celebrate… A quarter century of mystery excellence!

In 2011, Sisters in Crime celebrated 25 years of promoting the work of women crime writers! (You can read more about our history here.) Bookstores, libraries, readers, and writers all helped celebrate this important quarter-century milestone with readings, birthday cake, and a few Sisters in Crime anniversary celebrations through fall of 2011, including a couple of “Killer Cocktails” events at the Midwest Booksellers Association trade show, and the Minnesota Library Association annual conference.

We also saved some special birthday cake for mystery lovers at our December meeting, the last hurrah for the the Sisters in Crime 25th Anniversary at Once Upon A Crime, 604 West 26th Street in Minneapolis. About two dozen people came to meet and mingle with fellow mystery lovers.