Archives for 2016

Writer Alert: Heart and Soul Magazine

Heart & Soul continues to cheat its former writers, some of whom remain unpaid for years. Since the Writer Alert posted in April 2013 reporting that H&S had yielded to pressure from the NWU and the UAW  and had started reimbursing writers in installments, three more NWU members have come to the union for help. Together […]

So Cal Chapter Celebrates Latinex

At the recent So Cal chapter meeting, about 25 people gathered in member David Trujillo’s lovely Los Angeles backyard with its fruitful orange tree and bubbling Buddha fountain. National Writers Union members present included Trujillo, Ismael Parra, September Williams (No Cal), Dan McCrory, Eric Gordon, Elle Febbo, Marilyn Grunwald and myself. Everyone was encouraged to […]

E-Books and E-Rights Webinar

The Grievance and Contract Division, in partnership with the Book Division, presented our “E-Books and E-Rights” webinar for a second time Wednesday, July 13. The session covered electronic rights in general; negotiating with publishers over e-book and other royalties; and choosing between allowing one’s print publisher to issue one’s e-book or placing it elsewhere. We […]

Self-Publishing? Think Self-Protection

Most of us, I hope, wouldn’t think of signing a contract with Random House or St. Martin’s Press without having the contract reviewed by either an NWU contract advisor or a lawyer. Yet authors who sign up for self-publishing often don’t even get a hard copy of their contracts. First, as we’ve discussed before, many […]

NWU’s Two California Chapters Meet

The No Cal and So Cal chapters partnered with the Mechanic Institute Library and Chess Club to host a Writers’ Lunch on June 17 where Elle Febbo, chair of the So Cal chapter, was the featured speaker. Also present were No Cal members Brigid O’Farrell, Jim White, and September Williams. Febbo spoke about developing a […]

Writing on a Greek Island

It came up at the last minute: A career coach’s newsletter had a paragraph in it about her upcoming trip to Agistri, Greece, off the coast of Athens. She would be leading morning and evening meditation, while her colleague, a woman from England, would coach the writing sessions. If I shared a room and took […]

Hitting the Streets at the Harlem Book Fair

New Yorkers attending this year’s Harlem Book Fair, one of the largest writers’ events in the city, reflected the diversity of the NWU’s members.  On Saturday, July 16, 10 members displayed their recent works along with information about the union, including our new membership brochures,  buttons, and  “Workers of the WORD, Unite” T-shirts, some of […]

WHY THIS YEAR’S LABOR DAY MARCH MATTERS

It’s no secret, the billionaire class and their political allies have organized labor in their gun sights. They have been outsourcing jobs, busting unions, building fear of immigrants and disenfranchising millions of voters at the polls, especially voters of color and students. This is why we need to show solidarity at the Labor Day Parade. […]

Cool Kids Rock Netroots 2016

All the cool kids attended the recent Netroots Nation 2016 in St. Louis. It was the perfect place to be trans, a reproductive rights advocate, pushing the climate change conversation, advancing a pro-labor agenda, or leading a march through the streets of the city chanting “Black Lives Matter!” So, of course, the National Writers Union […]

At the Pride March: Labor Against Hate!

June 26 was quite possibly the biggest Pride March in NYC history. The massive turnout was in large part a response to the anti-Gay terrorist hate-crime committed at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida just two weeks earlier. It was a resounding statement against fear, terror and the spread of assault weapons, and in defense […]