Staten Island Goddamn!

Staten Island, a plantation Paddyrollers at every station  They ordered the Freedman show a pass Or he’d join his ancestors under the grass  Freedman raised his hands to show no threat Hisses and rattles, he’s trapped in the net  Staten Island Goddamn! A blue boa’s grasp A grunt, a gasp A beast choke A strangled […]

NWU Lobbies for Paid Sick Days, and Against Wage Theft and Misclassification

Six members of the National Writers Union joined approximately 150 members of various UAW locals from Regions 9 and 9A at the New York State Community Action Program (CAP) Council’s 2020 Political Education/Lobbying Conference in Albany, New York, March 1 – 4. Inspiring, instructive speeches were offered by the New York State chairman of the […]

Writing and Healing Event with Yusef Salaam

The Yusef Salaam Writing & Healing Circle will premiere at Sister’s Bookstore and Cultural Center, 1942 Amsterdam Avenue, 156th St. We will write and read our works. There will be discussions about feelings reflected in each narrative: poetry, essay, letters, etc. Our goal is to engage, explore, and empower. To discover the restorative essence of […]

Bronx Book Fair 2019

The recent Bronx Book Fair 2019 at the Bronx Library Center was jam-packed with excitement. The energy sizzled as an array of booksellers, writers, and patrons engaged each other regarding their adoration for stories.  Presented by Poets Network & Exchange, the theme was Our Children, Ourselves: Sustaining a Healthy, Creative, Educationally & Literary Rich Community. […]

Yusef Salaam on Writing While Black

In commemoration of African American History Month, NWU’s New York chapter presented “Writing While Black” on February 13th at NWU headquarters in midtown Manhattan. Veteran journalist Herb Boyd, who is also an Amsterdam News columnist, led journalists Bill Fletcher, Jr. and Yusef Salaam, along with poets Eartha Watts-Hicks, JP Howard, and Raymond Nat Turner (co-chair of NWU’s […]

Yusef Salaam to Present Book in Harlem

From 3-4 p.m. on February 16, Sisters Uptown Bookstorein Harlem welcomes the NWU’s Yusef Salaam, the author of a new children’s book Elijah Muhammad: Builder of a Nation. The interactive event will feature Salaam reading from his new work, with children and parents sharing their ideas, as well. A retired junior high school teacher, Salaam tells […]

Conference: Keys To Writing Success

The recent National Writers Union 8th Annual conference was a rousing success. Held at NWU headquarters in midtown Manhattan, the event brought to mind the African proverb, “Doing one’s best drives away regret.” The theme was “The Writer’s Key to Success,” and NWU Conference Organizing Committee members, Chapter ’87, labored to create a seminar where […]