Writing to the Bone: The Boston Book Party

We gathered in person – first time since 2020! – for our Book Party celebration of members with recently published books. At least 50 writers, book-lovers, fans and friends enjoyed the three-hour party at the Dance Complex in Cambridge. Chapter Chair Willie Wideman-Pleasants fulfilled the promise she made at last year’s virtual party – “next […]

NWU Testifies at Hearing on Generative AI

The NWU was invited to testify at the first of a series of listening sessions on the implications of generative artificial intelligence on April 19, 2023. This wass the first step in a lengthy public consultation process by the U.S. Copyright Office, which is hosting these events. The April 19 session focused on “literary works,” […]

NWU Boston Chapter at the Boston Book Festival

On Saturday, October 29, the Boston Chapter of NWU had a booth at the Boston Book Festival in Copley Square. The festival has taken place since 2008. The attendance is typically between 25,000 to 30,000 people. It was a beautiful fall day in Boston, and the city was filled with book lovers of all ages, […]

Authors Object to the Internet Archive’s Book Piracy

Reaffirming our longstanding objections to the Internet Archive’s distribution of  unauthorized digital copies of books in which our work has been published, the NWU has joined almost two dozen national and international organizations of writers, photographers, and visual artists in a friend of the court brief in opposition to the Internet Archive’s book-scanning and so-called […]

Freelance Isn’t Free Is Coming to New York State

The National Writers’ Union and the Freelance Solidarity Project (NWU’s Digital Media Division), are working to get a statewide version of the Freelance Isn’t Free Act passed in the New York State legislature this year. The bill, which is being co-sponsored by New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes (Democrat – District 22, in Brooklyn) and […]

Book Division meets at 2021 Delegate Assembly

The NWU Book Division, including Delegates and other NWU members interested in issues related to books, e-books, and audiobooks, met online on October 22, 2021, as part of the 2021 triennial NWU Delegate Assembly (“DA”). This was an important opportunity to assess what we’ve done, what we are doing, and what remains to be done […]

We’re Writing Our Way Forward

By Diane Ward I had the pleasure of attending the International Women’s Writer Guild (IWWG) from July 22- 24. Offerings included keynote speakers, agent and editor panels, pitch sessions, an open mic, workshops, breakout sessions and discussion groups. The conference was an oasis hosted by women for  women.     Participants were offered a diverse pallet of […]

Stop the Rejection. Self Publish!

The Boston Chapter’s recent workshop, Stop the Rejection – Self Publish, was a great success, drawing both members and non-members. Independent publishing allows you to be in full control of your writing and ensures that your book’s concept, content and cover are not altered by commercial interests. The pilot project allowed participants from around the […]

My Friend, Ursula

Ursula Le Guin and I first met in 1966 at a party at her house in Portland, Oregon. She was writing The Wizard of Earthsea, and I was cranking out fashion copy for a department store. We were both married to academic historians. She had three children and I, at the time, had none. When I […]