A Novel Discussion in D.C.

NWU members and authors Bill Fletcher Jr. and Tim Sheard enjoyed a provocative discussion July 16 about storytelling and social justice at the Busboys & Poets Takoma bookshop in the Washington D.C. area. Moderator Kurt Stand asked Fletcher, who is the author of The Man Who Fell From the Sky, and Sheard, who wrote One Foot in […]

SoCal’s Ismael Parra Takes Play to Chicago

“Many May Not Return,” an anti-war play, will open late June in Chicago at the Prop Theater. Ismael Parra, NWU Southern California chair and music coordinator for the production,  and director David Reyes discussed the fun and challenges of taking your show on the road. David: How is the play coming along in Chicago? Ismael: Good, advance […]

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 […]

Ebony Media and CVG Fail to Pay Freelancers

New York (October 16, 2018) – Ebony Media Organization (EMO) and its parent Clear View Group (CVG) have failed to honor the terms of a February agreement with the National Writers Union (NWU/UAW) and 44 freelancer writers for about $80,000 for unpaid work that was contracted and published. The union filed a case in Cook County […]

October 2018 President’s Report

If there was any doubt as to who is telling the truth, all you have to do is watch the testimony of Judge Brett Kavanaugh and the Republican Senators’ Day of Rage against Dr. Christine Blaisey Ford. White, male patriarchy was on full display, not unlike a visit to the Ape House at the zoo, […]

Beyond Ebonyowes

The unfortunate circumstances around EBONYOWES are no secret: Loss of income. Possibly fractured relationships with editors, and second-guessing by some about our decision to take legal action against a beloved American institution. However, the experience forced me out of my comfort zone. After I stopped writing for EBONY, I began to pitch larger publications and […]

Get to Know Us

More than 40 people joined the NWU to get grievance assistance or contract advice during the first six months of 2018. And roughly half of all members who request service—not counting group grievances—are new members. If you’re one of them, welcome to the National Writers Union!  If you joined to pursue a grievance, you may […]