“I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.”
- Anne Frank
CONTENTS OF THE AUGUST ISSUE
Writers' Night OUT! - Monday, August 15
and Writers' Night IN! - Monday, August 22
NWU-Boston at the Boston Book Festival, Saturday, October 29
The Case of Julian Assange
Grants Available to Low-Income Writers
Open Mic Every Thursday
Calling All Book Authors! Tune-In Tuesdays
Kudos
Upcoming Events
Spread Your News on the Update and Our Website!
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WRITERS' NIGHT OUT
MONDAY, AUGUST 15 @ 6:00-8:00 P.M.
730 TAVERN, CENTRAL SQUARE, CAMBRIDGE
WRITERS' NIGHT IN
MONDAY, AUGUST 22 @ 5:30-6:30 P.M.
ON ZOOM
Thank you to the people who came to hang out in Cambridge in July – we all had a great time! It’s wonderful to see other writers in real life, to see their smiling faces, and fraternize, discussing the writing life, the benefits of writing groups, and how much we love books. We are going to meet again, at the same place, at 6 pm, next week, August 15 at the 730 Tavern. Please RSVP to Shannon O’Connor.
We realize that Cambridge can be a long way for some people, and for those of you who can’t travel that far, we are continuing our Writers Night IN – the following week, August 22, at 5:30 on Zoom. We can chat about writing; and if the weather is unbearably hot, like it has been, you don’t have to leave the comfort of your home, or worry about parking, and shoes can be optional! Please RSVP to Charles Coe.
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NWU-BOSTON WILL BE AT
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29
COME AND HELP US!
NWU-Boston will be hosting a table at the Boston Book Festival in Copley Square on October 29. We will provide information about the union and also have limited space for displaying books by NWU members. If you choose to sign up to volunteer to help staff the table for an hour during the day (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) we will be able to feature your book prominently and you will have the opportunity to sell and sign copies. If you are interested in signing up for a slot (no more than two people at a time, please) get in touch with Shannon O'Connor.
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THE CASE OF JULIAN ASSANGE -
CHILLING EFFECT ON JOURNALISM
by JK COSMOS
The following is an individual opinion piece, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Steering Committee.
Thinking about the journey of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and the case against him should lead to some thought about journalists, freedom of speech and protections of free speech. The International Federation of Journalists promulgates the following: “Promotes international action to defend press freedom and social justice through strong, free and independent trade unions of journalists.”
What does this mean in terms of the Assange case? There are numerous, reliable news outlets in support of Assange and in support of his release without further criminal prosecution. Whether or not someone is in favor or opposed to Assange’s position in the criminal justice system, this issue is only one component of the ongoing saga of one journalist, in his attempt to uncover, enlighten and bring to bear corruption and wrongdoing through WikiLeaks publications.
We can think about and analyze his actions, the matter of confidentiality and the issues surrounding government documents with the public’s right to know. The matter at hand, primarily, is the impact and chilling effect on journalism with this case – an individual vs. one of the most powerful governments in the world. Chilling effect doesn’t quite encompass the seriousness and immediacy of this singular case.
The why of it is how Freedom of Speech is defined, how is it practically and reasonably “managed.” Who draws the line of acceptable and publishable or not acceptable and censured? How can we, as a society, give over power to a few elitist “managers” over what is true? Can we? How does this case impact the very real process of revealing the truth, most especially in the area of social justice? Who pulls the strings to authorize what?
All of this may remind us of the courageous Muckrakers of the past. The journalists, the writers, digging in, discovering, thinking critically and reporting the truth of the matter.
In solidarity with truth-telling and those brave enough to write it – to report it and not to be afraid.
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GRANTS AVAILABLE TO LOW-INCOME WRITERS
TO ATTEND CONFERENCES OR WORKSHOPS
The Boston Chapter Steering Committee is offering $100 grants to up to five NWU members in good standing. These grants are available to those who face challenging financial circumstances and would like to attend a writing conference or workshop (one of those listed below or one of your choice), or to take advantage of some other professional development opportunity.
If you would like to apply, or would like more information, please contact Steering Committee Co-Chair Willie Wideman-Pleasants.
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OPEN MIC EVERY THURSDAY
The NWU New York Chapter, which for many years hosted open mics at the Muhlenberg branch library, is now holding virtual open mics weekly: every Thursday from 6:30 to 8:00 pm.
All writers from all genres are welcome. You can read for up to seven minutes. Just RSVP on meetup.com to view the link to join.
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CALLING ALL BOOK AUTHORS! TUNE-IN TUESDAYS
FIRST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH
Royalty, Compensation & Distribution Issues for Book Authors
Join a discussion about the most pressing issues for book authors today. Share your experience and knowledge and advance your career, hosted by Book Division Chair Dan McCrory and NY Member Timothy Sheard. Planned topics for the first several sessions are listed here.
To REGISTER for the Zoom meeting program email chair Dan McCrory.
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MARTHA ZWEIG had three poems published recently:
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'I’m a Fumarole' in The Asheville Review
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'Banjo & Bandanna’ in 12 Mile Review
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'Saffron Immolations’ in Defunct
Please send any news of a publication, award, or writing-related appearance that has already happened to editor Barbara Mende. (A piece on your own blog or website doesn't qualify.) Send 50 words or less, plus your name and a link to the publication, event, or website where readers can find more info about you or the happening. Don't send notices of work that will be published in the future. Do send news of future events, but see the "Upcoming Events" block for that.
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Open Mic Every Thursday (see above)
Tune-In Tuesdays - First Tuesday of Every Month (see above)
SEND US NEWS OF YOUR UPCOMING READINGS, BOOK LAUNCHES, OR OTHER PUBLIC APPEARANCES. WE'LL TRY TO HELP YOU RAISE A (VIRTUAL OR IN-PERSON) CROWD.
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USE THE UPDATE AND OUR WEBSITE TO SPREAD YOUR NEWS
Are you speaking or reading from your work in the near future? Do you want to publicize an event that writers would be interested in zooming in to? Can you provide a service, such as editing or indexing or publicity, for your fellow union members? Do you just want to introduce yourself to the NWU membership?
Our Boston Chapter website, which you can reach at
nwu.org/chapters/boston/ or www.nwuboston.org, is here for you to use. Not only that, but if you send us an announcement of a specific event by the second Monday of each month, we'll try to include it in these updates.
Please send us news of any upcoming events that you'd like us to publicize, along with Zoom links or PDF posters if you have them. If you'd like to promote your services, plug your latest book, tell us about something writing-related that happened to you, or post anything else you can think of, we'll try to give it a place on the website.
And we'd love to hear from you if you'd like to contribute to these updates. Do you have information or a viewpoint on some phase of writing or publishing that you'd like to pass along? Do you have tips that you'd like to share with your fellow writers? Send them in! And don't forget, if you've published something or participated in an event or made an appearance, we'll post it under Kudos.
Send all your news for the Update and website to your webmaster.
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Co-Chairs: Jeanne Cosmos and Willie Wideman-Pleasants
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