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“A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.” - E.B. White
CONTENTS OF THE JANUARY ISSUE
Writers' Night OUT! - Tuesday, January 21 (NOTE
NEW DAY OF WEEK!)
Writers' Night IN! - Monday, January 27
Our Spectacular 2025 Book Party, Sunday, February 2
Help Amend the Massachusetts Wage Act
All Members Are Invited to ExComm Meetings
Grants Available to Low-Income Writers
Book Authors! Tune-In Wednesdays
Kudos
Upcoming Events
Spread Your News on the Update and Our Website!
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WRITERS' NIGHT OUT
NEW LOCATION AND DAY!!!
TUESDAY, JANUARY 21 @ 6:00 P.M.
MARGEAUX SUPPER PARLOR AT THE PORTER SQUARE HOTEL
1924 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE, CAMBRIDGE
Join the National Writers Union for dinner and conversation about the writing life at a new location in Porter Square, (not too far from where we met before, Christopher’s) at the Porter Square Hotel’s restaurant, Margeaux Supper Parlor. The Tavern in Central Square got a little rowdy, so we decided to try a new location.
New year, with a new start! Email Shannon O’Connor to RSVP.
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WRITERS' NIGHT IN (ON ZOOM)
MONDAY, JANUARY 27 @ 5:30-6:30 P.M.
Gotta keep our heads up. Gotta keep working. Gotta keep taking care of the people we care about, Gotta stay hydrated...
How are folks holding up given...current events? Come hang out with friends and colleagues and talk about what's going on with you.
Hope to see you there...
RSVP to charles52@comcast.net for the ZOOM link.
Hope to see you there. RSVP to Charles Coe for the ZOOM link.
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SAVE THE DATE!
OUR EXTRAORDINARY 2025 BOOK PARTY
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2025
Mark your calendars now! Our fabulous annual event, honoring members who have published books in 2024, is coming up. We'll hear some øf these members reading from their books, award-winning poet and professor Richard Hoffman will be øur keynote speaker, and there'll be plenty of great food.
If you've published or plan to publish a book in 2024 - including an e-book, a paperback edition, or a book you've edited or contributed to - be sure to send info on your book to Jim Kates now!
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HELP AMEND THE MASSACHUSETTS WAGE ACT
The NWU has helped lead successful efforts to pass statewide laws protecting freelancers from non-payment in New York, Illinois, and California. Now, it's our turn in Massachusetts: The NWU is spearheading an effort to explicitly include remote workers under state labor law, and to ensure that employers are held accountable if they don't pay their workers. And we need you to help pass this law!
Unfortunately, this campaign has been partly spurred by a real-life Massachusetts-based employer that is currently refusing to pay several freelancers more than $40,000, in part based on the ludicrous claim that they shouldn't have to pay an employee who doesn't live in Massachusetts. Let's make sure no one has to deal with this problem again.
There are plenty of ways to get involved and help get this law passed: In the past couple of years, NWU members have testified in state legislatures, visited state capitols to lobby on their behalf, helped build relationships with coalition partners, written op-eds in support of our legislative campaigns, and more. If you're interested in getting involved with the campaign or have any questions, please email NWU campaigns coordinator Eric Thurm at eric.d.thurm@gmail.com.
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ALL MEMBERS ARE INVITED TO EXCOMM MEETINGS
THIRD THURSDAY OF EVERY MONTH
The National Executive Committee invites us all to attend our union’s Executive Committee meetings, which are held monthly on the third Thursday from 5-6:30 p.m. ET. The ExComm is developing a formal process for members to submit agenda items for consideration at Executive Committee meetings — for now, you can email Recording Secretary Jonathan Rosenblum if you have something you’d like to discuss at an upcoming meeting.
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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 member Willie Wideman-Pleasants.
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BOOK AUTHORS! TUNE-IN WEDNESDAYS
FIRST WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH
Royalty, Compensation, and 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, in this virtual event hosted by Book Division Chair Dan McCrory and NY Member Timothy Sheard. Planned topics for the next several sessions are listed here.
To REGISTER for the Zoom program, email chair Dan McCrory.
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CHARLES COE recently had a poem, "Reflections of a Hibernating Bear" published in "Some" Literary Magazine.
SHANNON O'CONNOR had a flash fiction piece for the holidays published in Oddball.
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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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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