The Detroit Black Writer’s Guild is a non-profit organization located in Detroit, Michigan. It was founded in the summer of 1983 by Peggy A. Moore and her 9-year-old daughter, Peggy Sue. The Moore’s concern, at that time, was the lack of books for black children written by black authors in the Detroit Public School System.
     Realizing that a void existed in the number of black writers and publishers available, the Guild was formed.

Its Primary Mission  —

• Improve literacy awareness, encourage and train would-be poets, authors, screenwriters and songwriters;

• Showcase samples of their work through live performances and the publication of books, periodicals & electronic media;

• Launch new writers into the commercial market;

• Serve our community through the promotion of History and activities that enhance the lives of the underserved; homeless and military veterans.

     The Guild became incorporated on January 6, 1984 and received its 501 (c)(3) tax exempt status on August 29, 1986.

     Since that time, the Guild's membership has grown to over 600 individuals from across the United States.  As a direct result of their association with the Guild, several have been picked up by commercial publishers or gone into self-publication. The Guild and its members have published over 60 books representing all genres. Our books are sold nationally and internationally with orders from both England and Germany.

     Regular meetings are held on the 2nd Saturday of each month from 12:00 to 2:00 PM at the Conant Avenue United Methodist Church, 18600 Conant Avenue, Detroit, MI. Workshops are provided in poetry, creative writing, self-publishing, computer literacy, and desktop publishing.
 
      As of this year 2012, the Guild has completed over 28 years of service to the Metro-Detroit area.

How We Accomplish Our Goals....

Training:

    During this phase, training in the creative writing process and computer literacy is provided to members and other interested persons through classes, workshops, and seminars utilizing instructors from the Guild, professors from local universities, and other persons considered to be experts in their field.  Our focus is on poetry, fiction, and historical subjects which reflect and preserve our heritage.  During the summer months, the Guild concentrates on its Young Authors Program. During the school year, and depending on the amount of funds available, the Guild sponsors a Book Give-A-Way Program to elementary school students showcasing the works produced by the Young Authors during the preceding summer.
    

Contests:

    The Guild sponsors one Adult Contest:

• The Paul Laurence Dunbar Annual Poetry Contest with $225.00 in prizes to the top three contestants. 

    The Guild also sponsors two Children's Contests in the following categories:

• Poetry 
• Essay

Publication of New Works:

    During this phase, and after successfully completing the training phase, we attempt to publish the best results of the student's efforts in the form of Poetry and Short Story Anthologies. This is a critical phase in the development of an author. Without it, there would be no incentive for a person to pursue writing as a career.  

    After its founding, it didn't take the Guild long to realize that there were very few outlets or publishing opportunities for all the writers that we were going to train. And since most of the writer's guilds and publishers would only lend an ear to published authors, we had a dilemma. In fact, being published was a mandatory requirement to become a member of the only Guild in Detroit at that time. That pretty much excluded everyone that we knew. 

    To resolve this problem, we decided to publish our own work. This was shaky at first because we really didn't know what we were doing, and the costs seemed foreboding. So, we decided to finance our projects by:

• Seeking donations from members;
• Giving fund raising events like Theater Nights, used book sales, selling arts and crafts, etc;
• Charging each author a prorated amount of books to purchase in advance;
• And finally, by giving a super "Book-signing Party."

     In most cases, we were able to pay off all costs by the end of the party.

    In the later years, we learned how to write grant proposals to partially defray costs. Today, the Guild has published over 24 titles, and many more are planned in the future. Our books, in most cases, are anthologies. This enables us to expose a greater number of poets and authors to the public and spreads the costs among participants. At present, we do not have the resources necessary to publish books by individual authors, but we hope to be in a position to do so in the very near future.

     In addition to publishing anthologies, we also actively seek historical projects in an effort to preserve black heritage. Our latest release, "Paradise Valley Days," is a good example of a project that embraced several art forms (Black History, Photography, Poetry, and Essays).

     In all books published by the Guild, the author or owner of the copyright retains all rights to their work..

     To review a few of the books we have published (Click Here)

For Self-Publishers:

    The Guild also assists individuals who want to publish their own material. In this case, the author pays all costs. . Some of the advantages of utilizing this option are as follows:

• Pending approval of the project by the Board of Directors, books by members in good standing, qualify for a Guild ISBN number;
• Author's books can be marketed through Guild channels such as our website;
• The author retains control and possession of all books. We do ask that the author donate a few copies to the Guild once the book is published so they may be sold to support our activities.

    Performances:

    Periodically, we sponsor programmed activities such as Readings, Variety Shows, Radio and TV appearances, any number of other activities that allow us to showcase the talents of members. Poetry reading sessions are quite popular, and something is happening weekly around the city.

Launch Phase:

    When an author reaches a comfortable level of expertise, we provide assistance in launching him or her into the commercial world by introducing them to literary agents and publishers, reviewing manuscripts and query letters, and/or assisting them with their self-publication efforts.  

Why We Think Our Program Is Necessary...

     Creative writing, in the past, has been overlooked as a viable career for minorities. Times are changing, and minorities are becoming more aware of literature as an art. While we have excelled in music and sports, all of our youngsters cannot be Michael Jacksons or Michael Jordans. We must introduce them to other fields. We must also encourage talented peopleof all ages to explore the depths of their creativity and assist in contributing our portion to the historical record of the human race. During our 1994 Poetry Contest Awards Ceremony, a 72-year-old awardee broke down in tears because as she stated, "I never thought I would live long enough to see any of my poetry in print." There are thousands of others, like this very humble woman, who have not been afforded an opportunity to fulfill their creative aspirations.

     When the Guild was formed, an inventory of any bookstore would have revealed only a limited number of books on minority subjects. While many have a tendency to want to blame the system for this shortcoming, we (in the Guild) firmly believed that it was up to us through self-help to do something to correct this over-sight.

     Times have changed now. We have many Black bookstores, and the major chains now devote adequate space to African-American Literature. Because the Guild became the largest African-American national literary organization in the country, we feel that the Guild played a significant role in this process.

     For the past twenty-eight years, the Guild has survived pretty much on its own through the financial support of its members, sales of its books, and the services of an all volunteer staff who often have to go into their own pockets to see a project through to its completion.

     Today we have a much larger task before us. To do this effectively, we need all of the assistance we can get. If you would like to participate, please contact the Guild for a summary of the projects that require financial support.