| A Brief History of The Guild...
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
— to improve literacy
awareness, encourage and train would-be poets & authors, showcase samples of their
work through performances & the publication of ethnic literature, and launch new
writers into the commercial market.
The Guild became incorporated on
January 6, 1984 and received its
501.3(c) 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 2007, the Guild has completed over
23 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.
Conferences:
Annually, we sponsor the Midwest
Poets & Writers Conference. This 2 - 3 day is financed partially
by the Guild in conjunction with support from grantors in order to make the cost
of attending as affordable as possible. Classes in all phases of poetry &
creative fiction & non-fiction writing is provided by a staff of over 30
world class instructors from across the country.
Contests:
The Guild sponsors
two Adult Contest:
- The Paul Laurence Dunbar Annual Poetry
Contest with $300.00 in prizes to the top three contestants.
- The Margaret A. Walker Short Story Contest also
with $300.00 in prizes to the top three contestants.
The Guild also sponsors
3 Children's Contests in the following categories:
Publication Of New Works:
During this phase, and after successfully completing the training
phase, we attempt to publish the best results of the students 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 us 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 &
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 twenty-four 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, & 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 produces books
for individuals who want to publish their own material. In which case, the author pays all
costs. The author gives us the manuscript, it is reviewed by the board, a quote is issued
and, if acceptable, the Guild will edit, proofread, design the cover, and deliver the
author a completed product. Some of the advantages of utilizing this option are as
follows:
- Since we are a non-profit organization, our prices are about 40 to
50% less than other producers.
- Books qualify for a Guild ISBN number.
- Author's books can be marketed through Guild channels.
- 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 & 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.
Newsletter:
To keep those interested informed, the Guild publishes a
bi-monthly
newsletter that is mailed to over 800 members and supporters in almost every state of the
union. Featured in the newsletter are current events, black history, literary history,
interviews of authors & members, books & publications by members, and writing
tips.
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 others, of all ages, who possess talent 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. And while many have a tendency to want to blame the system for
this shortcoming, we in the Guild firmly believe 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-two 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
and to do this, and do it 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 which
require financial support.
|
Founded By Peggy A.
Moore in 1984