Information On The Harlem Writers Guild

By Donna Brown


It was in the 1920s, when the first group of writers met to form a support group. After what was originally The Harlem Writers Club lost funding along with the Black Arts Movement and others in the 1960s, The Harlem Writers Guild was born. For, the group of authors which had been part of other organizations in the past still believed it important to help young African-American writers hone the craft.

The Harlem Writers Club began as a method for helping young African-Americans interested in writing. One reason the group formed was due to the dilution of "The Committee For Negro In The Arts, " a committee which worked to promote different type of arts and artists in the area. Then, when funding ended for the Black Arts Movement and other groups in the 1960s, the guild became part of the mainstream literary movement of New York.

Even today, the organization remains focused on the original goal of helping African-American writers hone writing talents. For, the group still meets on a regular basis. At which time, more advanced authors work with new and emerging writers to teach about how to format, and write in a way that is exciting to a a number of readers. By teaching issues related to audience response, fellow members show young authors how to better relate to different elements of society.

Success clearly found its way to the organization by members who submitted over three hundred published works of screenplays, plays, poetry, non-fiction and fiction within a very short time-frame during the 1960s and 1970s. In fact, the guild was honored by the United Nations Society of Writers for having done so. As such, several past and present members have received great acclaim for a number of different works.

Once people could begin working together regardless of issues with mixed-race and mixed-space, publications became more involved in fiction and non-fiction categories. In addition, there was a broader space for those wishing to discuss issues in various periodicals and newspapers. So, while some professors and editors were rather critical in critiquing the writing of black authors, most knew comments were often based as much in racism as towards talent.

In large part, this critical aspect came more from comparing these new authors and works to the talents of Langston Hughes and others of the Harlem Renaissance, even though race may have played a part. Whether based on race, or the talents of earlier African-American authors, anyone submitting material found it more difficult to become accepted or published during that time.

Today, the world of the author has taken on new challenges. For example, e-books have replaced hard and paperback books. Whereas, individuals can now self-publish online far more easier than in the past. Although, there are still those whom want to be published by a national or international publisher rather than creating a book and cover which one can only sell to friends. As such, these groups are still needed to teach new and emerging artists these new and more traditional methods related to writing and publication.

While this group has gone through several renditions since 1920, there are also many other writing support groups around the world. Whether these groups were recently established, or have been in existence for years, most are doing good work. For, without these guilds, groups and organizations, there would be most likely also be less interest in the written word.




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