History
Black Writers® holds the distinct honor of being the pioneer in bringing together Black writers online. Founded by Tia Ross in 1998, Black Writers became the first literary arts association to organize online for writers of the African diaspora. The African American Online Writers Guild, as it was originally known, was a 501(c)(3) nonprofit incorporated in Texas. It grew to more than 7,000 members worldwide in the first three years.
Although the nonprofit was dissolved some years later, the community remained connected, hosting conferences and retreats across the U.S. and continuing to share opportunities with its network. Despite the popularity of writers’ groups on certain social network channels, demand for the return of the original online community for Black writers continued to grow year after year. In 2020, the organization returned with a renewed commitment to connecting and empowering its members as the Black Writers Collective.
About Black Writers Collective
Black Writers Collective’s mission picks up where its predecessor left off, by embracing the challenge of linking Black writers worldwide with each other as well as the opportunities and resources to help facilitate achievement of members’ goals. BWC helps aspiring writers to not only take their talents more seriously and view their dreams as attainable, but helps them to reach finish their projects and transition from writers to published authors. BWC offers focused groups, webinars, chats, writing events and more, plus we offer exclusive travel experiences for writers across the U.S. and the Americas, the Caribbean, and around the globe. Our trips offer opportunities for skill enrichment, exploration of other cultures, and escapes for uninterrupted writing.
These are but a few examples of what BWC is about, but we can’t do it all without you. Won’t you join us?
Interested in learning more?
Find out what membership in Black Writers Collective has to offer you!