NATIONAL LATINX
WRITERS GATHERING
2023 and Beyond: Taking the NLWG to Communities Across the US -
a Scalable Initiative
ABOUT
The National Latinx Writers Gathering supports and celebrates a multiracial, multilingual, transnational community of Latinx writers. Somos una comunidad de escritores multirracial, multilingüe y transnacional. We are dedicated to relationship-building, creative expression, dialogue, advocacy, networking, and activism utilizing our multiple tongues. We acknowledge and respect our differences while recognizing a range of shared values that allow us to gather with a generosity of spirit, acceptance, and support.
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Nos encanta la palabra escrita and the ways that it enables us to tell our stories, express our realities, and advocate for the truths of our lives. We also demand acknowledgment that we exist and deserve our rightful places in the publishing and prize industries, en los espacios literarios, en los anales de la historia literaria.
The 2021 Gathering consisted of 60 sessions over four days including, for the first time, a Padlet community bulletin board, open mics, despertares, un Zocalo gathering space, and our own “Highlights” at the end of each day.
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Our presenters, presentations, and workshops resulted from an open call for applications during the spring of 2021. All applications were thoughtfully reviewed. There could have been many configurations of excellent presentations. Even so we hope, through many gatherings over many years, to achieve a multiplicity that celebrates the remarkable breadth of our literary community. We pay our presenters; it is our way of providing economic support for the Latinx writers community.
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The National Latinx Writers Gathering co-exists alongside a wide range of organizations, programs, and initiatives that serve the Latinx literary community. Estos inspiran, informan y guían nuestro trabajo. We are dedicated to supporting the Latinx literary community as a whole.
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As organizers of the National Latinx Writers Gathering we are a learning community that consists of Latinx writers who volunteer our time. Aprendemos mientras vamos. We welcome feedback from attendees that will improve each gathering, each year.
2023 INFORMATION
Based on feedback during the 2022 NLWG and information we have gathered from previous years, we will undertake a long-term effort to make the NLWG scalable. Over time, we will build a network of gatherings that can happen at the local and regional levels. This enables us to bring more writers into community in multiple places during the year.
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NLWG 2023 will be a FREE two day hybrid event that continues to lay the groundwork for this long-term effort.
DAY ONE is a FREE VIRTUAL GATHERING open to Latine writers across the country. It will bring together experts and artists across writing genres who are establishing practices that support Latine writing futures. All events will be recorded and archived. Day one is inspired by the Black Arts Funding Summit.
DAY TWO is a FREE IN-PERSON EVENT that is open to New Mexico-based writers. On day two, writers will gather and participate in a series of experiential activities with the aim of fostering community.
Saturday, November 11, 2023 - 12-4 pm Mountain Time
Sunday, November 12, 2023 - 1-4 pm Mountain Time
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REGISTER HERE
REGISTERED WRITERS: You should have received an email with a Zoom link for Saturday. If not, please contact us as soon as possible so that we can email/text you.
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In the coming years, attendees will receive training in how to organize a gathering where they live, work, and write. Attendees will then return to their communities and work to create a gathering there. These gatherings will "train" others in additional communities and they will repeat the process. 'Central coordination' will exist to gather feedback from local gatherings and share best practices.
To learn more, contact Rebeca Alderete Baca, the national coordinator for the NLWG as of January of 2023.
2022 INFORMATION
In the wake of the pandemic, two years of remote working and learning, and a range of tumultuous national and international events, the 2022 NLWG took place online for two shorter sessions on Saturday, October 15 and Sunday, October 16, 2022. These two hour sessions consisted of Latinx writers sharing their perspectives and opinions about what they'd like for the future of the National Latinx Writers Gathering.
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Saturday, October 15: 11 am Pacific, 12 pm Mountain, 1 pm Central, 2 pm Eastern/Zoom
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Sunday, October 16: 11 am Pacific, 12 pm Mountain, 1 pm Central, 2 pm Eastern/Zoom
Our warm thanks to those writers who participated in the discussion groups. Your stories, perspectives, opinions and wishes are essential in guiding upcoming gatherings and visioning a future for the NLWG. Over the next few weeks the NLWG team will study the results of the small group discussions, looking for guiding principles and practices that have emerged from the conversations. Check back here for updates.
2021 PROGRAM
Access the program here, too!
Funding for the 2021 supported registration fees, sponsors and donors who support stipends for presenters, virtual platform fees, administrative and technical staff, and more. We are very grateful for support from our 2021 sponsors, the National Hispanic Cultural Center, Letras Latinas, and Artful Life. Additional thanks to ArteSano for its support of this year's gathering.
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2021 Planning Committee Members: Valerie Martínez, Francisco Aragon, Ahimsa Timoteo Bodhrán, Miranda Colon, Tammy Gomez, Tanesia Hale-Jones, Sutherland Jaramillo, Christy Leos, Michelle Otero, Patricia Perea, Rubén Quesada, Sara Rivera and Monica Sanchez.
As a result of the "Money for Writers/Dinero para escritores" sessions at the 2020 gathering and spring 2021 workshop series, we are sharing this comprehensive list of resources. Enjoy!
Questions? Please contact us: uslatinxlit@gmail.com
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2021 SPONSORS & PARTNERS
