Join the National Writers Union

For more information and to join the National Writers Union, go to: www.nwu.org.

From the National Writers Union website:

The National Writers Union UAW Local 1981 is the only labor union that represents freelance writers.

Now, more than ever, with the consolidation of power into the hands of ever-larger corporate entities and with the advent of technologies that facilitate the exploitation of a writer’s work, writers need an organization with the clout and know-how to protect our interests. One that will forge new rules for a new era.

Combining the strength of more than 1,200 members in our 13 chapters with the support of the United Automobile Workers, the NWU works to advance the economic and working conditions of all writers. Our members also directly benefit from the many valuable services the Union offers—including grievance assistance, contract advice, and much more—while actively contributing to a growing movement of professional freelancers who have banded together to assert their collective power.

Monday Readings

The National Writers Union will be hosting a reading and open mic on Monday, January 19, starting at 6:00 p.m. at 2955 E. Broadway in Tucson. 

This month our featured reader will be Jan Cleere. Jan, the author of the recently published 100 Western Women: The Bold, Brave, Gutsy Women of Arizona's Past (Wheatmark Press, 2025), will present her views on traditional and hybrid publishers, both of which she has used for her work. The pros and cons of each will be dissected, debated, and discussed.

Jan has been researching and writing about early Western women for over twenty-five years. For more than ten years of that time, she has been writing a column that appears monthly in the Arizona Daily Star, "Western Women," about the women who influenced the growth and development of Arizona. Her work, including over a half-dozen books, has earned accolades from the writing industry including the Will Rogers Medallion awards, New Mexico/Arizona Book awards, Women Writing the West WILLA awards, Military Writers Society of America, National Federation of Press Women, Feathered Quill, and Arizona Authors Association.

The open mic is for spoken word only, but is open to all forms of spoken word (fiction, essays, poetry, articles, polemics, etc.). So bring something to read!

The event will be held at the UFCW Union Hall at 2955 E. Broadway. This is on the north side of Broadway, immediately west of the large and fancy Chase Bank, which is on the northwest corner of Broadway and Country Club Road. Parking and entry to the building are from the rear.

There will not, unfortunately, be a Zoom option this month.

Friday Morning Breakfasts

NWU Tucson Friday morning breakfasts will be on hiatus until further notice. Check back for dates. They take place at 9:00 a.m. at Laverna's Coffee Shop. The address is 220 S. Plumer, which is one block south of Broadway, on the west side of Plumer.

Steering Committee

Our elected Steering Committee members are Co-Chairs Keith Bagwell and Barbara Wright; Secretary Alice Whittenburg; and Events Coordinator Greg Evans. The Steering Committee usually meets on the second Monday of each month. Contact us at nwutucson@yahoo.com to confirm the date and location of the next meeting.