Inserting Colour into the creative/literary landscape is not as Black and White as many would imagine. With many barriers to bringing diverse stories and global artforms to the forefront, it’s always great to encounter opportunities for writers of colour in all genres as well as for creatives in general. But how to spread the word to our creative/literary community? Enter Global Majority Writers!
- support/celebrate each other’s writing/arts-related projects
- share various writing/arts-related events and opportunities
- coordinate meetups during literary/art events
From 40 of my initial writer/artist buddies, we are now 175 members strong and growing through constant referrals to other writers/artists wanting to benefit from the GMW community.
Members Testimonials
“I am having a ‘happy to be on this platform’ moment ladies!” Mbeke Waseme
“It is a superhighway of hot off the press writing events, commissions and so much more” Jackee Holder
“This is an amazing group. I feel honoured to be part of GMW.” Nelissa Mendy
“I have always desired to be amongst likeminded creatives. I am delighted to be here, a virtual home, and look forward to seeing your faces in person.” Ọmọ́bọ́lá Osamor
GMW concepts stands out amongst other niche writing communities, be they:
- writing circles (coming together to work on individual projects using ‘communal motivation’ e.g. LWS)
- writing instruction (workshops on different genres/styles e.g. Inscribe)
- writing critiques (giving feedback on drafts/WIP e.g. The Write Vibe)
- writing appreciation (open mics e.g. Speak the Word)
- writing opportunities (sharing initiatives benefiting specific demographics/genres = GMW!)
From poets to novelists; crime writers to romance writers; AfricanFuturists to AfroFuturists; fantasists to journalists, memoirists to autoethnographers; playwrights to filmmakers; actresses to academics; novices and scholars; you name it, we have them! All genres and related initiatives are welcome.
So many opportunities are shared each day that we now have a Google Sheet to keep track of all the events ranging from writing retreats, competitions, scholarships, fellowships, publishing prospects, funding sources and more (thank you to Jo Sokan for volunteering her time and expertise liaising with me to create this for us.) You can easily input your finds into a pre-programmed forms which upon submission automatically populates the main sheet. Same with members details boosting a tsunami of talent amongst female Creatives of Colour. (One member DMed to say she applied for a PhD opportunity I’d shared that she wouldn’t have known about otherwise, that was a real heart warmer!)
And what’s the best part? It’s all voluntarily on my part, and so absolutely FREE!!
Recognition
Funny story: The Black Writers Guild (BWG) Conference 2024 was jammed pack with lots of talent. There was lively music group alongside insightful panels…and a surprise nomination! Each year, BWG have a ‘flowers parade’ to recognise people advancing the Black writing community in some way. With my voluntarily GMW initiative sharing opportunities and events to benefit participants on their creative journeys… apparently someone wanted to show their appreciation.
Still, I didn't believe when they called my name at the conference and stayed sat in my chair until GMWer Stella Oni ran down the aisle and said 'HEY, GET UP THERE!!' Ah, that would be me then :-) Hence I shimmied up the side to join fellow GMWers Kadija George Sesay, Anni Domingo, Jendella Benson and the other recipients for some lovely bouquets 💐
Thank you GMW ladies! I’m so happy the group is fulfilling its purpose for you all. I hope you all continue to enjoy this friendship space :-)
Traction
The Benjamin Zephaniah Day at Brunel University organisers approached GMW to take part in their celebrations on Saturday 12th April 2025. So four poets are doing 15-mins sets in the one-hour themed-room session entitled ‘GMW Poets: Benjamin Passions’. The involved poets and related poetry themes are:
*Abíọ́dún Abdul (race x3)
*Mbeke Waseme (race, food, environment)
*Annette Pateman (race, Windrush, environment)
*Yvonne Howard (race, mental health, environment -> ‘DiversiTree: Roots, Shoots and Fruits’ set with artwork & photography)
Details of time and location will be on the full programme page soon.
Also, a huge thank you to Kadija George Sesay who suggested GMW’s participation to the organisers!
Possible Future Events
(1) GMW mingles by (a) writing genre/artforms (b) location
(2) GMW conference possible sessions:
*Crafting scholarship winning PhD proposals for Critical Creative writing projects
*Organising/partaking in writing retreats overseas
*Organising literary festivals & writing grants
*Using AI/ICT to enhance your writing AND marketing
*Self-published children books - marketing tips
*Self-published poetry books
*Trials and Tribulations of snagging an agent
*poetry performance/readings
Q1: What do you think of the suggested themes so far?
Q2: What other themes could you potentially contribute to the conference/would you like to see? Possible fee required for this (TBD).
DM me for more details through the Yorùbá Yonder contact page
#GlobalMajorityWriters
#WomenSupportingWomen
#YorubaYonder
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