Who are we?
We are free-lance writers from all over the state of Vermont who
know that it's a tough road making a living as free-lancers. We
enjoy sharing our experiences and knowledge of the publishing industry
with like-minded writers. We write fiction and non-fiction, big
investigative books and short essays, poetry and features in our local
newspapers.
Right now our two biggest claims to fame are Grace Paley, Vermont's State poet and a wonderful friend of the Vermont chapter, and Jerry Colby, former chair of the Vermont chapter who was elected to the presidency of the NWU in January. Jerry spends a lot of his time at the New York City headquarters, but comes back to Vermont on a regular basis because he loves Vermont and also likes to be with his wife and writing partner, Charlotte Dennett, who has been the chair of the Vermont chapter for the past few years. Chances are that if you attend an event in Vermont, you might also get the opportunity to chat with the President of the National Writers Union and get the scoop of what's happening to writers across the country.
When do we meet? The Vermont chapter is run by a steering committee, which meets once every month or two months (See our bylaws). You can read about our most active members on the committee by clicking on their profiles in the directory section of this site. They are:
- Charlotte Dennett, Chair
- Paul Wallich, vice chair and membership director
- Ashley Smith, Secretary
- John Caruso, Treasurer.
We hope to see more of our members putting up their profiles! Getting to know you is part of the fun of being part of the Vermont chapter of the National Writers Union. We also confess to taking some liberties and highlighting some the accomplishments of friends from other chapters.
Our history: The Vermont Chapter of the National Writers Union was formally established in 1997, after five years of existing as a "sublocal" chapter of Boston. We began as a small group of writers mostly from the Burlington-Montpelier area who used to meet at each other's homes until we graduated into being a full-fledged local chapter with members widely dispersed throughout the state. Thanks to the Union of Operating Engineers, we were invited to share their office in downtown Burlington just up from Ben and Jerry's. During the summer of 2003 we had to vacate that space because the building was sold. Now, we have offices in cyberspace! Our mail is collected regularly at P.O.Box 5663 and we do have a Burlington phone number: 658-9667.
What do we do? To give you a flavor of our work, below is a listing of some of the events we've organized in since 1997 in an effort to bring writers together and build our union.
- Writing in an Age of Change: an all-day seminar held at Saint Michael's College which brought writers together of all genres as we prepared to launch our new Vermont chapter in 1998.
- One Planet, Many Voices: Writing on Nature and the Environment. A seminar held at the University of Vermont, designed to bring nature writers together from all over the state.
- Weaving Our Voices: A celebration of diversity in writing through Vermont's writers of color. We held three such events in Brattleboro, and two in Burlington.
- The Rights of Writers: A Panel Discussion at the Vermont ACLU
- For Love and Money: Down to the Business of Writing: We have held seminars around the state and at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH to train free-lancers how to negotiate contracts with agents and publishers.
We are also active participants in Vermont's labor movement. We are members of the Vermont AFL-CIO and the Central Labor Councils of Burlington and Montpelier. We show up at rallies in solidarity with unionizing and striking workers, sign petitions, and lobby elected representatives for better working conditions.
We have a cordial relationship with the League of Vermont Writers, sharing information and attending each others' events. The League tends to cater to writers who are still getting off the ground. We cater to writers who are already published (or close to it) and need professional advice and solidarity in navigating the often treacherous rapids of the publishing industry. For example, League members will read your manuscripts and offer suggestions. NWU members will assist you after you've submitted your writing to an agent or publisher.
As happens all too often, (and pardon the vernacular) if you think you've been screwed by an agent or publisher, you can come to us and we'll help you fight for your rights. That's what it means to be in a union. We also have the UAW (that's right, the United Auto Workers) as our parent union, and. That spells c-l-o-u-t. If you go to our "resources" page you can see how to link up to our national office, the UAW and other helpful organizations.
Join us! Over the years, one of our biggest challenges has been to reach out to writers who are "hiding out" in the hills of Vermont, writing in isolation without the opportunity of discovering the richness and diversity of Vermont's writing community and the many challenges we face as writers. It is our hope that this website will bring us together as a community. So, browse around and if you like what you see, join us! Our Resources section tell you how to do it. We also encourage you to get involved in our Forum section. (As a member, all you need to do is ask Paul Wallich ( for a password, and that gives you access to our forum and other members-only features).
Remember, if you join the union, you'll suddenly see that you're not alone!