Literary Caucuses
If you are a caucus organizer who would like to update your information below, please send updates to awp@awpwriter.org
AWP is proud to support the vibrant literary caucuses working to meet the needs of the world’s diverse population of writers. Every year, AWP makes space available for caucuses to meet at our annual conference, where all conference attendees, regardless of affiliation, are welcome to attend. Please find below a list of literary caucuses that have attended our conference, along with contact information and links to caucus websites.
These caucuses are freestanding groups, each made up of a specific demographic that shares academic, literary, and professional development concerns. The views and opinions expressed by the caucuses do not necessarily reflect the views of the AWP Board of Directors or Staff.
African Diaspora Caucus
Contact information and mission statement soon to be updated.
Arab American Writers Caucus
Contact: Randa Jarrar, Executive Director of RAWI, randajarrar@gmail.com
Website: http://arabamericanwriters.org
Mission Statement: Established in 1993, RAWI is a national organization that provides mentoring, community, and support for Arab American writers and those with roots in the Arabic speaking world and the diaspora. We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) literary organization dedicated to supporting and disseminating creative writing and scholarly writing by Arab Americans and those from the Arabic speaking world—which often means creating space and highlighting voices and people threatened by erasure.
Art School Writing Faculty
Contact: Lee Griffith, Caucus President, lgriffit@scad.edu
Website: https://www.facebook.com/groups/457049204368753/
Mission Statement: The Art School Writing Faculty caucus consists of writing faculty who teach in art and design environments, and desire the opportunity to discuss pedagogy, programming, administration, and general best practices particular to their writing classes and programs.
Asian American
Contact: Neelanjana Banerjee, neela@kaya.com
Mission Statement: What does it mean to steward Asian American and Pacific Islander literature organizationally, collectively, and individually? The annual Asian American Caucus is a town hall-style hangout and community space. Come meet other Asian American writers and discuss opportunities and resources available to support you. Organized by Kundiman, the Asian American Writers' Workshop, Kaya Press, Hyphen Magazine, the Asian American Literary Review, and Smithsonian's APAC.
Disabled and D/deaf
Contact: AWPdisabilitycaucus@gmail.com
Website: https://awpdisabilitycaucus.wordpress.com/
FUSE Caucus
Contacts: Catherine Zobal Dent, Susquehanna University, Executive Director, dent@susqu.edu
Rachel Hall, SUNY Geneseo, Regional Director, hall@geneseo.edu
Reed Wilson, UCLA, Regional Director, rwilson@english.ucla.edu
Michael Cocchiarale, Regional Director, mfcocchiarale@widener.edu
Website:
http://www.fuse-national.com
Mission Statement: FUSE’s mission is to foster visionary magazine work and to support undergraduates who are eager to pursue careers in writing, publishing, and editing. FUSE provides a wide range of tools necessary for students to further their editing and writing endeavors and is designed also to be accessible to professors of editing and publishing courses, faculty advisors of literary magazines, and directors of undergraduate programs.
The main goal of FUSE is to operate through the formation of college chapters that work to encourage magazine staffs and writers within their own communities as well as at other schools. The members of FUSE run workshops, write reviews of literary magazines, and provide assistance as well as a social outlet for undergraduate editors and writers. This supportive environment opens doors for professional training and teamwork within writing departments. In addition to the main goals, a FUSE chapter might publicize literary journals and blogs, hold fundraising events, organize extramural trips, host readings, and much more. A FUSE chapter is a small group meant to draw people with a common interest into a much bigger family of editors and writers across the nation.
The FUSE website aims to encourage communication among and between students at schools with FUSE chapters, and it helps new schools discover the FUSE resources. The FUSE website hosts a continuously evolving archive of undergraduate writing across North America. By providing links to individual journals in the Directory, FUSE shares and promotes innovations in editing and publishing. FUSE also reviews undergraduate magazines, celebrating aspiring writers and editors and helping to enlarge the readership of these magazines.
To supplement its web presence, FUSE holds an annual conference where students can display their magazines, attend workshops in magazine design, and participate in readings and contests.
Indigenous Aboriginal American Writers Caucus
Contact:
Shauna Osborn, nativeawp@gmail.com
Website:
https://nativewriterscaucus.wordpress.com/
Social Media: Twitter @IAAWC_Writers
Mission Statement: Indigenous writers and scholars participate fluidly in AWP, teaching and directing affiliated programs or working as independent writers/scholars and/or in language revitalization and community programming. This group serves the purpose of supporting the annual AWP Indigenous Aboriginal American Writers Caucus and imparting field-related craft, pedagogy, celebrations, and concerns as understood by Indigenous-Native writers from the Americas and surrounding island nations.
K-12 Caucus
Contact: Kenyatta Rogers, kenyatta.rogers02@gmail.com
Website https://chiarts.org/chiarts-moves-toward-a-trauma-informed-arts-education-practice/
Mission Statement: The caucus creates a space where teachers in K-12 schools, as well as those who work part time with young writers, can share their classroom experiences with the hope of helping one another understand the complex and diverse needs of young writers in the 21st century. The meeting will feature presentations by caucus members to help generate discussion around issues of pedagogy and how to build a creative writing curriculum that is accessible to students no matter their identity or background.
Latinx Writers Caucus
Contact: Ruben Quesada, Founding Member, latinxcaucus@gmail.com
Amy M. Alvarez, Representative, alvarez.amy@gmail.com
Website: https://latinxwriterscaucus.org
Social Media: Twitter @LatinxCaucus; Facebook AWP Latinx Writers Caucus
Mission Statement: Established in 2015, the Latinx Writers Caucus serves to create a network for Latinx and Latin American-identified writers. Through active education, marketing, and promotion of literary publications and live events, we support the needs of Latinx and Latin American writers for broader visibility and inclusion in the literary community.
LGBTQ Writers Caucus
Contact: lgbtq.writers.caucus@gmail.com
Website: http://www.lgbtqwriterscaucus.wordpress.com
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/LGBTQWritersCaucus/, @LGBTQWriters , https://www.instagram.com/lgbtq_writers_caucus
Mission Statement: The LGBTQ Writers Caucus is a space for those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer to network and discuss common issues/challenges in the literary community and world. These concerns are related to gender fluidity and identity while teaching and writing professionally, along with leading a literary and socially responsible life. We share interests, publications, and projects in order to strengthen visibility and importance to AWP, along with addressing our social/creative significance to academic/literary communities. We are now celebrating our 6th year representing LGBTQ writers at the Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference.
Two-Year College Caucus
Contact: Stephanie Lindberg, President, cwtwoyearcollegecaucus@gmail.com
Website: https://2yrcaucus.wixsite.com/home/
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/groups/21511530957/, https://www.instagram.com/2yrcaucus, https://x.com/2yrcaucus
Mission Statement: The mission of the Two-year College Creative Writing Caucus is to connect creative writing instructors at two-year institutions across the country and promote two-year college initiatives while providing a voice for two-year college concerns within the Association of Writers & Writing Programs.
Women’s Caucus
Contact:Jennifer Givhan, President, jennabee_84@yahoo.com
Social Media:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/AWPWomen/, https://twitter.com/CaucusCWWomen
Mission Statement: The Women's Caucus offers an inclusive space for the diverse perspectives of women writers and seeks to recognize the contributions of women writers nationally and internationally, enhance understanding of the relationship between gender and creative writing, expand literary and cultural dialogue to encompass all genres of creative writing specific to women writers, encourage an open forum for dialogues about feminist literary perspectives, support education about the contributions of women writers, and support women writers on local, national, and global levels. Meetings offer a forum in which to network, plan events, and discuss issues concerning women writers (e.g., ways to support each other, lack of access to literary power structures, conference childcare, obstacles to publication, keeping literary events safe, etc.).
