National Writers Union

"Freelancers are, by their very nature, isolated," states the website for the Twin Cities chapter of the National Writers Union. Consisting entirely of freelance writers, the union aims to end that isolation and unify authors, journalists, technical writers, and everybody else who writes without the security of a staff position. Although not on strike like the Writers Guild of America, the NWU says they are "in solidarity" with the Hollywood writers. Despite doing very different types of writing, the WGA and the NWU share issues with the internet. The WGA writers are concerned that they aren't getting a fair chunk of web movie viewings, while the NWU is concerned that the internet often exploits writers. Since they're not striking, NWU writers are continuing to come through with varied book topics and passion for writing even without a contract in hand. This reading brings three writers together. Virginia L. Martin will read from her work-in-progress, Summit-University: Razing and Raising a Neighborhood; Paul Zerby will read from his yet-to-be-published novel, The Grass; and Jane Gilgun will read from her new book On Being a Shit: Unkind Deeds and Cover-Ups in Everyday Life.
Thu., Jan. 17, 7:30 p.m., 2008