#National Writers Union

[jolenes-book-journey]

Finding Your Tribe: Why Genre-Specific Organizations Are a Writer's Secret Weapon

Finding Your Tribe: Why Genre-Specific Organizations Are a Writer's Secret Weapon

Finding Your Tribe: Why Genre-Specific Organizations Are a Writer’s Secret Weapon Navigating the vast landscape of the writing world can feel like wandering through a jungle. You’re armed with passion and maybe a manuscript, but the path to success seems tangled and overgrown. That’s where genre-specific writers organizations come in, acting as seasoned guides who know the twists and turns of…

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#Authors Guild #Finding Your Tribe: Why Genre-Specific Organizations Are a Writer&039;s Secret Weapon #First Coast Romance Writers #Genre Specific Writing Organizations #Horror Writers Association #Mystery Writers of America #National Writers Union #Networking with other Writers #Resources for Writers #Romance Writers of America #Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America #Sisters In Crime #Society of Children&039;s Book Writers and Illustrators #Writers Alliance of Gainesville #Writers Supporting Other Writers

[izhunny]

So after seeing this tweet from 4-ish hours ago I had a think. If I understand this correctly...

If this indicates they are indeed going on strike, word-of-mouth will become the only means of promotion for already completed works being released or awaiting a scheduled release caught in this struggle. No actors on red carpet at premieres, no promo junkets with fan service, or interviews about projects so many have worked so hard to create. Actors will be committed to no work of any kind(including promos) moving forward from the stoppage of a strike.

Word-of-mouth by the public will become make or break for the duration for these unlucky works in the interim.

Please, let us all pay attention and support these unions in seeking better working conditions and commensurate pay by following their lead. Whatever that lead is, including supporting works already produced.

#sag-aftra #union solidarity #wga strike #aim your displeasure at the companies trying to bust unions #not at those who simply want to create under fair conditions with reasonable pay for that work #it is neither the writers nor actors fault for this situation #i stand with the writers #i stand with the actors #the SAG-AFTRA national board has not voted yet but seem poised to do so in favor of a strike at time of posting #watch the union for updates and official releases not gossip columns

[tuttle-did-it]

National Book Foundation, I don't have twitter to tell you thank you for rescinding your invitation to Drew Barrymore as a host for your ceremony. She is scabbing, and must be held accountable. Thank you for standing with the unions.

Heartbroken, as Drew is one of the few people in Hollywood who had my respect and I didn't have anything bad to say about her.

#national book foundation #national book awards #drew barrymore #wga strong #wga strike #support the wga #wga solidarity #i stand with the wga #writers strike #sag strike #sag aftra #sag afra strike #sag strong #sag aftra strong #aftra strike #scab #union strong #union solidarity #labor unions

[dora-papp]

The Hungarian urge to give in to hating your own country, but then you remember how beautiful your language is. How amazing your artists and scientists are. Oh and the cuisine is alright too. And Budapest. And Lake Balaton. And the wines. Goddamnit

#hungary #hungarian #magyar tumblr #magyar #magyarország #tumblr magyarorszag #budapest #country #nation #europe #european union #odd one out #artists on tumblr #writer

[writingandmushroomdragons]

They... they fired all the writers on National Geographic. They're not on strike, the magazine is over. WHAT!?

#national geographic #writer #writer strike #writers union

[fans4wga]

The Animation Guild Announces Unionization Efforts At Warner Bros. And Cartoon Network

EDIT: Because people are misreading this, please note: it is animation production workers specifically who are joining the pre-existing TAG (The Animation Guild) union.

Animators and animation writers are already covered under TAG. This news story is specifically about WB animation production workers.

News story text:

"Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network production workers are attempting to unionize with The Animation Guild (TAG).

A petition was filed with the National Labor Relations Board today requesting a union election. The petition includes 66 staffers at Warner Bros. Animation and 22 at Cartoon Network, including roles like production manager, digital production assistant, IT technician, production coordinator, production assistant, design production coordinator, assistant production manager and senior assistant production manager.

They are involved in such Warner Bros. projects as Batman: The Caped Crusader, Harley Quinn and Teen Titans Go! and Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake, We Baby Bears and Craig of the Creek.

The workers also requested voluntary recognition from management at the Warner Bros. Discovery subsidiaries.

A tweet was issued confirming the move, which was officially announced earlier on a joint Zoom call.

“Although many might not think it, production is a specialized skill; we might not be artists or writers, but what we bring to the table goes beyond traditional creativity and gets content on the air,” Warner Bros. Animation production manager Hannah Ferenc said in a statement about the organization effort. “Having lived through the existing state of the animation industry for the past seven years, I want to make sure that not only our current workers, but all those who choose to join us in the future, can feel secure in following their passion by earning livable wages and being treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.”

The Animation Guild has already established bargaining units on shows like Rick and Morty, Solar Opposites, The Simpsons, Family Guy and American Dad!  It also is active at studios like Titmouse New York and L.A. and ShadowMachine. Establishment at Walt Disney Animation Studios is currently in progress."

#the animation guild #tag #current events #union solidarity

[ericalaxner]

I'm very proud that two articles of mine are featured in the new issue of Uttryck Magazine, which deals with the always hot topic of democracy. 🗳

Have a read below! 🙌

#uttryckmagazine #ufuppsala #international #foreign affairs #politics #government policy #denmark #european union #united nations #writers on tumblr #writer #e.a.l. axner #english

[probablyasocialecologist]

Sixty-six staffers at Warner Bros. Animation and 22 at Cartoon Network filed a petition for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday and simultaneously requested voluntary recognition from management at the Warner Bros. Discovery subsidiaries. Collectively, the group includes workers in roles like production manager, digital production assistant, IT technician, production coordinator, production assistant, design production coordinator, assistant production manager and senior assistant production manager. The effort was announced on a joint Zoom call around noon on Wednesday with production workers at the Warner Bros. Discovery brands and TAG members. The staffers involved work on an array of shows, including Warner Bros. Animation’s Batman: The Caped Crusader, Harley Quinn and Teen Titans Go! and Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake, We Baby Bears and Craig of the Creek. “Although many might not think it, production is a specialized skill; we might not be artists or writers, but what we bring to the table goes beyond traditional creativity and gets content on the air,” Warner Bros. Animation production manager Hannah Ferenc said in a statement about the organization effort. “Having lived through the existing state of the animation industry for the past seven years, I want to make sure that not only our current workers, but all those who choose to join us in the future, can feel secure in following their passion by earning livable wages and being treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.”

#warner bros #cartoon network #trade unions #The Animation Guild

[russianreader]

Writers of Mariupol

This photo shows six members of the National Writers’ Union of Ukraine from Mariupol in 2019. In 2022, the Russian World killed three of them. Natalia Kharakoz, Evgen Bal, and Bohdan Slyushchynsky all died in March or April. The story of Evgen Bal’s death is quite terrible. An elderly former submariner, the famous writer was tortured by the Russians over photos with guys from the Azov…

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#Bohdan Slyushchynsky #Evgen Bal #Mariupol #Natalia Kharakoz #National Writers&039; Union of Ukraine #Russian invasion of Ukraine #Ukrainian academics #Ukrainian journalists #Ukrainian writers

[neil-gaiman]

Can you explain about IATSE 839? I’m confused about why those folks are still working.

Because they aren't the WGA and aren't on strike.

They support the WGA.

Beyond that, you can read their FAQs on the strike and their obligations at

But these questions and answers may explain it for you.

How does the WGA strike affect you as a TAG member?

Most animation writing work in Los Angeles County is performed under The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839, agreements. These contracts are separate from the WGA contract. If you are working under a TAG contract, you can continue working.

What if I am working on a show or production with WGA writers?

Several productions where animation work is covered under TAG collective bargaining agreements are also staffed by WGA writers. You can continue performing your work duties as requested, but do not perform any WGA covered work. Remember, struck work can include small requests like, “can you punch up this joke?” If you are approached to do WGA work, please contact TAG Business Representative Steve Kaplan at [email protected]. Also, be prepared that you may face a picket line at your studio and be asked to honor it.

What should I do if there is a picket line outside of my studio? Will I be protected for honoring it?

It’s your personal decision to choose whether to cross the picket line or honor it. Honoring a picket line shows your support for the WGA writers, their union, and the labor movement. The TAG agreements do not expressly prohibit employees from honoring lawful picket lines. Therefore, employees working under the agreement retain their right granted by the NLRA (National Labor Relations Act) to honor a lawful picket line. However, should you honor the picket line, it is the employer’s right to temporarily and/or permanently replace you through due process.

Can my employer fire me if I honor a lawful picket line?

Under existing law, employers have a legal right to temporarily replace any employee who refuses to cross a picket line with employees who are willing to work. Different laws apply depending on whether the strike is considered economic or in protest of unfair labor practices. The WGA strike would most likely be considered an economic strike.

What if I work remotely? Am I protected for honoring a picket line if I don’t have to cross one physically?

Workers who are remote are not presented with a picket line. Therefore, they should continue to work. Unless a worker encounters a physical picket line, they may continue their work. Any collective work-stoppage may become a plausible violation of a collective bargaining agreement. 

#wga strong #wga strike #do the write thing

[thelittleukrainianwell-armedgirl]

"On 7th of January Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov and his ginger cat were killed by rssian army on the frontline. He was 33 years old. He was writing poems about the war and his loyal cat friend, while protecting his homeland. He could create so much if russia would not start this unjust horror.

Every time something inside me dies when I see news like this. Every Ukrainian from the beginning of their time in school learns about Executed Renaissance - when on the beginning of 20th century a lot of Ukrainian artists, writers, poets were chased and executed by Soviet Union for creating works in Ukrainian and expressing their national identity. Now it’s happening again, same evil, but under different flag. Besides occupation of our land russia also often talks about how Ukraine is fake country with fake language, they burn our books on occupied territories, mock us, our POWs for the fact we’re ukrainian. They were mocking us even before the invasion, I grew up with watching it on social medias myself. And now a lot of authors can’t create because of the war, russia kills them on frontlines, in their homes, russia purposefully targets objects of civilian infrastructure to leave us without heat and electricity. It pisses me off every time when I see russian “culture” being praised by the foreigners, knowing that it’s made on blood of other nations. Either 100 years ago or now. Because while russian authors can live and create, we have fight for our survival.

Before being killed by russia Maksym published his last poem, where he told about how his body will grow as violets after his death. Every time it’s hard to draw something about the war, I feel literally empty afterwards but I just felt it would be right thing to do. It’s awful that our artists have to go through all of this, so damn unfair, and I keep telling myself that justice is waiting for them but I can’t even imagine what has to happen, everything feels not enough.

Please support Ukrainian authors, until it’s too late."

(c) @ fate_221

#ukraine #украина #україна #russia #россия #росія #putin #путин #путін #война #war #art #illustration #poet #poetry #війна #арт #ілюстрація #иллюстрация #поезія #поэзия #поет #поэт

[iww-gnv]

A SAG-AFTRA strike appears to be imminent, as talks with the studios have concluded without a deal or an extension. The union’s contract officially expired at midnight. In a statement, the union said that the negotiating committee had voted unanimously to recommend a strike. The union’s national board is expected to meet Thursday morning to call a strike, which would immediately halt scripted film and TV production by the companies represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Fran Drescher, the president of SAG-AFTRA, said in a statement that the AMPTP’s responses to its key issues were “insulting and disrespectful.” “SAG-AFTRA negotiated in good faith and was eager to reach a deal that sufficiently addressed performer needs, but the AMPTP’s responses to the union’s most important proposals have been insulting and disrespectful of our massive contributions to this industry,” Drescher said. “The companies have refused to meaningfully engage on some topics and on others completely stonewalled us. Until they do negotiate in good faith, we cannot begin to reach a deal.” Production has already been dramatically curtailed due to the Writers Guild of America strike, which began on May 2. SAG-AFTRA, which represents 160,000 performers, has not gone on strike against the film and TV companies since 1980. The last time the actors and writers were on strike simultaneously was 1960.

#sag aftra #sag-aftra #screen actors guild #sag aftra strike #wga strike #wga #do the write thing #hollywood #hollywood strike #news

[power-chords]

Defying boundaries of taste and time, Martin Greenfield made suits for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the gangster Meyer Lansky, Leonardo DiCaprio and LeBron James. Men skilled in the arts of power projection — along with fashion writers and designers — considered him the nation’s greatest men’s tailor.

For years, none of them knew the origins of his expertise: a beating in Auschwitz.

As a teenager, Mr. Greenfield was Maximilian Grünfeld, a skinny Jewish prisoner whose job was to wash the clothes of Nazi guards at the concentration camp. In the laundry room one day, he accidentally ripped the collar of a guard’s shirt. The man whipped Max in response, then hurled the garment back at the boy.

After a fellow prisoner taught Max how to sew, he mended the collar, but then decided to keep the shirt, sliding it under the striped shirt of his prison uniform.

The garment transformed his life. Other prisoners thought it signified that Max enjoyed special privileges. Guards allowed him to roam around the grounds of Auschwitz, and when he worked at a hospital kitchen, they assumed that he was authorized to take extra food.

Max ripped another guard’s uniform. This time, it was deliberate. He was creating a clandestine wardrobe that would help him survive the Holocaust.

“The day I first wore that shirt,” Mr. Greenfield wrote seven decades later, “was the day I learned clothes possess power.”

[…]

The culmination of his hopes and efforts was his business, Martin Greenfield Clothiers. It managed the improbable feat of thriving by doing the opposite of the rest of its industry.

Local garment manufacturing had been declining for decades by the late 1970s, when Mr. Greenfield set up shop in the East Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, in a four-story building that had housed clothiers since at least 1917. He refused to manufacture overseas and never changed his standards.

As a result, Greenfield Clothiers was able to offer services that New York’s designers and wealthy suit-wearers could hardly find anywhere else. It is now New York City’s last surviving union clothing factory, Tod Greenfield said in an interview for this obituary in March last year.

#may his memory be a blessing #martin greenfield #greenfield clothiers

[fans4wga]

SAG-AFTRA, Teamsters, IATSE, Writers Guild Issue Joint Statement in Solidarity with Directors Guild of America

May 31, 2023

Los Angeles, CA — As the Directors Guild of America’s negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) enter their final scheduled week, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the Teamsters, Hollywood Basic Crafts (Teamsters Local 399, IBEW Local 40, LiUNA! Local 724, OPCMIA Local 755 and UA Local 78), the Writers Guild of America East (WGAE), the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW), and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) stand alongside our sisters, brothers, and kin in the DGA in their pursuit of a fair contract.

We believe in a Hollywood where every worker is valued and their contributions recognized, whether their labor is on or off screen. A fair contract for directors does not benefit just a select few; it uplifts every worker in the film and television industry and acknowledges the interconnected nature of our work. We call on the AMPTP to immediately negotiate a fair agreement that addresses the Directors Guild of America’s unique priorities in good faith.

As eyes around the world again turn towards the negotiation table, we send a clear message to the AMPTP: Our solidarity is not to be underestimated. The Hollywood guilds and unions stand united, and we stand strong.

In solidarity,

Matthew D. Loeb International President, IATSE

Lindsay Dougherty Motion Picture Division Director & Western Region Vice President, Teamsters Hollywood Basic Crafts, Chairperson

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, SAG-AFTRA

Michael Winship President, Writers Guild of America, East

Meredith Stiehm President, Writers Guild of America West

#wga #sag #sag aftra #sag strike #dga #teamsters #iatse #union strong #fans4wga #wga strike #writers strike

[txttletale]

Wtf is Lancer and why is it shit (serious question)

lancer is a tabletop roleplaying game made by the guy who drew kill six billion demons and another guy. i wouldn't call it 'shit', necessarily--it's good in a lot of the ways that matter. it's first and foremost a tactical mech combat game and on that level it's incredible. its ruleset is finely tuned, provides great amounts of GM support to make running what might otherwise be overwhelmingly crunchy combat easier, and has a truly stunning and cool level of character customization available. so as a game, i think it's great fun to play and run, genuinely innovative, and a huge step forward for battlemap tactical wargame type TTRPGs in general.

the lore though, kind of sucks. i think it has two clear and overlapping core problems. problem #1 is that it is a utopia as envisioned by a social democrat. it's a world which the text describes as 'post-capitalist' (but there are still evil megacorporations with private armies who own slaves) and 'post-scarcity' (but only in the developed 'core' systems, so. y'know. there's scarcity). at many points in the text they say that Union (the game's main faction) is utopian, throwing around that exact word a bunch of times as well as 'mutual aid' and 'direct action' and the like. but what they describe is just kind of an imperialist Space Sweden with several distinct forms of slavery that constantly expands and uses its Benevolent Imperial Power to intervene on the Backwards Violent Worlds on its outer border but its good because its just trying to bring them UBI.

to show what i mean, here's one of the game's writers¹ talking about how it would be morally wrong for Union to, say, appropriate the property of a private military corporation that also operates as a fascist nation-state:

it's 'revolution' as imagined by the limpest of social democrats. and of course this would honestly be fine, whatever, most sci-fi settings are fundamentally achingly liberal, but the game goes so out of its way to signpost how Radical it is and how Hopeful and Liberationist you're meant to see the setting as

the other core problem is closely related--it feels like the lancer guys put every cool sci-fi idea they had into lancer even when it completely clashes with the core ideas behind it. like, AIs in this settings are callled 'NHPs' (non-human persons) and they're eldritch god-like beings from another dimension who have be kept 'shackled' (lancer's words, not mine!) to keep them as pliant and obedient AI assistants instead of hostile eldritch abominations. this is obviously horrifying and dystopian but it rules, it would be sick fucking worldbuilding for something with the tone of 40k or a one-off doctor who or star trek episode--but as a fundamental technology foundational to what we are supposed to believe is a post-revolutionary society founded on mutual aid and solidarity and blah blah blah it's glaringly dissonant.

bear in mind this is all just going off the rulebook. lancer fans have told me that the supplements and campaign modules fix some of this or contextualise it. but on the other hand communists have told me that they make it worse and i trust the communists more. i leave you with this incredible passage from the game's foreword:

#ask #brendanicus #ttrpg #lancer

[tailschannel]

HOLLYWOOD ACTORS AND STUDIOS ANNOUNCE TENTATIVE AGREEMENT, ENDING HISTORIC STRIKE

A tentative agreement has been officially reached between Hollywood's actors' union and studios, ending the historic labour disruption.

SAG-AFTRA's tentative deal with the AMPTP secured "above-pattern" minimum compensation increases, provisions for consent and compensation to protect members from artificial intelligence, and streaming participation bonuses.

Dear SAG-AFTRA Members: We are thrilled and proud to tell you that today your TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee voted unanimously to approve a tentative agreement with the AMPTP. As of 12:01 a.m. PT on Nov. 9, our strike is officially suspended and all picket locations are closed. We will be in touch in the coming days with information about celebration gatherings around the country. In a contract valued at over one billion dollars, we have achieved a deal of extraordinary scope that includes "above-pattern" minimum compensation increases, unprecedented provisions for consent and compensation that will protect members from the threat of AI, and for the first time establishes a streaming participation bonus. Our Pension & Health caps have been substantially raised, which will bring much needed value to our plans. In addition, the deal includes numerous improvements for multiple categories including outsize compensation increases for background performers, and critical contract provisions protecting diverse communities. We have arrived at a contract that will enable SAG-AFTRA members from every category to build sustainable careers. Many thousands of performers now and into the future will benefit from this work. Full details of the agreement will not be provided until the tentative agreement is reviewed by the SAG-AFTRA National Board. We also thank our union siblings — the workers that power this industry — for the sacrifices they have made while supporting our strike and that of the Writers Guild of America. We stand together in solidarity and will be there for you when you need us. Thank you all for your dedication, your commitment and your solidarity throughout this strike. It is because of YOU that these improvements became possible. In solidarity and gratitude, Your TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee.

The contract, valued at one billion USD, has yet to be ratified, but the union announced that the strike will end this Thursday, 9 November 2023 at midnight PST.

Sonic movie screenwriter Pat Casey acknowledged the announcement late Wednesday night on X, the social media website formerly known as Twitter, and said that he's "excited that everyone in this business, cast, crew, everybody, can finally get back to work doing what we do best - entertaining people!"

No word from Paramount as of yet, or the studio's upcoming production plans for the third Sonic the Hedgehog film, currently scheduled to debut in 2024.

#sonic movie 3 #sonic movie #sonic movie spoilers #sonic the hedgehog #sonic #paramount pictures #sega #shadow the hedgehog #sag aftra #unions #sonic news