In 1965, SFWA was formed with the simple idea of creating a community of professional writers to provide mutual assistance. Over fifty years later, the organization is taking a look at what that means in an ever-changing landscape. There is no one way to publish professionally these days, no path that works for everyone, but there are significant hurdles many creators—especially those in underrepresented communities—are forced to overcome in order to feel validated and seen in this industry.
This is why SFWA took a look at our own barriers to entry into the organization. In addition, as the genre grows and changes, many creators are working in media that are not prose dense, or that may not include prose at all. Today, we’re asking our membership to vote on simplified qualifications that we feel better serves the SFF and related genre communities. These changes will allow us to make the addition of new membership categories easier, such as comics writing and game writers that we’ve already admitted. We’ve rewritten the rules that once excluded too many applicants on the grounds that, despite sales metrics, their works weren’t long enough, didn’t include enough words, or weren’t what the organization even considered to be under our umbrella.
One thing is evident as we move forward, SFWA is stronger when we hear and listen to every voice traversing these many different paths.
Help us throw open the gates and vote yes on the bylaws changes that will allow SFWA to grow, change, and help our community of professional creators.
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