New Publishing Partnership Amplifies Black Women Authors
A new collaboration between Women & words and ESSENCE is creating pathways for emerging Black women authors, offering publishing opportunities, editorial support, and a platform to reach a global audience.The initiative aims to address historical underrepresentation in the publishing industry and cultivate a new generation of culturally resonant voices.
The Women & Words x ESSENCE Writing Contest is central to this effort, designed to identify and amplify new Black voices across various genres. Beyond the contest, Women & Words provides virtual workshops, live events, and editorial matchmaking to support writers. This partnership builds on ESSENCE’s longstanding commitment to celebrating Black creativity and Storyhouse Voices’ dedication to developing authors for a global readership, establishing a robust pipeline for new talent in publishing.
The program provides not only publishing opportunities but also crucial editorial advancement, marketing, and distribution support-resources frequently enough lacking for emerging authors. Women & Words has quickly become recognized as an effective system for discovering new talent within the publishing landscape. The partnership leverages ESSENCE’s reach to further elevate these authors and their work.