The Wintergreen Women Writers Collective is a 501(c)3 organization that gathers Black women writers in a creative community committed to publishing, preserving, and celebrating their work.
Since 1987, Wintergreen has offered a place to write, reflect, and be in fellowship. Founded by Dr. Joanne Gabbin as a response to the isolation many Black women face in literary and academic spaces, Wintergreen began as a radical act of care—a retreat, a support system, a circle of voices lifting each other up.
More than 70 writers from across the country have taken part in our gatherings over the last four decades. From quiet mountainside retreats to cultural programming, Wintergreen holds sacred space for the deep work of literary and cultural creation.
Weaving a living legacy
“Our sisterhood has built a castle of creativity and comfort. We come together in safety to refresh our hearts. How lucky we are to find and keep each other.”
Nikki Giovanni
“I am well aware that everyone wants to be seen in a way that is deep and genuine. I have tried to make that a part of the Wintergreen spirit. We do sacred work because we treasure each other and the space we create.”
Joanne Gabbin
“Many of us live in a world that takes from us more than it gives us. Wintergreen is that balance that allows us to reclaim what is lost or taken, allowing for us to grow and age in constructive, meaningful ways, becoming better versions of ourselves.”
Maryemma Graham
News & Reflections
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Programs & Partnerships
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A three-year virtual collaboration between the Wintergreen Women Writers Collective and Torch Literary Arts, Welcome Table Talks brings together Black women writers across generations in intimate conversations that celebrate our stories, strengthen our networks, and shape our collective future.
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Through a groundbreaking partnership with James Madison University Libraries, the Wintergreen Women Writers Collective is laying the foundation for a long-term archive that honors the voices and histories of Black women writers.
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Together, Wintergreen and Cita will co-create an edited volume that showcases the voices, histories, and creative practices of the Wintergreen Women Writers Collective.
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Wintergreen Women Writers Collective is partnering with Virginia Tech to support a Graduate Student Research Fellowship that traces the intellectual and creative lineages of its members.
Bookmarks
Spotlighting the Collective’s writers and the stories behind their work
From The Archive
“Most springs I look forward to going to the mountains to spend time with a diverse group of brilliant, creative, and wise women who gather to meditate, dine, read, workshop, strategize, dance, and generally enjoy each other.”
Hermine Pinson
“The Wintergreen Women Writers Collective has meant circles within circles of comfort, support, and friendship. 37 years ago, when I was invited to join Wintergreen, I worked in a mostly European-American university, and lived in a decidedly European-American neighborhood. I routinely traveled away from Chapel Hill to visit with other people of color, including other professional women.”
Trudier Harris
“The continuation of the Wintergreen Women Writers Collective was a realization that Black women needed to create our own shaping environments that are fluid and responsive to our diverse pursuits—that intellectual work is not separate from creative writing.”
Opal Moore
The Wintergreen Library
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![Trudier Harris:Bigger: A Literary Life]()
Trudier Harris: Bigger: A Literary Life
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![Renee Watson: All the Blues in the Sky]()
Renee Watson: All the Blues in the Sky
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![Daryl Cumber Dance: Remembering Paule: A Photo Memoir of Her Richmond Years]()
Daryl Cumber Dance: Remembering Paule: A Photo Memoir of Her Richmond Years
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![Renee Watson: Skin & Bones]()
Renee Watson: Skin & Bones
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![Latorial Faison: Nursery Rhymes in Black]()
Latorial Faison: Nursery Rhymes in Black
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![DaMaris B. Hill: Breath Better Spent: Living Black Girlhood]()
DaMaris B. Hill: Breath Better Spent: Living Black Girlhood
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![Imani Perry: Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People]()
Imani Perry: Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People
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![Lauren K. Alleyne: (Un)Becoming Gretel]()
Lauren K. Alleyne: (Un)Becoming Gretel
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![Camille T. Dungy: Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden]()
Camille T. Dungy: Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden
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![Kalela Williams: Tangleroot]()
Kalela Williams: Tangleroot
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![Alysia Dempsey: I Dream India]()
Alysia Dempsey: I Dream India
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![Ethel Morgan Smith: Path to Grace: Reimagining the Civil Rights Movement]()
Ethel Morgan Smith: Path to Grace: Reimagining the Civil Rights Movement
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![Renee Watson: Skin & Bones]()
Renee Watson: Skin & Bones
-
![Daryl Cumber Dance: Remembering Paule: A Photo Memoir of Her Richmond Years]()
Daryl Cumber Dance: Remembering Paule: A Photo Memoir of Her Richmond Years
-
![Latorial Faison: Nursery Rhymes in Black]()
Latorial Faison: Nursery Rhymes in Black
-
![Trudier Harris:Bigger: A Literary Life]()
Trudier Harris: Bigger: A Literary Life
-
![DaMaris B. Hill: Breath Better Spent: Living Black Girlhood]()
DaMaris B. Hill: Breath Better Spent: Living Black Girlhood
-
![Renee Watson: All the Blues in the Sky]()
Renee Watson: All the Blues in the Sky
-
![Imani Perry: Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People]()
Imani Perry: Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People
-
![Camille T. Dungy: Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden]()
Camille T. Dungy: Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden
-
![Lauren K. Alleyne: (Un)Becoming Gretel]()
Lauren K. Alleyne: (Un)Becoming Gretel
-
![Kalela Williams: Tangleroot]()
Kalela Williams: Tangleroot
-
![Ethel Morgan Smith: Path to Grace: Reimagining the Civil Rights Movement]()
Ethel Morgan Smith: Path to Grace: Reimagining the Civil Rights Movement
-
![Alysia Dempsey: I Dream India]()
Alysia Dempsey: I Dream India