Our Story
In 1987, renowned author and activist Nikki Giovanni moved to Virginia as a Commonwealth Visiting Professor at Virginia Tech. In her honor, Dr Joanne Gabbin organized a small gathering of Black women writers at Wintergreen Resort. What began that day as a simple celebration of sisterhood and life blossomed into something much more.
Now, almost four decades later, the Wintergreen Women Writers Collective offers workshops, retreats, and opportunities for Black women writers to connect, hone their craft, and gain exposure. By doing this, the Collective sustains a literary sisterhood focused on "Sacred Work"—creating in a safe, welcoming space that centers the encouragement and support of Black writing and culture, by nurturing each of the women as writers, scholars, and artists.
The Collective's range of public and private work has produced a supportive environment for mission-aligned institutions and organizations like Furious Flower Poetry Center, History of Black Writing, and Cave Canem. The Collective provides a haven for generational perspectives where emerging writers learn from celebrated authors and in turn spark new ideas. It is a place where the women go to heal, transform, and renew themselves. It provides a way to support systemic change in our communities while bringing about personal transformation.
At Wintergreen, members have workshopped and critiqued each other's work, offering guidance not only on pedagogy but even on publishing, promoting, and naming books. The annual retreats have served as nourishing spaces for seeds of ideas that have resulted in programs, conferences, centers, and organizations.
“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
From The Archive
