The Word | A Storytelling Sanctuary
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wordisdiversity.bsky.social
The Word | A Storytelling Sanctuary
@wordisdiversity.bsky.social
220 followers 430 following 51 posts
A literary arts nonprofit fighting for equity in publishing & literature. Uplifting BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, neurodiverse, and disabled voices.
thewordfordiversity.org
linktr.ee/wordfordiversity
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wordisdiversity.bsky.social
In need of some inspiration to get the words flowing? Check out our new weekly writing prompts! This week’s writing prompt is inspired by Andrea Gibson, the late poet laureate of Colorado.

Prompt: What does the word “home” mean to you?

Tell us what this prompt inspired for you in the comments!
November 14, 2025 at 4:01 PM
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
We’ve got some new friends over here, so we thought it’s time we (re)introduce ourselves! Meet the team working toward collective abundance at The Word.

Chris Aguilar-Garcia, Programs Director
Jesse Martinez, Grants & Development Support
Leah Pierre, Office Coordinator
Viniyanka Prasad, Founder
November 12, 2025 at 4:15 PM
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
This month’s #MarginsBookselling Indie Bookstore Spotlight is Archivist Books. They are a black- and lesbian-owned bookstore in Rochester, NY.

#MarginsBookselling is a celebration of BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, Disabled, and Neurodiverse booksellers and their communities.
November 7, 2025 at 11:00 PM
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
Our November reads, brought to you with love every month! Purchase through our @Bookshop_Org and support our literary programs! bookshop.org/lists/novemb... This month features: Andy Passchier Char Adams Quiara Alegria Hudes Jesse Q. Sutanto @cjfarley.bsky.social Ella Grace Foutz
A grey and white square background with multicolored text that reads: "with love November reads." In the top right is The Word's logo. A grey and white square background with the covers of six books: MY GENDER, MY RULES by Andy Passchier, BLACK-OWNED: THE REVOLUTIONARY LIFE OF THE BLACK BOOKSTORE by Char Adams, THE WHITE HOT: A NOVEL by Quiara Alegria Hudes, NEXT TIME WILL BE OUR TURN by Jesse Q. Sutanto, WHO KNOWS YOU BY HEART: A NOVEL by C. J. Farley, and LULLABIES FOR THE INSOMNIACS: A MEMOIR IN VERSE by Ella Grace Foutz. The Word’s handle is in the bottom left and logo at the top right.
November 1, 2025 at 4:02 PM
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
In this Craft Advice episode from one of @wordunbound.bsky.social offerings, "Free Your Writing with Free Verse," National Book Award Winner & 2022 Word Editor-Writer Mentee Shifa Saltagi Safadi talks about how writers can break away from imposter syndrome.

Visit www.wordunbound.org to learn more!
October 28, 2025 at 5:03 PM
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
October reads, brought to you with love! Purchase through @Bookshop_Org & support our programs! bookshop.org/lists/octobe... This month features: Kevin Maillard Rafael López @nuzo.bsky.social @carsonfaust.bsky.social Yasushi Kitagawa Takami Nieda @sonorajha.bsky.social @candygourlay.bsky.social
A grey and white square background with multicolored text that reads: "with love October reads." In the top right is The Word's logo. A grey and white square background with the covers of six books: AND THEY WALK ON by author Kevin Maillard and illustrator Rafael López, FUTILITY by Nuzo Onoh, IF THE DEAD BELONG HERE by Carson Faust, THE LUCKY RIDE: A NOVEL FULL OF OPPORTUNITY by Yasushi Kitagawa (Author) and Takami Nieda (Translated by), INTEMPERANCE by Sonora Jha, and WILD SONG by Candy Gourlay. The Word’s handle is in the bottom left and logo at the top right.
October 1, 2025 at 4:09 PM
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
Our September reads, brought to you with love every month! Purchase through @Bookshop_Org & support our programs! bookshop.org/lists/septem... This month features: Shelley Stratton @artsypabster.bsky.social Hika Harada Philip Gabriel @rosedommu.bsky.social @jensookfonglee.bsky.social Jasminne Mendez
A grey and white square background with multicolored text that reads: "with love September reads." In the top right is The Word's logo. A grey and white square background with the covers of six books: IN DEADLY COMPANY by L.S. Stratton, SILENCED VOICES: RECLAIMING MEMORIES FROM THE GUATEMALAN GENOCIDE by Pablo Leon, DINNER AT THE NIGHT LIBRARY by Hika Harada (Author) and Philip Gabriel (Translated by), BEST WOMAN by Rose Dommu, THE HUNGER WE PASS DOWN by Jen Sookfong Lee, and THE STORY OF MY ANGER by Jasminne Mendez. The Word’s handle is in the bottom left and logo at the top right.
September 2, 2025 at 4:04 PM
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
Our August reads, brought to you with love every month! Purchase through our @Bookshop_Org and support our literary programs! bookshop.org/lists/august... This month features: #SJSindu #DionMBD @cynleitichsmith.bsky.social #JoanneYi @cleyvisnatera.bsky.social #HaileyAlcaraz #DenneMicheleNorris
A grey and white square background with multicolored text that reads: "with love August reads." In the top right is The Word's logo. A grey and white square background with the covers of six books: TALL WATER by SJ Sindu & Dion MBD, LEGENDARY FRYBREAD DRIVE-IN: INTERTRIBAL STORIES edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith, ALL THE TOMORROWS AFTER by Joanne Yi, THE GRAND PALOMA RESORT by Cleyvis Natera, ROSA BY ANY OTHER NAME by Hailey Alcaraz, and BOTH/AND: ESSAYS BY TRANS AND GENDER-NONCONFORMING WRITERS OF COLOR edited by Denne Michele Norris with Electric Literature. The Word’s handle is in the bottom left and logo at the top right.
August 2, 2025 at 7:37 PM
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
June/July reads, brought to you with love every month! Purchase through our @bookshop.org & support our programs! bookshop.org/lists/june-july-2025-reading-recommendations #TiffanyDJackson @anterobot.bsky.social #AlixDick @rubenwrites.bsky.social #ALeliaBundles #HalaAlyan @cassnewbould.bsky.social
A grey and white square background with multicolor text that reads: "with love June/July reads." In the top right is The Word's logo. A grey and white square background with the covers of six books: Blood in the Water by Tiffany Jackson, The Cost of Being Undocumented: One Woman's Reckoning with America's Inhumane Math by Alix Dick & Antero Garcia, Archive of Unknown Universes by Ruben Reyes Jr., Joy Goddess: A'Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance by A’Lelia Bundles, I'll Tell You When I'm Home by Hala Alyan, Climate of Chaos by Cassandra Newbould. At the bottom left is The Word’s handle, and The Word's logo is at the top right.
July 12, 2025 at 6:00 PM
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
Register now for this Virtual [margins.] meet-up on June 4: www.eventbrite.com/e/margins-me...
May 14, 2025 at 4:18 PM
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
June 11: In-Person [margins.] Meet-up Community Gathering--register here!
www.eventbrite.com/e/in-personm...
In-Person [margins.] Meet-up Community Gathering
An opportunity to share space, set writing intentions, read and share our work and fight isolation through this vital community space
www.eventbrite.com
May 14, 2025 at 4:11 PM
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
May Reads: Purchase from our Bookshop to support us!
bookshop.org/shop/wordfor...
@reemfaruqi.bsky.social
@isabelallende.com
grey and white square background with pink accents and multicolor text that reads: "With love, May reads." In the top right corner is The Word's logo. Grey and white square background with pink accents with covers of 6 books shown: SATO THE RABBIT: MORNING LIGHT; ZARINA DIVIDED; THE GATE, THE GIRL, AND THE DRAGON; UNCOMMON FAVOR; THE EMPEROR OF GLADNESS; and MY NAME IS EMILIA DEL VALLE. In the top right is The Word's logo, and in the bottom left is The Word's social tag: @wordisdiversity
May 14, 2025 at 3:44 PM
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
Register now for May WORD UNBOUND Literary Workshops!
www.wordunbound.org/workshops
Green square background with multicolor text that reads: "Word Unbound, Literary Workshop Series. Saturday, May 3, 10am-1pm MT. IMAGINED HISTORIES with Gina María Balibrera." In the bottom left is The Word's logo; in the bottom right is a graphic of a person reading/writing. Green square background with multicolor text that reads: "Word Unbound, Literary Workshop Series, IMAGINED HISTORIES with Gina María Balibrera. This is a space where historical characters, false documents, talismanic objects, and forgotten stories collide with fiction, to seed, inspire, open, and question the authority of the facts as they have already been written. This kind of rigorous re-imagining can be a generative entry point for our work. Together, we will discuss the choices we can make in terms of framing, voice, research, and invention, in order to expand the possibilities of our fictional worlds, and observe the ways in which writers blur the line between fiction and fact to write worlds that are vivid, expansive, and emotionally specific. May 3, 10AM- 1PM MT." In the bottom left is The Word's logo. Green square background with multicolor text that reads: "Word Unbound, Literary Workshop Series. 4-Week workshop, Tuesdays, May 6, 13, 20 & 27, 6-8PM MT. AWAKENING GHOSTS: DRAWING QUEER HISTORIES INTO THE NOW with Sasha Geffen." In the bottom left is The Word's logo; in the bottom right is a graphic of a person reading/writing. Green square background with multicolor text that reads: "Word Unbound, Literary Workshop Series, AWAKENING GHOSTS: DRAWING QUEER HISTORIES INTO THE NOW with Sasha Geffen. Queerness is ancient, even though much of the language surrounding contemporary queer identity is brand new on a historical scale. As writers, how can we honor the specificity of the past while excavating its living resonance in the here and now? In this four-week workshop, we'll call upon stories of historical figures and communities whose echoes speak to contemporary queer life. May 6, 13, 20 & 27, 6-8PM MT." In the bottom left is The Word's logo.
April 22, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Reposted by The Word | A Storytelling Sanctuary
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
[margins.] Meet-ups are community gathering spaces for BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, neurodiverse and disabled community members to share space, discuss their writing practice, read and share their work and fight isolation through this vital community space.
REGISTER HERE:
www.eventbrite.com/e/margins-me...
A square image with left 3rd having a white background with [margins.] vertical logo and text that reads “virtual meet-up” // The right ⅔ of image have dark blue background and The Word logo in top right corner with pink underline / Text says “ a community gathering” // bottom right corner lists date and time: March 27, 5:00 PM MT / RSVP for Link"
March 18, 2025 at 4:48 PM
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
[margins.] Meet-ups are community gathering spaces for BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, neurodiverse and disabled community members to share space, discuss their writing practice, read and share their work and fight isolation through this vital community space.
REGISTER HERE:
www.eventbrite.com/e/margins-me...
A square image with left 3rd having a white background with [margins.] vertical logo and text that reads “virtual meet-up” // The right ⅔ of image have dark blue background and The Word logo in top right corner with pink underline / Text says “ a community gathering” // bottom right corner lists date and time: March 27, 5:00 PM MT / RSVP for Link"
March 18, 2025 at 4:48 PM
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
Join us for this wonderful workshop with the incomparable Sasha Geffen! #workshop #writing #lgbtq 😍
🤩 www.wordunbound.org/workshops/p/... 😀
Writing Intergenerational Relationships — Word Unbound
Saturday, April 10, 2025 | 10:00 am - 1:00 pm MT Each generation carries the world in its own way. Every fold of history brings its particular perspectives, hopes, fears, and value systems into its...
www.wordunbound.org
March 17, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Reposted by The Word | A Storytelling Sanctuary
ystrangergaley.bsky.social
Encouraging anyone eligible and interested to apply to this!!! I was a finalist in 2022 + 2024 and received some really fantastic feedback from the readers AND the generous editors @mccorrea64 @randomhousekids.bsky.social and @tjohler.bsky.social @zandoprojects which improved my stories immensely 💖
wordisdiversity.bsky.social The Word | A Storytelling Sanctuary @wordisdiversity.bsky.social · Feb 18
Applications are now open for The Word's Editor-Writer Mentorship! We have 4 categories: picture book, middle grade, YA, and adult romance. Writers with a complete, unpublished manuscript apply by Monday, 3/17/25. Apply here: buff.ly/3AxPBkP
Cream square with turquoise and red text with title of mentorship, and one row of images. First image row: 1) Margaret Raymo, Picture book mentor headshot 2) Feather Flores, Middle Grade mentor headshot 3) Anum Shafqat, Young Adult Fiction mentor, 4) Cat Clyne, Adult Romance mentor. Final lines of text read APPLICATIONS OPEN: February 18 - March 17, Presented by The Word | A Storytelling Sanctuary
March 9, 2025 at 6:00 PM
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
TODAY'S THE DAY! Last day to submit your application to The Word's annual Editor-Writer mentorship!
www.thewordfordiversity.org/editor-write...
Editor Writer Mentorship | the word
Promoting voices from the margins
www.thewordfordiversity.org
March 17, 2025 at 2:48 PM
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
Only 5 days left to apply to the Editor-Writer mentorship program! This year we have kidlit editors and adult romance mentors, so check for your genre and get your application in soon!
www.thewordfordiversity.org/editor-write...
Pink square with multicolor text that reads: "The Editor-Writer Mentorship: promoting writers from the margins; 5 days left to apply, Applications due: March 17, 2025, 11:59pm US Denver/Mountain Time, Presented by The Word | A Storytelling Sanctuary"
March 12, 2025 at 4:13 PM
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
Call for volunteer readers for the Editor-Writer mentorship!
Before the applications are sent to editors, our amazing volunteer readers review them and provide feedback to applicants. We are in need of readers for 2025!
Form to volunteer: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Light pink background with multi-color text: "The 2025 Editor-Writer Mentorship Call for Readers! Current applicants cannot volunteer."
March 11, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Reposted by The Word | A Storytelling Sanctuary
msmayaprasad.bsky.social
Writer friends, I highly recommend applying to this mentorship program to get feedback in your MS from an editor at a major publishing house!
wordisdiversity.bsky.social The Word | A Storytelling Sanctuary @wordisdiversity.bsky.social · Feb 18
Applications are now open for The Word's Editor-Writer Mentorship! We have 4 categories: picture book, middle grade, YA, and adult romance. Writers with a complete, unpublished manuscript apply by Monday, 3/17/25. Apply here: buff.ly/3AxPBkP
Cream square with turquoise and red text with title of mentorship, and one row of images. First image row: 1) Margaret Raymo, Picture book mentor headshot 2) Feather Flores, Middle Grade mentor headshot 3) Anum Shafqat, Young Adult Fiction mentor, 4) Cat Clyne, Adult Romance mentor. Final lines of text read APPLICATIONS OPEN: February 18 - March 17, Presented by The Word | A Storytelling Sanctuary
February 18, 2025 at 8:39 PM
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
Our February reads, with love!
bookshop.org/lists/februa... to purchase and support us! @candlewickpress.bsky.social @harpercollins.bsky.social @jopi.bsky.social @ogracebankole.bsky.social @tinhouse.bsky.social @aaknopf.bsky.social @authorvcm.bsky.social @berkleypub.bsky.social
A grey and white square background with multicolor text that reads: "with love February reads." In the top right is The Word's logo. A grey and white square background with the covers of six books: First There Was Me, Then There Was You; Waiting for Hanami; Halfway to Somewhere; The Edge of Water; One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This; Harlem Rhapsody
February 20, 2025 at 4:17 PM
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
Applications are now open for The Word's Editor-Writer Mentorship! We have 4 categories: picture book, middle grade, YA, and adult romance. Writers with a complete, unpublished manuscript apply by Monday, 3/17/25. Apply here: buff.ly/3AxPBkP
Cream square with turquoise and red text with title of mentorship, and one row of images. First image row: 1) Margaret Raymo, Picture book mentor headshot 2) Feather Flores, Middle Grade mentor headshot 3) Anum Shafqat, Young Adult Fiction mentor, 4) Cat Clyne, Adult Romance mentor. Final lines of text read APPLICATIONS OPEN: February 18 - March 17, Presented by The Word | A Storytelling Sanctuary
February 18, 2025 at 7:13 PM
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
Hi #Writers 🖊️ + #publishing + #literary folx: Join us for a [margins.] Virtual Meetup! Thurs. 2/27, 5PM-6:30PM MT on ZOOM
In our 1st [margins.] meetup of 2025, we’ll take time to reconnect + talk about how we keep writing + creating.
Free to attend, but registration is required.
buff.ly/42Wc5xg
Image: A square image with left 3rd having a white background with [margins.] vertical logo and text that reads “virtual meet-up” // The right ⅔ of image have dark blue background and The Word logo in top right corner with pink underline / Text says “ a community gathering” // bottom right corner lists date and time: February 27, 5:00 PM MT / RSVP for Link"
February 13, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Reposted by The Word | A Storytelling Sanctuary
thelaurenline.bsky.social
An ADULT ROMANCE FINALIST with @wordisdiversity.bsky.social, the reviews were a hit:

✨ "The author is an excellent storyteller- immediately taking us into the world, mindset and memories of our protagonist."
📚 "I believe this book is a good candidate for publication."
🖊️ "Great style and tone!"
February 12, 2025 at 5:27 PM