The Word | A Storytelling Sanctuary
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wordisdiversity.bsky.social
The Word | A Storytelling Sanctuary
@wordisdiversity.bsky.social
220 followers 430 following 54 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 this week’s writing prompt!

Prompt: Use the last text in your phone as the first line for a story or poem.

Tell us what this prompt inspired for you in the comments!
November 21, 2025 at 4:02 PM
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
Is your TBR looking a little lonely? Check out these new releases to add to your list!

Which one will you be picking up? Let us know in the comments!
November 19, 2025 at 7:00 PM
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
The Word is searching for our next Executive Director!

We’re seeking a strategic, equity-centered leader committed to building a more just publishing world.

Sound like you or someone you know? Find the full job description and application at thewordfordiversity.org/jobs
November 17, 2025 at 4:01 PM
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
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 17, 1-2:30 MT. FREE YOUR WRITING WITH FREE VERSE with Shifa Saltagi Safadi." 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. FREE YOUR WRITING WITH FREE VERSE with Shifa Saltagi Safadi. Join National Book Award Winner and Word Editor-Writer Mentee Shifa Saltagi Safadi in this interactive workshop about writing free verse. Shifa will discuss her process of plotting a verse novel, how poetry does not have to be difficult or restricted by historic poetic forms, and how freeing yourself as a writer from expectations can be the key to writing your best work! Participants will try their hand at free verse and get live. There is also a Q&A with Shifa about writing and publishing in the industry. May 17, 1-2:30 PM MT." In the bottom left is The Word's logo. Green square background with multicolor text that reads: "Word Unbound, Literary Workshop Series. Wednesday, May 21, 5-8PM MT. THE AUTHOR-AGENT RELATIONSHIP with Amanda Orozco." 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. THE AUTHOR-AGENT RELATIONSHIP with Amanda Orozco. Led by senior literary agent Amanda Orozco, this interactive 3-hour workshop aims to provide you a comprehensive overview of the agent-author relationship and its many facets from beginning to end. Agented and unagented writers alike will hear concrete answers to questions such as: What is the role of the agent in the literary ecosystem? What does a successful author-agent relationship look like? And more! Don’t miss this interactive opportunity to learn from a top working agent! May 21, 5-8 PM MT." In the bottom left is The Word's logo.
April 22, 2025 at 9:02 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
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
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
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
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
Word Unbound Literary Workshop: WRITING INTERGENERATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS with Sasha Geffen!
All are welcome, spots are limited. Stay tuned for more info!
Green square background with the text: "Word Unbound, literary workshop series, Saturday, April 5, 2025, 10 AM-1 PM MT, 'WRITING INTERGENERATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS with Sasha Geffen." There is a photo of Sasha Geffen and a graphic of a person writing, and in the bottom left corner is The Word's logo. Green square background with the text: "Word Unbound, literary workshop series, WRITING INTERGENERATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS with Sasha Geffen. Each generation carries the world in its own way. Every fold of history brings its particular perspectives, hopes, fears, and value systems into its engagement with others. In fiction and nonfiction alike, writing interactions across generations presents unique challenges -- and opportunities to render the world in parallax. This workshop will look to authors like Michelle Zauner, George M. Johnson, and Tove Jansson for craft lessons in tracing intimacies, alliances, and conflicts across different stations in time. April 5, 2025, 10 AM-1 PM MT."
February 11, 2025 at 5:44 PM
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
TICKETS COMING SOON!
Word Unbound Literary Workshop: ON BECOMING THE THIRD SELF with Katerina Jeng!
All are welcome, spots are limited. Stay tuned for more info!
Green square background with the text: "Word Unbound, literary workshop series, March 2, 1-4 pm MT, 'On Becoming the Third Self,' with Katerina Jeng." There is a photo of Katerina Jeng and a graphic of a person writing, and in the bottom left corner is The Word's logo. Green square background with the text: "Word Unbound, literary workshop series, 'On Becoming the Third Self,' with Katerina Jeng. In her essay 'Of Power & Time,' Mary Oliver speaks of a 'third self'—the self that is not bound by time or obligation, but instead has “a hunger for eternity” and is committed to the work of an artist. Who is your third self, and what do they need to thrive? In this workshop, we’ll explore this question through guided visualization & reflection; and create commitments to honoring this third self. March 2, 1-4 pm MT. "
February 5, 2025 at 5:29 PM
wordisdiversity.bsky.social
Our January reads, brought to you with love every month! Purchase through our @Bookshop_Org and support our literary programs! buff.ly/395KbBP This month features: @nnedi.bsky.social @hanoversquarepress.bsky.social @kamigarcia.bsky.social @01firstsecond.bsky.social
A grey and white square background with multicolor text that reads: "with love January reads." In the top right is The Word's logo A grey and white square background with the covers of six books: GOOD GIRL by Aria Aber, DEATH OF THE AUTHOR by Nnedi Okorafor, STRANGE PICTURES by Uketsu (author), Jim Rion (translator), ISAAC'S SONG by Daniel Black, KAWAII CAFE RAMEN: Classic, Fun, and Delicious Ramen Meals to Make at Home by Amy Kimoto-Kahn, MIXED-UP by Kami Garcia (Author), Brittney Williams (Illustrator) A grey and white square background with the cover of one book: WATER MOON by Samantha Sotto Yambao
January 21, 2025 at 8:23 PM