Rosemary King

Rosemary King is the Vice President of Washington Independent Writers (WIW), an association that seeks to create an open and inclusive community of authors, journalists and other writers. WIW informs, educates and supports its members in the business and craft of writing and helps them succeed in a rapidly changing environment. WIW also advocates for writers on key local and national issues.

History

WIW was established in 1975 by a group of Washington writers to promote the mutual interests of freelance writers. They were brought together by concern over finding health insurance, developing a job listing system and providing informal social opportunities to help writers overcome the isolation that so often accompanies their work.

Since then, WIW has grown rapidly in stature and scope, providing a variety of member services, including a newsletter, health insurance and a job bank. WIW conducts professional and social forums for the exchange of information and ideas, plays an active role in issues that affect the independent writing profession and strives to correct unfair practices in the field.

WIW members write and edit fiction and non-fiction. Some specialize in magazine or newspaper writing, while others write through contracts with corporations, government agencies and nonprofit organizations. Members also write novels, short stories, poetry and film scripts.

Member Benefits

Today, WIW is a wide-ranging, full-service organization for regional writers and an example to other writers' groups across the country. WIW now provides, along with the services established at its beginnings, an Annual Spring Writers Conference, professional development seminars, neighborhood mini-workshops, several publications, dozens of Small Groups geared toward specific genre interests and geographical locations of members, and much more. There is a full-time Job Bank coordinator, who develops ways to find potential jobs for members and extend Job Bank services, including occasional workshops and an electronic announcement function for timely listing of openings.

(For more information, see http://washwriter.org)