The Word Works was founded in 1974 by Deirdre Baldwin, Yolanda Gerritsen, and Paris Pacchione. Other past Directors include Robert Sargent and Hilary Tham. Book publication began in 1975, and public programs have been running since the beginning.

The Press

Past editors have included Deirdre Baldwin, Bernadette Geyer, Leslie McGrath, Miles David Moore, and Hilary Tham.

Early publications, now out of print, include work by authors as Christopher Bursk, Grace Cavalieri, Shirley Cochrane, Harrison Fisher, Elaine Magarrell, Barbara Moore, Betty Parry, John Pauker, Paul Revenko-Jones, Edward Weismiller, and Mac Wellman.

Collaborations

Kim Roberts’ The Spoken Word
“A Splendid Wake” Reading Series

Other Past Projects

Gunston Arts Center Poetry Series
The Gunston Arts Center Poetry Series, “Shaping an Artistic Consciousness” and “Shaping an Artistic Conscience,” included readings by celebrated and controversial authors such as Ai, Carolyn Forche, Stanley Kunitz, Eugene McCarthy, Gregory Orr, Linda Pastan, Myra Sklarew, William Jay Smith, Kathleen Spivack, Ahmos Zu Bolton, and many others.

The Gunston Arts Center Poetry Series was the first venue in Virginia for an Ascension Reading, a series Ethelbert Miller established to promote emerging African-American poets. Presented at the Ascension Reading were Kathy Anderson, Gladys Lee, and Essex Hemphill.

In 1980 and 1981, Betty Parry developed and coordinated this series that featured Washington area poets reading with nationally known authors.

In The Shadow of the Capitol

In the early ’80s, the Word Works sponsored an oral history project, which recorded the development of the African-American intellectual and professional community in Washington, D.C. between the 1922 dedication of the Lincoln Memorial and the 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech by Martin Luther King, Jr.

The program, conceived and led by Betty Parry, culminated in a symposium at the Folger Shakespeare Library, “In the Shadow of the Capitol,” presenting the principals of that era (e.g., Sterling Brown and May Miller) to a new generation of Washingtonians. Those sessions can still be heard at D.C. Digital Museum.

Poet/Editor Series

The Poet/Editor Series was a set of panel discussions held at the Writer’s Center in 1983. The series included Linda Pastan and Peter Davison (Atlantic Monthly); Josephine Jacobsen and Maurice English (University of Pennsylvania Press); Roland Flint and Joyce Johnson (Dial Press); and John Hollander, Anthony Hecht, and John Irwin (Hopkins Press). Practical advice for how to get published was discussed. The Maryland State Arts Council provided funding for this innovative program.

Poet’s Jam

In 1984 and 1985, the Word Works sponsored a poetry theater series that combined music, dance, and art with poetry readings. Performance collaborations included original music, choreography, and projected art images.

Tuscany Retreats

This 1996-2001 annual writing workshop and travel program was developed by Karren Alenier and Patti Absher of Great Travels, a firm specializing in trips to Italy. The retreat was based at the medieval Castello di Montegufoni where Grace Cavalieri served as the writing workshop leader, emphasizing the creation of new work.

Grants

The Work Works has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Witter Bynner Foundation, the Maryland Council on the Arts, the Virginia Commission on the Arts, the Batir Foundation, Hechingers, the David G. Taft Foundation, and others, including numerous private patrons.

Free Books

Public schools, libraries, shelters, civic organizations, senior citizens’ groups, and others providing community services may request a donation of books from The Word Works. To find out more, please send a letter describing your organization — your membership, customer constituency, policies, and goals. Include a statement about how you believe we can help you meet your goals. Address inquiries to: The Word Works, ATTN: Book Donations, P.O. Box 42164, Washington, DC 20015.

Past Workshops

In the Works
Collaborating in 2005 with Grace Episcopal Church of Georgetown, D.C., The Word Works sponsored Poetry on Stage, presenting a taste of the oral tradition from medieval bards to modern blues, jazz, and rap, through the poetry of Allen Ginsberg, Sterling Brown, Langston Hughes, and others. The eight-week course included writing new work and practicing effective delivery on stage.

In 1999 and 2000, The Word Works presented the first Master Class Poetry Workshops as part of our 25th anniversary celebration. Workshops were led by Agha Shahid Ali, Thomas Lux, and Marilyn Nelson, among others.

Preserving the Past: Our Archives

In 1990, George Washington University and the Friends of the Libraries recorded The Word Works donation of its artisitic and administrative records to the Special Collections of the Gelman Library at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. This donation included books, artwork, photographs, cassette recordings, videotapes, newspaper clippings, letters, and reports.

The archive project was developed by Karren Alenier in conjunction with the Poetry Committee of the Greater Washington, D.C. The Word Works archive was funded under a Larry Neal grant from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities.