Welcome to the original WNBA

The Women’s National Book Association was established in 1917, before women in America had the right to vote. At that time, women in the book industry were excluded from joining the professional organization, the Bookseller’s League. Fifteen women met at Sherwood’s Book Store in Lower Manhattan on November 13, 1917, and founded the Women’s National Book Association as an organization to support and give voice to women in the book industry. The first President was Pauline Sherwood, of Sherwood’s Book Store.

The early organization’s unique characteristic was that membership was open to women in all facets of the book world-publishers, booksellers, librarians, authors, illustrators, agents, production people – the only criterion being that part of their income must come from books. More than 100 years later, with chapters spanning the country from Boston to San Francisco and with Network members across the country, the Women’s National Book Association continues its mission to champion the role of women in the world of words, with women and men who are professionals in the publishing industry, who are authors, or are advocates of literature as members. The organization’s newsletter, The Bookwoman, was created in 1936 by Constance Lindsay Skinner and has had continuous publication to the current date.

Read about the organization in Wikipedia

Mission

The Women’s National Book Association is a national organization of women and men who work with and value books. WNBA exists to promote reading and to support the role of women in the community of the book. .

Purpose

The purposes of WNBA are educational and charitable. WNBA came into being to inform book women about matters relevant to themselves and the book world so that these women could inform and help one another.

That’s what we still do, through actions such as these:

• Bring together women and men who are active in the world of books
• Educate and inform the public about the need to create, produce, distribute, and use books
• Respond to requests for information about books and the allied arts and generate and support projects that help to disseminate such information
• Serve as a catalyst for all in the book community who wish to work together, and
• Promote recognition of women’s achievements in the book industry.

For a list of the current WNBA board members and contact information, please view the Officers page