About the WNBA
Supporting the value of books and reading since 1917
In 1917 a group of 15 women booksellers, excluded from membership in the all-male Bookseller’s League, met in Sherwood’s Book Store, 19 John Street, in downtown New York to form the Women’s National Book Association.
Its 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 90 years later, with chapters spanning the country from Boston to San Francisco and with network members across the country, the WNBA continues to champion the role of women in the world of words.
During these years, WNBA has run seminars on bookselling techniques, published four books, led in-service courses for teachers on children’s books, sponsored book and authors’ luncheons and dinners, cooperated on local book fairs, been active as a non-governmental organization member at the United Nations, entertained visiting book women from abroad, and surveyed the status of women in publishing.
Believing that books have power, WNBA has made it possible for people engaged in various book activities to help broaden their part in the book world, and to know one another as individuals with common problems, aspirations, and goals.
The Boston Chapter
In 1954, a group of women publishers, booksellers, writers, reviewers, and librarians founded the Boston Chapter of WNBA, part of the nation’s oldest continuously running women’s literacy organization – The Women’s National Book Association – established in 1917. The Boston chapter is committed to promoting books, literacy, and women’s careers in publishing and allied fields. Our membership reflects all facets of the book world.
Brunches and dinners with guest speakers, a festive Holiday Tea featuring Massachusetts Book Award winners and spectacular raffle prizes, and an annual dinner with prestigious literary figures, are just some of the opportunities to network and meet exciting and interesting people from the Boston area literary scene.