ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY
Founded in 1975, Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance (MWPA) is a non-profit membership organization whose mission is to enrich the cultural life of Maine by supporting writers, publishers, and the literary arts. It is the only organization in Maine devoted solely to advancing literature and the writing life.
MWPA is Maine's only statewide literary arts organization. MWPA is the largest, per capita, writing organization in the entire United States. In a state as geographically and economically disparate as Maine, we count almost 1,000 members. Every year, the MWPA enriches the cultural lives of an estimated 40,000 people, about 3% of Maine’s total population.
Our goals include: promoting the appreciation of Maine literature; creating a network of writers, readers and publishers; promoting opportunities for writers to improve writing and marketing skills; informing members and the public of Maine literary and publishing news. Our current programming includes quarterly production of Maine in Print, a trade publication which provides submission information, author interviews, practical marketing tips, and networking opportunities throughout the state for writers of all levels. We also offer a series of workshops and seminars annually at locations across the state. We host two annual weekend writing retreats, and coordinate the Maine Literary Awards.
The MWPA presents a several conferences, such as “The Business of Writing: everything you need to know about writing professionally in Maine" and our Annual Fall Retreat. We augment our programming with special events, such as notable author readings and cross-cultural performances. In the past, we have promoted Domestic Violence Awareness Month with a “Power of the Word” celebrity reading of first-hand accounts of domestic violence experienced by Maine residents; a reading and discussion with Joyce Maynard, the former teenaged paramour of JD Salinger; and an evening with Brian Turner, author of Here, Bullet for a night of wartime poetry and poetry of witness. MWPA sponsored a traveling poet series to introduce Maine’s newest poet laureate throughout the state, and we produced Perdita to honor both the craft of stage writing and Maine author and activist, Perdita Huston.
In recent years we have worked to expand our presence to the more remote areas of the state and in so doing, have increased our collaborations with educational institutions and other arts organizations. MWPA works closely with the Maine Arts Commission, a state agency devoted to the arts.
STAFF
Joshua Bodwell, Executive Director
Joshua Bodwell was born and raised in southern Maine. He is a regular contributor to magazines such as Art New England, Down East, and Poets & Writers. He also contributes literary interviews and essays to the online magazine, Fiction Writers Review, where he is a contributing editor.
Joshua’s work as a newspaper reporter for the York County Coast Star garnered awards from the Maine and New England press associations. A recipient of the Maine Community Foundation’s Martin Dibner Fellowship for fiction, his short stories have appeared in The Threepenny Review, Ambit (England), Northern New England Review, and Tears in the Fence (England). Visit his web site here.
Joshua is also the co-founder of the community arts nonprofit Engine in Biddeford, where he lives today with designer Tammy Ackerman of North40Creative, and his daughter, Elona.
Email Joshua: director (at) mainewriters.org
Stephen E. Abbott, Assistant Director
Stephen Abbott is the assistant director of the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, as well as the senior editor of Maine in Print.
For more than a decade, he has worked as a writer, editor, and communications professional, and his writing has appeared in magazines, newspapers, and journals. He is also a former copywriter and publicist for Columbia University Press, a former contributor to Publisher’s Weekly, and a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, where he studied literature and literary theory.
In addition to serving as the director of communications for the Great Schools Partnership, a nonprofit educational organization in Portland, he is also the copy editor of Maine and Maine Home + Design magazines, and the president of the board for Engine, a Biddeford-based leadership and advocacy organization that designs, produces, and promotes innovative, community-based arts programming.
Email Stephen: abbott (at) mainewriters.org
David Turner, Special Assistant to the Maine Poet Laureate
David joins MWPA fresh from completing studies at the Salt Institute of Documentary Studies. In addition to being a crackerjack journalist, David handles all matters relating to the MWPA's project with Wesley McNair, the Maine Poet Laureate, including the newspaper initiative Take Heart and the Maine Poetry Express.
Email David: poetlaureate (at) mainewriters.org
BOTH JOSHUA BODWELL AND STEPHEN ABBOTT ARE AVAILABLE FOR MYRIAD TALKS AND PRESENTATIONS ABOUT MAINE WRITERS, PUBLISHING, AND OTHER TOPICS.
MWPA in the News
> Watch executive director Joshua Bodwell on MPBN's "Maine Watch" with Jennifer Rooks by clicking HERE.
> Read a profile of executive director Joshua Bodwell by Robin Clifford Wood in the Bangor Daily News by clicking HERE.