GENEROSITY – WWS was founded as a free and open space for sharing. Any resource we have is for the greater community. In a capitalistic society, it’s believed that only a few can succeed, but WWS rejects this scarcity model. There are enough opportunities for all, and one person’s win is everyone’s win.
SHARED LEADERSHIP – WWS is an egalitarian community. We believe every member is a resource of knowledge, experience, and expertise, and regular mentorship is one way we cultivate and share leadership. In our volunteer-based organization, all members are in service of each other. Within WWS, we are each leaders and work together for greater visibility and advancement within the literary world.
INCLUSION & ACCESSIBILITY – WWS fights for gender parity and diverse representation in publishing by serving women and non-binary writers, including trans women, woman-identifying, and genderqueer individuals. WWS strives to minimize barriers to success related to physical ability, mental health, race, class, education, age, gender, sexual orientation, financial capacity, and family obligations, which is why there are no fees to join and our online resources stay free and open to all. As an organization, WWS is committed to partnering exclusively with women, LGBTQIA+, and/or BIPOC organizations and individuals.
RESILIENCE – WWS celebrates submissions, acceptances, and rejections equally. Each is an important step to building a personal submission strategy to success. The publishing industry works on a tiered system, but WWS subverts industry expectations by empowering individuals to make decisions based on their needs and the needs of their work. Within WWS, rejections and acceptances are not markers of value, but tools for advancement and community building.