Furry Writers' Guild

Hello once again FWG Members! We know there’s been a lot of guild news going on lately, but we want to get a few big things done so we can focus on more fun projects. As mentioned in a previous announcement, while we did not need votes for our guild officers this year we will still be holding a very important vote.

First we intend to explain the changes being made. A link to a form for FWG members to vote will be included at the end of this blog post so be sure to go vote if you can!

We wish to bring to a vote an update to our by-laws. You can view our current by-laws >here. While these are well written, we noticed some things needed updating such as:

• A general update to remove services we no longer offer (like a Shoutbox) and update to services we currently use
• The addition of officer positions made by the previous administration that have been excellent and effective
• A more detailed procedure for removing members of the guild if necessary
• The ability for the Cóyotl Awards Chair to be voted for (we had no actual method for choosing our chairperson previously)
• Actually have a procedure for if and when guild officers may not be able to perform their duties for how they could be replaced
• Modernize voting procedures for the future

The amended by-laws being brought up for vote can be found >here. All changes are highlighted in red.

We also wish to strengthen our Code of Conduct. Our current Code of Conduct can be found >here. We wish to make minor changes like with the by-laws to update services, but also would like to make one other large change.

We would like to add a section on unacceptable content to the Code of Conduct. We believe there are certain subjects that should never be presented within a positive light. This is in line with what we have seen from publishers within the fandom and we want our guild to reflect this as a part of our core values.

We would like to offer a general content warning as some of these things might be triggers for some within our community. >The full listing, alongside the changes we wish to make to the Code of Conduct can be found here. Changes to the Code of Conduct are highlighted in red.

Edit: Due to fantastic feedback from guild members, we have realized the previous wording for the Code of Conduct may have created problems for many members of the guild. We have changed the language within the amended Code of Conduct to reflect this. We will be accepting any re-votes from members that would like to change their vote due to these changes.

We have also now created a forum thread for discussion that you can find >here.

We would now like to bring these amendments to a vote! Voting will remain open for two weeks, from May 3rd through May 16th. The link below will take you to the official voting form.

>FWG By-Laws And Code of Conduct Voting Form

 

We want to once again thank our members for being so awesome while we get a lot of work done within the guild. We hope these changes will be able to make the guild bigger and better than ever before!

 

Hello there Furry Writers’ Guild Members, this announcement is especially for you! We have over 200 members in our guild listings including those with associate memberships. That’s an incredibly impressive number we should be proud of!

The truth of the matter is though, these numbers do not accurately reflect guild activity. We have run into specific issues while trying to do more work to support our members. Some of these things include:

• Authors changing the handle they go by online
• Authors changing fursonas in general
• Authors transitioning in some way (we don’t want to use the wrong pronouns for members)
• Links now going to dead websites
• Links going to wrong accounts (having moved accounts on sites like FurAffinity)
• The email registered with us is no longer accurate (we need this for confirming votes in things like the Cóyotl Awards)
• Some writers have left the fandom entirely, have stopped writing, or are unable to be found with any information we have.
• Without an accurate number of membership, running votes for things like changing membership criteria, which require 30% of guild members voting to make changes, is essentially impossible

With these things in mind we intend to do a full update of the guild listings beginning now and ending May 31st. We are asking all members of the guild to fill out this form to remain in our public listings.

>FWG Directory Listing Update Form

When we update our website we will be populating our membership listings to only show those that have updated their information to have a more accurate look at current guild membership. We want to stress no one is losing their guild membership through this. Any member will be free to rejoin our listings even after the deadline.

We sorely need updated information on members to promote them. We also want to show writers that are reasonably active for those that visit our website. Readers of anthropomorphic literature can use these listings to find authors to read and potentially commission, so we want this tool to be strong to help support our members.

To ensure we get the word out on this change we plan to do several things:

• We intend to reach out to members on all available platforms we have available: email, social media, etc. to inform them of this update.
• We will keep our previous list so that if any members miss the deadline they will only need to update information to be put up on the website
• We will be respectful towards members of the guild who may have passed away since their listing was added. We’re hoping to research any names we can and maintain their membership in memoriam. If any guild members know other members specifically to mention, please let us know.

We understand this is a big shake up for the guild but it is important for our continued functioning to do this. We’ve needed to make these updates for a long time so it’s time to bite the bullet and make it happen. Thank you for your continued support! 

 

Hello everyone! I’m incredibly thankful to be the new president of the Furry Writers’ Guild. We have a lot of things to get to in this big update so let’s get started! As my reign of terror begins (wait perhaps I should have worded that better) I want to first personally thank our previous administration for all the work they have done to keep the guild running. It takes a lot of behind the scenes effort to keep things running smoothly and they all deserve to be applauded for it! 

I outlined a lot of plans within my platform and intend to hit the ground running on getting them going. There is a lot coming down the pipeline, so for now we’re going to give a brief update and give some specific details in the coming days. I’ll try to keep things as brief as possible. So no more preamble, let’s get to it!

Modernization And Updates To The Guild

First we would like to announce our brand new official discord channel! This channel has some fun features including a special beta reading program that you can find details on by joining up. We also have specific discussion channels and plan to host fun events using this new platform. 

We’ll be transitioning from using the Slack channel to using our Discord in full over the next week, so be sure to join if you enjoy our Coffee House Chats. Remember: our discord channel is open to the public, not just members of the FWG so we hope you will all join us there!

Our New Logo!

We will also be updating the website in the coming days; in fact you may have noticed we’ve already made some changes! We have needed A fresh new look will bring some excitement to the guild, and with that comes our brand new logo. I know our lovely fox typing away has been a mainstay of the guild for a long time, but it’s time to give the guild a more modern look. 

Full Update Of Guild Member Listings

Alongside the visual overhaul of the website, we would like to make sure our guild listings are also up to date. We’ve been taking greater efforts to help promote members of the guild and have noticed a lot of listings aren’t up to date, people have changed handles, fursonas, and some links to websites are entirely dead. 

As we have to update the website theme to something currently supported by wordpress, it may involve serious site maintenance as is. There is no better time than now to get this done. Hopefully we can tackle this one and have it done before the end of May. We will be giving a full update on this project tomorrow, but any FWG members wanting to get ahead of the game and submit their updated info can do so here.

A Vote To Amend The By-laws and Code of Conduct

While I was able to win the presidency unopposed, we will still need to hold a vote about updates to the Code of Conduct as well as the Guild By-laws. Some updates are needed in general, like to have a process to decide the Cóyotl Awards Chair as well as add other processes we have needed for some time. We also hope to reorganize officer positions to better define each role as well as officially add roles that were temporarily made during the previous administration. 

Through this, we hope to also make it so volunteering for positions in the future won’t be too large a workload to discourage people from helping. Speaking of, we will likely being reaching out for volunteers to help with things soon so keep an eye out!

We also intend to bring up for discussion and potentially a vote, changes to our Code of Conduct. We would like to consider strengthening it to reflect the values of the guild as well as be in line with what the majority of publishers within the furry fandom expect when receiving submissions. We will have an update with details and a call for a vote coming to you this Sunday.

I understand that this looks like a lot and I cannot lie: the guild is going to be busier than usual as we try to make these important changes. One of my major goals as president is to bring in more active members and have many fun activities for those looking to join our ranks. I hope that by getting us organized proper, we will have a better ability to do this going forward. Here’s to the exciting future of the Furry Writers’ Guild!

Recently, a (now former) FWG member made a series of controversial posts on Twitter. While we should point out that the FWG staff does not police members’ social media, there are certain positions so intensely radioactive that we cannot abide their presence in our ranks. The guild would not stand for it. The fandom at large would not stand for it. Thus, our hand was forced.

It should also be noted that this did not occur in a vacuum, and the aforementioned posts represent only the latest in a series of questionable and ill-advised public statements, many of which resulted in complaints.

The FWG has always preferred that members self-regulate their behavior. Even when lines are crossed, we would sooner exercise patience and magnanimity than we would punitive measures. The number of persons who have received such marked disciplinary action is small indeed, and each of those occasions remain regrettable to us. Nevertheless, our commitment to the FWG and its mission sometimes make it necessary. We hope you all understand.

Best wishes,

The FWG staff

Just a reminder that April is the FWG election season. Anyone who wishes to run for any of the guild officer positions (president, vice president, treasurer) should feel free to put together a platform and make a post on the forums in accordance with guild by-laws, as detailed here: https://furrywritersguild.com/guild-by-laws/

Our election protocol is the product of a different era, when the forums were the hub of FWG activity. However, since election season is already upon us, the current administration will not attempt to update the process. The election subforum can be found here: https://fwg.makyo.io/c/fwg-ideas-and-feedback/guild-election/25

Thank you, and best of luck to the candidates.

It’s February, and in honor of Black History Month we have been featuring some of the black authors that are members of the Furry Writers’ Guild. Today will be our last feature for the month, and we will be sharing an interview done with Jakebe T. Lope! He has had stories featured in Breaking the Ice: Stories from New Tibet, Historimorphs, and New Fables. Without further ado, let’s get to the interview.

—

FWG: Tell the guild and our readers a bit about yourself.

Jakebe: My name is Jakebe T. Lope, though I’ve gone by others in my day. I’ve been in the furry fandom since 1996, so I’m pretty sure that makes me a greymuzzle! I’m a long-time writer and blogger — my blog “From the Writing Desk” is a collection of personal essays about the writing process, my journey with mental health, the furry fandom, Afrofuturism, Buddhism, and politics. Currently, I’m writing serialized erotic fiction through Patreon under The Jackalope Serial Company.

FWG: What is your favorite work that you have written?

Jakebe: I’m really happy with “Nightswimming”, the short story I wrote for Breaking The Ice. It was my first published short story, and I really tried to stretch myself to capture the feeling of isolation within New Tibet and what would make anyone want to stay on that frozen hellhole.

I think the writing that means the most to me, though, are the essays I’ve written about mental health on From The Writing Desk. I come from a background with a serious stigma attached to mental health issues, and it means a lot to me to be open and honest about it, and help others who might be struggling with similar issues.

FWG: What do you think makes a good story?

Jakebe: I think any good story has to end with its reader feeling better about the world they’re living in. Even the stories designed to make us uncomfortable are guides for us to pay attention and work with that discomfort so we’re better able to deal with it on the other side. That doesn’t mean a story can’t just be dumb fun, but even light entertainment needs to leave us with the feeling that the world is a rad place, or it could be if we worked for what we believe in. 

It’s really hard to do this without browbeating an audience with some message. I think you need to be honest, fearless, and compassionate in order to achieve it. The best writing fosters that sense of instant, empathetic connection.

FWG: How long have you been in the guild, and what changes have you seen with regards to how writing is handled since joining?

Jakebe: Oh man, I’ve been in the guild for a while — so long I can’t remember when I’ve joined. I think writing has been largely democratized since I’ve joined, and it’s wonderful to see so many new perspectives popping up across the fandom, with so many interesting expressions of what brings us to it. It’s been really encouraging to see.

At the same time, I worry that there’s been a breakdown of the writing community because we’ve stopped listening to each other and become much more ego-driven. In my experience, there’s been less of a willingness to help one another with our craft and the realities of the market. I’d really like to see us return to a spirit of collaboration, guidance, and respect for the craft.

FWG: What does Black History mean to you?

Jakebe: Black history is American history. What my ancestors went through is the shadow side of the version of America we see in our history books and civics classes. A lot of us are shocked about what we’re seeing rising out of our fellow Americans in the current political landscape, but if we pay attention to the history of black Americans and the experiences of other Americans of color, we’d know that these attitudes have been around as long as the Constitution. This IS who we are; we’re just being forced to reckon with it.

At the same time, Black history helps me realize that resilience, perseverance, joy, and a commitment to working for my ideals are all a part of my story. My ancestors passed down amazing values and lessons to me, and it’s a privilege to get to be able to carry those stories and spread them as well as I can.

FWG: Do you feel that your Blackness has affected your writing?

Jakaebe: Absolutely. As a black man in America, you have to make peace with the fact that almost nothing you see is going to be from your perspective. The heroes we grow up watching and wanting to be like don’t necessarily look like us. I grew up queer and nerdy in the inner-city, so I’ve had a really difficult relationship with my Blackness because I’ve never felt accepted by my community. That feeling of being rejected by the dominant culture and my birth culture, of feeling alone and forced to make your own way, it’s always going to be a part of my work. I’m always reacting to that weird tension, of needing to belong but also realizing I never really have, and it shows in my writing. I’m still looking for my tribe.

FWG: Do you feel like the issues that affect the outside world affect your writing within the fandom or not?

Jakebe: They absolutely do. Since I’ve become more politically active I consider it a pretty core part of my job as a writer to find ways to express my perspective to a fandom audience that is largely white. It’s tough, when everyone in the community feels like they’re the underdogs in some way, to have a discussion about privilege or the blind spots they create. Furry literature can be a great way of exploring these sensitive topics in ways that folks are more likely to engage with.

FWG: Do you have favorite Black authors and has their literature affected your writing in the fandom?

Jakebe: YES. Ta-Nehesi Coates is my jam right now; he’s a fellow Baltimore native, and his personal essays have been a North Star for me in so many ways. He’s been killing it on Black Panther, too. 

Octavia Butler has been writing amazing sci-fi and fantasy from a racial lens, and I hope to be able to achieve her level of insight and sensitivity some day. Kindred is such an amazing book. It really shakes your image of American slavery, what it would be like to endure that, and what you would do to combat the forces that shaped it.

There’s three-time Hugo Award winner N.K. Jemisin; there’s Nnedi Okorafor, who also won the Hugo Award for her novella Binti; there’s Daniel Jose Older, who is killing it with urban fantasy through an Afro-Latino lens; there’s Samuel “Chip” Delaney, the great old sci-fi Grandmaster who paved the way for all of us in the game right now. 

It’s a really great time for Afrofuturist writers, and there are so many exciting stories being told that really break out of the traditional sci-fi and fantasy tropes.

FWG: If you could convince everyone to read a single book, what would it be?

Jakebe: I feel weird hyping this book after talking about so many excellent black writers, but if you haven’t read The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle it is really a singular work. It’s both an homage to really great epic fantasy and a deconstruction of it; at the end of the novel, even though everyone has achieved what they set out to do each character is fundamentally changed in a way that makes them — and the world — so much more complicated. It’s a staggering, heartbreaking novel, and I love it so much. Most people only know the movie, but the book is better by an order of magnitude and Beagle deserves so much more recognition than he’s gotten.

FWG: Any last words for our readers and guild members?

Jakebe: In order to be an excellent writer, we have to spend so much more time listening and observing others. Listening and absorbing other people without judgement is an overlooked skill, and I think the time is ripe for writers who can present an honest understanding of others without dehumanizing or dismissing them. In so many ways, our separation between each other is an illusion. Our reality is connection. 

—

You can find Jakebe’s writing on his blog From The Writing Desk and on his Patreon for serialized erotic fiction. You can also find him on Twitter both at @jakebe and @serialjackalope; as well as on Mastodon @[email protected]. We hope you found this interview exciting and informative. We hope to continue these features next February for Black History Month as well as find other ways to feature black authors in the guild. If you have suggestions for how this might be done, please contact our public relations officer here. Until next time, may your words flow like water.

 

We here at the Furry Writers’ Guild are proud to announce that voting for the 2019 Cóyotl Awards is now open! Let’s take a look at the great works of literature up for the vote.

Best Short Story:

“Dirty Rats” by Jan Seigal (The Jackal Who Came In From The Cold)

“Night’s Dawn” by Jaden Drakus (FANG 10)

“Pack” by Sparf (Patterns in Frost: Stories from New Tibet)

 

Best Novella:

“Minor Mage” by T. Kingfisher

“Love Me To Death” by Frances Pauli

 

Best Novel:

“Titles” by Kyell Gold

“Symphony of Shifting Tides” by Leilani Wilson

“Fair Trade” by Gre7g Luterman

“Nexus Nine” by Mary E. Lowd

“The Student – Volume Three” by Joe H. Sherman

 

Best Anthology:

“Patterns in Frost: Stories from New Tibet” edited by Tim Susman

“Fang 9” edited by Ashe Valisca

“Fang 10” Edited by Kyell Gold & Sparf

 

2019 Cóyotl Awards Voting Form

 

We hope to see many members of the guild come together to vote for their favorite works from 2019. Voting will remain open from March 1st through March 31st so make sure to get in that vote!

It’s February, and in honor of Black History Month we would like to feature some of the black authors that are members of the Furry Writers’ Guild. Today we’ll be sharing an interview done with PJ Wolf! He’s soon to be featured in the NSFW anthology “Give Yourself A Hand” and has written many other stories. Without further ado, let’s get to the interview.

—

FWG: Tell the guild and our readers a bit about yourself.

PJ Wolf: Ah, hello everyone! I’m PJ Wolf and I’m actually a bit nervous to be doing this because, well, impostor syndrome is real and I’m dealing with it right now. Moving on, I’ve been in the fandom for a while, and have been toying around with ideas in various formats and hoping to put out a novel at some point. I don’t exactly know when or if I’ll get there, but until then, the words do demand I write them. And so I shall.

FWG: What is your favorite work that you have written?

PJ Wolf: I think it’s actually a tie between Secret and Swap Meat, both of which can be found on my SoFurry and FA pages. Secret because I know I absolutely nailed the character voice for the main character and narrator of the story, and he was so fun to inhabit, and Swap Meat because that story got me into RAWR (which was a fantastic experience that if you have the ability and wherewithal to go to, I highly recommend it) and also I took a negative reaction to something and made it into what I think is a pretty solid story.

FWG: What do you think makes a good story?

PJ Wolf: Characters. Characters, characters, characters. A half-done character will probably ruin a story for me, a character that’s a blank slate doesn’t have me intrigued.

FWG: How long have you been in the guild, and what changes have you seen with regards to how writing is handled since joining?

PJ Wolf: I don’t know! It has been a while and I honestly forget how long it’s been since I’ve joined. But if we’re talking in general, it’s been extremely gratifying to have such a helpful community that is writing-focused and also incredibly interested in helping out one another get better.

FWG: What does Black History mean to you?

PJ Wolf: I think it means perseverance in the face of great odds. My ancestors were rounded up from Africa, put onto crowded ships where some died due to starvation and disease, and sold off as slaves. And even though they lost their individual cultural history, they created one with one another in similar straits. Black accomplishment is often defined by what folks have had to overcome in order to be seen as people, and just about every Black child has heard their parents tell them that they have to work twice as hard for half the credit. Even so, Black folks have indelibly put their mark on history, and recognizing the specific achievements of Black folks this month, I hope, leads to our society being more whole.

FWG: Do you feel that your Blackness has affected your writing?

PJ Wolf: Yes, in ways great and small, in ways that I may not even be fully aware of. We all take ourselves into our creative works, since they are a method of self expression, and I think some of the stories that I want to tell are absolutely affected by my being Black.

FWG: Do you feel like the issues that affect the outside world affect your writing within the fandom or not?

PJ Wolf: I would be hard pressed to find a way that it wouldn’t.

FWG: Do you have favorite Black authors and has their literature affected your writing in the fandom?

PJ Wolf: I’m ashamed to say no, I don’t have a favorite Black author. If it’s one area of fiction that I’ve been neglecting, it’s that put out by Black writers.

FWG: If you could convince everyone to read a single book, what would it be?

PJ Wolf: Kismet, by Watts Martin. The world feels so alive, and particularly the politics in it. A (to my eyes) libertarian dystopia where if you don’t like the rules where you live, you can (assuming you have the money, natch) move somewhere else down a system of space borne platforms called the River that is supported by the openly more progressive and sustaining Ceres Ring that provides the water everybody else uses to live on? I would hate to live there, but I have read that book several times over and love it every time. I even actively hate one of the supporting characters’ political philosophies but I count it as a point in Kismet’s favor because it’s so fully developed.

FWG: Any last words for our readers and guild members?

PJ Wolf: It’s okay to not write everyday. But nor should you allow yourself to only write during ideal conditions. Sometimes you gotta force things, and even one word is one more word toward your goal, regardless of whether that word survives edits.

—

You can find PJ Wolf’s writing on both his SoFurry page and Fur Affinity page. He can also be followed on Twitter @pyrostinger. 

We hope you found this interview exciting and informative as we hope to feature more black authors this month! If you are a black member of the Furry Writers’ Guild and would like to be featured, please contact our public relations officer here. Until next time, may your words flow like water.

It’s February, and in honor of Black History Month we would like to feature some of the black authors that are members of the Furry Writers’ Guild. Today we’ll be sharing an interview done with Carmen K. Welsh Jr. who is also known as Copper Sphynx! Without further ado, let’s get to the interview.

—

FWG: Tell the guild and our readers a bit about yourself!

Copper Sphynx: I’ve been a fan and consumer of anthropomorphized media most of my early childhood. When I watched a movie, cartoon, or finished a TV show or book, I would draw/write the story to continue it. 

I currently write Fantasy/SF, Furry, essays, and comics. 

FWG: What is your favorite work that you have written? 

Copper Sphynx: I would like to say my most recent publication, but, in honor of Black History Month, I have to bring up my first and only published poem ‘Only Hound dogs up in Harlem’. It was first printed in a furry convention book and later officially published by the literary journal Typewriter Emergencies and is one of my favorite pieces. It’s based on poetry rooted in 1920s Harlem Renaissance but using canines. 

FWG: What do you think makes a good story?

Copper Sphynx: I’m definitely a character-driven writer. Incredible plots I still enjoy, but the stories I take to heart are those where the cast resonates with me, whether they be protagonist(s) and antagonist(s). 

FWG: How long have you been in the guild, and what changes have you seen with regards to how writing is handled since joining?

Copper Sphynx: I’ve been with the guild since 2011. I’ve seen more efforts in diversifying stories, who can tell what kind of stories, the awareness of differing culture, and more metadata references. Also, online courses and more conferences being offered are all newer changes and exciting.

FWG: What does Black History mean to you?

Copper Sphynx: To know that Black History and other history months is the true and total history of the United States. I have more to say but that’s for my blog and Twitter.

FWG: Do you feel that your Blackness has affected your writing?

Copper Sphynx: It definitely does! Blackness has been made into a visibly negative image at all levels and has been presented to me as a subtraction that I feel the need to show it in all its positives but to show that Blackness is fully faceted. Blackness also affects my furry writing. For example, I refuse to use certain animals in my stories as these very animals are used in real life and historically to denigrate not only people with my skin color but other groups of color as well.

FWG: Do you feel like the issues that affect the outside world affect your writing within the fandom or not?

Copper Sphynx: It certainly has that I’m feeling bolder in my writing and taking more risks with what material and subjects to tackle. And feeling the confidence in which style will serve that particular topic better. Before, I would’ve struggled as a writer and artist because I lacked confidence, but not anymore. Not saying I no longer struggle as a writer, I still do with story mechanics, world building, and the like. I just don’t struggle as much as before in how to present certain topics and subjects.

FWG: Do you have favorite Black authors and has their literature affected your writing in the fandom?

Copper Sphynx: Octavia Butler, Samuel Delaney, Steven Barnes, Tananarive Due and these are just a handful within speculative fiction. But I’ve read Sharon Mathis, Nikki Giovanni, Midred D. Taylor, and Virginia Hamilton as a child. Reading Black authors of other genres has given me more freedom in the ideas I can explore: about race, ethnicity, on social justice, how politics can illuminate or oppress, and how someone can change their fate through conscious and consistent choices.

FWG: If you could convince everyone to read a single book, what would it be?

Copper Sphynx: Just ONE? In honor of Black History Month, perhaps Octavia Butler’s Bloodchild short story collection. Short stories have been my first step into literature, which is why I write short fiction now. Also, those same short stories lead to new novels to read and new authors to love.

FWG: Any last words for our readers and guild members?

Copper Sphynx: I was struggling to belong somewhere in the writing community at the same time I was changing direction in my job life. I learned about FWG at the right moment when I needed the guild. Furry has given my art and writing direction, purpose, and a platform. I don’t regret any of it.

 

—

To learn more about Copper Sphynx and their writings please visit their website here alongside links to their other writing and art accounts. A complete list of their publications is also available on The Angry Goblin Blog. They can be followed on Twitter @KayFey.

We hope you found this interview exciting and informative as we hope to feature more black authors this month! If you are a black member of the Furry Writers’ Guild and would like to be featured, please contact our public relations officer here. Until next time, may your words flow like water.

In an effort to provide more outreach to the anthropomorphic writing community and feature new writers within it, the Furry Writers’ Guild is excited to announce a new initiative: Microfiction Mondays! Microfiction stories can be some of the most challenging to write, with strong restrictions on word and character counts. However, they are also incredibly rewarding and can help us develop new skills. 

Starting March 2nd, we will be featuring one microfiction story through the Furry Writers’ Guild Twitter account every Monday. Where will we be getting these stories? Well that’s where you come in! Any author may participate; Furry Writers’ Guild membership is not required. We are seeking to highlight stories from writers that fit these guidelines:

• Your story must fit in a single tweet with room for us to give you credit as the author (i.e. your Twitter handle has to fit as well).
• Feature anthropomorphic characters. We are willing to loosely interpret this one with how few words are available, but try to keep things furry!
• Stories must be PG 13. We will not be publishing adult works. If your story needs a content warning for other reasons, it must be included in the one tweet limit. 

With all of this in mind, here’s our submission form!

FWG Microfiction Monday Submission Form

Submissions are open now, and will remain so for the foreseeable future. We are also open to multiple submissions, even if you’ve already been featured. We want to include as many stories as we can, so do not be afraid to submit!

Our main goal here is to allow authors to flex their creativity and give them an outlet to show it off while connecting anthropomorphic writers to each other. This is a non-paying market. Please note, these submissions will not count as publishing credits towards joining the Furry Writers’ Guild. The authors of these stories maintain full rights to their work.

We hope you enjoy and take advantage of this new FWG initiative! If you have suggestions for other initiatives like this one that could be good for the guild please contact a guild officer or send a DM to our Twitter account. Happy writing everyone!

We are happy to announce that we have found an acting chairperson for the Cóyotl Awards. Please give a warm welcome to Linnea ‘LiteralGrill’ Capps! With a new acting chairperson at the helm we are proud to say the 2019 awards will be taking place this year!

We have decided to move the Cóyotl Awards from their own website to their own page here on the Furry Writers’ Guild site itself. This will allow us easier hosting of Cóyotl Awards related content as well as offer overall cohesiveness for the guild.

With all of this in mind nominations for the 2019 Cóyotl Awards are now open! While previous voting took place on the old website we have chosen to simplify the process by using a Google Form. These forms will be asking for your email address which we will compare to our FWG Database of members to confirm votes. 

If you believe your email is not up to date or simply want to be sure we have the correct email please fill out this form. Now without further ado…

 

The 2019 Cóyotl Awards Nominations Form

 

Nominations will be open for one month, January 22nd until February 22nd. Please remember that there can only be three nominations per category. All nominations per form past the first three will be discarded. 

Make sure to stay tuned for future updates on the awards. We will get information up for the official vote once the nominations are tallied. We could still use volunteers to help so if you are interested please contact Linnea on Twitter or Telegram – @LiteralGrill. 

Thank you for your support of the guild and the Cóyotl Awards both past and present. Here’s to strong nominations from the previous year and fantastic new stories to be written this year!

As you may already be aware, the Coyotl Awards chairperson has stepped down from her position after six years. Not only that, but the Coyotl Awards website has been lost due to an unrelated technical issue and will have to be rebuilt.

 

It falls on us now to rebuild to the best of our ability. However, owing to the sudden and unexpected nature of these issues, we believe it would be best if the 2019 Coyotl Awards were delayed for one year while we try to put things back in order. Yes, this does mean we would have two years of awards at the same time, but this has happened before and so it is not without precedent.

 

In order to reconstruct the Coyotls, two things will need to happen:

 

• The website will have to be rebuilt. We have hosting available, but someone will need to get into the nitty-gritty of coding the site afresh.
• The establishment of a committee to oversee and administrate The Coyotl Awards. We find it unlikely any one individual will be willing and able to shoulder the workload that former chair Ryffnah did, but even if we found such a person, we would rather split up the assignments in order to avoid burnout.

 

The specifics regarding the roles and responsibilities of the Coyotl chairperson and their fellow administrators have yet to decided. This will be unexplored territory both for the Coyotls and for the FWG.

The Coyotl Awards have always enjoyed a great deal of autonomy from the FWG structure; we believe this is healthy since it bolsters them against outside tampering. Accordingly, we would like to preserve that autonomy for their next iteration.  The new chairperson will be given generous leeway in order to facilitate the reconstruction effort.

At this time, we believe that three individuals should be enough of a committee to make this happen, but the number may change as events unfold. If you would like to help with rebuilding the Coyotl Awards website and/or wish to volunteer your services as chairperson (or an assistant), please contact a guild officer.

 

Thank you. We look forward to hearing from you.

Recently, there was a lengthy discussion in the FWG Telegram chat wherein various changes to the FWG were proposed. The discussion then moved to the FWG forums, where it continues still (a link will be provided towards the end of this post). The scope of the discourse involved more than can be comfortably summated here, but we will touch on a few of the points raised.

 

• First, we’ll address something that came up multiple times: the idea of the FWG collecting dues. Doing so would allow the FWG to expand its operation. But while many support this idea, I expect there are others who would not. Knowledgeable members have also said that if dues become a factor, it would be important that the FWG establishes itself as a full-fledged legal entity, a status it does not currently enjoy. This would add a new layer of complexity to the guild’s administrative requirements while also demanding additional officers to keep it all running.

 

The current FWG administration sees only two officers managing almost everything, and already stretched thin. Were we to attempt such a major overhaul here on the tail end of our terms, it would result in us quickly finding ourselves in over our heads and unable to proceed. Hence, while we are not opposed to the notion of dues per se, we do not have the capacity to implement them ourselves. That issue will have to be left for the next administration to decide and/or enact. Rather, we should like to set realistic goals that can be met in the remaining weeks of our tenure.

 

• Some of our esteemed members have suggested the creation of additional offices within the administrative structure. We agree that this is a good idea, and propose the immediate establishment of two new positions, with the possibility of more to come. However, because we are approaching the end of our tenure, we will be fielding these officers on something of a “trial basis.” If it goes well, then they may become official positions in the future.

 

The first would be a chief PR (public relations) officer. They would be tasked with representing the guild on social media as well as developing and pursuing promotional strategies. One can imagine this position as a crucial one, so finding a person who’s a good fit for the office is paramount. If you are interested, please contact a guild officer.

 

The second proposed office is for a dedicated “markets manager.” This person is tasked with keeping the markets section of the website up to date. We have already filled this position, everyone please welcome and show your appreciation to WildWeiler!

 

• There has been renewed discussion of member-generated instructional content related to writing. The FWG is always happy to host and help promote this sort of project, whether in the form of blog posts, forum threads, videos or sound clips, singly or as a series. Contributors have all the flexibility in the world at their disposal, so if you have an idea, contact a guild officer and we’ll work out the details together. If you’ve been looking for a way to help the guild, this would be a good way to do it.

 

• This coming April is election season for the FWG. Activity may slow at that time as the current administration prepares to transfer power to the incoming one (we will not seek reelection). So, if you’d like to take a whack at running the FWG, go ahead and start putting together your platform.

 

• The discussion thread mentioned at the beginning can be found here: https://fwg.makyo.io/t/ideas-and-suggestions-for-the-guild-future/2199

 

This was originally going to include a statement regarding the Coyotl Awards, however, that will have to come as its own post. So, look forward to that!

For those unaware, the FWG forums have been successfully transferred to their new home (thank you Sean and Makyo!). While there remains work to be done to restore their former functionality, they are operational and open to use.

 

For security reasons, passwords were not transferred over; you will need to log in with your email, then set a new password. To do so, once you have logged in, click your avatar in the upper right-hand portion of the screen, then click your name in the drop-down menu and select “preferences.” The password-setting process can be a little tedious, so please be patient.

 

A consequence of the move/merger is that many accounts were automatically deleted by the system. This was more likely to occur if you had not used the forum for some time. If that is the case, you will need to make a new account. We apologize for the inconvenience.

 

The link to the new forums will follow. Note that we plan to change the URL in the future.

 

https://fwg.makyo.io/

 

A thread for suggestions regarding the forums is here: https://fwg.makyo.io/t/discourse-ideas-tips-and-questions/2168

Furry Book Month is here again, and the FWG is ready to get the word out. Watch this space, as well as our Twitter account and the hashtag #FurryBookMonth for limited-time pricing on furry literature from authors, publishers and retailers.

If you have any deals on furry literature you’d like us to promote this October, contact us here or on our Twitter account (@FurWritersGuild) so we can add it!

It has come to our attention that an old misconception regarding the Furry Writers’ Guild is still prevalent in the furry writing community at large, that being the belief that only full FWG members may use FWG spaces and resources. We would like to quell that misconception now.

To be clear: FWG SPACES ARE OPEN TO ALL FURRY WRITERS, REGARDLESS OF MEMBERSHIP STATUS.

The main difference between a member and a non-member (or “future member” as we call them) is that only full members have the privilege to nominate and vote in the Coyotl Awards. When it comes to using the various FWG-branded spaces, there is no difference between members and non-members whatsoever. So long as a person is a furry writer of good conduct, they are welcome to use our chats and resources as much as they desire.

If anyone should make a claim to the contrary, please take a moment to correct them, or direct them to this statement.

 

Thank you,

 

The FWG Staff

As most of you are now aware, we began having a technical issue with persons being unable to access the FWG forums. It is thought that this stemmed from the host’s firewall wrongly banning certain IP addresses. It was found that some could regain access by clearing their browser cache, however, some members still find themselves locked out even after attempting this.

As it stands, the old FWG forums are no longer functional and will have to be abandoned. While this is an inconvenience, the fact is that the forums were already on borrowed time. Come November, we were going to lose hosting for them and, owing to their outdated architecture, they cannot simply be moved elsewhere.

The FWG staff had been discussing this next phase, but these recent problems have forced us to advance the timetable. We would like you, the FWG membership, to share your thoughts on this transition. Do we attempt to recreate the forums from scratch? Although they had been declining in usage for years, they still had utility as a sort of database. Would something more stripped-down suffice for our purposes? Or should we forgo them altogether? Let us know.

This post is to announce my securing of the Furry Writers’ Guild presidency, a role which I will assume beginning next month. For those unaware, I am Dwale, a longtime FWG moderator and “Coffeehouse Chat” host. I have roughly fifteen years of moderator experience, with about five years particular to the FWG. The Furry Writers’ Guild and its mission statement are important parts of my life and have been for many years now. There is little I would not do for the Guild.

Our vice president will be Mr. Miles Reaver, who says:

I have been part of the FWG since early December of 2016 and in this time the Guild has treated me well. I have been the moderator of the FWG Telegram chat for 3 years as well as part of the Dead Furry Society.

Some of you may know my writing, some of you may not. I’ve met some amazing and inspiring people in this place, full of spirit and ideas, knowledge and drive. I am proud to be a member of the FWG and I want to do as much for it as it has done for me. To educate writers, promote workshops, publishers and their works, and to create a space where furry writers can improve their craft.

Along with Dwale as President, we will do our best to make a long-lasting improvement and make the guild a place that writers can call home.

Chipotle has volunteered to stay on as treasurer and technical adviser. Trale, to our regret, will be leaving at the end of his term. We wish him the best and a happy road ahead.

We do have tentative plans to move the Guild forward, something about which you’ll be hearing more in the weeks and months to come. It is our intention to administrate according to precedent, with transparency, so that the Guild will remain the welcoming and constructive community it has always been. Stay tuned.

There have been some accusations of the FWG being “too political” which we would like to address.

The FWG is not, and never has been, a political organization. As much as practical, we prohibit discussions of politics in FWG-branded spaces; as a group, we take no political stances, advocate no ideologies.

But the FWG is also an inclusive organization. Our members come from all over the world, from all walks of life, across many spectrums. The furry fandom is diverse, and so is our community of writers. We’re proud of this diversity. We consider it one of furry’s greatest assets, and one of the FWG’s. As our Code of Conduct states,

The FWG welcomes and supports all backgrounds and identities. This includes, but is not limited to, participants of any age, experience level, nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, ability/disability, gender identity and expression, sexual identity and expression, or level and type of participation in the furry fandom.

This means there are times we do have to take stands. The Code of Conduct expressly prohibits harassment, including the advocation of hateful ideologies. We oppose—and will take action against—any such behavior. We will not accommodate hate speech, for doing so is no defense of free speech. Instead it silences the speech of others. We cannot and will not turn a blind eye to bigotry, however artfully coded. If you are someone who would denigrate or demean another person based on ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexuality, gender, disability, or lack of means, the FWG is no place for you.

If this opposition to bigotry makes you feel unwelcome, then we trust you know where to find the door.

 

It’s April! We’re not joking about all the accomplishments that are happening in this post.

 

Guild Newsroom

If you missed them, check out our recent spotlights on members Frances Pauli and Leilani Wilson! If you have a recent or upcoming release, or a project you really want to talk about (and you haven’t been a Member Spotlight before, message our Bat Veep, @tralekast on Twitter), to be considered).

Attention, all members on Twitter! When making posts about your writing, be sure to use the hashtag #furrywriting so that we can keep up with your work and share it with the world!

 

Member Highlights

Some highlights from last month, as featured from our FWG Member News section on the forums:

• Michael H. Payne‘s poem “The Protest: Ant Work Ethic”, which appeared in vol. 3 of Civilized Beasts, has been nominated for a Rhysling Award, which are given out annually by the SFPA.
• James L. Steele has released Dangerous Experiments, the second book in his Archeon Series.
• Madison Keller‘s short story, “The Widehorn Herd”, has been accepted to ROAR vol. 10. Also related to that anthology, Madison will be the new editor of ROAR moving forward.
• Jaden Drackus has had a story accepted to “Foxers or Friefs”, and anthology to be published by Armoured Fox Press. They’ve also been accepted to attend RAWR in June.
• Miriam “Camio” Curzon has a paper that will getting published through the new LGBT magazine at Brown University. They’ve also been accepted to attend RAWR in June.
• Alison “Cybera” Cybe has had stories accepted in the “Even Furries Hate Nazis” and “Movie Monsters” anthologies. They’ve also been interviewed by AwooNews for their series, “Realms of Valeron”. Lastly, they’ve been selected to edit a new anthology by Thurston Howl Publications, “Trans-fur-mation: Tales from Transgender Furry Voices”. See our Marketplace section for details.
• S. Park has had two short stories accepted—one to the “Even Furries Hate Nazis” anthology, as well as another into the “Burnt Fur” anthology from Blood Bound Books.

 

Our usual reminder to all our member that have had something exciting happen in the past month not featured here: be sure to keep up with your FWG Member News thread on the forums! Not only is this how we get our information, but these threads are able to be viewed by any person logged into the forums. Share your achievements with the rest of the writing community!

 

The Marketplace

For those of you looking to submit, keep an eye on the open markets on our website. For those of you who just forget, The Marketplace is your reminder for all things open for submissions!

Short Story Markets:

Publisher Title Theme Deadline Pay Zooscape  Zooscape Zine General furry Fiction Ongoing $0.06/word (maximum $60) Thurston Howl Publications Trick or Treat: A Furry BDSM Anthology Furry erotica featuring BDSM May 1st One copy of the anthology (non-paying) Thurston Howl Publications The Haunted Den: Furry Ghost Stories Furry ghost stories June 1st One copy of the anthology (non-paying) Thurston Howl Publications Give Yourself a Hand Furry erotica featuring masturbation June 15th $0.0050/word plus one copy of the anthology Thurston Howl Publications Pawradiso: The Ten Spheres of Furry Heaven furry stories based around the spheres of Heaven (in reference to Paradiso) July 15th One copy of the anthology (non-paying) Furplanet The Reclamation Project Furry stories in a shared, post-cataclysmic future August 31st $0.0050/word plus one copy of the anthology Thurston Howl Publications Trans-fur-mation Furry stories with strong trans pride themes November 1st $20.00 plus one copy of the anthology

FANG Vol. 10 will be updated on our paying markets page shortly, once the theme has been announced. We can tell you, however, that submissions will open on May 1st, 2019.

 

Novel Markets:

• Thurston Howl Publications is open to novel/novella submissions, with no planned date for submissions to close.

 

Special Events and Announcements

While most of these are the same announcements as last month, we feel that they are still relevant and should be repeated.

Goal Publications/Fanged Fiction has announced that they will be opening for novel/novella/Pocket Shot submissions on July 1st, 2019. Look forward to that!

Australian publisher Jaffa Books has announced that they will be closing their doors at the end of 2019. Thank you to Jay for all you’ve done with it, and we hope this gives you a chance to work more on your writing!

ROAR editor Mary E. Lowd has announced that, after finishing up the current volume, she will be handing the reigns off to Madison Keller. Thank you Mary for doing such a great job with the anthology, and we look forward to seeing what Madison brings to the table.

FANG editor Ashe Valisca has decided to hand the project to Sparf, who will be assisted by Kyell Gold. Thank you, Ashe, for your hard work with this series, and we wish the best of luck to the new editors.

 

Wrap-up

Our forums are open to all writers, not just full members of the FWG. Check them out here and join in on the conversation. While you’re there, check out how to join our Slack and Telegram channels. Before joining any of these, though, we ask that you please read up on our Code of Conduct! With all the negative going around in the world these days, both furry and non-furry, we want to make sure the guild feels like a safe place to all its participants, free of threats and hate speech.

We have two weekly chats, called our Coffeehouse Chats! Our first one is Tuesday at 7:00pm EST in our Slack channel, and our other is Thursdays at Noon EST on our forums in the shoutbox on the main page. Both of these chats feature writers talking about writing, usually with a central topic. As with the above, these chats are open to both members and non-members, though you must be registered for the forums.