About Us
Emerald Coast Writers, Inc. is a 501 c (3) nonprofit, all-volunteer organization, headquartered in downtown Pensacola, Florida. Founded in 1986 as West Florida Literary Federation, the group boasts more than 100 members including writers, published authors, poets, photographers, artists, and others who appreciate and promote the literary arts. ECW is a vibrant member of Northwest Florida’s cultural scene, sponsoring numerous community activities, youth programs, and the Books By the Bay Festival. As a book publisher and steward of the Dr. Francis Patrick Cassidy Literary Resource Center in the Clark Cultural Center, ECW helps preserve the literary heritage of the region and appoints the Poet Laureate of Northwest Florida.
Our Mission
Emerald Coast Writers seeks to establish and promote a strong regional identity for the writers and literature in Northwest Florida. We strive to preserve the literary heritage and promote literary efforts through programs such as writers' workshops, critique groups, open mics, school writing contests, community programs, festivals, and events, and regional publications.
Our Vision
Emerald Coast Writers brings together writers and area residents who are interested in writing and the literary heritage of Northwest Florida. We seek to uphold and defend the integrity of literary arts and freedom of artistic expression while celebrating the creative diversity of voices and vision among writers.
Our Story
Emerald Coast Writers (formerly West Florida Literary Federation) traces its origins to Spring 1986 when Ron Cannon and a small group of literary-minded residents worked with twelve community groups to found WFLF. For 30 years, the group’s mission has been to bring people together who are interested in the literary heritage of West Florida; to promote literary efforts through programs, workshops, awards, and related activities; and to educate and assist members in their literary interests. READ MORE
Our Team
We are a non-profit writing organization run entirely by volunteers and headed by a Board of Directors. Special committees handle various projects and initiatives. We operate under a set of Bylaws. READ MORE
NW Florida Poet Laureate
Asia Samson is a professional spoken word artist who has toured over 2000 colleges all over the country since 2006. He’s been seen on HBO Def Poetry Jam, Ted Talks, the Story Conference, Entrepreneur’s Conference, Button Poetry, NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest, and So Far Sounds. He has worked with companies like Disney, To Write Love On Her Arms, Nokia Mobile & most recently, the US Military. He has broken college-booking records for the most booked poetry act garnering him the awards of APCA College Performer of the Year and thrice the APCA Spoken Word Artist of the Year.
Our Privacy Policy
Our privacy policy describes how we collect, use, and manage the personal data of users of our site. This policy includes explanations who, what, where, when, and why of our data collection processes. READ MORE
Our Member Directory
Emerald Coast Writers’ member directory contains information on many of our members. Each entry may include a member bio, a cover photo and description of one of the member's published books, a member's writing excerpt, and a link to the member's website. DIRECTORY
