While many stories are born of conflict, sorrow, and tragedy, the act of storytelling requires some measure of peace. Writers must have homes, they must have food, and they must have the freedom to express themselves without fear.

In too many places around the world, writers do not know this peace.

We have members who live in, bear citizenship of, and travel to countries whose governments increasingly scrutinize personal speech and professional membership. Further, we have members and friends who are living and dying in conflicted areas and war zones. Their stories are powerful, they are many, and we must hear them.

As writers, our values shine forth in our writing; speculative fiction has a unique ability to undermine prejudices and upturn assumptions. We also have the power to challenge fascism and imagine better futures. Our voices reverberate around the world and throughout time, and we must use them.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in education, SFWA is restricted from political campaign intervention in particular forms. At the same time, our mission is to inform, support, promote, defend, and advocate for writers of science fiction, fantasy, and related genres.

We must not look away as our colleagues and readers—present and future—are killed, injured, or driven from their homes.

With that in mind, SFWA will continue to actively support speculative fiction writers under threat and in crisis.

Direct actions SFWA will take from this point forward include:

• SFWA will continue to provide Emergency Medical Fund and Legal Fund support to all qualifying authors, including those impacted authors in conflict zones.
• SFWA will provide free Virtual Nebula access for any author impacted by war or conflict.
• SFWA will waive membership fees for authors living in or displaced from areas impacted by war or conflict.

In addition, SFWA Givers Fund grants are available to:

• revitalize recovering science fiction and fantasy communities,
• fund writing scholarships targeted at affected authors,
• help to rebuild lost and destroyed SFF and related genre collections in affected libraries or educational institutions, and
• assist in the creation of safe writing spaces.

We are also here to support our community by pointing writers toward resources and opportunities they need. It is our mission to support writers, and we will not lose sight of those impacted by crises. If you or another writer need support, please contact crisis@sfwa.org.

Signed,

The SFWA Board of Directors