Accessibility/Disability Committee

The Accessibility/Disability Committee leads SFWA discussion and action on matters of accessibility.

Comics Committee

The Comics Committee oversees the process of formally welcoming comics writers into the SFWA membership. The committee will provide resources for existing SFWA members to learn more about the art and business of comics writing and foster closer connection between the prose and comics SFF communities.

Contracts Committee

The Contracts Committee leads SFWA discussion regarding contract terms. The committee prepares and updates annotated model publishing contracts that provide an explanation of contract clauses and what to watch out for. It issues alerts about dangerous contract terms and provides publishing contract analysis. Email contracts@sfwa.org for more information.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee

The DEI Committee leads SFWA discussion regarding DEI policy for SFWA, increasing SFWA membership with marginalized and/or underrepresented communities, and improving SFWA’s diversity and inclusion to ensure new voices are seen and heard.

Election Committee

The Election Committee oversees SFWA internal elections.

Emerging-Tech Committee

Under Construction.

EMF Committee

The Emergency Medical Fund Committee oversees the SFWA Emergency Medical Fund. The Emergency Medical Fund (EMF) was established to help genre writers pay medical expenses not otherwise covered by insurance. The fund is meant to cover only short-term (i.e. emergency situations that interfere with the ability to write).

Estates–Legacy Committee

The Estates Program has assembled, and is maintaining, a database of the estates of deceased authors which includes contact information for their heirs and/or agents. This resource enables editors, publishers and agents to seek permissions, make payments, and double-check rights.

The Legacy Kit was created in honor of Bud Webster, a driving force behind the SFWA Estates Program. It was conceived as a way of helping SFWA members prepare their estates by providing important considerations and guidelines.

Financial Advisory Committee

The Financial Advisory Committee (FAC) advises the CFO on fiduciary matters concerning the organization.

Game Writing Committee

The Game Writing Committee encourages engagement and provides advice on game writing issues and the games industry, as it relates to the SFWA.

Givers Grants Committee

The Givers Grants Committee manages a pool of money set aside for SFWA to support other organizations’ efforts to promote writing in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and related genres–the speculative fiction field.

Grievance Committee

The Grievance Committee investigates and acts on member complaints about publishers, agents, and other publishing/distribution services.

Healthcare Committee

The Healthcare Committee oversees the operation of Lighthouse Insurance Group (LIG) as an information source and broker for SFWA who are seeking medical insurance.

History Committee

The SFWA History Committee works to help SFWA locate, collect, and preserve SFWA’s history through interviews, archiving documents, SFWA publications, and institutional documents, as well as providing historical information to SFWA Staff and Board Members to ensure institutional memory and facilitate smoother leadership transitions.

Independent Authors Committee

The Independent Authors Committee leads SFWA discussion and action on self-publishing matters.

Information Systems Committee (Infosys)

The Information Systems Committee is a team that works to help SFWA get data organized, help standardize technology usage and serve as an institutional memory for SFWA’s technological practices so that data and systems are kept smoothly constant during administration changeovers.

International Relations Committee (Intercom)

International Relations Committee leads SFWA discussion and action on self-publishing matters.

Legal Affairs Committee

The Legal Affairs Committee monitors court cases, regulatory action, proposed legislation, and requests for comments on issues that could affect speculative fiction writers per United States of America law. It reviews and helps draft legal amicus curiae briefs. The Committee also makes recommendations to the Board, such as advising SFWA to use the Legal Fund to assist writers in defending their copyrights and fighting efforts to trademark general terms that are used by many writers.

Membership Credentials Committee

The Membership Credentials Committee currently consists of the active SFWA Board of Directors.

Mentorship Program

The SFWA Mentoring Initiative is an all-volunteer service provided free of charge. We aim to connect writers who have questions, whether they are emerging writers or have expansive career experience, with each other with the objective of providing community, sharing knowledge, and offering networking opportunities.

Middle Grade & Young Adult Writers Steering Committee

The MF/YA Steering Committee guides discussions in the MG/YA discussion list and maintains the member list for the mailing list.

Ombudsman

The ombudsman is an alternate means of communication with the SFWA Board and officers. Anonymity is assured and your communications are confidential. The current Ombudsman can be reached at ombudsman@sfwa.org.

Poetry Committee

The Poetry Committee advocates for speculative poetry and provides advice on writing, publishing, and performing genre poetry as it pertains to SFWA and the broader poetry realm.

Publications Team

The Publications Team (Pubs) oversees production of SFWA’s publications, which include the SFWA Blog, Nebula Awards Showcase, and the Nebula Conference award ceremony commemorative program.

Romance Writers Steering Committee (RSC)

The SFWA Romance Committee will offer meaningful input and assistance in cultivating a positive trajectory for authors of stories that combine fantasy, science fiction, and romance in a way that encourages diversity, engagement, and quality, while also providing outreach and support resources for those struggling with inclusion in the SFF community at large.

SFWA Awards Rules Committee

The SFWA Awards Rules Committee (SARC) administers the Nebula Awards, including the Bradbury and Norton Awards. 

Short Fiction Committee

The Short Fiction Committee leads SFWA discussion and action on short fiction (story, novelette, novella) matters.

Volunteer Coordinators

SFWA’s Volunteer Coordinators oversee volunteer recruitment and track volunteer activity.

Writer Beware® (Writing Scams Committee)

The Writing Scams Committee looks to identify and warn members of scams through mechanisms such as Writer Beware®.

last updated 1/28/2021