NEW YEAR MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT: 

Dear Member and Friend,

The New Year is here!

The start of every year holds a lot of positivity and zeal to effect plans that will help achieve goals. On the occasion of the New Year, the National Executive Committee (NEC) has put together strategies to further advance the course of our Association. I would like to thank you for your enduring support to GAW, and for the memories we shared together in 2021. It is also time to show gratitude to the eminent members of the Advisory Board, members of committees, our donors, partners, supporters, friends and volunteers who were part of our pursuits in the past year. I look forward to having you by our side this year, too.

Highlights of the Association’s activities in 2022

The events to commemorate the 65th year of the Association will be held in March; opening of nominations for election of officers will be in April and Congress in May; the 6th GAW Literary Awards will be held in November. In our efforts to have seasoned writers to mentor young/early-stage writers, the GAW Young Writers Forum will be extensively held this year. The anthology project started in 2021 will be completed in the first quarter of 2022. This may become a twice-a-year feature to provide avenue, especially, for young/early-stage writers to publish their works. A quarterly newsletter, to be called, GAW News, will be launched this year. A tour to an intriguing location will be considered this year. It is meant to rejuvenate us from the pressures of our routine activities. A visit to a location such as this may become a source of story ideas to some of us.

The Association will continue to deepen partnerships and affiliations with the following internal and external institutions: CopyGhana, Ghana Publishers Association, Ghana Culture Forum, National Commission on Culture, Ghana Book Development Council, Association of Teachers of Ghanaian Languages, Ghana Library Authority (GhLA), Ama Atta Aidoo Center for Creative Writing, the Dr. Ephraim Amu Foundation, Ghana Association of Teachers of English, the Copyright Office, Ghana Education Service, Bureau of Ghana Languages, Ghana Tourism Authority, Nuclear Power, Ghana, and the Department of English and the School of Performing Arts, both of the University of Ghana, Legon. The rest are the Pan-African Writers Association, the National Writers Association of South Africa, International Authors Forum, International Women Writers Guild, Italian Writers Union and AdinkraLinks.

In the area of advocacy, GAW will continue to provide unflinching backing to the efforts of CopyGhana, a reprographic rights body, to bring both public and private tertiary educational institutions in Ghana to the reprographic levies bracket to enhance compensation to authors and rights holders. The Association will also pursue its earlier standpoint to impress upon the GhLA to do more to purchase books of members for distribution to public schools and community libraries. 

A vigorous resource mobilisation will be initiated this year to keep the Association afloat, in terms of finances, and provide seed funding for our Writers Enterprise Fund (WEF), support the strengthening of regional, tertiary and local branches, galvanise GAW Schools Outreach Porgramme (GAWSOP) and the GAW Prisons Outreach Programme (GAWPOP). We shall also be reaching out to some of you to support specific projects and programmes of the Association. Please consider supporting the Association with a one-time or recurring donation during our fundraising drive. A fundraising magazine will be launched to provide you with information about the areas of need. GAW is a non-profit-volunteer organisation that relies on the efforts, time and donations of its members.

Support and best wishes

My colleagues and I, in NEC, cannot say that the task of leading the Association is easy. We look forward to your relentless support and commitment to see us succeed. I hope for a lot of idea-sharing and productive interactions in 2022. On behalf of everyone at NEC and the Secretariat, we wish you and your loved ones all the best in 2022. May the New Year bless us with good health, happiness, prosperity and life-changing writing experiences.

News and schedules

Follow news and schedules of our activities on:

www.gaw.org.gh 

https://facebook.com/ghawriters

https://instagram.com/ghawriters

https://twitter.com/ghawriters

GAW Official and Social I&II WhatsApp platforms

Kind regards,

Francis GBORMITTAH
January 6, 2022.

Event: ORIENTATION FOR SECRETARIAT STAFF – To underscore
basic office procedures and manners, and guide staff to adjust to
planned activities of the Association within the year.
Date(s): Thursday, January 14, 2022.
Time: 10a.m. -1p.m.

Event: GAW Sunday.
Venue: PAWA House, Accra.
Date(s): Sunday, February 6, 2022.
Time: 3p.m. – 6p.m.
Information: https://gaw.org.gh/gaw

Event: Launch of 6th Literary Awards.
Venue: PAWA House, Accra.
Date(s): Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022.
Time: 10a.m.
Information: https://gaw.org.gh/gaw

Event: International Mother
Language Day.
Venue: PAWA House, Accra.
Date(s): Mon., February 21, 2022.
Time: 3:30p.m. - 5:00p.m.

Event: General Meeting.
Venue: PAWA House, Accra.
Date(s): Sat., Feb. 27, 2022.
Time: 10 a.m.

Event: Launch of 65th Anniversary.
Venue: PAWA House, Accra.
Date(s): Tues., March 1, 2022.
Time: 4p.m.

Event: Read-A-Ghana-Book Month.
Venue: Various locations in March.
Date(s): Various dates in March.
Time: Various times.
Information:
https://gaw.org.gh/gaw

Event: GAW Sunday.
Venue: Virtual (Zoom).
Date(s): Sun., March 6, 2022.
Time: 4pm – 6pm.

Event: World Poetry Day.
Date: Monday, March 21, 2022.
Venue: Virtual (Zoom) & InPerson, PAWA House, Accra.
Time: 3.30p.m. – 6p.m.

Event: Launch of GAW
Newsletter and Fundraising
Magazine.
Venue: PAWA House, Accra.
Date(s): Tues., March 29, 2022.
Time: 4pm – 6pm.

Event: Launch and Screening of a documentary to commemorate
GAW’s 65th Anniversary.
Venue: PAWA House, Accra.
Date(s): Tues., March 29, 2022.
Time: 4pm – 6pm.

Event: NEC & Regional
Executives Meeting.
Venue: Virtual (Zoom).
Date: Thurs., March 31, 2022.
Time: 3 – 5p.m.

Event: Nominations open for
election of officers.
Venue: PAWA House, Accra.
Date(s): Friday, April 1, 2022.
Time: 9a.m. – 3p.m. each day.

Event: International Children’s
Book Day.
Venue: Virtual (Zoom) & In-Person,
PAWA House, Accra.
Date(s): Sat., April 2, 2022.
Time: 10a.m.

Event: GAW Sunday.
Venue: PAWA House, Accra.
Date(s): Sun., April 3, 2022.
Time: 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Event: Nominations close for election of officers.
Venue: PAWA House, Accra.
Date(s): Friday, April 15, 2022.
Time: 3p.m.

Event: GAW Young Writers’ Forum.
Venue: PAWA House, Accra.
Date(s): Saturday, April 16, 2022.
Time: 10a.m.

Event: Campaigns for election of officers
begin.
Venue: Various formats and fora.
Date(s): Monday, April 18, 2022.

Event: World Book and Copyright Day.
Venue: Virtual (Zoom) & In-Person, PAWA House, Accra.
Date(s): Saturday, April 23, 2022.
Time: 3.30p.m. – 6p.m.

Event: Screen Writing Workshop.
Venue: Virtual (Zoom) & In-Person,
PAWA House, Accra.
Date(s): Thursday, April 28, 2022.
Time: 3.30p.m. – 6p.m.

Event: GAW Sunday.
Venue: PAWA House, Accra.
Date(s): Sunday, May 1, 2022.
Time: 3.30p.m. – 6p.m.

Event: Campaigns for election of
officers end.
Venue: Various formats and fora.
Date(s): Sunday, May 15, 2022.

Event: Congress
Venue: PAWA House, Accra.
Date(s): Saturday, May 21, 2022.
Time: 9a.m.

Event: GAW Sunday.
Venue: Virtual (Zoom) & In-Person, PAWA House, Accra.
Date(s): Sunday, June 5, 2022.
Time: 3.30p.m. – 6p.m.
Information: https://gaw.org.gh/gaw

Event: NEC & Regional Executives Meeting.
Venue: Virtual (Zoom).
Date(s): Tues., June 14, 2022.
Time: 3.30p.m.

Event: Distinguished Authors and
Personalities Series.
Venue: To be announced.
Date(s): Sat., June 18, 2022.
Time: 4p.m.

Event: A tour to an intriguing location.
Venue: To be determined.
Date(s): Sat., June 25, 2022.
Time: 5a.m. – 7p.m.