How To Support Writers During the WGA Strike

Jason BoogSeptember 6, 2023

Screenwriters are striking in Los Angeles and fighting for a living wage. We need to support them and remember that writers are workers too!The Writers Guild of America (WGA) posted this message about the strike: "Writers are facing the most comprehensive assault on compensation and working conditions that they have seen in a generation ... Stand with the 11,500 WGA members who write and produce the TV and films that entertain the world!" I've collected some books and resources to learn more about this crucial fight.

Lessons of the Great Depression

When I wrote my book about writers during the 1930s, I realized that we’ve been fed a very old myth that authors are meant to suffer. At the height of the Great Depression, syndicated newspaper columnist Elise Robinson wrote:“No writer is worth shucks until he can take and has taken punishment ... He’s supposed to go hungry and ragged and cold, to drudge at chores he loathes, to suffer endless humiliation and rejection doing the thing he loves … It MAKES a writer, and weeds out the POSEURS.”That’s a dangerous lie. Authors, screenwriters, and journalists deserve a paycheck to support themselves and their families, and the WGA strike is fighting to keep writing a viable profession. Authors are workers too. We readers need to stand beside them at this historic moment.

Supporting the striking workers

If you want to give your support to these writers, there are many ways to help!

Add your voice on social media! The WGA offers these suggestions:
"Support us on social media using this social media toolkit and by following our official accounts: WGAW Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, Threads (@writersguildwest) | WGAE Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, Threads (@wgaeast)."
Buy a union-made, official WGA-branded shirt or hat to support the WGA.
If you live in the area, you can actually join writers on a picket line.
You can donate to the Entertainment Community Fund, helping all the workers standing in solidarity with the writers in Hollywood.

Keep reading on Fable!

Those are just a few titles in our library. You can also explore thousands of book lists on Fable, decoding your personal taste with our guided recommendations. It’s easy to make your own list as well!

Make a great book list.

Just finished reading a book about labor struggles and have the urge to share your thoughts with the world? It’s time to write your review and highlight your favorite sentences! You can also import your Goodreads reviews to your Fable account!

Rate and review your favorite books!

We also make it easy to launch your free book club to discuss these pressing issues. With our platform, you can host every aspect of an online discussion at a single destination to reach readers and build safe online communities regardless of location or time zone.

Start your own book club today!

Jason Boog