Our Story
Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation, established in 1999 by writers and activists Elmaz Abinader, Junot Díaz, Victor Díaz and Diem Jones, is a community-based organization that puts writers of color, their narratives, voices, and experiences at the center of all conversations. VONA supports individual writer growth, creates platforms for community engagement rooted in social justice, and provides workshops and mentors focused on expanding writing opportunities.
In 1999, less than 0.2% of writers of color were represented in writing workshops across the country. The mainstream literary establishment was not equipped to read or guide writers of color. VONA provided a forum for the serious study of work by writers of color, creating a platform for conversations and support that could not be found elsewhere.
The need to hear the other sides of the stories—stories produced by writers of color who document, testify and right injustice has always been and always will be imperative. This focus on expanding the canon of writers of color is not new for VONA.
Our VONA faculty, internationally renowned writers and poets of color, demonstrate an artistry of craft, a devotion to teaching and a commitment to social justice.
Since its inception, VONA has facilitated increased access to writing programs, inviting writers from different backgrounds and experiences to talk about who they are as writers of color and how that influences the stories they choose to tell. VONA alumni teach in both academic programs and community workshops, many coming home to teach as VONA faculty.
Over 2,500 writers from around the globe have participated in VONA since 1999. Cinelle Barnes, Devi Laskar, Elaine Castillo, Jennifer De Leon, Cynthia Dewi Oka, Patricia Engel, Kali Fajardo-Anstine, Daisy Hernandez, JP Howard, Christine Hyung-Oak Lee, Tayari Jones, Zeyn Joukhdar, Lisa Ko, Vanessa Martír, John Murillo, Daniel José Older, Melissa Rivero, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Maurice Carlos Ruffin, and Danez Smith are among the more than 500 alumni who have published books, receiving literary prizes and international recognition.
Though our nations have yet to achieve racial, gender and economic equality, it is through the act of writing that our community rises. We share in one another’s struggle even as we celebrate our victories and success.
Culture. Craft. Community. Change.
That is VONA’s story.
Our Mission
The premier multi-genre workshop for BIPOC Writers, VONA is a Home where writers of color come to hone their craft and be in community. VONA honors its writers' unique histories, traditions and aesthetics and provides a protected mentoring space for learning and fellowship. VONA fosters the development of personal and political writing and engages in the work of social justice as we build our global community of writers.
Our Vision
Literature created by writers of color disrupts and redefines the traditional canon as it engages in the complex and nuanced conversations of the human experience. The perspective of people of color is best expressed through our creativity, strength, and collective wisdom. The literary community recognizes the necessity for voices centered in the cultures, imagination, and worldview of writers of color. VONA faculty and alumni are sought after nationally and internationally by publishers, agents, and readers. Their narratives document the lived experiences of people of color, providing us with not only a way to better understand ourselves and our role in the world, but also how we, through the written word, are able to create change. Change of mind. Change of being. Change of practice. Change.