The Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation

Who We Are

VONA is a community committed to ensuring that writers of color create and publish work that speaks to their culture and that expands the literary canon. We believe in the power and creativity of writers of color and their ability to shape how we see and approach the world. We are a diverse group of writers who use the written word as a social justice tool to build understanding, catalyze change, and achieve liberation.

What We Do

VONA creates experiences that allow writers of color to explore their craft with high quality faculty. Participants calibrate their voices and learn professional skills in a community that holds space for, lifts, and supports them and their work.

Our Vision, Mission and Values

Vision - We envision a literary eco-system where the voices of writers of color are valued as experts in the craft of writing and where their work shifts the literary canon.

Mission - We seek to create a space where writers of color can hone their craft and use the written word to catalyze change. Change of mind. Change of being. Change of practice. VONA fosters the open and honest expression of personal and political writing often marginalized almost everywhere else. We aim to engage in and with the work of social justice and build a global community of writers of color who use writing as a tool for liberation.

Values - Our vision and mission rest in our values which guide how we approach our work.

• Community
• Empowerment
• Excellence
• Respect
• Integrity
• Justice

Our Events

We host public and invitation only literary events and expereinces the focus on the craft of writing professional development and amplifying the voices of writers of color.