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Who We Are
The Nommo Gathering Black Writers Collective, Inc. is a community arts organization in Chicago. Established in December 2000 in honor of the late Illinois Poet Laureate Gwendolyn Brooks, the organization’s primary mission is to nurture the emergence of new literary voices and to provide a critical framework for the written evaluation of the sociopolitical and cultural impact of art forms indigenous to people of African descent. We promote arts education, arts advocacy, and the rich cultural history of our people. Nommo writers are poets, playwrights, satirists, journalists, essayists, novelists, short story creators, songwriters, and from many other literary genres.
We host free creative writing workshops, conducts a summer literary boot camp to children and teens, and promote artistic expression. It also produces theatrical performances, staged readings, poetry slams, ciphers, book festivals and author showcases throughout the city. The Bantu term "nommo" denotes the magical power of words to cause change; the Dogon language gives us "to drink." We believe in using the power of words to change the condition of our people and to tear down the walls of oppression, hatred, and racial injustice; and drink love, drink healing, drink peace, drink justice.
In 2002, the Nommo Gathering Black Writers Collective made history when it collaborated with the Second City Training Center to develop an all African-American comedy-writing ensemble. Recruited by Second City owner Andrew Alexander, Nommo's executive director and award-winning writer Stephanie Gadlin, decided that instead of focusing on her individual opportunity, a community-centered approach would help create more diversity upon Second City's stages. Together they worked to create a dynamic and enriched program for scribes interested in learning the craft of comedy writing. When all was said and done, 10 NOMMO writers agreed to participate in the program.
The experiment, which lasted nearly a year, engaged participants in writing for stage and screen. In addition to Stephanie, program participants included Toure Muhammad, publisher of Bean Soup Times, Veronica Bohanan, M. Shelly Conner, Charles Williet, Gena Barnes, (the late) poet S. Brandi Barnes, and others.
In addition, Gadlin insisted that Second City also recruit an ensemble of African American actors who would simultaneously go through the historic theatre's acting program in order to cast any future productions. As a result, Odyssey Theatre, a youth acting group in Chicago's Englewood community received a year's worth of training and eventually many were cast in NOMMO's productions..
The collaboration resulted in the 2003 production of the historic, "NOMMO Remote Control," sketch comedy show which broke box office records and was unique because Gadlin insisted on a Black director and Claudia Wallace, a longtime Second City alumn was chosen, while Stephanie served as assistant director.
Stephanie Mwandishi Gadlin
Founder & Executive Director
Stephanie Mwandishi Gadlin
Founder and Executive Director
Stephanie Gadlin is an award-winning writer, activist and communications strategist based in Chicago. Her works have been published by Third World Press, Columbia College, several university presses, and a number of newspapers and magazines across the country.
Inspired by the works of the Black Arts Movement, the Harlem Renaissance, and Stephanie was a noted child prodigy by the age of 12. Mentored in part, by Illinois Poet Laurent Gwendolyn Brooks, her short stories were first professionally published by age 16. Later,as a student at Columbia College, where she majored in creative writing and history, she was among the first freshmen to be published in its award-winning anthology “Hair Trigger.”
Gadlin went on to author/publish a number of plays, screenplays and short stories, and other literary projects, including “The Pastor the Church and the Law: A Memoir of Mississippi’s First Black Police Chief (Joe Henson). She also organized the first all-Black group of sketch comedy writers for The Second City Training Center, and produced and co-directed the groundbreaking production, “Nommo Remote Control.”
In 2000, she created the Nommo Gathering Black Writers Collective in commemoration of the life of Brooks and to continue the work of the Black Arts Movement. To date, nearly 100 Black writers, in various genres, have participated in Nommo’s workshops, performances and advocacy campaigns. She has travelled extensively throughout the United States, Africa, Europe and parts of South America.
She has had a remarkable career beyond the literary arts. Gadlin previously served as communications director for a number of high profile employers including the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., Chicago Teachers Union, U.S. Representative Bobby L. Rush, Sgt. Shriver National Center on Poverty Law and the Chicago Urban League, among others. She has served as a press secretary and/ public information officer under two Illinois gubernatorial administrations and has worked as a journalist for a number of publications throughout the country. Stephanie also served as executive director of the African American Arts Alliance and was a board member of the African American Screenwriters Association.
Stephanie is the president of Abundant Media & Entertainment, a specialty public relations and production company which specializes reputation management; crisis communications; communications counsel; content development; special event coordination; community engagement; political and legislative advocacy; broadcast production; and, the advancement of minority- and women-owned businesses, entrepreneurs, artists; startups; community-based organizations, advocacy groups and nonprofits. Abundant has more than 25 years of professional experience and service.
She is the recipient of the Zora Neal Hurston/Bessie Head Prize for Fiction; a Kizzy Award; the Chairman Fred Hampton Community Award; and a number of other recognitions and honors.
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Get your write on:
844-759-3908
NOMMO WRITERS
Nommo writers come from all walks a life, but each shares the passion for the written word. Both emerging and professional writers have found a nurturing safe space to share their work and grow professionally.
WORKSHOPS
Nommo gatherings consists of creative exercises, writing instruction, readings and critiques. Participants are encouraged to share unpublished work. The group retains no writes to any creator's property.
SHOWCASES
Nommo offers writers, poets, spoken word artists, filmmakers, playwrights and other artists the opportunity to refine, produce and perform their work before live audiences. We host quarterly performances at various venues throughout the city.
COLLABORATIONS
Nommo has become a nurturing bed for artists to collaborate on projects. Through our programs we've developed a comedy writing troupe, a playwrights cohort, a speculative fiction/SCI-FI group, and a collective of Black screenwriters,
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