Daily Inspiration: Meet Camille Wanliss

Today we’d like to introduce you to Camille Wanliss.

Hi Camille, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York to Jamaican immigrants. Growing up, I was a voracious reader but never came across stories about people like me. I wanted to change that. I began writing essays at the age of nine, moved on to poetry and fiction as a teen, and later earned an MFA in Creative Writing from the City College of New York.

Galleyway began as a personal necessity and morphed into a communal benefit. One of the difficulties I faced coming out of my MFA program was finding literary journals that would accept work that explored Caribbean identity. I created my own database to keep track of writing opportunities and places to submit work to.

By 2015, due to social movements such as Black Lives Matter and #OscarsSoWhite, there were national conversations around race and racial equity in the publishing industry and Hollywood. This got me thinking about whose stories were being amplified and through whose lens were these stories being told. I realized that to combat the lack of diversity would require more writers of color becoming aware of opportunities so they could enter creative industries. I decided to expand the parameters of my database and share it with the world.

As a writer and cultural worker, my aim is to amplify diverse voices and bring accuracy and authenticity to the stories that shape our lives.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Galleyway is celebrating its 10 year, but it is certainly a labor of love. It takes a lot of time to organize, curate, and promote the opportunities via the website, social media, and my newsletter. But as a literary citizen and cultural worker, I feel a sense of duty to continue this work so emerging writers can elevate their careers.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Since launching in 2016, Galleyway has curated more than 10,000 opportunities. Additional services include workshops that demystify the application process to fellowship, mentorship, and residency programs and one-on-one consultations that aid writers in developing polished portfolios for submission. I also facilitate weekly accountability sessions for writers of all disciplines and host a live open mic event series so poets can share work(s)-in-progress with the public.

This work has led to emerging and mid-career BIPOC writers breaking barriers to cultural diversity; acceptance into literary, playwriting, and screenwriting programs; and authors and writers completing projects that have gone on to book publication and publication in literary journals and anthologies – pushing them to the next level of their careers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.galleyway.com
• Instagram: @galleyway_