[2] WNBA is a broad-based, non-profit,[3] 501(c)(3) organization offering three distinguished national awards and a longstanding history of literary activism.
[2] The organization's newsletter, The Bookwoman, was created in 1936 by Constance Lindsay Skinner and has had continuous publication to the current date.
[10][11] Winners have included Mildred C. Smith, co-editor of Publishers' Weekly (1944); Emily P. Street, Secretary of William Morrow & Company and Director of Sales and Advertising (1947); May Massee, Director of Doubleday's Books for Children department from 1923–1933, and Director of the Junior Book Department at The Viking Press from 1933 until she retired (1950);[12] Dorothy Canfield Fisher, author of Understood Betsy and one of the members of the original panel of judges for the Book-of-the Month Club (1951);[13] Fanny Butcher, Literary Editor of the Chicago Tribune (1955); Bertha Mahony, launched the first Bookmobile and founded The Horn Book (1955); Edith Hamilton, author of Mythology (1958);[10] Pearl Buck, Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1931 for The Good Earth (1960);[14] Eleanor Roosevelt (1961);[14] Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring (1963); Blanche Knopf, president of Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. (1966); Mildred L. Batchelder, head of the American Library Association's office for library service to children and young people (1967); Ursula Nordstrom, Children's book editor (1972); Margaret K. McElderry, Children's book editor (1975);[15] Barbara Tuchman, author of The Guns of August and a Pulitzer Prize Winner; Barbara Bush (1990); Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of Team of Rivals (1998); Patricia Schroeder, Former Congresswoman and President and CEO of the Association of American Publishers (2000); Nancy Pearl, author, librarian, book reviewer, and radio talk show personality (2004); Ann Patchett, author of Bel Canto and owner of Parnassus Books;[9] and Amy King, poet and professor and executive board member of VIDA: Women in Literary Arts.
[17] Pannell was a well-known librarian, author, and manager of the Hobby Horse Bookshop at Carson, Pirie, Scott, and Company department store in Chicago.
[23] An NGO is defined as "any non-profit, voluntary citizens' group that is organized on a local, national or international level.
Task-oriented and driven by people with a common interest, NGOs perform a variety of services and humanitarian functions, bring citizens' concerns to governments, monitor policies and encourage political participation at the community level.
[27] Membership in the Women's National Book Association is stated as being open to anyone interested in the mission of the organization.