Dear Friend of Literature,
I want to tell you a story.
Years ago during a staff retreat, I was paired with an intern, Madeleine, who told me she was working on a book. I offhandedly asked to see the manuscript. Now, Madeleine Nakamura’s novel Cursebreakers, an adult fantasy about a queer magician struggling to save the world while managing his bipolar disorder, is one of our two lead titles debuting this fall.
Red Hen published poet Afaa M. Weaver’s A Fire in the Hills this past spring. This fall, Mr. Weaver was awarded the Wallace Stevens Award, a lifetime achievement for his craft.
It was only with the continued and generous support of folks in the community, like you, that Afaa’s or Madeleine’s extraordinary manuscripts and others like them became the professionally published books that readers of the world now enjoy.
Stories are not only our business, but our way of seeing the world. Stories are not produced alone. Every piece of writing needs an editor, a collaborator, and most importantly—a reader. That’s where your story joins ours.
We are pleased to report that with your support, this year we were able to:
● Publish 27 books by acclaimed authors such as Francesca Bell, Douglas Manuel, Artem Mozgovoy, and Phuong T. Vuong.
● Provide poetry workshops to more than 350 disadvantaged students in Los Angeles.
● Return to in-person and hybrid readings and events to bring each author’s voice to their stories and increase accessibility for our international communities of readers.
Friend of Literature, your support for independent literature is enriching the experience of readers everywhere. Whether you support our book publishing, Writing in the Schools, or our event series, you are helping us give under-heard stories a voice. Thank you for continuing to invest in our work by including Red Hen Press in your charitable giving plans this year.
You are more than just our community. You are the heroes of our story.
Gratitude and blessings,
Kate Gale, Managing Editor
Mark E. Cull, Publisher
Tobi Harper, Deputy Director
