Happy 2019 from LitNet! As the new year begins, LitNet is committed to advocating for the literary arts, celebrating the advancements of our members, and bolstering our capacity to provide services to the field.
What’s New in 2019:
Because of your participation, in 2018, we were able to send LitNet Action Alerts to 4,500+ subscribers; coordinated dozens of Congressional visits and phone calls to advocate for the NEA; participated in Arts Advocacy Day in partnership with Americans for the Arts; grew our Steering Committee to represent a broader geographic diversity; and launched our LitNet Dispatch newsletter and social media communications. Your past membership has helped us get this far.
In the coming year, there’s more we need to do to strengthen our field, and we hope to:
- Augment our fundraising strategies.
- Increase communications and collaborations for members.
- Amplify the visibility of our collective work to a wider audience.
- Support the next generation of literary workers and leaders.
- Introduce new, direct services for literary organizations and their communities.
- Expand our advocacy for public funding for literature at every level of the cultural sector.
After being a fully volunteer-led effort for the past four years, we are currently fundraising to hire our first executive director to spearhead strategic planning and grow our service to the field. As you know, LitNet is the only group committed solely to advocating for the field of literature.
Towards this end, we need our members’ continued support and ongoing input.
We Need Your Support
- Renew your membership today.
- Increase your dues to make a donation.
- Spread the word to prospective members.
- Reach out to us with your input, needs, and feedback
Join Us At AWP
Annual Member Meeting
AWP Conference | Portland, OR
Friday, March 29 at 9am – 10:15am
Literary Arts offices
925 SW Washington St, Portland, OR 97205
We will hold Officer elections for the coming term, among other items. An agenda will be published prior to the meeting.
Refreshments will be generously provided by Portland’s Literary Arts.
News from Our Members
Starting in 2019, we’re helping to share member news across the network, to foster a stronger community and increased collaboration. Please send us your major (or minor!) news or action items, and we will aim to include in the upcoming newsletters.
Wordplay’s Line-Up Announced
May 11-12, 2019 in Minneapolis, MN
The Loft’s inaugural Wordplay festival, Minnesota’s largest book fest, announced its line-up last week, including Stephen King, Jamaica Kincaid, Tommy Orange, and dozens more.
Mellon Foundation Grants $2.2 Million to Academy of American Poets
Last week, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation announced a $2.2 million donation to the Academy of American Poets, the largest donation the foundation has ever made to the field of poetry. The gift supports the Poetry Coalition, as well as a new fellowship for Poets Laureate across the nation. The fellowship program is accepting applications through March 3, 2019.
See your organization here! Share your organization’s updates for inclusion in our next newsletter.
Best regards,
LitNet Steering Committee
Chair: Britt Udesen | Executive Director, Loft Literary Center
Vice Chair: Robin Reagler | Executive Director, WITS (Writers in the Schools)
Secretary: Abby Travis | Editor, Milkweed Editions
Treasurer: Elliot Figman | Executive Director, Poets & Writers
Joe Callahan, Advocacy Chair
Molly Rose Quinn, Interim Administrator, molly@litnet.org
Jennifer Benka, Kellen Braddock, Caroline Casey, Ruth Dickey, Beth Harrison, Sue Landers, Jeffrey Lependorf, Paul Morris, Debora Ott, Andrew Proctor, Carey Salerno, Rebecca Stump.