How should a literary community be? |
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| This week has been rough for the literary community. Like a lot of you, Catapult’s shuttering its magazine and workshops caught us by surprise. This after a wave of closers, including Astra and Bookforum also ceasing their magazines this past fall. There are many outstanding editors, workshop organizers, teachers, and contributors left wondering, “What’s next?” Some of us are looking around asking, “What’s left?"
As one of the now-very-few-remaining online indie literary magazines, we know this is not a get rich business. When I took over as the new (thousandaire!) owner from the miracle that is Marisa Siegel last year, it quickly became clear that though readers and writers love us, the financial support has never been enough to pay folks fairly. Everyone on our team has at least a 2nd job. Many of us are working in other areas of the literary community as teachers, editors, copywriters, book publicists, and nonprofit staff. The Rumpus survives off of volunteer labor and by keeping our operating costs as low as possible. There is no secret money. There’s no one (at least not yet!) donating thousands of dollars.
You’ve probably heard this already, but we ARE working toward becoming sustainable. Last year, we launched a new Membership program (~360 Members to date!) and secured fiscal sponsorship so we can begin receiving tax-deductible donations and applying for grants. |
| A couple weeks ago we received our first ever grant for $10,000 from the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses, which gets us halfway toward our goal of funding a much-needed website redesign. And while we’d been planning for workshops to be a part of our funding model in 2+ years, there now appears to be a need to help fill this gap sooner than later. We’ll keep our newsletter folks updated as things progress. If you are a Catapult instructor whose class was recently cancelled, we're collecting interest here.
So here’s what we're asking of you. If you haven’t joined us as a Member yet (and are able to), please consider joining now. We think consistent grassroots support is the key here, as we imagine most of our readers are in similar financial situations. If 5% of the people receiving this newsletter were joining at our lowest level of $7/month, we would be GOLDEN.
If you don’t need more emails or things in the mail, please consider Donating. Any amount truly does help! If you believe in indie (non-corporate, and non-rich person owned!) publishing, support it.
Thank you, The Rumpus truly can't exist without you.
-Alyson Sinclair, Publisher on behalf of The Rumpus |
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| [Pictured last week's Asheville, NC event with Alyson Sinclair, Alysia Sawchyn, & Morgan Thomas at Story Parlor.] |
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| | "Funny Women: A Literary Agent's Manuscript Wishlist" by Kathleen Founds:
"As a literary agent, I’m often asked what I look for in a manuscript. Here’s what I tell writers . . . "
"Rumpus Original Fiction: Country People Work" by Stephanie Mullings:
"Irving Campbell became a dentist. When he graduated from the University of the West Indies, his mother attended the ceremony. She wore her best church hat, and her scented powder had the essence of melon."
"Enough: Power Dome" by Tara Campbell:
Women just need to live / inside a geodesic dome / powered by male rage; / the angrier they get / the safer / we’ll be, / and it will be delicious / to sit inside / and watch through the glass / and see violence finally / doing some kind of good
"Rumpus Original Fiction: Run, Sister" by Lindsay Haber:
The brother and sister stand in the garage, looking at a corkboard wall with an array of tools dangling off pegs. The tools are the father’s, the father who no longer lives in the house, the father who hasn’t seen the kids in several years. |
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Interviews & Reviews Felicia Chiao, A24 studios, and pigeons (an interview) Kateri Kramer's Sketch Book Review of Enchantment by Katherine May Matthew Salesses, K-dramas, and basketball (an interview) Emma Staffaroni reviews Jinwoo Chong's Flux Gayle Brandeis, essaying, and breathing (an interview) Landon Porter reviews Ada Limón's The Hurting Kind Kevin Jared Hosein, science, and personification (an interview) Anson Tong reviews Delia Cai's Central Places |
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| Every month subscribers get a book in the mail handpicked by The Rumpus staff. Now through March 15, you can sign up for our April Book Club picks: Allegra Hyde's The Last Catastrophe and Katie Farris' Standing in the Forest of Being Alive. |
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As a subscriber, you'll also be invited to an exclusive online discussion with the book's author the last week of every month. These will take place on the Rumpus' Crowdcast channel and will remain available to members for 1 month after they take place.
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Letters in the Mail (from authors!) |
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| | | Make your mailbox fun! Letters in the Mail is a Rumpus subscription in which you receive an actual, postmarked letter from one of your favorite writers in your IRL mailbox twice a month. For adults!
March 1: Asale Angel-Ajani March 15: Idra Novey
For Kids!
April 1: Erica Berry
April 15: Henriette Lazaradis |
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Reader Support Keeps The Rumpus Going! |
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| Founded in 2009 in San Francisco, CA and now based in Asheville, NC with readers and editors all over the US and abroad, The Rumpusis one of the longest-running independent online literary and culture magazines. Our mostly volunteer-run magazine strives to be a platform for risk-taking voices and writing that might not find a home elsewhere. We lift up new voices alongside those of more established writers readers already know and love. Often, we are an emerging writer's first notable publication, which is something we’re really proud of. We believe that literature builds community—and if reading The Rumpus makes you feel more connected, please show your support! Our Membership and subscription programs along with tax-deductible donations made to The Rumpus through our fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas, help keep us going and brings us closer to sustainability. |
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