Dear Friend of Aunt Lute,
First, I would like to thank you. I cannot stress enough that without your ongoing support, the work of Aunt Lute would never have happened; we certainly would never have lasted these past 41 years. And, frankly, we depend on you to help carry us into the future. Even more so in 2024 which will be a year of transition for us as I step down and a new ED leads Aunt Lute into a truly promising future.
As you can imagine, transitions are financially challenging times for non-profits who already exist on the edges of the economy. We will carry a larger payroll while the torch is being passed and we will be spending energy on new strategies and identifying new software to keep current with the ever changing publishing world. We are just now back to full power after the COVID-19 years and we need to keep that momentum going. We have the expertise—a skilled and knowledgeable staff, with a number of years under their belts, who will help the transition be a smooth one—all we need is your financial support to make it a success.
More than ever, the world we now find ourselves in needs the community leadership of people—especially women—who continue to be denied the time and space to develop their voices. The authors who seek out Aunt Lute have created unique visions that articulate a world of possibility. These are the voices that have led us, and will continue to lead us, into a more equitable future.
We are at a tipping point, and I know you feel it as much as I do. Feminists who do integral and radical work will have to ramp up even more to meet the increased challenges to everything we believe in. This is why I wanted to speak to you directly—to ask for your help.
Aunt Lute’s staff will be doing our part: seeking out and developing exciting manuscripts (watch for our two fantastic 2024 publications, Keep A’Livin’ and Doll Seed); bringing together various authors and literary folk for vibrant and important discussions; finding larger and more diverse audiences for our authors through larger and more far-reaching distribution outlets; and making an initial foray into audio books in order to magnify our authors’ voices.
But this ramping up will need the partnership of people like you—feminists of all ilk, gender and background—who understand why our work matters and how it travels out into the world. Please think about us when making your year-end donations. We’re hoping this is our year—a transition year in which we break new ground with the mission we still believe in and with a new clear-eyed leadership and purpose. And we’d appreciate your joining us in whatever way you can.
