MLAA Women's Writing Residency #DisruptPublishing
Donation protected
The book world is still failing women.
Publishing is a multibillion-dollar industry with women as its main consumers, but women who write -- particularly women of color and Indigenous women -- remain consistently disadvantaged. Persuading publishers and book review outlets to eradicate bias is part of a larger conversation already in progress, but right now you can help dismantle this inequity from the ground up.
As part of an overarching literary arts nonprofit, we've envisioned a long-term, peer-reviewed residency program that provides resources, community, and freedom from invisible labor so talented women can better succeed in a system stacked against them.
Residencies longer than a year are uncommon, though, so research needs to be conducted before asking donors and grantmakers to significantly invest. This means working hours, registration fees, and database software that will take us from incorporation to capital campaign planning and beyond.
With your financial support during this start-up phase, we'll be able to shift from theory to viability: We’ll establish the nonprofit, provide evidence of necessity, and publicly demonstrate our capacity for large-scale engagement and accountability.
Change happens when a lot of people move in the same direction at the same time, so let’s join together to #DisruptPublishing.
************
Supporting Facts & Figures
If you’d like more information before sharing or donating to this campaign, we’ve created an extended overview of publishing's gender and racial biases. Women’s invisible labor is addressed in the final section on this page.
[Image of the horizontal, three column layout of the nonprofit Idea, Timeline, and Budget. Text version. Detailed spreadsheet: Minimum & Ideal Budget. Definitions: BIWoC, BAME.]
What will the nonprofit be named?
Michigan Literary Arts Association, MLAA for short. There won’t be an active website until the state has officially approved incorporation, but bookmark MichLit.org for future use, and follow @MichLitArts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
What’s the vision for MLAA?
For the benefit of all, MLAA's mission is to promote equitable access and visibility in the global literary community by supporting women and girls who write, actively prioritizing women marginalized because of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and ability. In pursuit of this goal, MLAA will run three distinct but interconnected programs out of a small campus in Bear Lake, Michigan. The residency and camp will prioritize equitable access for women of color and Indigenous women, with half or more of accepted applicants identifying with communities that are, in the United States, designated as minority groups. All programs and services will be funded through donations, grants, and sponsors.
3-Year Writing Residency (60 residents, 60 mentors)
The residency will be a competitive, peer-reviewed program open to women (gender inclusive) from across the globe who’ve yet to be published or are having difficulty producing their second book. English-language authors (including translators) will be the primary focus, but performative medium writers (eg, playwrights, screenwriters) will be welcome, too. Mentorship is a key aspect of the residency and camp, so residents will be paired with established authors while spending time each summer to mentor teens. Established authors will be invited to stay for short-term residencies of up to 8 months, and both residents and authors will be asked to hold at least one community reading, lecture, or workshop during their time on campus.
Teen Summer Writing Camp (6 weeks, 60 campers)
The summer camp will be a competitive program open to teenage girls (gender inclusive, grades 8-11) who attend school in Michigan. With guidance from their mentor, each girl will work to create writing samples for the biennial Virginia B. Ball Creative Writing Competition, the winner of which receives a full tuition scholarship to attend Interlochen Arts Academy. Camp will be a safe space to grow as a writer, learn how to critique someone else’s work, and build a peer network that provides feedback and support beyond camp.
Statewide Teen Author Tour
Michigan high schools will annually be invited to apply for an autumn visit from a woman author. Authors will be scheduled to visit multiple sites as well as be part of an on-campus MLAA panel that kicks off the tour. Resident mentors will be invited to participate.
Campus
Ideally, the campus will be 100 acres and border the region’s main highway. It will feature single-level buildings, disability-inclusive grounds, and be part of the landscape rather than overpowering it. Alternative energy solutions will be employed whenever possible, and buildings will be constructed to maximize daylight and minimize energy use. Outdoor spaces will be pollinator-friendly, and residents will have the option of an allotment in a community garden.
Each writer, camper, and on-campus staff member will have an en suite room with an attached studio and small, private garden. The summer camp building will double as the short-term residency building, and both living spaces will have common rooms, libraries, and an abundance of reading nooks. There will be an external community writing center for public use that includes a podcast recording studio, book printing machine, lecture rooms for book groups and workshops, and an auditorium for large events. Attached will be Café du Chat Noir, a European-style, nonprofit coffee shop that hosts evening literary events and offers the company of resident cats.
Why Bear Lake, Michigan?
Bear Lake offers the quiet seclusion and natural environment many writers require to be productive. It’s a rural setting surrounded by accessible forests, dunes, and lakes, including Lake Michigan, but it’s also within an hour’s drive to an airport and is in a region that values the arts. We're invested in generating an economic boost for the small village that’s become my home, and MLAA would help connect what’s become a powerhouse corridor: beginning with the Traverse City Film Festival, National Writers Series, and Eyaawing Museum, and extending down through Interlochen Center for the Arts, Michigan Legacy Art Park, the Vogue Theatre, and Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts.
[Top left image: two large, multi-branched deciduous trees in spring (by Johannes Plenio). Top right image: rural Michigan highway bordered by trees in summer (by H. Doran). Bottom left image: unpaved path covered in red-orange autumn leaves, curving through a deciduous grove (by Valentin Sabau). Bottom right image: deciduous grove in winter sunrise in front of tree-covered hill (by Mandy Fontanaa).]
Why trust me with this project?
At the heart of it, I’m a lifelong book nerd with 20 years of professional experience in the nonprofit sector. In addition to freelance projects, I’ve been a development associate at New York City Rescue Mission, a volunteer archivist at the Shakespeare Centre Library, and an award-winning public library director at Darcy Library of Beulah. I hold graduate degrees in English literature and information science, and I’m well versed in nonprofit administration and program management. I can prepare an annual budget and write grants, conduct strategic planning, maintain a confidential database, create multi-agency projects, and run successful author and lecture series on minimal funding.
I’m an intersectional feminist with working class Michigan roots who understands firsthand the empowerment and opportunities MLAA would provide for women. I’m a collaborative leader who prioritizes building community over enforcing strict hierarchies, and I respect the value of other people’s labor.
[Image of me with a former colleague collecting the June B. Mendel Award from Michigan’s state librarian, et al.]
What happens if the GoFundMe campaign doesn’t meet its goal?
The budget we’ve constructed represents the optimal scenario for growth and efficiency, but on this campaign we're asking for the minimum amount required to take MLAA through its initial phase. Falling short of the ideal budget would mean a decelerated timeline, but a significant shortfall below the minimum would prompt the board to reevaluate its long-term mission, goals, and strategies.
What happens if the GoFundMe campaign exceeds its goal?
If your generosity supports it, we'll be able to work from the ideal rather than minimum budget. If the overage is considerable, some of it will be set aside for unanticipated operating expenses and some earmarked for the capital campaign.
What happens if the 2021 capital campaign doesn’t meet its goals? Who would pay for an MLAA residency when short-term residencies and MFA programs already exist?
It’s no secret most writers work day jobs or freelance so they can afford to keep writing -- even the famous ones (these, too). But over the last decade publishers have cut writers' book-related earnings by 50%, making it that much more difficult for the majority to write even as a part-time career. Those who choose the MFA route don’t necessarily fare any better and may also leave their program with student loan debt. Costs for short-term residencies vary wildly, and here on GoFundMe you’ll find people hoping to crowdfund their travel expenses and fees.
The short answer to the question, then, is that an unsubsidized MLAA residency isn’t an option.
MLAA’s goal won’t be to guarantee that residents will go on to become full-time writers, or even that they’ll leave with an agent and publishing contract in hand. The priority instead will be to connect them with working mentors who can offer practical advice, provide opportunities to interact with regional community members, facilitate introductions to industry professionals, and, most importantly, remove barriers that are tied up with gender, race, ability, and class.
Women, on average, are burdened with additional mental and emotional labor (invisible labor) both at home and at work, leaving little room for creativity during their already reduced leisure time. Which in turn makes carving out writing time another in a long list of chores. Jen Mediano describes it well:
I get in my words, which turn into pages and chapters. Bit by bit, time hoarded before the sun comes up, or in the dentist’s waiting room or scribbled in the margins of my PowerPoint slides to transcribe later. Always later. I tease out inspiration driving home from work on deer-splattered country roads. I think about plot points or a character’s relationship with his father during the harrowing sprint across a three-lane highway to get my lunch. This is how I rip out time from a life that claims every second. Time that I stack up and save, hoping I won’t get caught.
MLAA’s writing residency would offer each woman the opportunity to reclaim their time. It would provide three years of dedicated space, free up resources typically allocated for cooking and household management, and it would allow for cost-free access to onsite, inclusive services, including medical, psychological, and salon.
It’s an ambitious idea framed within an equally ambitious nonprofit concept, but as a capital campaign isn’t strictly confined to running for a single year, it’s an achievable objective.
#DisruptPublishing
[Image of a wall-length floor-to-ceiling bookcases being dimly lit by a row of exposed bulb lights hanging from the ceiling (by Janko Ferlic).]
Publishing is a multibillion-dollar industry with women as its main consumers, but women who write -- particularly women of color and Indigenous women -- remain consistently disadvantaged. Persuading publishers and book review outlets to eradicate bias is part of a larger conversation already in progress, but right now you can help dismantle this inequity from the ground up.
As part of an overarching literary arts nonprofit, we've envisioned a long-term, peer-reviewed residency program that provides resources, community, and freedom from invisible labor so talented women can better succeed in a system stacked against them.
Residencies longer than a year are uncommon, though, so research needs to be conducted before asking donors and grantmakers to significantly invest. This means working hours, registration fees, and database software that will take us from incorporation to capital campaign planning and beyond.
With your financial support during this start-up phase, we'll be able to shift from theory to viability: We’ll establish the nonprofit, provide evidence of necessity, and publicly demonstrate our capacity for large-scale engagement and accountability.
Change happens when a lot of people move in the same direction at the same time, so let’s join together to #DisruptPublishing.
************
Supporting Facts & Figures
If you’d like more information before sharing or donating to this campaign, we’ve created an extended overview of publishing's gender and racial biases. Women’s invisible labor is addressed in the final section on this page.
[Image of the horizontal, three column layout of the nonprofit Idea, Timeline, and Budget. Text version. Detailed spreadsheet: Minimum & Ideal Budget. Definitions: BIWoC, BAME.]What will the nonprofit be named?
Michigan Literary Arts Association, MLAA for short. There won’t be an active website until the state has officially approved incorporation, but bookmark MichLit.org for future use, and follow @MichLitArts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
What’s the vision for MLAA?
For the benefit of all, MLAA's mission is to promote equitable access and visibility in the global literary community by supporting women and girls who write, actively prioritizing women marginalized because of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and ability. In pursuit of this goal, MLAA will run three distinct but interconnected programs out of a small campus in Bear Lake, Michigan. The residency and camp will prioritize equitable access for women of color and Indigenous women, with half or more of accepted applicants identifying with communities that are, in the United States, designated as minority groups. All programs and services will be funded through donations, grants, and sponsors.
3-Year Writing Residency (60 residents, 60 mentors)
The residency will be a competitive, peer-reviewed program open to women (gender inclusive) from across the globe who’ve yet to be published or are having difficulty producing their second book. English-language authors (including translators) will be the primary focus, but performative medium writers (eg, playwrights, screenwriters) will be welcome, too. Mentorship is a key aspect of the residency and camp, so residents will be paired with established authors while spending time each summer to mentor teens. Established authors will be invited to stay for short-term residencies of up to 8 months, and both residents and authors will be asked to hold at least one community reading, lecture, or workshop during their time on campus.
Teen Summer Writing Camp (6 weeks, 60 campers)
The summer camp will be a competitive program open to teenage girls (gender inclusive, grades 8-11) who attend school in Michigan. With guidance from their mentor, each girl will work to create writing samples for the biennial Virginia B. Ball Creative Writing Competition, the winner of which receives a full tuition scholarship to attend Interlochen Arts Academy. Camp will be a safe space to grow as a writer, learn how to critique someone else’s work, and build a peer network that provides feedback and support beyond camp.
Statewide Teen Author Tour
Michigan high schools will annually be invited to apply for an autumn visit from a woman author. Authors will be scheduled to visit multiple sites as well as be part of an on-campus MLAA panel that kicks off the tour. Resident mentors will be invited to participate.
Campus
Ideally, the campus will be 100 acres and border the region’s main highway. It will feature single-level buildings, disability-inclusive grounds, and be part of the landscape rather than overpowering it. Alternative energy solutions will be employed whenever possible, and buildings will be constructed to maximize daylight and minimize energy use. Outdoor spaces will be pollinator-friendly, and residents will have the option of an allotment in a community garden.
Each writer, camper, and on-campus staff member will have an en suite room with an attached studio and small, private garden. The summer camp building will double as the short-term residency building, and both living spaces will have common rooms, libraries, and an abundance of reading nooks. There will be an external community writing center for public use that includes a podcast recording studio, book printing machine, lecture rooms for book groups and workshops, and an auditorium for large events. Attached will be Café du Chat Noir, a European-style, nonprofit coffee shop that hosts evening literary events and offers the company of resident cats.
Why Bear Lake, Michigan?
Bear Lake offers the quiet seclusion and natural environment many writers require to be productive. It’s a rural setting surrounded by accessible forests, dunes, and lakes, including Lake Michigan, but it’s also within an hour’s drive to an airport and is in a region that values the arts. We're invested in generating an economic boost for the small village that’s become my home, and MLAA would help connect what’s become a powerhouse corridor: beginning with the Traverse City Film Festival, National Writers Series, and Eyaawing Museum, and extending down through Interlochen Center for the Arts, Michigan Legacy Art Park, the Vogue Theatre, and Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts.
[Top left image: two large, multi-branched deciduous trees in spring (by Johannes Plenio). Top right image: rural Michigan highway bordered by trees in summer (by H. Doran). Bottom left image: unpaved path covered in red-orange autumn leaves, curving through a deciduous grove (by Valentin Sabau). Bottom right image: deciduous grove in winter sunrise in front of tree-covered hill (by Mandy Fontanaa).]Why trust me with this project?
At the heart of it, I’m a lifelong book nerd with 20 years of professional experience in the nonprofit sector. In addition to freelance projects, I’ve been a development associate at New York City Rescue Mission, a volunteer archivist at the Shakespeare Centre Library, and an award-winning public library director at Darcy Library of Beulah. I hold graduate degrees in English literature and information science, and I’m well versed in nonprofit administration and program management. I can prepare an annual budget and write grants, conduct strategic planning, maintain a confidential database, create multi-agency projects, and run successful author and lecture series on minimal funding.
I’m an intersectional feminist with working class Michigan roots who understands firsthand the empowerment and opportunities MLAA would provide for women. I’m a collaborative leader who prioritizes building community over enforcing strict hierarchies, and I respect the value of other people’s labor.
[Image of me with a former colleague collecting the June B. Mendel Award from Michigan’s state librarian, et al.]What happens if the GoFundMe campaign doesn’t meet its goal?
The budget we’ve constructed represents the optimal scenario for growth and efficiency, but on this campaign we're asking for the minimum amount required to take MLAA through its initial phase. Falling short of the ideal budget would mean a decelerated timeline, but a significant shortfall below the minimum would prompt the board to reevaluate its long-term mission, goals, and strategies.
What happens if the GoFundMe campaign exceeds its goal?
If your generosity supports it, we'll be able to work from the ideal rather than minimum budget. If the overage is considerable, some of it will be set aside for unanticipated operating expenses and some earmarked for the capital campaign.
What happens if the 2021 capital campaign doesn’t meet its goals? Who would pay for an MLAA residency when short-term residencies and MFA programs already exist?
It’s no secret most writers work day jobs or freelance so they can afford to keep writing -- even the famous ones (these, too). But over the last decade publishers have cut writers' book-related earnings by 50%, making it that much more difficult for the majority to write even as a part-time career. Those who choose the MFA route don’t necessarily fare any better and may also leave their program with student loan debt. Costs for short-term residencies vary wildly, and here on GoFundMe you’ll find people hoping to crowdfund their travel expenses and fees.
The short answer to the question, then, is that an unsubsidized MLAA residency isn’t an option.
MLAA’s goal won’t be to guarantee that residents will go on to become full-time writers, or even that they’ll leave with an agent and publishing contract in hand. The priority instead will be to connect them with working mentors who can offer practical advice, provide opportunities to interact with regional community members, facilitate introductions to industry professionals, and, most importantly, remove barriers that are tied up with gender, race, ability, and class.
Women, on average, are burdened with additional mental and emotional labor (invisible labor) both at home and at work, leaving little room for creativity during their already reduced leisure time. Which in turn makes carving out writing time another in a long list of chores. Jen Mediano describes it well:
I get in my words, which turn into pages and chapters. Bit by bit, time hoarded before the sun comes up, or in the dentist’s waiting room or scribbled in the margins of my PowerPoint slides to transcribe later. Always later. I tease out inspiration driving home from work on deer-splattered country roads. I think about plot points or a character’s relationship with his father during the harrowing sprint across a three-lane highway to get my lunch. This is how I rip out time from a life that claims every second. Time that I stack up and save, hoping I won’t get caught.
MLAA’s writing residency would offer each woman the opportunity to reclaim their time. It would provide three years of dedicated space, free up resources typically allocated for cooking and household management, and it would allow for cost-free access to onsite, inclusive services, including medical, psychological, and salon.
It’s an ambitious idea framed within an equally ambitious nonprofit concept, but as a capital campaign isn’t strictly confined to running for a single year, it’s an achievable objective.
#DisruptPublishing
[Image of a wall-length floor-to-ceiling bookcases being dimly lit by a row of exposed bulb lights hanging from the ceiling (by Janko Ferlic).]Organizer
Heather Doran
Organizer
Pleasanton, MI
