LAMBDA WRITING RETREAT

Dear Family, Friends & Colleagues,

I have the incredible honor of being selected as a Literary Fellow to work with Cherrie Moraga as part of Lambda’s Summer Writing Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices. This will be my first opportunity to develop my playwriting in a professional and intensive setting.

As many of you know I published my first book of poems and stories “The Cha Cha Files: A Chapina Poética” last year and have been teaching part time and seeking new job prospects while touring my book. Teaching is incredibly rewarding but in order to take my work to the next level, I need to take advantage of this opportunity to spend focused time with gifted master writers. The space and time to write in a dedicated community of writers is a precious gift and necessary investment in the work I want to keep producing.

I was awarded a partial scholarship and made my first goal of paying for tuition, room and board. Now help me get there!

I have attached a charming picture of me with an adorable balloon unicorn found in the wild to demonstrate the depths of my commitment to building Central American Unicorn Solidarity in diaspora and around the globe. Hopefully this will entice you to donate to my worthy cause.


Thank you for supporting my work over the years and for taking the time to help me on my next challenge. As Walter Mercado says, "paz, dinero y mucho, mucho amor."

With lots and lots of love,

Maya

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THE WRITERS RETREAT FOR EMERGING LGBTQ VOICES

By far one of the most important initiatives Lambda Literary undertakes is to support up-and-coming writers. In the long run, maybe it’s our most important job. Lambda does so through the Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices – this year in Los Angeles, June 22-29. After 8 years of existence, the Retreat has earned a sterling reputation, and for good reason.

The Retreat is unlike any other writing program in the world. It’s the only residency established specifically for promising LGBTQ writers. Classes are taught by a brilliant and diverse faculty, themselves all successful LGBTQ writers. The sad truth is, many who want to come to the Retreat just can’t afford it. Though some scholarship money is offered, it does not cover all costs to ensure the very best aspiring lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender, and queer writers can attend. They need your support today. Your contribution to help send a talented emerging writer to Los Angeles this summer is critical.

The “Retreat” – a misnomer, really, since one former student delighted in calling it a“queer writers’ boot camp” – gathers LGBTQ writers from every walk of life for one rigorous, immersive week. Lives are changed. Students arrive with manuscripts in hand, a novel or short story collection, a play, a book of poetry or a memoir, a graphic novel or young adult novel that will soon extend the fabric of our literature. At “boot camp” they polish their craft. They work on plot, develop more convincing characters and explore their own distinctive voices. Teaching is personalized. They gain a better understanding of what works and what might need re-working. Besides one-on-one instruction, students forge connections to publishing industry professionals, and most importantly, build a community of peers on whom they’ll depend for years of encouragement, inspiration and friendship.

A writer’s life is full of challenges. Lambda Fellows come from big cities and rural towns all over America. In many of these places the LGBTQ community is still under a lot of pressure, subtle and not-so-subtle. When a writer is committed to our queer literary traditions – to stories of unconventional lives and social struggle, to girl-meets-girl and first gay love – work becomes so much harder in isolation. Your gift today will give a talented LGBTQ writer a real chance for professional growth and personal achievement. OurLambda Fellows go on to achieve an impressive record of publication and community involvement. They are both prolific artists and ambassadors of the literary arts.

Your generous donation to a student's tuition, room and board will give these shining artists a leg up in their careers, and – not a small side benefit! – it will empower them as agents of social change. Remember, they’re the ones who’ll be telling our stories and continuing our fight for LGBTQ equality and freedom.

You can make a direct, meaningful difference in the life of a writer by making a tax-deductible contribution to send an emerging writer to Los Angeles this summer for what will undoubtedly be an experience of a lifetime.

Thank you!