Support Beth to take a sabbatical, rest, and celebrate!
Donation protected
Hi y'all,
Some friends encouraged me to do this so I'm gonna take a chance on it! If you're reading this, you're a friend, family, chosen family, a colleague, or maybe even an acquaintance who supports my writing and work in the world and wants to show me some love. However you got here, thank you for considering this show of support!
As of May 1st 2025, May Day, I'm officially on sabbatical for two months (thanks, SURJ!). I have been an organizer for 18 years and just finished my memoir manuscript, my dream since I was a kid growing up in EKY, so I'm planning to use these few months to rest, celebrate, and restore my spirit. As a practice in bravery, I'm humbly asking for your help to do it.
I am heading to the United Kingdom May 29th-June 13th, to England and Wales, to go visit where my ancestors came from, attend a meditation retreat, enjoy art, and search for magic! I got a Kentucky-based artist grant to take a retreat which is paying for my airfare, trip insurance, my meditation retreat, a train pass, and modest lodging, but I would love to raise some money for meals, special treats, and maybe even nicer lodging (like my own bathroom or a bigger room with amenities). So, with the encouragement of some friends, I created this Go Fund Me for my UK sabbatical trip in case y'all would like to gift me some money to help me celebrate these big milestones in my career.
Some ways to spoil me:
- A token of love (any amount! or just some kind words will do)
- Breakfast or Lunch ($25-$30)
- A dinner ($35-$45)
- A book at Hay on Wye , the city of bookshops
- A magical item from Treadwell's Books
- Two hours at the Thermae Spa pool in Bath ($50)
- Fancy Tea Service in London ($65+ -- prices vary wildly)
- Simple but wonderful tea service (Approximately $40-$50 -- prices vary)
- A one of a kind treasure that I have to have ($75)
- A last minute extra suitcase for all of the books I buy and can't get on the plane ($75)
- A ticket to see Romeo and Juliet or The Crucible at The Globe Theater in London (up to $100 depending on the seat)
- A lodging upgrade -- I could have my own bathroom! ($100+)
A professional update on the things I'm celebrating: My manuscript is finished and my book will be out in Spring 2026. Also, I'm excited to see Kentucky People's Union (KPU), our rural Kentucky organizing group, grow this year as I passed on my organizing director torch to an incredible rural Kentucky organizer as I move into my life as a writer and cultural strategist! Co-founding KPU is one of my greatest achievements, something I'm most proud of, and I can't wait to see them keep growing.
The photos I've included highlight the things I'm celebrating and all the work I've done that warrants some rest!
1. Me as a little one in Blaze, KY in my Kentucky nightgown drinking my Mountain Dew (my books are likely right out of the shot waiting on me because they were never far away). My full self.
2. My book team, and my dear friends, in Chicago at Haymarket House last summer workshopping my book: My Haymarket editor Eric Kerl, my memoir mentor and editor Shawna Kay Rodenberg, my political mentor Jerome Scott, and my SURJ colleague communications expert extraordinaire who has been with me since my first Rednecks for Black Lives essay, Grace Aheron. I'm lucky to have this team bringing my book to life. It's a gift to see my memoir in its finished form and be published by an incredible publisher! Truly a dream.
3. Kentucky Peoples Union when we got to be on NBC News. Us but with neon pink flair. A vibe.
Thank you for considering this. And I hope it inspires you to ask me and others to help you celebrate yourself and your achievements, too, or to take a much needed break. We all deserve it. Love you! -- Beth
Organizer
Jessica Beth Howard
Organizer
Lexington, KY