Help Open Air Press Amplify Marginalized Voices
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Hello from Open Air Press!
We are in need of help and support raising funding for the publishing of our first book, “Coming Out Together. A Collection of Memoirs on the LGBTQIA+ Experience." 100% of donations from this GoFundMe Campaign will be going to getting this book from idea to in peoples hands: editing, layout/design, printing, marketing, etc. Please don't also forget to share the link far and wide to friends/family, social media, etc. - it's the best means for us to spread the good word!
A Bit More About Open Air Press:
Open Air Press is a Publishing Company with a purpose. Our mission is to amplify marginalized voices in our society with the goals of: Illuminate | Release | Transform | Progress. In addition, with every book we publish, Open Air Press will be contributing a % of book sales proceeds to the Looking Out Foundation , as well as other relevant non-profits (the Matthew Shepard Foundation being the other for our first book) for the sake of helping them further their important work. we believe will have a compounding, illuminating, and positive ripple effect in the name of progress.
The Origin Story Around Open Air Press:
Recently, I was driving to Colorado from California for a Brandi Carlile concert at Red Rocks, and I made it to Wyoming the first night to do the last leg to Colorado the next day. As I was checking GPS I noticed that I was going right through the town of Laramie, Wyoming- which I imagine ring a bell for a number of people. The Matthew Shepard incident happened a couple months after I came out as gay in my small hometown at the age of 18, and the tragedy of what happened to Matthew really leveled and shook me. Wanting to pay tribute to his life, I decided to look up if there was a memorial site I could visit. The University of Wyoming did indeed have a memorial bench in Matthew Shepard’s honor, where I ended up going and spending a bit of time contemplating that incident and time in my life. It was emotionally heavier than I anticipated.
Driving home to California a few days later, and being that I had a lot of driving time to process my thoughts and emotions, I realized there is immense healing potential in people sharing their coming out stories as a means of release with every sharing. And also, how important it could be for someone going through something similar to realize they are not alone and that it can get better, or that it’s not always bad. Some coming out stories are hard, some ugly, and some good. All are important.
Thank you for your time and consideration in supporting this book and cause.
In love and gratitude,
Shannon Ronan
(Founder of Open Air Press Publishing Co.)
We are in need of help and support raising funding for the publishing of our first book, “Coming Out Together. A Collection of Memoirs on the LGBTQIA+ Experience." 100% of donations from this GoFundMe Campaign will be going to getting this book from idea to in peoples hands: editing, layout/design, printing, marketing, etc. Please don't also forget to share the link far and wide to friends/family, social media, etc. - it's the best means for us to spread the good word!
A Bit More About Open Air Press:
Open Air Press is a Publishing Company with a purpose. Our mission is to amplify marginalized voices in our society with the goals of: Illuminate | Release | Transform | Progress. In addition, with every book we publish, Open Air Press will be contributing a % of book sales proceeds to the Looking Out Foundation , as well as other relevant non-profits (the Matthew Shepard Foundation being the other for our first book) for the sake of helping them further their important work. we believe will have a compounding, illuminating, and positive ripple effect in the name of progress.
The Origin Story Around Open Air Press:
Recently, I was driving to Colorado from California for a Brandi Carlile concert at Red Rocks, and I made it to Wyoming the first night to do the last leg to Colorado the next day. As I was checking GPS I noticed that I was going right through the town of Laramie, Wyoming- which I imagine ring a bell for a number of people. The Matthew Shepard incident happened a couple months after I came out as gay in my small hometown at the age of 18, and the tragedy of what happened to Matthew really leveled and shook me. Wanting to pay tribute to his life, I decided to look up if there was a memorial site I could visit. The University of Wyoming did indeed have a memorial bench in Matthew Shepard’s honor, where I ended up going and spending a bit of time contemplating that incident and time in my life. It was emotionally heavier than I anticipated.
Driving home to California a few days later, and being that I had a lot of driving time to process my thoughts and emotions, I realized there is immense healing potential in people sharing their coming out stories as a means of release with every sharing. And also, how important it could be for someone going through something similar to realize they are not alone and that it can get better, or that it’s not always bad. Some coming out stories are hard, some ugly, and some good. All are important.
Thank you for your time and consideration in supporting this book and cause.
In love and gratitude,
Shannon Ronan
(Founder of Open Air Press Publishing Co.)
P.S. If you’d like to contribute your story for consideration in this book, or know someone who might, please don't hesitate to reach out. To those who have already shared their beautiful stories for this book, I am humbled and grateful.
Organizer
Shannon Ronan
Organizer
San Rafael, CA
