2021 Year-End Appeal Letter

Dear Friends of Perugia Press,

We want our donors to know about one of the important new decisions we made toward becoming a more diverse and equitable organization. This decision has to do with submission fees for our annual contest—one of the main sources of income for the press.

First, in 2020, we started collecting demographic information (optionally and anonymously) from the poets who submit their manuscripts for consideration. This gave us a sense of who was even interested in becoming a Perugia Press poet. 

The results didn’t satisfy us, so in 2021, we have instituted contest fee options. Now, poets can opt for (1) full-rate, which includes a complimentary book, (2) reduced-rate, or (3) fee-free, available to Black, Indigenous, and women of color poets. We consider this a reparation and not an assumption of financial need. Our intention is to offer to repay BIWOC poets for the extra time and energy it takes to navigate systemic racism in the publishing industry.

The results are heartening! We have successfully encouraged more poets of color to enter our contest, which will lead to more poets of color on our list of authors, readers for our contest, participants in events we produce, and on our board of directors. 

If this success in removing barriers feels important to you too, we hope you’ll help us balance the good news with the downside, which is a loss of income. Submission fees are integral to our operations and go directly toward the mission and work of our nonprofit press. 

Please give us your vote of confidence and help us keep submissions more accessible for all by making a generous donation to Perugia Press so we can continue to offer fee options. 

Gratefully,

Susan Kan, Founder and President of the Board of Directors

Rebecca Olander, Director/Editor

P.S. For gifts of $100 or more, or for recurring gifts of any size (donate safely on our website for easy one-time gifts or for the option of monthly donations), we’ll send you a signed copy of our latest publication. Our 2021 title is the beautiful Through a Red Place by Rebecca Pelky.