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Donations
19 June 2009
Dear Friend,
In the year since I took over as Executive Director of The Asian
American Writers’ Workshop, one thing I’ve learned
is: you
are unique.
You are a reader at a time when most Americans no longer read for fun.
You are the one who stay up past your bedtime, devouring stories and
poems. And you’re not just any kind of reader. You are a
reader
of Asian American literature, even though less than one percent of
books are written by Asian Americans.
We are writing you because you are the unique few who believe in the
vision of the Workshop. We believe in nurturing writers of promise,
whether they’re Pulitzer Prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri, whose
first
book
party we hosted, or a struggling young writer just graduating from high
school. As novelist Ed Lin
writes:
“Having
grown up with the programs and the people of The Asian American
Writers’ Workshop, I feel that they’re not only my
family
but indeed my homeland. The Workshop helped me get my book
published. It encourages a lifelong love of writing and
reading.
It’s a crucial organization not only for our community, but
for
the ongoing global narrative as well.”
We believe in
showing every American, no matter what the color of her skin, that the
Asian American story is a central chapter of the American story. We
are asking you to invest in our
efforts to build a
national home for Asian American ideas.
•
Last year, we
hosted
30% more writers than we did in 2006 and 2007 combined.
That’s more than 120 authors from nearly twenty ethnicities.
• My
first priority has been putting the Workshop’s house in order.
We’re applying for a grant a week. We’ve recruited
five new
board members, started a young professionals group, and collaborated
with 40 different organizations.
• We’re
laying the groundwork for the future.
We’re working on a
website overhaul that’ll turn aaww.org into a national
intellectual center, oral storytelling workshops in Flushing and
Brooklyn, and a revamped writer fellowship program with artist
residencies at Yaddo and Beijing University.
Unfortunately,
the
Workshop faces a perfect storm that’s left us fighting for
our
survival. While the recession has affected everyone, we were
also
hit with a lawsuit from our landlord, who sued to evict us for a more
profitable tenant. We’ve successfully settled the suit, but
find
ourselves forced to start an emergency campaign to support the
Workshop. Many of our stalwart funders still believe in the Workshop
but find themselves with less money to give. So, just as the Workshop
began as a
grass-roots community of friends, we once again depend on
you—the
individual readers and writers who’ve made the Workshop what
it
is—to step in and
nurture us.
Have you ever recognized yourself in an Asian American novel? Have you
ever faced a blank page and mustered up the courage to write? Do you
still read, when the majority of Americans choose not to? If you
answered yes to any of these questions, I ask you to donate using
the attached card
or via aaww.org/donate.
Our goal is to raise $130,000. If we do not meet this challenge, we
will be forced to cut our programming, severely restrict our
operations, and close our reading room. We’ve raised a
fifth of this amount
this month and we’ll reach
our goal if you each donate at least $20.
We are so confident that the Workshop can survive these growing pains
that we’re already planning for this winter’s Annual Asian American
Literary Festival,
which will be the only national festival of its kind. We want this to
be a special celebration of your story, whether you’ve just
landed at the shores of this country or if your family has lived here
for generations. We want to be your
Workshop. We seek to nurture anyone who has a story to tell.
You’re holding this letter because you believe that Asian
Americans have something to offer American culture. Maybe you get our
letters every year and each time you think, “I’ll
just
donate next year.” If you’ve ever had this thought,
if
you’ve ever wondered how you can help out, I ask you to
donate
now. And if
you’ve donated before,
think about whether you can contribute more in this hour of need.
Donors who contribute $500 or more will be honored in the program for
our Twelfth Annual Asian American Literary Awards.
Thank you,
Ken Chen
Executive Director
Want to donate the
pain-free way? Did you know
you can automatically contribute a
small amount every month? Simply go to aaww.org/donate
and click
“I want to make a recurring donation” and enter the
amount
you want deducted from your credit card on a monthly, quarterly, or
annual basis. Just skip that one cappuccino. Rent a movie instead of
hitting the summer blockbusters. If you contribute just $5 to $10 a
month, you can ensure that Asian American stories have a future.
***
Three ways to
donate to the Workshop:
1) Using your
credit card on our secure online
donation system
2) To make a
gift by mail, please dowload the PDF
and send it with your check to:
The
Asian American Writers' Workshop
110-112 West 27th Street, Suite 600
New York NY 10001
 Download
a contribution form
3) Phone in
your donation by calling us at
212.494.0061
Thanks in
advance for supporting the Workshop!
Your donation
is tax-deductible to the fullest
extent of the law. We will send you appropriate acknowledgement by
mail.
The programs
of The Asian American Writers'
Workshop are supported by ABC, The Asian Women Giving Circle, The C.J.
Huang Foundation, The Edward & Sally Van Lier Fund of the NY
Community Trust, The Jerome Foundation, The Lila Acheson Wallace
Theater Fund of the NY Community Trust, The National Endowment for the
Arts, The Newman's Own Foundation, The New York State Council on the
Arts, The NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, The New York Foundation
for the Arts, The Ford Foundation, The Ong Family Foundation, The
Rockefeller Brothers Fund, The Union Square Awards of the Tides
Foundation, Lee Anav Chung, and the generosity of our individual
donors.
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