Dear Friends and Fans of Sinister Wisdom,

What a great year it has been for Sinister Wisdom! We published three issues of Sinister Wisdom, and are planning, with your support, to publish four (4!) issues in 2014, returning the journal to a quarterly publication.

To continue to grow Sinister Wisdom and have it be a vital part of lesbian communities, I need your help and support. The usual refrain I hear when I talk with lesbians about Sinister Wisdom is, wow, is Sinister Wisdom still publishing? Indeed! Sinister Wisdom is still publishing and has been publishing strong since 1976. You know our work because you are a current or former subscriber, a contributor, or just a good friend of the journal. We need you to continue to support Sinister Wisdom and tell others about us.

Below is a full update on all of the activities of Sinister Wisdom this year, but if you don't read all the way to the end, would you please consider making a contribution to Sinister Wisdom to support our fall fundraising campaign? We need to raise $3,000 to make our publishing dreams possible for 2014. Your support today makes a different. Go here and give generously: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sinister-wisdom-2014

Then tell your friends!

And let me know what you think of the video - it was one of my very first attempts.

In case you missed it, please make a gift to Sinister Wisdom at our fall fundraising campaign: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sinister-wisdom-2014
Any amount helps and means so much to me.

Tell your friends to subscribe and to support us. Here are all of the great reasons why:

Sinister Wisdom 88: Crime Against Nature by Minnie Bruce Pratt

In March 2013, Sinister Wisdom, in conjunction with A Midsummer Night's Press, published a new edition of Minnie Bruce Pratt's Crime Against Nature as the first book in our Sapphic Classics series. The new edition of Crime Against Nature featured an introduction by Julie R. Enszer, a new afterword by Pratt, a reprint of Pratt’s speech at the Lamont award ceremony, photographs of Pratt and her family, and a bibliography. Crime Against Nature was the 1989 Lamont Poetry Selection from the Academy of American Poets, which recognizes a poet’s second collection of poetry, and had been long out of print, until Sinister Wisdom intervened, bringing Crime Against Nature back to print for lesbians of all ages to discover, re-discover, read, re-read, savor, and enjoy.

Missed getting a copy of Sinister Wisdom 88: Crime Against Nature? Perhaps your subscription lapsed? You can renew your subscription quickly and easily online here: http://www.sinisterwisdom.org/subscribe

You can order a copy of Sinister Wisdom 88: Crime Against Nature here: http://www.sinisterwisdom.org/crimeagainstnature

Sinister Wisdom 89: Once and Later

In July 2013, Sinister Wisdom 89: Once and Later mailed to subscribers. Lesbians raved about it. Sinister Wisdom 89 featured our shiny new design for the journal, excellent new poetry and fiction from lesbian writers, an interview with Joan Larkin, a profile of lesbian activist June Arnold by her daughters, an interview with filmmaker Catherine Crouch, and a remembrance of Julia Penelope by Merril Mushroom. And more!

Did you miss Sinister Wisdom 89: Once and Later? Pick up a copy here: http://www.sinisterwisdom.org/sw89
and be sure to renew your submission! http://www.sinisterwisdom.org/subscribe

Sinister Wisdom 90: Catch, Quench

This issue just went in the mail to subscribers - you may not even have it in your hot hands. Let me tell you though, it packs a punch with speculative fiction by Susan Levinkind, memoir by Ellen Orleans, poetry by Diane Solis, Cara Armstrong, Tara Shea Burke, and more, and a deeply moving tribute to Sinister Wisdom founding editor and publisher, Catherine Nicholson.

You'll want to read this issue and share it with your friends! Order a single copy here (though these are extremely limited - so don't dilly-dally): http://www.sinisterwisdom.org/sw90

And subscriptions are still available here: http://www.sinisterwisdom.org/subscribe

Wow! That was a lot for 2013! What's up for 2014?

Sinister Wisdom will publish our second Sapphic Classic: Living as a Lesbian by Cheryl Clarke. Clarke's Living as a Lesbian will be Sinister Wisdom 91 and it will go in the mail to subscribers the first week of January 2014.

Sinister Wisdom will publish three more issues of Sinister Wisdom in 2014, including a special issue on Lesbians Health Care Workers, edited by Elizabeth Hansen, and an issue on Southern Lesbian-Feminist Herstory, put together by a fabulous group of women from WomonWrites with organizers Rose Norman and Merril Mushroom prodding the group along. We have other great special issues in the works: Joan Nestle and Yasmin Tambiah are working on an issue titled Lesbians and Exile and Nívea Castro is editing an issue titled Out Latina Lesbians. I also have a full open issue that I am putting the finishing touches on as well. Our publishing keeps getting better - more meaningful, more provocative, more insightful, more beautiful, and more often!

And beyond 2014? Are you even thinking bigger?

How did you guess? A great Sapphic Classic for 2015 in the works and WomonWrites is putting together a special issue on Land Dykes. I'm also eyeing the 100th issue of Sinister Wisdom which will be published in the spring of 2016.

To do all of these great things, we need your continued support. First, be sure your subscription to Sinister Wisdom is up to date and paid in full. Second, think about making an extra gift to our fall fundraising campaign to support the important work of Sinister Wisdom. You can make a gift here: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sinister-wisdom-2014

Fall Fundraising Campaign

I work for Sinister Wisdom for free because I love it--and I believe in building and promoting lesbian literature and culture. The printer and the mail shop, however, need to be paid with US currency. Sinister Wisdom has a core of subscribers, but subscriber contributions don't cover the full expenses of producing three print issues of the journal each year. So we turn to the community to support Sinister Wisdom. Our goal is to raise $3,000 between now and November 30th to support Sinister Wisdom's work in 2014. Your contributions will help us do a number of things over the next year:
Publish our next Sapphic Classic, Living as a Lesbian by Cheryl Clarke in January 2014.
Produce three additional issues of Sinister Wisdom in 2014.
Participate in at least two and possibly three writer conventions and publisher showcases around the United States.
Give free subscriptions of Sinister Wisdom to women in prison, women with limited incomes, and women in mental institutions.
Most importantly, your gift to Sinister Wisdom helps to ensure that Sinister Wisdom continues to be an important part of the lesbian community. Sinister Wisdom is a multicultural lesbian literary and arts journal. We've been publishing since 1976 through the generosity of women like you.

Sinister Wisdom needs to raise $3,000 to support our work in 2014. Click here to contribute: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sinister-wisdom-2014

Please share this campaign with your friends, especially people who might not know about Sinister Wisdom (or not know that we are still publishing!). We need to build our base of subscribers and supporters to continue the important work of Sinister Wisdom.

Sinister Wisdom Blog--special note for Contributors, Friends, and Supporters of Sinister Wisdom

We'd love to have updates from contributors for the Sinister Wisdom blog (www.SinisterWisdom.org/blog). Published a book of interest to lesbians? Contributed to an anthology? Reading in your local community? Launching a new project? Sinister Wisdom is happy to post news and information about folks in the Sinister Wisdom community. Send the announcement (preferably in a format that can be easily cut and paste) to sinisterwisdom@gmail.com. I will post it and send you a link as soon as we can.

How to Help Sinister Wisdom

There are lots of ways that you can be involved and support Sinister Wisdom. Here are a few simple ideas:
Sell Sinister Wisdom at local lesbian events. We're happy to send you issues on consignment to sell in your local community.
Ask your local bookstores or other lesbian-owned establishment to stock Sinister Wisdom with a standing order.
Organize a benefit for Sinister Wisdom in your local community. We're happy to talk about how to do that and give you ideas and support.
Share Sinister Wisdom subscriptions with family and friends. More readers build our community. It's fast and easy to order gift subscriptions on our new website: www.SinisterWisdom.org/subscribe
Most importantly, right now, we need folks to contribute to Sinister Wisdom through the indiegogo campaign http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sinister-wisdom-2014 to help us meet our fundraising goal of $3,000 to ensure that we can fulfill our ambitious publishing goals for 2014. Please give today, as generously as you can, and share this campaign with family and friends. Encourage them to give. Every dollar helps.

I meant to send along more frequent newsletters, but this is the first one since last fall. Perhaps 2014 will feature a little more news and information in your email box from me. Either way, be sure your 2014 includes all issues of Sinister Wisdom, by keeping your subscription up to date!

In Sisterhood,

Julie

Julie R Enszer, PhD
Editor, Sinister Wisdom
www.SinisterWisdom.com

www.JulieREnszer.com
www.facebook.com/JulieREnszer
@JulieREnszer