From the Farmhouse Table: November 2020
Help Us Sustain the Radical Reciprocity of Hedgebrook
Imagine...
The words of women holding up the very walls of our beloved Farmhouse where writers have gathered around the table and in the library for over 30 years!
We plan to do just that by building more floor-to-ceiling bookshelves to both house the growing number of books written by our illustrious alumnae and brace the walls of our aging Farmhouse to better withstand an earthquake. Indeed, what could be more apropos to our mission than shoring up our roof so we can continue to provide a safe and nurturing sanctuary for women writers whose bold ideas uplift our world?
This is one critical project you can help us tackle during the unexpected shuttering of our retreat in the face of Covid-19. But there are many other compelling reasons to invest in Hedgebrook today.
Making Hedgebrook more accessible in multiple ways is another top priority. Although budget and personnel cuts have left remaining staff more stretched than ever, we have become a close-knit and undeterred team, energetically responding to uncertainty with nimbleness and innovation.
One powerful illustration of this is launching our first ever series of pay-what-you-can webinars and online classes starting last spring when our residency programs were shut down. These have proven to be more impactful than we ever imagined – filling up almost immediately, some with long waitlists. In fact, over 1000 writers from around the world have registered for our virtual programs since May!
A recent webinar participant summed up the sentiments of many when she remarked:
“The writing [our teacher] drew from us in those 2 hours was as powerful as anything I’ve experienced in a ‘live’ workshop….Hedgebrook has now rendered the mission and the magic of what they do genuinely accessible to a whole new cadre of global women writers.”
We also want to improve accessibility by growing our newly established scholarship fund to increase the participation of women of color in our Radical Craft Retreats (formerly Master Classes) as well as mentoring more young women of color in the craft of writing through innovative programming. In addition, retrofitting our facilities to better accommodate those with mobility impairments and adding closed-captioning to our virtual programs to ensure writers with special needs can participate are high on our needs list.
This is where you and your radical generosity comes in.
Just think of the growing list of truly exceptional writers who have already benefited from time at Hedgebrook. Earlier this month, Jacqueline Woodson was added to the growing list of alumnae awarded MacArthur Fellowships, and “The Glorias,” a movie about one of our most famous alumnae, Gloria Steinem, and co-written by another alumna, Sarah Ruhl, was released. This past summer, Irenosen Okojie was awarded the 2020 Caine Prize for African Writing, and last year Bernardine Evaristo was the first Black woman to win the Booker Prize.
Given our faltering world, it is more critical than ever to foster the emergence of diverse and influential women writers whose ideas strengthen our society. As we prepare to open our cottages again in 2021 and to cultivate more cross-genre collaborations and provide wider platforms for women writers of color, your unrestricted gift today will allow us to apply those funds where they’re most needed.
Please consider a generous contribution to Hedgebrook now. Not only will we thank you, but future generations will thank you too!
With deep gratitude and our heartfelt wishes for the health and safety of you and your families,
Amber Flame
Program Director
Elise Miller
Interim Executive Director