Dear <<First Name>>,
Texas Observer covered Texas' first campus mass shooting, the 1966 massacre at the University of Texas tower where 15 were ultimately killed and 31 wounded, and the most recent, the senseless murder of more than 21 children and teachers last Tuesday in Uvalde.
Even in times of tragedy—especially in times of tragedy like this—our work does not wait. The Texas Observer is on duty to cover our state as only we can, and as only we have, since 1954.
That's why I we are telling you about some recent changes to our masthead over the past few weeks. Get to know the new faces at our publication even as we continue to deliver investigative journalism and political coverage you can rely on.
I’m James Canup, and I have joined the team as the leader of the business side of our publication. I’m a longtime reader and supporter of the Observer with a career as a nonprofit manager and fundraiser in charitable and advocacy organizations like the ACLU of Texas and Annie’s List. I’m from Dallas originally, but have lived in Austin for 32 years—with a recent stint at Caddo Lake. I look forward to connecting with you.
Now meet some of the other new faces of Texas Observer:
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Gabriel Arana is now the editor-in-chief. Gabe is a queer, Mexican-American, progressive journalist who grew up on the border in Nogales, Arizona. A writer-editor passionate about longform journalism and narrative storytelling, he has served as an editor at legacy progressive publications like The Nation and The American Prospect, as well as digital outlets like The Huffington Post and millennial news site Mic. He has written about LGBTQ+ issues, media and diversity, Latinx politics, and mental health for The New York Times, The New Republic, Salon, The Atlantic, and then won awards for his coverage of the fight for marriage equality and the epidemic of violence against trans women of color. Gabe served the Observer in an interim role for several months, and you can see his impact at texasobserver.org and in our new print issue. Welcome, Gabe!
Gabe penned a piece just after Uvalde about the absurdity of our gun laws.
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Gayle Reaves has joined us as editor-at-large. Gayle is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who has worked everywhere from tiny weeklies to major daily papers like Dallas Morning News, as state capitol bureau chief, Washington correspondent, and investigative reporter and editor. Born in Hallettsville, she lives in Fort Worth and is a past president of the Journalism and Women Symposium.
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On the business side, Lauren Benavides has come aboard as development manager. A native of the West Side of San Antonio, Lauren has been a fundraiser for ten years and specializes in connecting donors to the causes they care about. Lauren is eager to connect with readers, members and supporters. Reach Lauren at benavides@texasobserver.org.
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The Observer’s nonprofit parent, the Texas Democracy Foundation, brings back the in-person MOLLY Awards this fall. Save the date of October 20th for our 2022 MOLLY National Journalism Prizes gala at the Line Austin hotel. This is the primary annual fundraiser for the Texas Observer. Please plan to join gala co-chairs Kristen Gunn and Lizette Resendez—and honorary co-chairs Ellen Sweets and Betsy Moon—for the MOLLY Awards this fall, and watch for future news from us about gala sponsorships and the opening of award nominations.
Several times since our founding in 1954, the Texas Observer has reinvented itself. We began as a weekly newspaper, and today we’re a bimonthly magazine with extensive online publication. The latest changes prepare us to confront the most urgent threats facing Texans today with the Observer’s own brand of award-winning investigative journalism and political coverage—voices you won’t find anywhere else. I hope you agree that the Observer is needed now more than ever.
We don’t depend exclusively on advertising or subscribers to fund our work, and we don’t have a paywall for online content. It is the individual donations, from Texans and non-Texans alike, that fuel our journalism and make it accessible to Texans of every background. That’s why the Observer belongs to people like you—our readers, members, and donors. Savor your publication, even in times like these, and reach me when I can be of service regarding supporting the Observer at canup@texasobserver.org.
Thank you.
Read freely,
James Canup (he/him/his)
Chief Revenue Officer
www.texasobserver.org
P.S. Below is a sneak peek at our May/June issue, on newsstands now:
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