During May and June, Amplify Writers conducted a survey of writers focused on their needs for support to develop their writing career. We received nearly 80 responses and are excited to share what we learned with our community!
Later this month, we'll share a full report of our survey results via the newsletter and our website. Next month, we're hosting a virtual discussion of the results, open to anyone in the Amplify Writers community. This discussion is an opportunity for writers who are interested in accessing career support to help us determine what types of support would best meet the needs of our community. Can you join us?
Wednesday, August 3
12:00-1:30pm PST
Via Zoom
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Our survey reveals that it is more difficult for writers to access support to advance their career than it is to find support to improve their craft. In fact, 25% of respondents indicated that they don't know how to find structured opportunities to develop their careers, compared with only 1% of respondents who weren't sure how to find similar support to develop their writing craft. In response to our question about barriers to accessing support for career development, 64% of survey respondents cited the cost of opportunities; 43% identified psychological barriers such as anxiety or imposter syndrome.
What should Amplify Writers do to address barriers and increase access to career support for writers in our community? We're hoping you can join us on August 3 to begin that conversation.
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When you buy books through Amplify Writers, you're investing in literary community. Your order will be fulfilled by the independent bookstore Another Read Through and 10 percent of your purchase will support Amplify's programming.
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Do the Work! An Antiracist Activity Book
W Kamau Bell & Kate Schatz, Workman Publishing
"Overall, the narrative is practical and accessible, balancing historical context with self-reflection and direct action. The dialogues between the authors are informative, frank, and vulnerable, creating a safe space for both learning and taking risks."
Review in Kirkus Books
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Bitter Orange Tree
Jokha Alharthi, Catapult
"These stories of the elders, so beautifully imbued with elements of Oman’s landscape and culture, present as myths, allowing Alharthi to demonstrate her literary flair and ponder the qualities of their composite parts, namely language."
Jane Wallace, in Asian Review of Books
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Send Her Back and Other Stories
Munashe Kaseke, Mukana Press
"Send Her Back and Other Stories holds up a mirror to the numerous ways in which America fails immigrant people. The broken legal system, racism, few work opportunities, and lack of cultural consciousness all create a place where the so-called American Dream remains just a dream for many. Those who succeed are still required to navigate the treacherous waters of American exceptionalism."
Genevieve Hartman, in the Independent Book Review
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Rabbit Chase
Elizabeth Lapensée, Annick Press
"Rabbit Chase is a vibrant take on the classic portal fantasy. Written and illustrated by an Indigenous team, it combines Anishinaabe traditional stories with colonization metaphors and laser-tag fights for land sovereignty to create a vivid new world."
Review in Quill & Quire
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Wild Imperfections: An Anthology of Womanist Poems
Natalia Molebatsi (ed.), Cassava Republic Press
"What resonates most strongly with the reader is a sense that there is a conversation going on in this collection, one that is both intimate and outward-facing, both true to history and speculative of the future of race and its effects on the self."
Wamuwi Mbao, in Litnet
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How to Raise an Antiracist
Ibram X. Kendi, One World
"Kendi talks at length about his own parenting journey, noting his own errors, false assumptions, lessons learned, and intentions for the future. His humility in modeling continual self-improvement helps make this a readable and approachable guide. Because of its scope, nearly all readers will come away from Kendi’s message more aware and having found a point of resonance in their own lives."
Heather Booth, in Booklist Online
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What Our Funding Supports
Wondering what a grant proposal in support of community engagement and career development for writers looks like? In the March issue of Amplify, we shared a link to our first funded grant proposal. Check it out here. We're committed to transparency around our process so that our community (that's you!) can both hold us accountable and build on or adapt our approach in the service of supporting writers.
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Learning From Community
Writers have all kinds of ways to measure success. We count it in minutes at our computers, in pages revised. We count it in publishing credits and books sold, in the rent paid, whether through those book sales or some other job that allows us the time and emotional space to write. None of these paths toward success are easy, but some are less winding than others. Read more.
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