BECOME A FRIEND OF ALICE!

Alice James Books has become one of the significant poetry presses of America. I am delighted and a little amazed watching it grow.
–Gerald Stern

Alice James Books has consistently published some of the most innovative, provocative, crucial poetry in the country. One of the few remaining presses arising from the great renaissance of independent publishing in the 1970's—feminist, cooperative, and fiercely independent—it is a national treasure.
—Gillian Conoley

From its inception Alice James Books has been marked by idealistic conceptions concerning what poetry is, how poetry gets made, how poetry gets around. It's wonderfully lucky for poetry and poetry's audience that AJB is growing, thriving and enlivening our days.
—Dara Wier

Alice James Books goes on publishing poetry that's not only superb but also takes genuine risks; that's a brave and rare publishing endeavor that deserves the support of readers everywhere.
—Mark Doty

High praise from poets—and how satisfying to know that you, too, think enough of AJB to stay connected with us as readers, writers, supporters and friends.

It's been a year of ups and downs for the press—we've had wonderful reviews and publicity for our books, awards and honors to our authors. We've also had the ongoing struggle to meet our expenses, search out new revenue sources and squeak though times of lean cash flow.

Are these hard times because no one cares about poetry? I don't think so. I believe that even in times like these, when so much in the world is in imbalance, people still need and care about poetry—about art that speaks to the world. We need witness and we need transcendence. It's also true that art is not commerce; there really is no way to decide what a poem is "worth." I, for one, am glad about that. At the same time, as the director of a small, non-profit press, I’m all too familiar with the real costs of publishing and getting our books out to readers.

We're asking you to help AJB continue the important work of supporting poets and poetry. Your donation really does make a difference in what we can do—how many books we publish, how much we spend on publicity, where we advertise. The good news is that we exceeded last year's goal for donations from individuals—the bad news is that we still ended our year with a budget deficit of $2,400. So, we’ve increased our goal this year to $30,000. We’re determined to avoid another deficit and to see the press thrive—and we hope we can count on you.

If you're already a F.O.A. (Friend of Alice) we thank you and ask that you continue to give as generously as you can. If you haven't yet made a donation to AJB, now is the time! Please take a look at our incentives by clicking here and join the community of people who care about keeping poetry alive and well in the world.

Sincerely yours,
April Ossmann
Executive Director

make a donation