Read Generously for Racial Equity

Read Generously gives readers an opportunity to support the publication of extraordinary poetry at Copper Canyon Press. In gratitude for your generosity, we will send you a Copper Canyon Press poetry book of your choosing.

This season, your Read Generously donation will support a highly sought after opportunity for students and recent graduates: the Copper Canyon Press internship program. Our long-standing program offers firsthand, professional industry experience to those who are curious about how a poetry manuscript becomes a book and who want to contribute to the daily operations of an independent nonprofit publisher. Formerly only available to those who could afford to move to Port Townsend for months at a time, the internship is now fully remote, which opens up opportunity and access to a wider range of candidates. The addition of a monthly stipend also helps make the internship possible for those who might not otherwise be able to afford to participate. The Press actively encourages and recruits BIPOC intern candidates and applicants from other marginalized and underrepresented groups. Your support of Read Generously for Racial Equity will help ensure we are able to continue to assist our interns with expenses while they gain valuable publishing career experience.

How do I “Read Generously”?

Simply make a gift using the donation form on this page. We will be delighted to send a published Copper Canyon Press book to those who give $35 or more to support racial justice initiatives.

Want to Learn More?

In June 2020 the Press began dedicating 100% of Read Generously donations to racial equity initiatives. With the help of readers like you, we raised nearly $6,000 for the national organization Black Lives Matter, in affirmation of Black lives and in condemnation of the murder of Black Americans at the hands of police. All Read Generously funds contributed through August 31, 2020 were directly donated to Black Lives Matter. Subsequently, we shifted the focus of our Read Generously program to support racial justice initiatives at Copper Canyon Press.

The staff and board at Copper Canyon Press developed and are implementing our Racial Equity Work Plan that directly addresses racial inequities in publishing, specifically as they manifest at Copper Canyon. We seek to build a foundation from which we can model the proactive, intentional, and long-overdue work of dismantling structural racism in our field and within our own house. If you are inspired to support this work while reading extraordinary poetry, we invite you to read generously. If you have comments or questions, please send your message to poetry@coppercanyonpress.org.

Thank you!