Dear friends of 3 Hole,
We are disappointed to write to you with news that has become a recurring refrain: our early summer gala is sort of cancelled! We had big dreams of seeing you in tuxes, taffeta 80s prom dresses, or shorts. For now, we’re leaving the plan open-ended. We might go the digital route, hosting some kind of virtual shindig. Or we may wait and see, in the wait-and-see pattern that has become our lives. We will be sure to keep you posted as our ideas and the situation of the world/New York develops. Ideas are welcome! For now, we’re grateful to be healthy and connected to you all.
Postponing our gala is a downer. But you know what isn’t?!
Digital downloads of all our titles are now available via our online bookshop ! We are immensely grateful for the support of all of you who have purchased digital books so far. Spread the word if you can! And keep an eye out for some digital preorders of our 2020 titles coming soon…..
For the third iteration of our reading series Reading Aloud, we're reading the sounds of the room. Here is this month’s prompt, which we invite all of you to engage with: What room are you in right now? What room have you been in for a month? What is the sound or tone of the room? I.e., what do you hear right now if you listen with rigor? I hear my computer fan. The squeak of collared doves outside my window. A car on the street pumping Ginuwine's “Pony.” On Friday, April the 24th, at 12 noon, will you record what sound you hear for a minute or two and send the file to mmmwhiteford@gmail.com? We'll string these sounds together into an archive of isolation noises. Or, a golden record to send to another planet—the one outside we'll get to again one day.
Something else that doesn’t suck—something that actually gives us a tug of real hope in our chests at the moment, amid so much disappointment on the national level—is the campaigning of two promising candidates for public offices in New York. Phara Souffrant Forrest and Jabari Brisport are exciting candidates for positions in the NY State Assembly and NY State Senate, respectively. Both are vocal, worker-supporting, Brooklyn natives—and both are currently helping to lead the necessary call for rent suspension during this time of precariousness for so many New Yorkers.
We would also like to share a link to a cause we care so much about—the Amazon Whistleblower Support Fund. (This Instagram post of ours has more about our own recent, minor-yet-important moves against Amazon.) Donations made here help to provide necessary funds to workers standing up against the corporate behemoth to protest safer working conditions for all, and not only in circumstances as extreme as COVID-19. Amazon has fired employees for continuing to make sure the word is spread about how they’re being treated.
One final downer is that our distributor, Small Press Distribution, finds itself on the brink of collapse due to a 75% decrease in sales. This is largely due to Amazon’s delays for “non-essential” items, which includes books. SPD is integral in keeping the small press ecosystem alive. (Basically what they do is bundle small press titles together and offer discounts, which allows for classrooms to afford small press books and for bookstores to carry independent titles across the country). They have just set up a GoFundMe page in the hopes of raising 100k this month to retain their staff.
We will be donating 10% of our sales this month to the above causes and hope you’ll join us, and continue to contribute ideas as we work with our friends at Wendy’s Subway to create a sustainable pathway for the distribution by books of artists and writers working today.
Thanks again for your understanding, your support, and your voices during this time.
Stay safe and sane.
Love,
RKN & MML