The nominations are in for the 12 Days of Charitable Giving 2010. Our ninth of twelve charities to be featured this year is Broad Universe, a nonprofit international organization of women and men dedicated to celebrating and promoting the work of women writers of science fiction, fantasy and horror.
Here’s what our nominee had to say:
The… charity I’m also passionate about and that helps people achieve their dreams is Broad Universe (www.broaduniverse.org). I don’t have our tax id# handy (I snagged the rescue one from the receipts I mail out to Blogathon donors), but we are a recorded 501(c)3. Broad Universe is an international organization dedicated to supporting, promoting, honoring, and celebrating women who write in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other speculative fiction. My first fiction publications – and most of the ones thereafter – were directly related to my being part of this organization. And many of my sister members will share that same fact. Even stronger than my desire for a horse is my desire to be an author – and that passion beats in a lot of hearts. Unfortunately, if you look at the contracts, advertising, awards, history – and even academic literature! – in the publishing industry, particularly in speculative fiction, women are frequently overlooked and ignored, with queries and reviews dismissed out of hand. We’re still outright chastised for being part of a field dominated by men. Broad Universe directly helps women by promoting their books, creating events where women can share their writing, and educating the community through seminars and panels about women authors. I run our podcast and schedule 3-5 events for women every month as our “readings & events chick.” We also provide a network and support center for women, pushing each other to continue submitting our work despite rejections, bad reviews, and decreasing advertising.
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As a writer (and the mother of an aspiring writer – or two), I always applaud efforts to get folks reading and writing. Check them out.