Dear Hammies,
It definitely feels like the dark is rolling in as we endure this vengeful fire season. We hope you and your loved ones are all safe, well, and breathing easy. Looking for ways to help our Spokane neighbors impacted by wild (and wilding) fires? Connect HERE
HamLit Summer Hang: Thanks for joining us!
How wonderful it was to see so many of you out at the Fairhaven Park BBQ! We had a wonderful time catching up, eating thoughtfully brought goodies, hearing you read, and celebrating issues 01-10 of HamLit side-by-side. Coming together reminded your editors that though one season may end, so often, another promises to begin.
Update on Non-Profit Status
A note from our EIC, Rochelle:
Turns out, volunteering on a nonprofit board is quite different than incorporating a 501(c)(3) from scratch! As many of you know, I am now rolling into my fourth year serving on the working board for CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival. A big reason I joined CASCADIA was to learn how a nonprofit functions in Washington State, so that when HamLit was ready I would be ready, too. It has been a steep and value-packed learning curve.
My first year was spent as a board member, then I served one term (two years) as secretary, and in July I accepted the role of board president. These progressive positions have each been equipping me for what comes next in our beautiful writing community: access to grants through not-for-profit status, tax exemption, and tax incentives for donations. There may even be opportunities to serve as a fiscal sponsor for other community-based writing gigs!
This fall, Joe, David, and I will prioritize defining HamLit Journal’s community mission. We will seat a board of directors and draw up bylaws. We will finalize an annual budget and take legal steps to file articles of incorporation. Entering 2027, it is my goal to have all paperwork submitted and fees paid. Then we wait:) IRS turnaround time is currently anywhere from one to nine months.
With a dream of physically publishing our season issues compendium, hosting workshops, growing gateways for emerging writers, and continuing to build dynamic community in creative ways, I do believe incorporating is the natural forward step for HamLit. I’ve loved helming this journal for the last eight years and am excited to see what happens when more of you move into positions of collaboration and leadership to help send this Pacific Northwest love letter of evocative art and publishing accessibility farther out into the world.
If you have questions, suggestions, or incorporation insight, please email us!
<3 R
PS We are not currently accepting board nominations.
Special Issue ‘26 After Dark OPEN NOW!!
Submit your dark, your erotic, your terrifying poetry and prose by the end of September here. Check out our past Special Issues for inspo and vibe checks.
Reminder: this will be our last official After Dark special issue, but keep an eye out! We have learned so much about the themes and challenges y’all are hungry for, so anticipate the dark focus to return in another form, like so many mysteries that go bump in the night.
Your Editors,
Rochelle, Joe, and David
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