2022 Year in Review: Wrapping Up a Year of Change
Dear Yellow Arrow Community,
If asked, I think most people would choose summer or spring as their favorite season, but there is something about the beginning of winter that beckons, that sparks a moment of pause, that promotes a bit of stillness. That stillness is not just an opportunity for reflection, but an opening for what is to come. In the same way we prepare our houses for holiday guests—sweeping the floors and cleaning the oven and dusting off the holiday decorations—at Yellow Arrow Publishing, we are winding down what has been an incredibly fulfilling year and readying for 2023 even more focused on supporting and empowering women writers. But before we clear some space on the shelves for all that is to come, let’s take a moment to look back at all we have done in our 2022 Year in Review.
Each year we select a yearly value that embodies the energy we want to bring into our work, and this year, we selected AWAKEN. We focused on paving a new path forward which included sprinkling some in-person events into the all-virtual programming of the past few years, expanding our Board of Directors and staff, and kicking off new ventures, like expanded workshop offerings and the launch of Yellow Arrow Vignette, our new digital publication.
With Yellow Arrow Journal this year, we first explored the theme of UpSpring with guest editor Rebecca Pelky. A poem that really resonated for me was Zorina Exie Frey’s “Vitamin Seed”:
All this time, everyone’s been going the wrong way.
They build ladders and monuments to rise when what
you really have to do is root down. Grab a handful
of earth. Reel deep. Touch the core. The seed. The
heart.
Zorina’s words reminded me that the heart of what we do here at Yellow Arrow is empower women-identifying writers to tell their stories.
Our latest release of Yellow Arrow Journal, PEREGRINE, focuses on illuminating and reclaiming languages, exploring our authors’ personal connections with language, self, and place. Guest editor Raychelle Heath shared, “As a traveler myself, finding home in places of welcome, the word peregrine feels like it also applies to me, and to this broader human experience that we are all traveling through in one way or another.” We are still gushing over the gorgeous cover art by Daryle Newman, who told us, “I cannot tell you how much I have enjoyed being a part of this publication. I have not spoken to my art for some time so doing the interview was incredibly cathartic, thank you.” We hope you find a little bit of home in the words of these stunning writers and that their voices awakened something inspirational within you—whether that be a desire to take pen to paper, a reflection on what home means to you, or the instinct to take flight and tackle a new adventure.
An UpSpring author shared their appreciation recently: “And thank you for the thorough support and communication throughout—everyone at Yellow Arrow Journal is incredibly hardworking and thoughtful.” We published 47 different writers in Yellow Arrow Journal this year and 19 more in our first-ever digital publication, Yellow Arrow Vignette AWAKEN.
In addition to the journal, we published three incredible poetry collections: The most beautiful garden by Nikita Rimal Sharma, when the daffodils die by Darah Schillinger, and What Is Another Word For Intimacy? by Amanda Baker. We were thrilled that our chapbook authors this year were all from the Baltimore area so we could continue to awaken in our first community. It was great to see them flourish and awaken in their own way. We recently announced our 2023 chapbook authors and can’t wait to share their stories with you and work with them on their journeys as authors.
We spent our spring working with the fabulous 2022 Writers-in-Residence, and we were so inspired by their words that we published a collection of their poetry, I (want to) love you, Baltimore. We are grateful to Arao Ameny, Amy L. Bernstein, Catrice Greer, and Matilda Young for sharing their voices with us.
This year, we were (finally) able to start attending some in-person events again. What fun we had! We had a virtual booth at SMOL Fair, participated in The Lost Weekend Book Festival outside of Greedy Reads in Remington, enjoyed reading and sharing with friends at the Write Women Book Festival, and had Yellow Arrow authors and writers-in-residence read poetry on-stage at the Arts & Drafts Festival at Guinness Open Gate Brewery. But here is what stood out to me: can I tell you how many times a writer tentatively approached our table and when asked if they were a writer, they would respond, “Well, I write. I’m not sure if I would call myself a writer.” This, friends, is exactly why Yellow Arrow exists! We are here to spark your writing journey, to surround you with fellow creatives on similar paths of exploration, to lift your voices.
Yellow Arrow also offers accessible, affordable workshops year-round that foster a sense of community and support among writers in all stages of their creative journey. This year, we listed a total of 26 workshops with topics ranging from the development of craft elements like writing dialogue through the exploration of ars poetica and generative nature poetry. One workshop participant shared, “I felt connected to the other workshop participants and appreciated the diversity of thought and writing styles represented,” and another stated, “I appreciated the wide-ranging poets, moments of interaction among participants, and quiet reflective periods to journal and write.” We also kicked off the year by publishing a collection from the writers in our 2021 Poetry is Life series led by Ann Quinn (our 2022 session continues into February, and we encourage you to sign up; information about the 2023 session will be available next month!). We also just announced a new series that begins in January: Restorative Writing with Raychelle Heath. You can sign up for all six sessions now or join one session at a time. This is a great way to kick off the new year by honoring your writing intentions on a monthly basis in our supportive community!
We introduced some cool, new ways to support our independent press in 2022, like our brand new merch store (go grab a mug!) and our addition to the Amazon Smile program (go add us as your favorite charity and we’ll benefit from your holiday shopping!) and the reopening of Yellow Arrow Journal subscriptions (we'll let you know when 2023 subscriptions open).
I have tremendous gratitude for all the hard work that goes into our programs and publications, and the team behind the scenes who make all of this happen are some of the most talented and passionate individuals I have ever worked with. Our readers, volunteers, interns, guest editors, workshop instructors, and board members have unwavering dedication to Yellow Arrow’s mission, and this is so evident in the wonderful publications we produce and programs we offer. This year, we welcomed additional staff and board members, and also are sadly saying farewell to a few. We are incredibly fortunate to have had Gina Strauss step in as our interim board president for 2022. She has led our team this year with grace, compassion, and such a warmth of spirit that we will undoubtedly still feel the uplifting effects of her contributions for a long time to come. Jessica Gregg, who has been serving as our board secretary, will also be stepping away at the end of the year. Jessica has been such an asset to our team and though we are sad she is leaving the soard, we know she will also remain a part of our Yellow Arrow community.
We are thrilled to introduce our new board president to you, as well as two other new members joining our board, neither of which is a stranger to the Yellow Arrow family! We feel so grateful to have these three incredible talents join our team. Stay tuned for interviews with our new board president, Mickey Revenaugh, our new director of author support, Patti Ross, and our new director of fundraising, Nikita Rimal Sharma.
One final note. Around the literary world this year, we have read stories of small presses and literary institutions closing their doors. The literary arts space is one where we cheer each other on, and we have been saddened to see other organizations that reached a point of financial unsustainability. At Yellow Arrow Publishing, we are pushing on with our mission to support and empower women-identifying writers, and as we do, we are asking for your continued support now and into the new year.
Now, more than ever, we believe in the power of words and literature to amplify women’s voices and share our powerful stories with the world. Our goal is to be as inclusive and accessible as possible to all women-identifying writers, and in order to pay our contributing authors and keep submissions low or nonexistent, we must build up our financial resources. We are thrilled that we have been awarded a creativity grant from the Maryland State Arts Council for 2023, and we continue to apply to other grant and funding opportunities.
Furthermore, we have kicked off a fund drive to support the future of Yellow Arrow Publishing. To help us reach our goal, we are aiming for 50 donors of $50 or more and 10 donors of $100 or more. Funds raised go directly to support our programs, and in 2023 we plan to focus on expanding access to the literary arts for women-identifying writers by:
Offering low-cost, accessible workshops for creatives to explore the craft of writing
Expanding outreach and scholarship efforts to encourage more writers from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic groups to attend our workshops
Offering additional resources for emerging writers entering the literary world
What does your donation accomplish? A $50 donation from you is the equivalent of:
One free 1-hour event that could be available to up to 25 writers
Two workshop scholarships
Five poetry or prose pieces published in Yellow Arrow Journal
We are ever so grateful for your continued support of women-identifying writers. Donate today to help us achieve our fundraising goals!
Yellow Arrow depends on the support of those who value our work; your continued support means everything to us. Donations are appreciated via PayPal (staff@yellowarrowpublishing.com), Venmo (@DonateYAP), or US mail (PO Box 65185, Baltimore, Maryland 21209). You can further support us by purchasing one of our publications from the Yellow Arrow bookstore, joining our newsletter, following us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, or subscribing to our YouTube channel. More than anything, messages of support through any one of our channels are greatly appreciated.
Once again, thank you for supporting independent publishing and women writers.
Warmest Wishes,
Annie Marhefka and the Yellow Arrow Publishing team
Annie Marhefka is a writer in Baltimore, Maryland. Her creative nonfiction and poetry have been published by Lunch Ticket, Literary Mama, Pithead Chapel, Anti-Heroin Chic, and others, and her work has been nominated for Best of the Net. Annie is the executive director at Yellow Arrow Publishing, a Baltimore-based nonprofit supporting and empowering women writers, and is working on a memoir about mother/daughter relationships. You can find Annie’s writing on Instagram @anniemarhefka, Twitter @charmcityannie, and at anniemarhefka.com.