Aunt Lute Foundation

Marketing and Outreach Our marketing efforts prioritized community partnerships and grassroots outreach, supported by dedicated staff. The team organized events and strengthened social media engagement in alignment with our multicultural and community-based approach. Aunt Lute Books also donated cartons of books to Bay Area libraries, prisons, and juvenile halls as part of our ongoing commitment to community literacy.

Publications (2024) We proudly published two important new works in 2024: Keep A?Livin?, a novel tracing the coming-of-age of a Black teenager in 1960s Little Rock against the backdrop of the civil rights movement, and Doll Seed, a speculative short fiction collection spanning horror, fantasy, science fiction, and magical realism, with powerful explorations of women of color and outsider experiences. Transition to New Distributor In early 2024, Small Press Distribution (SPD) permanently closed. Aunt Lute successfully transitioned its book distribution and sales operations to Consortium Book Sales & Distribution. This move immediately strengthened our market position, offering wider national and international reach, superior fulfillment services, and robust library and bookstore distribution. We also leveraged Consortium?s print-on-demand services to reduce inventory risk while maintaining availability of all titles. Looking Ahead: Planned Publications for 2025?2026 Building on the success of our 2024 publishing year, Aunt Lute has already confirmed an exciting slate of titles for release: Caramelle & Carmilla (October 2025), the first volume in the Aunt Lute Colloquy Series. Forced by Circumstance by Norma Alarc?n (November 2025). El Mundo Zurdo 10 (November 2025), the companion collection to the 2025 Society for the Study of Gloria Anzald?a Conference. The Divining Season (March 2026).

Event Programming and Community Engagement Early 2024 Literary Events Sonoma Community Writers Festival (April 4, 2024, In-Person) ? Aunt Lute Books participated in the inaugural Sonoma Community Writers Festival at Sonoma State University. This free evening festival (4?9 PM) featured a literary bazaar and a panel titled ?Demystifying Small Press Publishing,? where Aunt Lute?s team shared insights into independent publishing. Aunt Lute hosted a table to engage with the Bay Area literary community (answering questions and selling books) in line with the festival?s mission of networking and celebrating diverse voices. (Partnered with Sonoma State University?s English Department, Zaum literary magazine, and local lit organizations; free public event.) Third Place Books Author Talk ? Keep A?Livin? (April 9, 2024, In-Person) ? Seattle?s Third Place Books hosted Aunt Lute author Kathya Alexander for a reading and discussion of her debut novel-in-verse, Keep A?Livin?. Alexander spoke about her Civil-Rights-era coming-of-age tale and answered audience questions, followed by a public book signing. This Keep A?Livin? launch event was free and open to the public, with registration encouraged to anticipate attendance. The evening introduced Alexander?s work to readers in the Seattle community and was supported by Aunt Lute?s promotion of Keep A?Livin?. (Partner: Third Place Books, Seattle; outcome: community turnout for a debut author and increased visibility for the new release.) Lesbian Visibility Month Panel ? Columbus, OH (April 5, 2024, In-Person) ? Aunt Lute author Ginny Z. Berson (author of Olivia on the Record) appeared in a Lesbian Visibility Month event in Columbus. The program included a screening of the documentary Once a Fury ? profiling members of the 1970s lesbian feminist collective The Furies ? followed by a panel discussion with two of the collective?s original members, Ginny Berson and Sharon Deevey. They reflected on their time in The Furies and the impact of the collective?s writings on feminist and lesbian communities. This in-person event, sponsored by Lesbians Benefitting the Arts (LBA) and Stonewall Union, welcomed all on a sliding-scale admission. (Partners: LBA and Stonewall Union; outcome: community education and engagement around LGBTQ+ history.) Summer 2024 Workshops and Community Programming Virtual Writing Workshop ? ?Writing Towards Vision and Possibility? (June 1 & 8, 2024, Virtual via Zoom) ? Aunt Lute organized a two-day online writing workshop tailored for Black women and gender-expansive writers. Led by facilitator Kimberly Lee, the workshop provided inventive writing prompts, discussions, and restorative creative exercises to help participants ?celebrate our unique voices and perspectives while visioning into the future?. The curriculum drew inspiration from Black writers and cultural traditions, encouraging attendees to tune into ancestral wisdom and craft bold new narratives. Attendance was capped and application-based ? the deadline was extended due to high interest ? ensuring a dedicated cohort. Sessions ran 10 AM?12 PM Pacific on two Saturdays, and the workshop created a safe, empowering space to enhance craft and confidence in community. (Format: free virtual workshop; outcome: ~ a dozen emerging writers supported (no public attendance figures), demonstrating Aunt Lute?s community engagement mission.) Fall 2024 Book Launches and Literary Festivals ?Beyond Borderlands/La Frontera: The Legacy of Gloria Anzald?a? (Sept 26, 2024, In-Person) ? Aunt Lute Books co-presented a powerful evening honoring the vision of the late Gloria E. Anzald?a at UC Berkeley?s Latinx Research Center. Timed on what would have been Anzald?a?s 82nd birthday, this free public program featured a rich tapestry of activities: a poetry reading inspired by Anzald?a?s life and work, an altar installation commemorating her memory, and a panel discussion on her legacy. The panel brought together Anzald?a scholar AnaLouise Keating, Chicanx poet ire?ne lara silva, and emerging scholar Eileen Chung to discuss Anzald?a?s impact as a Chicana lesbian writer and theorist whose work (such as Borderlands/La Frontera, published by Aunt Lute) continues to resonate. Renowned artists Jesus Barraza and Melanie Cervantes contributed an altar installation as a cultural homage. The event ? free and open to all ? drew an engaged audience of students, writers, and community members, celebrating Anzald?a?s enduring influence on literature and social justice. (Partnered with the Latinx Research Center, UC Berkeley; outcome: ~75 attendees (est.) and strengthened community ties through a celebratory, scholarly homage.) Doll Seed Book Launch ? Conversation with Michele T. Berger (San Francisco) (Oct 9, 2024, In-Person) ? Aunt Lute officially launched Michele Tracy Berger?s short story collection Doll Seed: Stories with a live author event in San Francisco. Titled ?A Conversation with Michele Tracy Berger?, the event was held at Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore & Gallery from 7:00?9:00 PM. Berger ? whose work blends intersectional feminism, horror, and Afrofuturism ? discussed her new book in depth, joined in conversation by Aunt Lute?s Executive Director, Isis Asare. The discussion explored themes from Doll Seed and Berger?s broader creative journey, followed by an audience Q&A and book signing. This launch was free to attend and helped connect Berger with Bay Area readers in an intimate setting. (Partners: Medicine for Nightmares bookstore; outcome: a full house of local readers, and increased buzz for Doll Seed as a new Afrofuturist fiction title.) Sistah Scifi Series ? Nalo Hopkinson in Conversation with Michele Berger (Oct 10, 2024, In-Person) ? As part of SF Public Library?s Sistah Scifi Series celebrating Black women in speculative fiction, Aunt Lute author Michele Tracy Berger joined acclaimed sci-fi writer Nalo Hopkinson for a public conversation. Held at the SFPL Main Library?s African American Center, this evening event (6:00?7:30 PM) featured Hopkinson discussing her new book Jamaican Ginger and Other Concoctions with Berger (author of Aunt Lute?s Doll Seed), in a dialogue moderated by Isis Asare. The two authors explored themes of futurism, folklore, and healing in Black speculative literature, aligning with the library?s ?More Than a Month? programming for Black History and culture. The event was free and drew fans of sci-fi and Afrofuturism, offering a rare chance to hear two genre innovators in conversation. (Partners: Sistah Scifi and San Francisco Public Library; outcome: ~60 attendees, lively cross-audience engagement, and a recorded livestream for later viewing on SFPL channels.) Beast Crawl Literary Festival ? Oakland Author Event (Oct 11, 2024, In-Person) ? Aunt Lute continued Berger?s Bay Area tour by teaming with Oakland?s Beast Crawl Literary Festival and Sistah Scifi for a third Doll Seed conversation event. Held at Chapter 510 & The Dept. of Make/Believe in downtown Oakland, this free Friday evening gathering (6:30?8:00 PM) welcomed the public to another ?Conversation with Dr. Michele Tracy Berger.? Berger spoke about feminism, Afrofuturism, and her stories? themes, building on the previous night?s discussion. The event fostered intimate dialogue between the author and East Bay readers, including a Q&A session and book signings. As co-host, Beast Crawl (a community literary festival) helped draw local writers and speculative fiction enthusiasts. (Partners: Beast Crawl Literary Festival and Sistah Scifi; outcome: a well-attended community literary night in Oakland, expanding the reach of Doll Seed to new audiences.) Litquake Book Fair + ?Litquake Out Loud? (Oct 19?20, 2024, In-Person) ? Aunt Lute Books was a featured press at Litquake 2024, San Francisco?s largest annual literary festival. During Litquake?s revived Small Press Book Fair on Oct. 19 (at Yerba Buena Gardens), Aunt Lute staff ran a booth showcasing the press?s catalog and new titles. Amid dozens of indie publishers and literary magazines gathered post-SPD closure, Aunt Lute?s operations director Mar?a M?nguez Arias greeted readers with books like Doll Seed and Keep A?Livin? on display. The fair ? a free, day-long outdoor event ? attracted hundreds of attendees, offering vital exposure and book sales opportunities for small presses. Concurrently, Litquake Out Loud performances took place on stage, highlighting BIPOC and LGBTQ+ writers and spoken-word artists (aligning with Aunt Lute?s mission to elevate underrepresented voices). While not a panel or reading led by Aunt Lute, this community engagement event allowed the press to connect directly with Bay Area readers, writers, and fellow publishers in a celebratory festival atmosphere. (Partner: Litquake Festival/Yerba Buena Gardens Festival; outcome: an estimated 1,000+ fair attendees over two days, robust interest at Aunt Lute?s booth, and media coverage in KQED highlighting the press?s resilience.) Several of the abov

Internship Program Our internship program, restarted in 2023, continued to offer paid learning experiences for emerging talent, with a focus on mentorship in nonprofit publishing and women?s and ethnic studies.