Dear readers,
Next month, Full Stop turns four.
In the cosmic scheme of things, four years is not very long. But for an online publication committed to running literary criticism, that’s pretty much the lifespan of a medium-sized star. And yet, here we are. During the last four years, we have reviewed nearly five hundred works of new and translated fiction and nonfiction. We have interviewed nearly two hundred authors, critics, philosophers, and educators. And we have paid many emerging writers for essays on a wide range of topics, from sexism in the publishing industry, to the literature of climate change, to the many lives of Art Garfunkel.
Full Stop has never had many resources available to it besides the tremendous contribution of time given by its editors, writers, and artists, as well by so many wonderful authors and publishers. We launched with just enough money to pay our server fees, but we have since been able, via our partnership with Litbreaker, to pay our essayists well above the industry standard. Still, a great deal of what we publish remains uncompensated. Years ago, we pledged to not pay ourselves until we’re able to pay for every piece on the site. We have kept that promise, even if we haven’t yet realized our goal.
Now, as we plan for the future, we have decided to, for the first time, ask our readers (and our moms) to help us get there. A contribution of any size will allow us to pay even more writers while we continue to try new things, including the launch of a quarterly digital publication beginning in 2015. You can make a tax-deductible donation to Full Stop by following this link. You can also join our mailing list below the post to find out more about the quarterly as we get closer.
As a small thank you to donors, as well as a look at where we’ve been and what’s to come, Full Stop is offering unbendable digital copies of our Situation in American Writing series (PDF and EPUB). Lovingly lifted and amended from a 1939 Partisan Review questionnaire, the collection features responses on writing, politics, war, and identity from 29 writers, including Marilynne Robinson, George Saunders, Roxane Gay, and Philipp Meyer. Though the responses are three years old, we believe that they are as relevant as ever. We also believe that they highlight what Full Stop does best, and what we hope to continue to do with your help.
Thank you,
The Editors
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