RED HEN PRESS INC

Programs

1. Publishing works of literary excellence: red hen press publishes 25-30 books each year in hopes of building a more vibrant, inclusive, and diverse literary community. The press publishes works of literary fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, helping to spread the voice of perspectives often overlooked by mainstream commercial publishers. Red hen press supports emerging authors and uses literary awards to publish and spotlight authors from historically underrepresented groups. This work includes our letras latinas publishing series in partnership with the university of notre dame's institute for latino studies, as well as the ann petry award for black prose authors, the cai emmons fiction award, the benjamin saltman poetry award, and the quill prose award for queer literature. Through our recent distribution partnership with tia chucha press and luis rodriguez, we are able to bring even more diverse work to larger audiences around the world. Among red hen press's roster of authors are pulitzer prize winners percival everett, whose work with red hen press sparked an article in the new york times covering four red hen press titles, and dale maharidge, whose forthcoming novel…

   $848,036 spent$204,578 earned by the program
   92% of program spending

2. Student poetry workshops and wits hq: for over 20 years, red hen press has brought poetry education to underserved students in pasadena and los angeles through our writing in the schools (wits) program. This program serves participating students, teachers, and schools at no cost, reaching approximately 350 students annually by bringing published authors directly into classrooms to teach the craft of writing. Host schools are title I schools, meaning at least 40% of impacted students come from low-income families. Our wits program targets underserved elementary, middle, and high school students in los angeles county made up of the following demographics: 85% latinx/hispanic, 11% african american, 2% asian american, <1% european american, <1% native american, and <1% middle eastern.additionally, in 2024, red hen launched writing in the schools hq, an on-site summer extension of wits for local middle and high schoolers. In wits hq, students are able to explore poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction with red hen authors as well as gain in-depth knowledge of the publishing industry from red hen staff. Red hen press uses a data-driven approach to measure the success of the wits…

   $41,247 spent
   4% of program spending

3. Speaking and performing: red hen press conducts over 30 national and international literary events each year in person, online, and/or through hybrid formats. Literary events are an important way that red hen supports its up-and-coming authors, helping new voices establish literary careers. Nearly all events are free to the public and provide the opportunity to build community among book lovers. Events are frequently held in pasadena at red hen's building in an event space called the red hen press literary center, which includes opportunities for our writing in the schools k-12 students to perform their poetry for the public. In-person events are always ada accessible, and online events use technology such as captioning to ensure accessibility to a range of audiences. This year, we have been enjoying the use of our updated event space with new lighting and sound equipment funded by a grant from the perenchio foundation in 2023 in order to upgrade the amount and quality of our literary events and performances. Our annual fundraising event this year was also extremely successful, raisingmore money than any of our past events.

   $19,671 spent$455 earned by the program
   2% of program spending

4. Other program services: beyond literary engagements, red hen press is a community focused organization that seeks to build a stronger future for literature, authors, and readers. Red hen press frequently participates in book donation programs with local service agencies and other community nonprofits. The red hen press literary center also hosts other local organizations and communities with readings, plays, operas, musical performances, and civic engagement activities, such as serving as a los angeles county voting center. To prepare the next generation of literary professionals, we also maintain a robust multi-department internship program that introduces college students and beyond to the publishing business and helps to develop individual careers through hands-on experiences. These activities all help to keep literature and the arts relevant and thriving for the local community and beyond.

   $11,037 spent
   1% of program spending

The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $919,991.