He left it up to me, whether to name him or keep it as an "anonymous donor," but dammit, this guy is out there ever single day sharing, commenting, championing, and buying mags, books and more from indie lit pubs and presses. François Bereaud is a gift and he's gifting one person a one year gift subscription to Stanchion.
I know Stanchion subscriptions and even individual issues are frustratingly out of range and out of the question for many because of the price tag and the damn shipping cost. I try to keep it all as cheap as possible while still keeping it going, keeping it beautiful to hold, and to paying every contributor without taking a dime in fees or donations. That's one reason I began making PDFs of sold-out issues available for just $2.
Apply for a Free Stanchion Magazine Gift Subscription
François loves Stanchion, has a gorgeous story appearing in Issue 11, and bought a gift subscription to Stanchion. He has tasked me with finding someone with a financial need and a love of short stories, poetry, photography, and beautiful tangible things. If that sounds like you, and you have a U.S. address, send me an email before the end of February.
That's the extent of the 'application' for this gift subscription. There's no need to provide bank statements or prove your hardship, nothing like that. That said, if telling a bit of your story might help lift some of the burden (talk therapy, or even being vulnerable when typing, helps me sometimes), I'd be happy to read about what's happening in your life. We all have so much going on, more than we typically share, more than anyone could possibly know. I'm still in the midst of the most difficult period in my family's life, and so many in the literary community have been immensely kind to me during this time. It's helped. I'm here for you too, if you care to share.
In early March, I'll pick one person at random to receive Issues 10 through 13, plus the next subscriber-only photography special issue -- one year of Stanchion magazine.
Thanks for being here and for being interested in Stanchion. And thanks also to the kindness of strangers for making the world a bit brighter. Here's a song, by an artist I adore, that you may enjoy.