Stoneboat & Pebblebrook Need Your Help

Dear Friends,

As many of you know, our co-editors in chief, Rob Pockat and Signe Jorgenson, have taken part in the Polar Bear Plunge fundraiser at Sheboygan's lake front for the last three years, jumping into the lake in sub-zero temperatures on New Year's Day to solicit your support for Stoneboat literary journal and its imprint Pebblebrook Press.

What began as a wacky fundraising stunt in 2014 has grown into one of the largest inflows of cash that Stoneboat and Pebblebrook receive each year. The Plunge also gives our editors-in-chief ear infections, coughs, and, last year, epic colds that verged on pneumonia. We have been wracking our brains all year to come up with new ways to expand our revenue streams without courting serious illness.

We recently held a launch reading in Milwaukee to work on expanding our audience and subscriber base. We are also applying for a grant that is specifically designed to help emerging small presses grow into self-sustaining operations. Furthermore, we are investigating becoming a 501(c)3 nonprofit because this would allow us to seek other grant funding as well as make your future donations tax deductible. We are so proud of Stoneboat, our contributors, and the sweat equity we have put in over the last seven years to find and deliver great fiction, nonfiction, poetry, graphic literature, and black and white art twice a year through the journal and intermittently through Pebblebrook Press.

Bottom line: we will not have Signe and Rob jump into the lake on January 1, 2017. We ask, however, that you look into your pocketbook, wallet, bank account or under the mattress and continue to support us with a donation. Any amount helps the journal, from $5 to $500. (As a "thank you," we will offer a complimentary 1-year subscription, subscription extension, or Pebblebrook title of choice to donors that contribute $50+.) 

One last pitch. In response to the 2016 election, we have put out a call for submissions to create a special section within Stoneboat 7.2, "Beyond Red and Blue: Voices for America." We are seeking poetry, prose, and artwork from all perspectives and hope to receive work that digs deep while providing timeless reflection on this turbulent time in which we find ourselves. If you donate by February 1, we will include your name in a "donor thank you list" that will introduce this feature. (Of course, you can remain anonymous if you prefer.)

We create Stoneboat and Pebblebrook Press for you, really, and we trust that you are with us for the long haul, sans pneumonia.

Thank you,

The Stoneboat Team