Girls Write Now Joins LitNYS for 2025 Facing Pages Convening: Leading in a Liminal Season

Last weekend, literary organizations from across the state traveled to Hudson, NY to attend the annual LitNYS Facing Pages convening. This year’s theme: Leading in a Liminal Season: Strategies for Growth While Staying Sane was a sobering, and inspiring tonic for the times we live in. Literary leaders came together to discuss cuts to funding, opportunities for collaboration and the importance of telling the stories others overlook.

On day one, opening remarks from New York State Poet Laureate Patricia Spears Jones set the tone.

“Patience and fortitude undergird
what is also our rage and active resistance. We are writers we can handle paradoxes,” said Spears Jones in closing.

The convening then opened into its first panel “Planning for Strategic Growth” moderated by Mary Gannon of Community of Literary Magazines and Presses & LitNet with panelists Melissa Gradel of Poets & Writers, Amy Stolls formerly of the National Endowment for the Arts, and Jafreen Uddin of Asian American Writers Workshop. Together, they unpacked the devastating cuts to federal funding and how to stay afloat in the current funding landscape.

The first day closed with mingling and refreshments as leaders caught up and set the scene for the course ahead.

The second day opened with “The Call to Practical Action” between Mahogany L. Brown, Writer, Curator & Activist, Daniel O’Brien of Independent Publishers Caucus, Margo Viscusi, a Literary Arts Supporter and Former President Emerita of Poets House, and Cornelius Eady of Cave Canem, moderated by literary agent and consultant Ira Silverberg. Each shared insight into how they approach accountability, collective action and community in the current literary landscape.

After lunch, Asari Beale of Teachers & Writers Collaborative, Javan Howard of Community word Project and Veronica Liu of Word Up talked through the power of collaboration and how to work with the communities you serve to drive meaningful change. With their strategies in mind, we broke into breakout groups to discuss three key goals of the field:

1. 1. Creating a Superfund & finding creative funding opportunities
2. 2. Producing a field study.
3. 3. Building Solidarity across the network.

Groups brainstormed and shared action steps before moving into the final panel & clinic, Building Capacity: The Road to Strategic Growth. Girls Write Now’s Maya Nussbaum and Molly McDermott shared insight on how to scale for growth and helped diagnose the pain points of LitNYS organizations like Epiphany Magazine and Pen Parentis alongside Yuki Numata Resnick of Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.

On the last day, LitNYS leaders had the opportunity to meet with attorneys Paul Battaglia, Will Creeley and Gary Schuster for on hand legal questions and concerns.