LGBTQIA Library Love:Jianda SFPL Hormel Ctr Tenure

Hello, Dear Community:

My goal is to help to take care of an immediate living expense and hopefully pay for expenses for a minimum of one year.

About this Campaign
Books, learning, and education are magical. Even more beautiful and magical is the opportunity to facilitate and share a space for making learning and fostering imagination, co-creating opportunities safe, most especially for those encountering disparities --POC/LGBTQIA folks.

I'm reaching out to my community for support 1) for myself and 2) for my new position, in order to better serve my community during my fellowship, a tenure that begins this month, at the safe and sacred space, the James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center at the SF Public Library.
 
Gratefully, many supporters helped me with an immediate rental need a few weeks ago. I've discussed it with those folks and given this deeper thought, and I need sustainable help during my tenure so that it's not just a paycheck-to-paycheck situation and so that I can fully devote myself to this new position (which pays a partial stipend, hence my need for further support). I'm asking for help and support during the coming year.

Why this Matters

We live in tumultuous times. Education and art heals. We need to keep lighting the way, and inspiring hearts, minds, and souls, most especially in community. People are targeting LGBTQIA individuals, families, centers/health programs, communities, and libraries.

Now more than ever we need to double down on our love and support for one another.

James Catherwood Hormel's spirit is the foundation here  via his life of philanthropy and public service. Appreciatively, I/we will be leveraging this philanthropy and funding, and in my new role, I will in turn assist with fundraising for this fellowship for future fellows and Show Us Your Spines participants  (of which I was one, gratefully!) for years and years to come.

In 1991, Hormel donated funds to create the Gay and Lesbian Center at the San Francisco Public Library. The Center, which is named in recognition of that gift, officially opened in 1995, making available an outstanding collection of literary and multimedia materials.  In 1999, Hormel became the first openly gay United States ambassador. The collection and center has been renamed to better address intersectional, affirming inclusion. Hormel has 5 children, 14 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren. He lives in San Francisco with his life partner, Michael P. Nguyen.

My tenure at this fellowship will help POC as well as LGBTQIA POC and allies realize opportunities can be co-created in community. Libraries are a refuge, literally and figuratively, facilitating education (self-directed and/or supporting more traditional education), art, location of resources/empowerment, quality connections and much more--this can all take place at the library, and via this treasured Hormel collection (and all connections, materials, and synchronicities therein). It will be my job to help to facilitate, foster, and co-create these connections, and to shape the lives of LGBTQIA youth and allies. I need help doing so.

My predecessor Mason has done an incredible job during prior tenure, and I'm carrying the torch--I need help "putting my own oxygen mask on," as the saying goes, so that I can help to support others. 

My Engagement in Community
I am a California native who has also worked with POC/LGBTQIA organizations that are both out-of-state, and international. For many years, I've volunteered in, provided art in and worked in community in various capacities over the years, including but not limited to:

*QWOCMAP Festival featured filmmaker
*Performing at/tabling at various pride events on the west coast and in the midwest
*Volunteering for/creating material for various Bay Area film programs and women POC directors
*Helping Homobiles.org with web support and manually fielding requests/dispatch
*Brown Boi Project Mentoring
*New Mexico Grant County LGBTQIA Center Volunteer
* Published Fiction in queer-affirming anthologies for publishing houses including:Alyson Publications, Cleis Press
*Volunteer editing/contribution of content for LGBTQIA/POC-affirming publications such as Scarlet Letters (Heather Corinna), for Hanna Blank's publications/anthology, and the now defunct Cleansheets.
*2019 Show Us Your Spines Fellow for RADAR/Hormel Center LGBTQIA Archives, December 2019 -San Francisco Library, RADAR/Hormel Center LGBTQIA Archives
*Featured Artist, "Your Body of Water Collection," Poetry on Buses, Seattle King County and Seattle Public Utilities, King County Metro, and 4Culture public service project
*Artist, Musician, Poet: Seattle Parks and Recreation Busker Fellow Seattle Parks and Recreation 

Funds Needed
Due to some emergency expenses related to my living space and transportation, I'm scrambling to break even in the coming month and like so many others have lived paycheck to paycheck for years. It seemed like just something to mitigate until I was asked to take on this role helping others. I was asked how I can help from a place of empowerment, if I'm still encountering housing and income instability, and I had no answer--I'm still working on that one.

I'm diving deep to ask for not only immediate help, but help so that I can continue to sustain and thrive in my business of helping  community in my new longterm home, in the Bay area. I lived here around a decade ago and the changes, the disparities are staggering. Navigating the complexities of our economic climate has finally gotten the best of me, so I'm reaching out to my community for help.

I maintain short-term contract work, and will likely need to do so during my tenure, but even the ability to accumulate a savings or some support as I move forward would be very much appreciated. Any amount of help directed to me will help me assist others.

If you could contribute anything to help bridge the gap, or even share this with community and allies, I would be exceedingly grateful. 

For transparency, here is more itemized information (I have kept my costs and budgeting on the modest side because I will have some work hours via the fellowship)--
 
Immediate and Monthly Needs

Rent and Transportation $1400

Utility Bills/Groceries $200

[For one year, the information above totals well over my goal, but the immediate need is for the coming month, $1600]

One-Time Funding Goals

Repaying $1k in  loans (micro loans from friends and 1 from a lender) - $1000

Buying a refurbished laptop $500.00-1k

Funds for business/website hosting for 1 year ($50/mo) - $600  

Business cards and flyers to network with fellow nonprofits $80

Work clothes and shoes for 1 year (around $50 per month, Goodwill store purchases) - $600

Dream Goal

2 years' worth of living expenses (rent, minimally).

I have rounded up to bare minimum expenses for 1 year because my immediate goal is a percentage of the longer-term, sustainable goal.

I realize fees GoFundMe collects are not included in this list. I would be grateful to pay them. Any funds past immediate goals will go back into the business or other needs listed above.

I am a musician and a writer, but this is not the focus of my fellowship (I'll be fostering/inspiring others' creativity and education! including future Show Us Your Spines Fellows) , so for every $100 donated I will create a work inspired by the person doing so. I am also an artist coach and adminstrative worker. No donor will be turned away if they ask for any premium that is reasonably able to be provided. I am so grateful for any assistance.

For those who prefer it I can add my PayPal and Venmo information.

Simply contact me via email or via this page for further inquiry with your info and donation date,  and I will do my best to make it so. Thanks for any support and shares!