Protect Our Literary Future in the Face of Artistic Suppression

Donate now to protect EL’s literary future and support truth-telling artists.

Dear Reader,

It’s hard to believe that six months into the year, we’re witnessing the Trump administration destroy so many dearly held freedoms. They are trying to eliminate the NEA. They are trying to erase trans people from existence. They are pressuring nonprofits to sanitize their missions and attempting to dismantle higher learning. And we’re only six months into Trump’s second term. 

Electric Literature took a stand when we chose not to apply for 2026 NEA funding due to their transphobic stipulations around promoting “gender ideology.” Soon after that, our 2025 NEA grant was terminated, likely putting an end to EL’s federal support for the foreseeable future. We could fall into the trap of disengagement, keeping our head down and turning away from that which frightens us. But we are not in the habit of hiding, nor backing down—which is why we need your help.

We need to raise $25,000 by the end of this month to protect our literary future. We will continue publishing writers and stories this administration wants to silence. Artists are resilient truth tellers. Their voices demand to be amplified, and their stories demand a place in this world. Of being a writer in times of urgent distress, Toni Morrison wrote, “We write. We speak. We do language. That is how civilizations heal.”

Electric Literature’s platform has a real impact. We maintain an annual readership of over 3 million and publish over 500 writers each year, launching the careers of up-and-coming authors. Everything we publish is free to read. Our work is forward facing, powerful, and healing, which is dangerous to this administration’s agenda. Support Electric Literature. Help us continue to do our part.

Gratefully yours,

Denne Michele Norris
Editor-in-Chief