A Letter From Ruth
November 26, 2020
Dear Friends,
Thanksgiving has long been one of my favorite holidays. I love the stuffing and mashed potatoes, and I love an excuse to cook all day with the parade, and then the dog show, on in the background. This year we’ll all be having very different sorts of Thanksgivings—quieter and smaller as we hope to keep one another safe. But my favorite part of the holiday can still remain—time to focus on gratitude.
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- I’m so grateful that SAL has been able to pivot our programming online, and that so many of you have come along with us to this new platform. We have found silver linings in peeking into authors’ living rooms and writing nooks, and in having conversation partners who wouldn’t have been possible in person.
- I’m grateful for all the ways that SAL authors have moved me, inspiring me to think more deeply or differently about the most important issues we’re all facing.
- I’m grateful for each and every one of you who has bought a ticket or subscribed or made a donation or shared our work with people you love.
- I’m grateful for the friends and family around the country who can now join in SAL events, and for the chance to think expansively about community.
- I’m grateful for the talented young writers from our Writers in the Schools and Youth Poet Laureate programs who share their words with all of us. I’m grateful for the writers who teach them, and us.
- I’m grateful for the incredibly hard-working staff and board of SAL and the many volunteers and partners who support our work.
SAL is the sum of all of us—reading, thinking, growing—gathering light for these dark days.
We had the honor of hosting Yaa Gyasi on Monday night, and she said, “Some small miracle is taking place every time you read.” What a beautiful way to understand the small miracles available to each of us, even now.
I hope your Thanksgiving is filled with books, miracles of all sizes, and, of course, your favorite carbohydrates.
Ruth Dickey
Executive Director