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Susan Schaefer Writer hasn't added a story.
There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. – Maya Angelou
I am appealing for your support in the form of patronage to allow me to tell my story. When I was a graduate student at Philadelphia's Temple University, my late mentor, friend, and chair of Honors English, Peter Tasch, implored me to write my story. I was far too young but kept journals and began compiling my story with the intention of writing my memoir.
Now a new mentor, Daniel Slager, publisher and CEO of Minnesota-based, award-winning Milkweed Editions, who is a major figure in the world of publishing, has agreed to work with me to develop my memoir into a “literary” work worthy of publication (though not specifically for Milkweed). His reaction to my initial draft was: “Your story is exceptionally compelling … you write exceptionally well.” Now, at the age of almost 73, I am ready. The Buddhist saying, "When the student is ready, the master appears,” applies.
I am asking for your support to give wings to my memoir, THE GIRL WHO FLEW, and where she landed, by joining my Patrons' Fund Circle.
Sponsorship levels and benefits:
- First Edition level: $5,000 and above. First Edition benefactors will:
- Receive ten signed copies of the published book
- Have access to my THE GIRL WHO FLEW blog
- Be invited to exclusive quarterly Zoom discussions
- Be listed on a special dedication page
- Be invited to an exclusive gala gathering where I will read excerpts from the book and have additional signed copies available for purchase at a location TBD
- First Edition patrons also will have the option to request that I read and/or speak at one private fund-raising gathering to raise funds for a preferred cause of their choice, (preferably from themes covered in the book, notably mental health, Jewish and women’s causes, and women’s education and leadership)
- Galley level: $1,000-$4,999: Galley level patrons will:
- Receive two signed copies of the published book
- Have access to my THE GIRL WHO FLEW blog
- Be invited to exclusive quarterly Zoom discussions
- Be listed on a special dedication page
- Be invited to a gala gathering where I will read excerpts from the book and have additional signed copies available for purchase at a location TBD.
- Manuscript level: $500 – $999: Manuscript level donors will:
- Receive one signed copy of the book
- Have access to my THE GIRL WHO FLEW blog
- Be listed on a special dedication page
- Draft level : $100 - $499: Draft level contributors will:
- Receive one signed copy of the book
The Book:
THE GIRL WHO FLEW critically examines my life as an unconventional mid-20th century woman, following my almost gothic childhood across continents, through to my considerable successes mixed with many daunting dilemmas.
At its core, and underlying my entire story, is the sleeping monster, cyclothymia, a subtle form of bipolar disorder that if caught and beheaded earlier, could have eased my unsettled life.
Using my skills as a narrative storyteller, elevated by a journalist style and essayist's eye, I immerse readers in lush, fictive-quality scenes, pulling them up with alternately keen and comical self-analysis of cause and effect. Think of Elizabeth Gilbert’s blockbuster, Eat, Pray, Love meets Midnight Express.
THE GIRL WHO FLEW voices the many humorous, heart-wrenching, enlightening, and entertaining accounts of my restless search for stability.
My story shows that it is possible to find a plateau of plausible peace amidst the tumult of life’s inevitable assaults. Like all memoirs, mine ends in the present with the acknowledgement for people with cyclothymia and other mood disorders that each day is a new beginning where hard inner work, good health habits, a positive outlook, psychotherapy, the miracle of finding true love and friendships can help mitigate the brain chemistry that seeks to send us off the rails.
Sample chapters
This is a story about how as a young child I discovered the Holocaust. My editors at Next Avenue accepted it as a personal essay to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2022. "The nightmare returned: When abortion was illegal," is a personal essay on that first appeared in Next Tribe. These journalistic examples will appear slightly differently as chapters in my memoir. They are good examples of my storytelling, journalistic and analytic styles.
The need:
I cannot support myself on my meagre social security and retirement funds. I’ve been working part-time as a contributing columnist for PBS’ online magazine, Next Avenue, freelancing for other publications, and recently as an AmeriCorps’ Reading Program classroom evaluator to keep my life afloat. These efforts barely pay minimum wage, take precious time and energy from my creative writing.
Your support will allow me to dedicate the next two years to researching, developing, writing, and completing my memoir, and to working with my editor to gain a major publisher. A portion, or portions, could be of interest for development into a screenplay for a theater, movie or television series.
What is patronage?
Patronage is a time-honored tradition of financial aid defined as an act to encourage the cultural achievement of a beneficiary who is involved in the arts. As the beneficiary, I will use the funds to write, providing me with the freedom and time to devote to my artistic endeavor so it may flourish.
While many forms of donating are transactional, patronage is highly relational. Unlike the venerable tradition of donating to non-profits and charities, becoming a patron is more personal and connecting, signalling a benefactor’s fundamental belief in the virtuosity and talent of a singular beneficiary.
By joining my patronage circle you will gain the benefit of engaging firsthand in the literary arts.
I commit to you in return access to my creative process as I struggle through the typically solitary progression of developing a solid literary framework, researching, writing, editing, discussing with my editor, rewriting, finding a publisher and marketing.
The Susan Schaefer Writer page provides additional detail.
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