2 0 2 1A N N U A L R E P O R T

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Table of Contents

A Message from Editor-in-chief Ladette Randolph 3Issues from FY21 5The Ploughshares Blog 9Contributors 10Subscribers 11The Ploughshares Anniversary Fund 12Donor Pledges $500,000 to Ploughshares 13Events 14Ploughshares Patrons 15Patrons 16Staff 17Connect 18

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A Message from Editor-in-chief Ladette Randolph

Ploughshares’ 50th year has, by all accounts, been a remarkable one. While no one could have anticipated how quickly we would have to adjust to working remotely, it will be little surprise to anyone who knows the remarkable staff at Ploughshares that they rose to the challenge and quickly brought all of our systems—including our student workers and interns—on board. We experienced no production or publication delays, and there were no technical problems that weren’t addressed immediately. My valued colleagues accomplished this amazing feat with professionalism and also with grace. I’m personally indebted to all of them—Ellen Duffer, Cory Bailey, and Allison Truj—for their competence and good cheer through a very difficult time. As often happens in the wake of stressful situations, we have learned a great deal through the experiences of the past year, and as a result, our already strong systems are even more robust. In fact, despite its challenges, the 2020/21 fiscal year was our most financially successful year since we began keeping records. As the details—shared in a recently compiled internal staff document—delineate:

[W]e increased subscription revenue (50%), renewal revenue (32%), and single-copy sales (34%), leading to overall revenue growth of 25%. We also secured a $500,000 gift from board member Marillyn Zacharis, among $110,815 in additional gifts from both loyal and new donors—putting us at 91% of our $1.5 million goal of fully endowing payments to writers. Our web and blog traffic have grown considerably (22% and 30%, respectively), our readers have found a similar passion for our e-books (sales of which have grown 112%), and our overall social presence has experienced a steady increase, as well (5%). Simultaneously, we have been working fervently to deliver a world-renowned literary journal to readers worldwide, at a time when many peer magazines have ceased operations altogether.

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I attribute much of the success of this past year to the journal’s forward-facing ethos and our disciplined habit of incremental implementation of new technologies. We owe much to our past editors-in-chief—DeWitt Henry and Don Lee—both of whom laid the groundwork for a culture of continued, fearless innovation, who confidently adapted to the challenges and opportunities each of them confronted during their respective tenures. I’m convinced it’s in good part why we’re still here 50 years later celebrating not merely our survival but our astonishing success in the wake of the most challenging time in recent memory. But that’s not the only reason for our success. Since 1989, Emerson College has been a critical partner in providing financial and administrative stability; our advisory board members have been creative and generous partners, helping us navigate—both formally and informally—through times of indecision, especially in our desire to fully endow our payments to writers. We have benefitted greatly over the years from our affiliation with the talented young people in the vibrant Writing, Literature & Publishing program at Emerson College. We are fortunate to have a core of long-time subscribers whose unwavering support daily gives us courage and incentive. And of course, none of Ploughshares’ many achievements over our long history would be possible without the countless writers who share their inspired, inspiring work with us, trusting us to share it with readers around the world who in turn continue to look to us as a source for finding and publishing the best of contemporary literature. If you’re reading this annual report, it means you’re at the heart of our beloved Ploughshares’ community. We all thank you for your devotion to our common cause of valuing and publishing new work, discovering what our founding editor, DeWitt Henry, refers to as “tomorrow’s classics today.”

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S U M M E R 2 0 2 0

Guest-Edited by Celeste Ng

F I C T I O N B Y : Pria Anand • Jamel Brinkley • Joel Fishbane • Peter Gordon • Kaitlyn Greenidge • Meron Hadero • Devon Halliday • Ashley Hand • Sonya Larson • Maria Lioutaia • Karen Shepard • Lucy Shepard • Susan Shepherd • Charles Yu

C O V E R A R T B Y : Mari Ito

“Stories are more than documentation: they are a portal in time, through which the moment in which the story was written can

magically be in conversation with the moment in which the story is read. Whether we learn, mourn, or simply remember as we look

through that portal—well, that’s up to us.”

C E L E S T E N Gfrom her introduction to the Summer issue

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F A L L 2 0 2 0

Edited by Ladette Randolph

The Fall 2020 issue pitted ambivalence against loss in nine original stories, capped by a reprint of Ray Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder” (originally published in 1952) with an introduction by Alice Hoffman. Spanning modern-day Sausalito, postwar East Berlin, remote towns and villages in Haiti, China, and middle America, this collection of longform stories explored the tensions surrounding death, illness, fractured relationships, and a thwarted future.

F I C T I O N B Y : Ray Bradbury (Introduction by Alice Hoffman) • Nicholas Delbanco • Melody Graulich • Michelle Herman • Praveen Krishna • Melissa Oliveira • Holiday Reinhorn • Marjorie Sandor • John Elizabeth Stintzi • Vincent Yu

C O V E R A R T B Y : Mongezi Ncaphayi

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W I N T E R 2 0 2 0 - 2 0 2 1

Edited By Ladette Randolph & John Skoyles

The Winter 2020-21 issue featured poetry and prose bound by a thread of longing. This issue gave voice to the racial, socioeconomic, and gender-based disparities and barriers experienced in the United States today through a collection of poems, stories, and nonfiction haunted by something just beyond reach, from the most basic form of want to more complex desires, complicated remembrances, and the anticipation of things that may never come to be.

F I C T I O N B Y : Nick Arvin • Elaine Hsieh Chou • Evgeniya Dame • Corey Flintoff• Sofia Puente-Lay • Gina Ochsner • Madelin Parsley

N O N F I C T I O N B Y : Steve Almond • Jeremiah Barker • Nora Caplan-Bricker • Alexandra Marshall

P O E T R Y B Y : Kelli Russell Agodon • Justin Balog • Shauna Barbosa • J. Mae Barizo • Sylvie Baumgartel • Christopher Buckley • Michael Burkard • Emily Cinquemani • Katie Condon • Jackie Craven • Caroline Crew • Fay Dillof • Shangyang Fang • Jennifer Givhan • Jessica Good-fellow • Matthew E. Henry • David Keplinger • Ted Kooser • Laurie Lamon • Michael Lavers • Kathleen Lee • Eugenia Leigh • Ruth Madievsky • Gary McDowell • Paul Muldoon • Janice Northerns • Suphil Lee Park • Emily Pittinos • Christina Pugh • Jeremy Radin • David Roderick • Craig van Rooyen • Noah Warren • Mason Wray • He Xiang • Mariya Zilberman • Jane Zwart

C O V E R A R T B Y : Balint Zsako

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S P R I N G 2 0 2 1

Guest-Edited by Laura van den Berg

F I C T I O N B Y : ‘Pemi Aguda • Venita Blackburn • Fernando A. Flores • Tania James • Fajer Alexander Khansa • Amy Lin • Claire Luchette • Helen Phillips • Zora Mai Quynh • Fortunato Salazar • C. C. Silvera • Seth Wang

N O N F I C T I O N B Y : Ruth Hoberman

P O E T R Y B Y : Kaveh Akbar • Eloisa Amezcua • Aldo Amparán • nicole v basta • Gabrielle Bates • Marianne Boruch • Paola Bruni • Kayleb Rae Candrilli • Michael Collier • Dana Curtis • Luis Alberto de Cuenca (translated by Gustavo Pérez Firmat) • April Goldman • Michele Her-man • Sarah Mackey Kirby • Shaleigh Cochran Kwok • Daniel Lawless • Anni Liu • Nancy Chen Long • Chloe Martinez • Matthew Minicucci • Alicia Mountain • André Naffis-Sahely • Carl Phil-lips • Rowan Ricardo Phillips • Michael Shewmaker • Ralph Sneeden • R.A. Villanueva • Cynthia Williams • Wendy Xu • Maria Zoccola

C O V E R A R T B Y : Annie Weatherwax

“At its core, literature is perhaps about simultaneously engaging with the past, with the ugliness and strangeness and wonder of history, while also creating new shapes on the page—opening new conversations about the human experience, imagining new futures, new ways of relating to the world.”

L A U R A V A N D E N B E R Gfrom her introduction to the Spring issue

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T H E P L O U G H S H A R E S B L O G

T H E D I S C O M F O R T A N D D I F F I C U L T Y O F A T T E N T I O N by Jessica Hines

2,000 page views

WRITING WHILE BIRACIAL by Yasmine Ameli

1,010 page views

T H E U N C A T E G O R I Z A B L E F I L T H Y A N I M A L S by Rob Madole

1,025 page views

50,500+ P A G E V I E W S P E R M O N T H

3:56 MINUTESA V E R A G E T I M E O N P A G E

F E A T U R E D E S S A Y S I N F Y 2 0 :

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C O N T R I B U T O R S

This map represents this volume year’s contributors to Ploughshares.

O T H E R C O U N T R I E S :

BelgiumCanadaJapan

NigeriaSouth Africa

SpainUnited Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

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S U B S C R I B E R S

AustraliaBelgiumBermuda

BruneiCanada

ChileChinaCyprusEstoniaFrance

GermanyIrelandIndiaIsraelJapan

Maldives

MexicoNetherlandsNew ZealandPhilippines

PolandPuerto RicoSingaporeSlovakia

South KoreaSpain

SwedenSwitzerland

TaiwanUnited Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

O T H E R C O U N T R I E S :

This map represents all current subscribers to Ploughshares.

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T H E P L O U G H S H A R E S A N N I V E R S A R Y F U N DIn honor of Ploughshares’ 50th anniversary, we launched a fundraising campaign to fully endow our commitment to the more than $50,000 that we pay writers each year. Thanks to the generosity of our patrons, we are 91% of the way to realizing our vision of a $1.5 million endowed fund dedicated to paying our writers, ensuring—in perpetuity—the quality of Ploughshares’ contributions to the literary field. Over the past year, when many publishers struggled to fulfill their commitment to writers, we continued to print our quarterly journal and to pay writers for their work. In fact, we received a record-breaking number of donations in FY21. Nearly 600 donors contributed, 50 percent more than our next highest year. Without our loyal patrons, readers, and writers, Ploughshares’ success in FY21 would not have been possible. Thank you again for your support of Ploughshares during this momentous anniversary year. We look forward to celebrating with you this fall.

To donate to our 50th anniversary fundraising campaign, visit pshares.org/50thanniversary.

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D O N O R P L E D G E S $ 5 0 0 , 0 0 0 T O P L O U G H S H A R E SWe are thrilled to share some exciting news with you: Ploughshares' long-time patron and board member Marillyn Zacharis has pledged $500,000 to the Ploughshares Anniversary Fund in support of writers, bringing us within reach of our $1.5 million endowment goal.

The Ploughshares staff is very grateful to Mrs. Zacharis, whose transformative gift affirms the impact made by the talented writers we publish.

595A N N U A L D O N O R S

$1,363,000R A I S E D

$1.5MG O A L F O R 2 0 2 1

9 1 % R A I S E D $ 1 . 5 M I L L I O N

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E V E N T S

Later this month you will receive an invitation to our virtual 50th anniversary gala where we will celebrate our history, contributors, readers and you, our valued donors. On the program will be many of our beloved guest editors, in conversation with each other. We hope you will join us for an evening of literature and celebration.

This past spring, we also celebrated our annual award winners:

J I L L O S I E R winner of the John C. Zacharis First Book Award

K A I T L Y N G R E E N I D G Ewinner of the Alice Hoffman Prize for Fiction

K I L E Y R E I Dwinner of the Ashley Leigh Bourne Prize for Fiction

and our three Emerging Writer’s Contest winners:

S O F I A P U E N T E - L A Y (f i c t i o n )J E R E M I A H B A R K E R (n o n f i c t i o n )M A R I Y A Z I L E R B M A N (p o e t r y )

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P L O U G H S H A R E S P A T R O N S

This map represents all donors to Ploughshares in the past year.O T H E R

C O U N T R I E S :

ArgentinaAustraliaCanada

DenmarkEstoniaFrance

GermanyHungary

Hong KongIndiaJapanRussia

SingaporeSouth AfricaSwitzerland

United Arab EmiratesUnited Kingdom

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P A T R O N S

F O U N D E R ’ S S O C I E T YHunter C. Bourne III, The Ashley Leigh Bourne Prize for FictionThe Green Angel Foundation, Alice Hoffman Prize for FictionMarillyn Zacharis, in memory of Robert E. Courtemanche, John C. Zacharis First Book Award

E D I T O R ’ S C I R C L E ($10,000+) Timothy CareyAnn and Denis Leary

P U B L I S H E R S ($5,000+)Jill Karp

C O U N C I L ($2,500+)Carol Davis and Joel MarcusRobert and Fran Silverman

P A T R O N S ($1,000+)Alice ByersCraig DoneganJeffrey and Jan GreenhawtTom PerrottaElizabeth R. ReaTrink and Ernie SchurianPeggy Shumaker and Joseph Usibelli

A D V O C A T E S ($500+)Robert BauerAlan BowersJames BrophyPatricia and Paul BuddenhagenJon DonnerMichael and Lynne MacWade Pamela PainterJoan ParrishCharles Scott

F R I E N D S ($250+)Rosellen BrownJames Carroll and Alexandra MarshallElizabeth EvansDavid HaritonKathleen HillPeter LevittAllen MearsNancy RudolphJanet SilverRachael Solem

R E A D E R S ($125+) Richard BakerEllen CalmasEdward H. Cardoza Jr.Philip Carter

Jim ChervenackJeffrey CohenSusan DeWitt DavieDeborah Black DavisGabriel DeckerStephen FullerSteve GerkinThomas HanoldCharles HavertyAttila KumanovicsBobbie Ann MasonClaire Messud and James WoodHilda RazAnna RimochRichard ShindellSteven SchwartzGary SotoStephen ThompsonBruce Willard

O R G A N I Z A T I O N SEmerson College

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E D I T O R - I N - C H I E FLadette Randolph

M A N A G I N G E D I T O REllen Duffer

P O E T R Y E D I T O RJohn Skoyles

A S S I S T A N T D I R E C T O RP R O D U C T I O N & D E S I G NAllison Truj

A S S I S T A N T D I R E C T O R B U S I N E S S & D E V E L O P M E N TCory Bailey

S T A F F

S E N I O R E D I T O R I A L A S S I S T A N TKaitlyn Shokes

E D I T O R I A L A S S I S T A N TKellyn Eaddy

M A R K E T I N G A S S I S T A N TNat Bension

O P E R A T I O N S A S S O C I A T EGina Apone

C O P Y E D I T O RCarol Farash

B L O G E D I T O REllen Duffer

A S S O C I A T E B L O G E D I T O RJessica Vestuto

B L O G A S S I S T A N TCarly Roberts

L O O K 2 E D I T O RDavid Weinstein

S E N I O R R E A D E R SEmily Avery-Miller, Jana-Lee Germaine Balish, Mary Kovaleski Byrnes, Suzanne Reeder, Maggie Su, John Allen Taylor, & Jaime Zuckerman

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C O N N E C T

P S H A R E S . O R G ∙ PSHARES@PSHARES.ORG ∙ @ P S H A R E S ∙ FB.COM/PLOUGHSHARES

To donate, visit pshares.org/50thanniversary.