Red Hen Press

Publishing works of literary excellence: Red Hen Press publishes 25-30 books each year in hopes of building a more vibrant, inclusive, and diverse literary community. The Press publishes works of literary fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction, helping to spread the voice of perspectives often overlooked by mainstream commercial publishers. Red Hen Press supports emerging authors and uses literary awards to publish and spotlight authors from historically underrepresented groups. This work includes our letras latinas publishing series in partnership with university of notre dame's institute for latino studies, as well as the ann petry award for black prose authors. Following the publication of afaa michael weaver's poetry collection, a fire in the hills in spring of 2023 by Red Hen Press, he received the wallace stevens award which carries a stipend of $100,000. Recipients are nominated and elected by the academy's board of chancellors, who then elected weaver to join the board as a chancellor of the academy of american poets starting in 2024.

Speaking and performing: Red Hen Press conducts over 30 national and international literary events each year in-person, online, and/or through hybrid formats. Literary events are an important way that Red Hen supports its up-and-coming authors, helping new voices establish literary careers. Nearly all events are free to the public and provide the opportunity to build community among book lovers. Events are frequently held in pasadena at Red Hen's building in an event space called the Red Hen Press literary center and include opportunities for our writing in the schools k-12 students to perform their poetry for the public. In-person events are always ada-accessible and online events use technology such as captioning to ensure accessibility to a range of audiences.

Student poetry workshops: for 20 years, Red Hen Press has brought poetry education to underserved students in pasadena and los angeles through our writing in the schools (wits) program. This program serves participating students, teachers, and schools at no cost, reaching approximately 350 students annually by bringing published authors directly into classrooms to teach the craft of writing. Host schools are title i schools, meaning at least 40% of impacted students come from low-income families. Our wits program targets underserved elementary, middle, and high school students in los angeles county made up of the following demographics: 85% latinx/hispanic, 11% african american, 2% asian american, <1% european american, <1% native american, and <1% middle eastern. Red Hen Press uses a data-driven approach to measure the success of the program.

Other program services: beyond literary engagements, Red Hen Press is a community-focused organization that seeks to build a stronger future for literature, authors, and readers. Red Hen Press frequently participates in book donation programs with local service agencies and other community nonprofits. The Red Hen Press literary center also hosts other local organizations and communities with readings, plays, operas, musical performances, and civic engagement activities, such as serving as a los angeles county voting center. To prepare the next generation of literary professionals, we also maintain a robust multi-department internship program that introduces college students and beyond to the publishing business and helps to develop individual careers through hands-on experiences. These activities all help to keep literature and the arts relevant and thriving for the local community and beyond.