Give

Please donate to help our programming thrive. Our organization is entirely volunteer-run and relies on your generosity to bring you programming and help serve as an axis in the Arab-American/SWANA literary community.

Our venmo is radiusofarabamericanwriters
Our Paypal is paypal.me/RAWIInc

What we need:
RAWI programs and initiatives are almost exclusively free in order to provide the most access to the greatest number of people. We rely on our members and allies in order to help make our mission possible and in order to offer vital support to the SWANA community, which has historically been unrepresented and silenced. We’re currently fundraising the following initiatives:

  • A virtual workshop series.
  • Honoraria for artists and presenters at RAWIFest 2023.

Thanks to your generous donations, within the first month of 2022, we were able to fully fund an initial $2,000 deposit for submission fee bank to help those in need submit to literary magazines and book contests as well as a mentorship for emerging writers in our community!!!

With your help, in 2021:

  • We paid 72 SWANA artists over $10,000 during our bi-annual program RAWIFEST this year.
  • We held 30 events this year—both as part of RAWIFEST, as well as other unique programming, creating space for SWANA artists to gather.
  • We launched 3 new initiatives, including launched Tea Time—an every-other-month casual space—and raised funds for our submission fee bank. We still need $2000 for our mentorship program.
  • We served 1000+ attendees with fully virtual programming, allowing attendees from across the world.
  • Planned for a robust 2022 program line-up, including: an AWP caucus, a submission fee bank launch, a mentorship program, a summer workshop series, a critics listserv, virtual release parties, and expanded Tea Time gatherings.

Goal 2: A Mentorship Program

Fully Funded!

Last updated 2/1 @ 7:45 AM CST

Goal 1: A Submission Fee Bank
Fully Funded!

Last updated 11/30 @ 8:27 PM CST

Despite the fact that Arab-American/SWANA voices continue to become more prominent, opportunities for us to share our experiences and insights, as well as to discuss the trajectory of Arab-American literature, are limited.  Therefore, RAWI’s programming, which includes community gathering opportunities, provides a rare opportunity to bring a large number of Arab-American/SWANA writers, artists, and scholars (and their readers and admirers) into the same space so we can engage in various dialogues otherwise unavailable to us.

Donated funds support:

  • student scholarships
  • workshops in different cities
  • workshop leaders in poetry, screenwriting, and prose
  • writing retreats
  • national & international readings
  • …and much more!

We are a 501 (c) (3) organization, so your donation is tax-deductible.

This is important because…

When our government openly speaks about deporting us, silencing us, and stealing resources from our countries of origin, we fight back with art and language.