"It's not hyperbole to say that poems save lives. And so, too, do Sarabande and the NEA." —Jenny Johnson

For more than twenty years Sarabande has received generous funding from the National Endowment for the Arts in support of our publishing and educational programming. Each year, a handful of our titles receive special, earmarked funding from the NEA. This year, In Full Velvet is one of those titles. Here's author Jenny Johnson on publishing with Sarabande:

"It's not hyperbole to say that poems save lives. Growing up in a small town in rural Virginia, I spent long afternoons in the poetry section of a local bookshop called The Satisfied Mind, leafing through pages, and also without even knowing how to speak of it yet, looking for affirmation through the work of others that my life as a queer person had value. This February Sarabande Books, with support from the NEA, published my first book of poems, In Full Velvet, which I've now had the opportunity to share in communities across the country. Recently, signing books after a reading, a young writer leaned in to say, 'Thank you. I feel less alone.' It's not hyperbole to say that poems save lives. And so, too, do Sarabande and the NEA."

Learn more about Sarabande's partnership with the NEA and how you can help #SavetheNEA on our website.