A Sarabande Books micro-documentary
by Kertis Creative

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Sarabande Books depends on the support of people who believe in our mission. With the help of our donors, we invest in emerging literary voices and serve as an educational resource locally and nationally. If you value what we do, please consider joining this diverse community of readers, writers, and lovers of literature who make our work possible.

WE’RE CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF PUBLISHING.

In 1994, Sarabande was founded upon unconventional choices: to champion poetry and short fiction, genres largely ignored by commercial publishers; to situate our headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, far from the major publishing nexus. As we celebrate our twenty-fifth year, our legacy speaks for itself. Sarabande titles have been honored with more than a hundred and twenty awards to date, including the PEN/Open Book Award, the PEN/Hemingway Award, the American Book Award, the National Jewish Book Award, and the Lambda Literary Award, and have been shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize.

WE PROVIDE AN ESSENTIAL PLATFORM.

From the very beginning, our mission has been to publish emerging writers and innovative projects often overlooked by mainstream, commercial publishers. In twenty-five years, we’re proud to have launched the first books of ninety debut authors—authors who have gone on to receive awards and recognition from the Guggenheim Foundation, and the Whiting Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. As our editors seek new work, our goal is to publish your favorite writers—the ones you haven’t heard of yet.

WE CREATE VITAL ARTS PROGRAMMING.

Our signature arts-education program, Sarabande Writing Labs, supports writers in under-resourced communities through free writing workshops, literary events, and publication. Founded on the principle that every voice has value, Sarabande Writing Labs partners with organizations serving at-risk and detained youth, immigrant and refugee communities, and those impacted by homelessness, addiction, and disability. In six years of continuous programming, we’ve hosted over ninety workshops, produced seventeen anthologies, and published more than two-hundred new writers.

WE’RE LOOKING TOWARD THE NEXT 25.

Thanks to our founding vision—to champion writers who offer works of excellent quality that challenge the expectations of readers—we’ve helped change the landscape of independent, literary publishing. As we look toward our next twenty-five years, our role remains clear: cultivating what’s best among us, elevating marginalized voices, honoring beauty, intellect, and mindfulness. Now, more than ever, we depend on those who partner with us in our mission and help make this future a reality.