Planning for a New Golden Age of Catholic Literature
It is a bold thought, but I think we can say it now: the Catholic literary renaissance we have been hoping, praying, and working for is actually here. It is time to stop pining for the days of Flannery, Waugh, and Percy, and discover a new golden generation that is rising among us. Dappled Things has an equally bold plan to make the most of this moment’s great potential. Our goal is to more than double subscriptions during the coming year, but we can only do it with your help.
Catholic literature was supposed to be dead. So it seemed in 2005 when Dappled Things launched its first issue. But our faith has a knack for resurrection, and now what seems dead is that narrative of decline.
The Catholic imagination is once again alive in many of the most acclaimed recent novels, from Phil Klay’s Missionaries and Christopher Beha’s The Index of Self-Destructive Acts, to Kirstin Valdez Quade’s The Five Wounds and Randy Boyagoda’s Dante’s Indiana. Any of these books by itself would give us much to celebrate this year, but what’s most exciting is that the list doesn’t end there, not by a long shot. Just focusing on authors closely connected to Dappled Things, there are remarkable recent works in a variety of genres by writers like Andrew Graff, James Matthew Wilson, Ryan Wilson, Eleanor Bourg Nicholson, Rhonda Ortiz, Joshua Hren, and our own editor-in-chief, Katy Carl (whose novel As Earth Without Water is the most beautiful thing I’ve read since first encountering Brideshead Revisited). Add to all this the appearance of several exciting small presses and journals, a biennial conference, and a new MFA program at the University of St. Thomas that focuses on the Catholic literary tradition, and we’ve got ourselves a movement with legs.
Dappled Things is playing a seminal role in that movement, as attested to by the fact that many of the efforts mentioned above have been undertaken by current and former editors and contributors. Having laid the groundwork this year with a beautiful new website and improved social media presence, we believe the time is ripe to make a significant marketing investment to double the journal’s readership and increase the visibility of this budding renaissance in the culture at large. To achieve this goal, we need to raise $15,000 during our end-of-year campaign.
A $5000 Matching Gift Challenge
To kickstart the campaign, the Collegium Institute has offered us a matching grant of up to $5,000, provided we can raise an equal amount on our own by the end of the year. Can you support us with a gift of $100, $50, $25, or even just $5? Or are you in a position to contribute $1,000, $500, or $250? Donors at this level, without whom we cannot reach our goal, will be recognized in the journal and receive an exclusive, signed art print by an artist featured in Dappled Things. Please consider how much you can give and make your donation today.
Support DT and Get These Perks
The themometer stops at 100% of the goal, but we actually exceeded it, raising $17,100!!!
Give $10: Thank you on social media.
Give $25: Thank you on social media and print edition (listed as a “Friend”).
Give $50: Thank you on social media and print edition (listed as a “Sponsor”).
Give $100: Thank you on social media and print edition (listed as a “Patron of the Arts”); a free 1 year print subscription (for current subscribers, subscriptions will be extended).
St. Francis De Sales Society
Give $250 (Hopkins Level): Thank you on social media and print edition, a free 1-year print subscription, and an exclusive print of artwork featured in the journal, signed by the artist.
Give $500 (Chaucer Level): All of the above, with a free 2-year print subscription.
Give $1,000+ (Dante Level): All of the above, with a free 3-year print subscription.
