Reimagining the book launch

A new kind of book launch

Every day, it becomes more and more clear that we are living within deeply broken systems. I believe this moment calls on all of us to re-imagine what we do and how we do it. It calls us to build the most loving, abundant, collective world we can imagine.

For me, this meant expansively imagining new ways to move Last Days out into the world. Could I create an alternative model to traditional book launches? One that relies less on capitalist modes of competition, scarcity, and extraction, and instead foregrounds relationships and collaboration, abundance, and a gift economy?

I was also interested in exploring how this moment could be a catalyst for new ways of thinking about the intersection of arts and organizing, poetry, and movement work. 

Read more at the Poetry Foundation’s Harriet Blog: Poems Are Only Mine to Give Away Part I and Part II

“A daughter migrates toward the mother earth.” Poster for Last Days book launch specially designed by Jess X Snow.

What that looked like

  • The book and poster went to 255 organizers, campaigners, activists, cultural workers, and healers from across 32 states and two countries. 

  • These organizers are involved in abolition, racial justice, gender justice, climate justice, language justice, disability justice, healing justice, corporate accountability work, anti-racist feminism, reproductive justice, black trans liberation movements, food justice, and more!

  • I organized “Seeds Bursting Open in Fire,” a catalyst event that brought together other writers, organizers, a dancer, and a graphic artist.

    I created a teaching guide to share the books with a new generation of organizers, activists, writers, artists, and cultural workers. 

  • I used my platform to promote other BIPOC writers with new books.

  • More than 55 people were involved in the launch project, including 10 virtual events

  • The project was 100% people funded. 112 people donated to make it possible to mail books and art as part of a gift economy.

“We are in an unprecedented moment of tectonic culture shift—a moment of extreme hardship but also of infinite possibility. The role of the artist has never been more important. Artists are the beacons who help us see the light in times of devastation. Artists expose hard truths, inspire new ideas and make the future we want feel possible, tangible, and inevitable. Artists activate the imagination, they soothe, comfort, and move to action.”

— Favianna Rodriguez