COVID-19 Response

Dear Friends,

We know this is a difficult time, and we are grateful to be in this together with you.

COVID-19 has impacted so many of us and continues to be a threat to our health as well as a disruption to our lives. This seems to be particularly true for the 320+ young people with whom we work: most will not be receiving stimulus checks or other federal supports, despite a significant portion of them depending upon income lost to the pandemic. Authors who are college students, especially those who are reliant on financial aid and campus housing, are trying to keep up with online learning while figuring out how this will impact future plans in uncertain times. Many in our community are without usual access to food, income, stable and safe housing, and other support that comes with in-school learning.

Here are a few of the key questions that have been informing our work during this time:

• How can we help our authors meet their critical needs right now?

• How can we help marginalized youth feel heard and that their perspectives are valued?

• How can we maintain and build community even while apart?

Below, please find information on the initiatives we have taken in response to this crisis. We will be updating this page frequently as we know more about the future of our programs and develop further efforts to stand with our community. Please know that in these uncertain times, our support for our authors and our community remains certain.

We wish you wellness and radical self-care in this unprecedented time. If you are interested in learning more about our work or supporting Shout Mouse Press and our authors, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at kathy@shoutmousepress.org. 

Sincerely,
Kathy and all of the Shout Mouse Team: Alexa, Barrett, Izzy, Lana, Sasa, and Tiffany

Spring 2020 Initiative: #ShoutInPlace

During the 2020 shutdown, we launched #ShoutInPlace, our initiative to collect stories from young people during the pandemic. Authors who contributed to one of SMP’s 40 books are invited to submit responses to art and writing prompts in order to earn a weekly stipend and share their experiences of the crisis. In addition, young people everywhere can submit art and writing via social media or email to be featured on our website or social media channels. This project may even become a book!

This initiative is supported by grants from the Greater Washington Community Foundation and the Georgetown University Philanthropy, Power, & Impact class.

COVID-19 Programs

Writing Workshops

Early in 2020, we began writing workshops with a group of middle-school boys from Beacon House (#BlackBoysDreaming). We’re happy to report that we were able to continue these writing workshops virtually during the shutdown; authors have weekly 1:1 writing sessions with story coaches online. We were also able to loan Chromebooks to workshop participants so they could continue to access virtual programming. Their book, Black Boys Dreaming, was published in October 2021 at a virtual launch with acclaimed writers and poets Rasheed Copeland, Tony Keith Jr., Julian Randall, as well as a founding member of the Shout Mouse Megaphone Board, Jason Reynolds. Together, these eight writers shared what Black Boys Dreaming means to them, particularly amidst the challenges of the recent years. Check it out!

Publishing

Thanks to the generosity of donors, we raised enough funds to donate 375 books to short-term shelters for families experiencing homelessness through a partnership with the DC Department of Human Services.

Author Talks

All scheduled Author Talks for the year were affected by the pandemic. In collaboration with our partners, we were able to offer these Author Talks virtually, as well as explore new opportunities for our authors to share their stories online. These virtual talks gave our authors the opportunity to reach communities around the world!

Author Pathways

We're continuing to offer virtual one-on-one college and scholarship essay support as well as professional development opportunities to our authors as able.