Dear Friend of Charis,
Charis is celebrating its 40th birthday this year, and we invite you to participate in the festivities! We have exciting events planned for our entire birthday year and we want you to be part of this historic celebration. Shop, attend our programs, and stay tuned for more news about our birthday homecoming weekend in November.
As we reach this milestone, Charis has the bittersweet honor of being the oldest feminist bookstore in the country, and one of only nine still in operation. Our bookstore – as a space and as a symbol – remains an important and relevant part of diverse feminist communities in Atlanta, the South, and beyond. This purple house in Little 5 Points is an essential incubator for stories, alliances, and movements.
In the digital age, the popularity of gatherings at Charis demonstrates the need for human connection. One evening people come to listen to a poet, novelist, academic, or journalist. Another, they come to share their own writing in progress or to discuss their ideas about the future of feminism. Sometimes they come to celebrate victories; sometimes to mourn losses. Charis is a bookstore and it is a gathering place. While books will always remain central, we sense a real need for Charis to expand as the feminist and social justice center we have always been. In response, we are working to increase and diversify our popular education programs, in the store and in the community. We need your support to sustain these programs and to ensure that Charis is here for the next generation of artists, activists, and good neighbors.
Whether you are our neighbor or a far-flung friend, please consider making a tax-deductible birthday gift to Charis Circle, the nonprofit programming arm of Charis Books. With traditional funding sources shrinking, support from individual donors is essential to the future of our community. Please consider joining our 40 for our 40th Birthday campaign. The goals of the campaign are:
(1) 40 donations of $1,000 or more, and
(2) 40 new sustaining Cornerstone (Monthly) Donors of $40 or more
Your generosity on our 40th birthday and throughout the year will help us to thrive into the future, to our 50th, 60th, 70th birthdays and beyond.
We plan special recognition for the feminists who step forward to assure that our 40th birthday is followed by many more. We are already on our way to meeting our 40 for our 40th Birthday goals, but your support is essential to sustaining Charis. Any donation amount will honor the birthday of Charis and support feminist space and programs for future generations.
Sincerely,
Charis Circle Board
