Some really good news and a freebie for two

Open to both free sign-ups and Foreign Bodies patrons

Friends, I’m so excited to share some good news (and great stories!) with you.

Substack—the company providing the tech for this newsletter—recently awarded Foreign Bodies and 43 other newsletters from around the globe a series of generous emergency grants just as dozens of creatives began losing gigs and full-time jobs and having their book tours and workshops canceled due to the current economic and public health crisis.

Last month, I had begun contemplating a potential final issue of Foreign Bodies to launch sometime this summer. I honestly didn’t know how I could justify spending so much time on this publication, no matter how much I absolutely love the work, knowing I’d continue losing money for the foreseeable future. Now, thanks to this grant, I’m back at the drawing board, planning for the months ahead.

To celebrate the good news…

UPDATE: Congratulations to Jenna Bhaloo of Boston and Yvette Cruz of Salt Lake City for winning copies ofA Map Is Only One Story: Twenty Writers on Immigration, Family, and the Meaning of Home, a beautiful and diverse essay collectionfrom Catapult editors Nicole Chung and Mensah Demary.

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I’m giving away two copies of a collection I recently loved: A Map Is Only One Story: Twenty Writers on Immigration, Family, and the Meaning of Home from Catapult editors Nicole Chung and Mensah Demary.

Entries accepted through Friday, April 24 at 8 p.m. EST. Winners will be chosen and informed over the weekend, then announced publicly in Monday’s subscriber roundup.

The future of my newsletter still remains in the hands of patrons, of course. So if you find value in Foreign Bodies, please consider supporting it however you can—with a subscription, as a Supporting Member or through word of mouth.

Before I go, a huge thank you to every single human (or dog) who gives this work the time of day, including copyeditors Hanaa and Farah and issue illustrator Marissa. Your support means the world.

Love,
Fiza