Vol. 1, No. 6
1 August 1999

This is our sixth eNewsletter! Thanks to all of you for your support. Our
subscription list continues to grow. We encourage you to send this eNewsletter on to your e-mail lists. To join our list please see the instructions at the end of this message.

We are glad you're with us.

R. Adam DeBaugh
Director, Chi Rho Press, Inc.

Contents

1. Reflections on Publishing
2. Featured Link of the Month
3. Special Offer
4. Book of the Month
5. Promissory Notes
6. The Last Word

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1. Reflections on Publishing -- by Adam DeBaugh

One of the exciting outcomes of this eNewsletter is that a few people have
e-mailed saying that they have written a book and asking if we would be
interested. I often joke with friends that if I had a $10 order for every page of manuscript I receive, Chi Rho Press would rival Random House by now! Our Assistant Editor, Kevin Stone Fries, likes to refer to Chi Rho Press as a "micropress." The first time he said that, all I could think of was micro-breweries. That of course gave rise to our now famous advertising line, "If you like our books, you should taste our beer!" Well, OK, that slogan never really got off the ground. But Kevin is correct -- we are a "micropress," a small, largely volunteer LGBT religious publishing house. 

That means that we generally publish no more than four books a year, and some years fewer than that. It means that it can take a long time between initial receipt of a manuscript and its final publication. And it means that sometimes it takes a while to respond to inquiries and letters -- though I hope we are getting better at that!

But it also means that we ARE interested in unsolicited manuscripts, despite our size. Now I hope this doesn't result in a flood of manuscripts clogging our post office box. (I would be in a much better position to consider all those unsolicited manuscripts if I had a flood of orders in our post office box and e-mail!) But the reality is that some of our best selling books have come in "out of the blue" some how. Read about our Book of the Month, "My Memory Book" and see how this serendipitous process some times works.

What strikes me about this all, is the number of people who DO have compelling, exciting, inspirational, and wonderful stories to tell. God has given us a remarkable facility to endure great hardship, to survive significant oppression, and yet to flourish and transcend it all. My "tribe," as the Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson likes to call LGBT people and our supportive friends and family, is an incredibly resilient, resourceful, creative, and glorious crowd!

Now, of course, just because we all have stories to tell doesn't mean that all of our stories should be published -- there are many factors that govern whether a given manuscript is published or not. For instance, biographies are often not terribly sale-able, unless they are about a famous person. Poetry has a very limited market. Some stories have limited interest. And of course, the sad fact is that some stories are just not well written (we all have stories to tell but we don't all have the skills to write well). 

But the important point for me is that we all have stories to tell -- even if we all can't get them published. And it is in the telling and sharing of our
stories that we grow as a culture and a people. So continue to write, even if only for yourselves! And buy some books, please, so Chi Rho Press can publish more of our tribe's wonderful work!

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2. Featured Link of the Month

We want to offer you a Link to a wonderful web page we value each month. These links are web pages of religious organizations and individuals who serve the lesbian/gay community.

This month we want to encourage you to check out Dr. Rembert Truluck's excellent web page, "Steps to Recovery from Bible Abuse." As you will read on his site, Chi Rho Press will be publishing his lengthy book by the same name later this year. Dr. Truluck's insights and Bible studies are excellent and very valuable. He also sends out periodic e-mail reflections, write him from his web page to inquire about being on his list.

Here is the URL: www.truluck.com

Here is a link: www.truluck.com

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3. Special Offer
In honor of the UFMCC General Conference in July, we are offering a sale on "What a Fellowship" by Jean Gralley. MCC's first cartoon book, "What a
Fellowship" is the work of an extremely talented graphic artist. Jean Gralley, formerly from Michigan, has recently settled in the Washington DC area.  "What a Fellowship" features hilarious cartoons which are also
thought-provoking, packed with theology, and have an off-beat charm. Not only for MCC members, "What a Fellowship" is sure to amuse and delight people from all religious backgrounds.

Normally $8.95, "What a Fellowship" is on sale to the readers of this
eNewsletter for the next month for $7.95 each, plus shipping and handling from Chi Rho Press.

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4. Book of the Month

"My Memory Book: A Journal for Grieving Children," by Gretchen Gaines-Lane, LCSW-C, $10.95 each, $8.95 each for six or more copies, plus shipping and handling (S&H).

This was our first book by a non-Gay author on a theme not specific to the LGBT community. I was working for a time for a local hospice and the bereavement social worker walked into my office one day and said, "I understand you have another life as a publisher. I have written this book." As you can tell from the "Reflections on Publishing" that started this issue of our eNewsletter, we get a lot of unexpected manuscripts.

But Gretchen Gaines-Lane had something we had never done before -- a book by a non-Gay person that wasn't aimed directly at the LGBT readership. Gretchen captured the imagination of our publications committee and board. What followed was a wonderful collaborative process between Gretchen Gaines-Lane as author, Adam DeBaugh as editor, Mary Lou O'Brien as calligrapher, and Craig Arnold as cover artist. And the result was this wonderful book: "My Memory Book: A Journal for Grieving Children."

Gretchen Gaines Lane, a social worker in private practice and pediatric
bereavement specialist, writes, "For children and adults who have experienced a death, 'My Memory Book' is something they can hold on to, color, and store their memories in for a lifetime. My hope is that 'My Memory Book' can be a healing gift to every one who uses it."

Gretchen has had years of experience as a social worker and bereavement therapist at the Hospice of Northern Virginia, Georgetown University Medical Center, Montgomery Hospice Society, and Johns Hopkins Hospital, and consulting and training with Children's Hospice International and other organizations. She says, "My experience with bereaved children convinced me that there is much more we can do to help children when there is a death in their life. Loss experienced early in life often has profound psychological consequences as a child grows older. This workbook helps children face their feelings in small steps, one page at a time, so that they can face the future with a strong sense of self and a concrete remembrance of the person they have lost. Try it for a child of any age."

One of the first books of its kind, "My Memory Book" explores grieving from an angle often left untouched -- that of a child. Gretchen has compiled a workbook-style journal which meets the child at his or her level, encouraging them to feel their feelings and to speak their truth. The format is bright, intelligent, and full of hope, and allows the child to create a very personal memorial to the person who died, through the use of illustrations, drawings, and writing.

The book is filled with ribbon outlines for the child to color in, and a series
of exercises which help the bereaved child to create a book of memories about the person who died which will be kept and cherished for years.

People of all ages, not just children, are using "My Memory Book" to create a meaningful and powerful memorial to a lost loved one. This workbook can be a valuable tool for parents, therapists, and clergy alike, as well as those who seek a deeper relationship with children who are crying out for help with their bereavement.

Professionals who have read the book have this to say: "I love this workbook for children of all ages! The freedom to express one's grief is promoted by this book's simple questions which help the child focus through their own words and drawings. This is a book to treasure." (Patricia Kelly, author of "Final Gifts.") "This is one of the best workbooks I have seen to help a child understand the nature of grief. It provides lots of room for the child to find their own means of expression." (Phyllis R. Silverman, Ph.D., Co-Editor of "Continuing Bonds" and Co-Principal Investigator of MHG/Harvard Child Bereavement Study.)

"My Memory Book" is available for $10.95 each ($8.95 each for six or more copies), plus shipping and handling (S&H).

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5. Promissory Notes Still Available.

We still have some Promissory Notes available. The Chi Rho Press Board of
Directors is issuing $1,000 Promissory Notes at 8% simple interest. The term of these notes is two years and they will be repaid in quarterly installments of about $140 each quarter. The money invested by our supporters in these Promissory Notes is being used to complete our debt consolidation and for the capitalization of new projects.

e-mail Adam DeBaugh at Adam@ChiRhoPress.com for the text of the Note. Upon receipt of your check for $1,000, we'll send you the signed Promissory Note and payment schedule. Please include your mailing address (snail mail) and telephone number. Send checks for the Promissory Note to Chi Rho Press, Inc., P.O. Box 7864, Gaithersburg, MD 20898.

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6. The Last Word

I am pleased to be able to report that we are working on a brand new web site to be located on our very own new domain name at www.ChiRhoPresscom. Thanks to the volunteer efforts of a talented web designer, Mark Streetman, and our own board member Steve Barchers, the web page is in process and will debut soon.  Watch this eNewsletter for the announcement of the official unveiling!

The catalog will remain on our current web page at
http://members.aol.com/ChiRhoPrss/index.html, until the new web page at
ChiRhoPress.com is finished, and then will link directly to the new web site.

Washington area people! We are looking for a part time office assistant to help with filling orders, returning phone calls, filing, and possibly some on-line marketing. The person needs to be near Gaithersburg, Maryland, and available evenings and weekends to start. We may want to add day time hours later, but we will be very flexible about hours. Please e-mail Adam@ChiRhoPress.com or call me at 301/926-1208.

Well, that wraps up our sixth eNewsletter. Please continue to enjoy the
summer.

Please keep us in your prayers. We hope our publications will be of use to you in your life and ministry.

We will talk with you again in a couple of weeks.

Grace and peace,

Adam DeBaugh

If you've received our eNewsletter as a result of the good offices of someone passing it along to you (which we certainly encourage) and would like to receive it directly from us, please follow the directions at the end of our eNewslettter to subscribe.

For orders, please write to us: Orders@ChiRhoPress.com. If you have questions, please write to Question@ChiRhoPress.com. For comments and suggestions about this eNewsletter, please write eNews@ChiRhoPress.com. For all other correspondence, please write Adam@ChiRhoPress.com.
Our snail mail address is:

Chi Rho Press, Inc.
P.O. Box 7864
Gaithersburg, MD 20898

Our telephone and fax number is 301/926-1208.

You may order any of our books via snail mail, telephone, or e-mail at
Orders@ChiRhoPress.com. We will ship your order with an invoice. Include your e-mail address, mailing address, and telephone number please.

View our web page (until the new one is up and running) at
http://members.aol.com/ChiRhoPrss/index.html.

For the convenience of our friends outside of the USA, we suggest ordering our books through Amazon.com.

Copyright 2000, Chi Rho Press, Inc.

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Adam DeBaugh, Director, Adam@ChiRhoPress.com.