WE HAVE SOME EXCITING NEWS TO SHARE WITH YOU! Three esteemed writers and activists — V (formerly Eve Ensler), Maxine Hong Kingston, and Gloria Steinem — are joining us to make sure that Persimmon Tree’s upcoming fund drive a success.

We are in for dark times ahead, and Persimmon Tree is a light in that inexorably gathering darkness. It is the voice of women over 60 – strong, independent, and immensely talented women. We need their voices now more than ever. We need their experience, their wisdom, and their perspective as we have never needed it before. And Persimmon Tree is the only place where you can be assured of finding those voices.

Persimmon Tree needs your help! Without you, Persimmon Tree cannot continue its mission, cannot be a conduit for the deep concerns of older women, can no longer be a bulwark against the challenges that will face women throughout the globe in the coming years.

PLEASE, DONATE NOW! AND IF YOU HAVE ALREADY DONATED, THEN, PLEASE, DONATE AGAIN. GIVE, IF YOU CAN, MORE THAN YOU EVER HAVE BEFORE.

Our needs are greater, much greater than they have ever been. Costs are rising, and will continue to escalate.

In 2019, it cost just over $22,000 to publish Persimmon Tree for a whole year. By 2024, despite the fact that all our editors continue to be unpaid volunteers, and even after we have put into place as many efficiencies and cost-saving measures as possible, the annual cost of publishing Persimmon Tree has risen to just over $50,000.

And, especially in these parlous times, Persimmon Tree must do more than it has ever done before! We must reach out to more women, and to the allies and supporters of women, everywhere. We must make sure that the voices of strong, older women of every race, every nationality, every orientation and gender, are heard.

That means, Persimmon Tree must grow! In a time when, we expect more and more voices to be silenced, more and more publications to be cutting back, we must run counter to the trend. And we can do it – BUT ONLY WITH YOUR HELP.

If you wish to, you can designate your donation in honor of or in memory of an individual.


Persimmon Tree is a tax exempt charitable organization, pursuant to IRC Section 501(c)(3). Persimmon Tree is also a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. All contributions to Persimmon Tree, whether made by check or Zelle directly to Persimmon Tree or by credit card via Fractured Atlas, are tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.

OUR GENEROUS DONORS

Here is a list of the major and most loyal donors to Persimmon Tree. We are grateful to all our donors, no matter the size of your gifts. But, in this era of rising costs, and with Persimmon Tree growing and developing in new and exciting ways, our need for support has grown, too. If your name is on this list, you have our deepest thanks. If it isn’t yet, do think about increasing your donation so we can add it!

We try to ensure that this list is as complete and accurate as it can be, but if you see any errors, or if anyone’s name is missing, please let us know, and we’ll make a correction as soon as we can.

Leading Donors

(Donors who have given $200 or more to Persimmon Tree in the past year)

Donor
5 Partners Foundation
Sally Buffington
Irene Diveris
Anna Dunlap
Alice Fulton
Nan Gefen
Nancy Glass
Susan Halpern
Cynthia Hogue
Indra Kapur
Laura Laytham
Alicia Ostriker
Melanie Perish
Gena Raps
Mary Lou Reker
Susan Salt
Carol Sidd
Kathryn Sklar
Laura Tamakoshi
Robbie Tisch
V (formerly Eve Ensler)
Margaret Wagner
Jean Zorn

Long-time Donors

(Donors who have been giving to Persimmon Tree for 10 years or more)

Sustaining Donors

(Donors who make automatic monthly donations to Persimmon Tree)

Donor
Karen Brennan
Mary Burke
Louise Dolan
Ann Humphrey
Yolanda Joosten
Sharon Kennedy
Marianne Kranz
Pamela Kress-Dunn
Sue Leonard
Sara McAulay
Mary Mullen
Alice Campbell Romano
Ruth Saxton
Elaine Schwartz
Margaret Thiele
Margaret Wagner
Jean Zorn
 

Miami in Virgo

A Feminist, Mystical Novel

by Sally Mansfield Abbott

  A disturbing encounter with a hermaphrodite at a county fair presages teenage Miami’s loss of innocence in 1970’s California. MIAMI IN VIRGO is a literary fiction coming-of-age novel narrated by precocious seventeen-year-old Miami. She and her friends form a tight-knit circle practicing feminist Wiccan ritual, as her childhood fundamentalism casts a long shadow. Conflicts with her friends over boys threaten their newfound feminist solidarity. An anticipated trip to a women’s demonstration devolves into a nightmarish questioning of her sexuality, further fracturing her friendships. An ill-fated romance at a Halloween party becomes thoroughly spooked when Miami winds up exiled in her new family after her mother’s remarriage. Her peccadilloes take on a spiritual dimension and she goes through a soul-searing scrutiny which eventually leads to the resolution of her conflicts through the deepening of her character. The twists and turns of her fast-paced story make a compelling read.   Available from Amazon or from your independent bookstore.

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