Monday, December 14, 2009

Help Support The Kitchen Sisters

"People need stories in hard times. They go to storytellers when times are hard like these." - Bruce Springsteen

Dear Friends,

We've always said our microphone is a stethoscope listening to the complicated heart of the nation. Recently, we sent out a call for stories to our email list for our upcoming NPR series about girls and the women they become, and the stories started pouring in:
“I received your email about your new series about girls around the world…who doesn’t have a story to be told? Take my Aunt Sally for example..." “My friend Shakundala is a painter of women. Most of the women she paints are prostitutes in India…” “You need to go to the all-female firehouse inside the California Women’s Prison and talk to the inmate/firefighters…” “I've passed this call on to our 14 year old daughter. Thank you for making this series for her, for all of us.” “My 3 sisters and I each adopted girls from Haiti and have developed a new family with the 22 girls that are their orphanage sisters. We invite you to Haiti to document these girls yourselves…”
Our new NPR series goes on air in March 2010 in honor of the 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day. We'll be opening up an NPR Phone Line on Morning Edition this January inviting listeners to call in with more stories and ideas.

Donate now to support our new international multimedia collaboration that will be heard by millions.


Your donation will directly support our work for the next year: creating on-air and online stories about women and girls around the world; developing a new series of international stories for Hidden Kitchens World; developing WHER: 1000 Beautiful Watts, the Broadway musical; producing the Cabrillo Music Festival multimedia project based on our women and girls series; teaching audio workshops (over 100 people took part last year) and mentoring young interns and emerging producers.

We are independent producers, not on NPR's payroll. No doubt you have heard of the steep cutbacks and layoffs at NPR. It is even harder to make it as an independent in these tight times. When our community supports us, granting agencies and corporations are far more likely to give significant funds to make our work possible.

In a world that needs education, health care, housing, good food, justice and peace, it's hard to come asking for money for storytelling. But storytelling has the transformative power to illuminate and address serious issues in ways that seep into the soul, that find the common threads of our humanity, that stir people to action. That is our mission, and what we can accomplish with your support.


No amount is too big. No amount is too small. Your donation is tax-deductible.
Thank you for supporting our efforts to chronicle little-known stories of our community, culture and history—stories filled with possibility. Think of all we can do together in the coming year.

We thank you for being part of The Kitchen Sisterhood.

Peace,

Davia & Nikki
The Kitchen Sisters

To contribute by check please make payable to: The Kitchen Sisters Productions, 916 Kearny St., San Francisco, CA 94113

The Kitchens Sisters Productions is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) media organization. All contributions are tax-deductible