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December 2006 From the President's Desk: Our Reality

by Jack El-Hai

As the holidays draw near, I keep receiving eloquent letters from organizations pleading for money. First came the fundraising letters of political candidates seeking support for the 2006 elections. Some of these I ritually burned. Since then, though, the beseeching letters have been much harder to discard. In recent weeks, I've received requests from college alumni associations, homeless shelters, organizations that fund research for cancer and heart disease, and a group that promotes literacy. One came from a shelter that provides a home for unwanted delinquent pets-those who bite and scratch at inappropriate times, suffer from a host of unsavory chronic illnesses, and whose lack of housetraining has driven their owners to desperation. Since my own cat falls into the latter category, I read the shelter's appeal several times with sympathy before deciding to use it as a litter box scoop.

The letters are heartrending and skillfully written. And the little envelopes that accompany them are very empty. It's difficult to treat all of these appeals with the respect they deserve, but my last royalty check barely covered the cost of my favorite editor's holiday present. So I pass on most of them. I'm sure your wastebasket or recycling bin also overflows with the petitions of these charitable groups seeking help. An inch-high stack of them contains more suffering and longing than Les MisŽrables.

Now I'm here to persuade you to make a donation to the Writers Emergency Assistance Fund (WEAF) of the ASJA Charitable Trust. How can I justify trying to convince you to give generously to WEAF when your mailbox already bulges with similar requests? Should writers in dire straits take precedence over disabled veterans or puppies with progeria?

Give me a second here, and I'll change the way you think of WEAF.

The money you give to the Cancer Society or your college alumni association should come from the warm and charitable portion of your heart. Everyone should cultivate this cardiac zone. If we all paid more attention to our charitable feelings, there would be less war, disease and reality TV programming.

I urge you to think of WEAF somewhat differently. Yes, WEAF rescues others in trouble, soothes their souls and sets financially strapped writers back on their feet. Since 1972, when the fund was created as the bequest of longtime ASJA member and officer Llewellyn Miller, who died from cancer, WEAF has given scores of grants to freelance writers in need of financial assistance due to advancing age (being over 60), illness, disability or natural disaster. A professional writer of any age who is suffering these difficulties or an extraordinary professional crisis can apply for a grant. For many, a WEAF grant represents their final hope for returning to financial good health. (You can read more about the fund at http://www.asja.org/weaf.php.)

But you need not regard WEAF as a mere charity in competition with all the others. Think of it as insurance, something you can support in your own interests. We do not buy homeowner's, auto or travel insurance out of benevolent impulses. We do so because we may need to use it. Disaster can strike anyone-even the kind of disaster that qualifies for grants from WEAF.

I realize that you may prefer to contribute to WEAF for altruistic reasons. By all means, write your check with a warm heart. But I also know that ASJA has its share of hard-bitten and practical-minded members who may find self-interest more appealing than philanthropy. You know who you are, and my remarks are addressed mainly to you.

Now, if you'll pardon me, I have a load of pleading mail to open.

PS: In the final week of last year, I found out that I had inadvertently become a member of the unenviable group of ASJA members who had not yet paid their annual dues to renew their membership. I had a distinct memory of going online to pay the money, but my remembrance turned out to be a leftover image from some earlier year or a dream. Don't let this embarrassing fate fall to you. If you have not yet paid your dues for 2007, please do it now. You can donate to WEAF at the same time.

Jack El-Hai of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is president of ASJA. E-mail the president through www.asja.org/contact.php.