Samhain Publishing Ltd Weblog

Happy ChristmaKwanzaHanuYule!

Whether you celebrated Hanukkah on the 5th, Yule on the 22nd, Christmas or Mithras yesterday on the 25th, or will light your first Kwanzaa candle today, I hope your Holiday Season has been blessed.

We’ve grown ever more multicultural in our American celebrations over the years, with Kwanzaa as the newest kid on the block to be incorporated into the national December Holiday Extravaganza. Established in 1966 by Maulana Karegna—current chair of the National Association of Kawaida Organizations (NAKO)—Kwanzaa has been described by its creator as a journey not only of what it means to be African and African-American, but what it means to be human. In the last decade it has begun to expand beyond the African-American community more and more every year.

Kwanzaa is built on Nguzo Saba, seven principles that guide daily experiences and shape human community. In looking at those principles, I feel that they are also a wonderful example of what it means to be part of a small press community, a readership community, and the Samhain community in particular. The principles are Unity (umoja), Self-Determination (kujichagulia), Collective Work and Responsibility (ujima), Cooperative Economics (ujamaa), Purpose (nia), Creativity (kuumba), and Faith (imani). If that doesn’t describe the atmosphere here at Samhain, I don’t know what does. :)

As holiday gifts go, I’m happy to have found someplace where I can write heroines that look like me, heroes that are more than an uber-alpha one-trick pony, and alternate relationships that are as valid as any mainstream-ready-for-prime-time pairings. We are different in our genres, styles and experience levels, and yet we are Unified in the fact that we needed to express something true to us, and that truth was nurtured and brought to fullness at Samhain Publishing.

May our paths of Self-Determination lead us to greater inner truths and to greater success in our careers.
May our Collective Work and Responsibility increase the positive image of epublishing.
May our Cooperative Economics skyrocket our small press to large press numbers.
May our exploration of Purpose bring forth maturing works that speak to our readers on every level.
May our Creativity fuel us through even the darkest moments. And may our individual Faiths light the way to places of strength we didn’t know we had.

Happy Holidays to one and all.

Holiday Ramble Done

~X