Grantee Partner Spotlight: Lucky Jefferson

Nabeela Washington: I grew up wanting to be a writer but I was too afraid to make that leap and frankly not strong enough at that moment in time. Before Lucky Jefferson, I didn’t have the tenacity and willpower that it takes to be a writer and was on a more traditional path, having studied Marketing and Communications at a research University in Birmingham Alabama. And before that, I was on what felt like an endless pursuit of acceptance from others, with the intent of becoming a Neonatal Cardiologist. 

It wasn’t until I began my graduate studies in Creative Writing & English that I felt a spark to build a community of writers and artists to encourage me on my journey. Those embers were the early blaze of Lucky Jefferson.

Q: Who makes your work possible?

Nabeela Washington: Too many people to list, but first I’ll excitedly acknowledge The Community of Literary Magazines & Presses. They have helped Lucky Jefferson (and myself) grow tremendously.

I’d also like to show appreciation to Jamie O’Reilly (she was our very first monetary supporter before we even thought of becoming a nonprofit). We have a fabulous board; and amazing interns who bring Lucky Jefferson to life through the arts!

We’re also excited to continue working with The Book Worm Bookstore (they are helping us reach Southern readers); the African Women’s Cancer Awareness Association and The City of Beaverton (we won a grant earlier this summer to catapult our communal experiences!).

Nabeela Washington's Suggested Reading

A Fortune For Your Disaster by Hanif Abdurraqib
In this much-anticipated follow-up to The Crown Ain't Worth Much, poet, essayist, biographer, and music critic Hanif Abdurraqib has written a book of poems about how one rebuilds oneself after a heartbreak, the kind that renders them a different version of themselves than the one they knew.