Members Share How ASJA Helps Freelancers in Hard Times

Freelancing, by nature, can be a solitary profession. Sometimes, that can get lonely. Even we introverts might crave the camaraderie, shared experience, and accountability of colleagues. Especially in difficult times. 

This is the beauty of ASJA. The social pressures are low, but you still have people in your corner. When times are hard, ASJA and ASJA members are there to help.

I experienced this firsthand when I was diagnosed with Stage IIA breast cancer in 2022. With clinical trials, major surgery, chemo, and radiation ahead, I was facing major physical and mental challenges. Work wasn’t one of my top three worries, but it certainly was something I was concerned about. ASJA folks were a great support. 

Past president Laura Laing made sure I was aware of ASJA’s Writer’s Assistance Emergency Fund (WEAF), which provides grants to professional freelance writers who are temporarily or permanently prevented from continuing with their freelance writing business. Former publications chair Jennifer Nelson stepped back in to do the newsletter while I was recovering from surgery. And Poornima Apte checked in frequently and sent a Purple Carrot card with a handwritten note. 

I also received support from local members. ASJA’s immediate past president Emily Paulsen, who lives in the same county as me and is a fellow DC chapter member, made sure I knew I was welcome to ask her for in-person help — a grocery run, a ride to the hospital, etc. — if need be. ASJA DC chapter president Deborah Lynn Blumberg has lifted my spirits — and helped maintain my sanity — with occasional coffee dates and conversation. Melanie Padgett Powers lives in the same town and has been a friend for years.

Other members including Jennifer Billock, Debbie Abrams Kaplan, Lisa Rabasca Roepe, Susan Mangiero, Ellen Ryan, and more reached out along the way with kind words, funny jokes (laughter might not shrink tumors but it does help soothe the soul), referrals to women who had “been through it” and were ready and willing to offer advice.

Encouragement and Moral(e) Support 

When I asked on the ASJA Facebook page how the organization has supported members in difficult situations, member Karon Clark Warren wrote: “The encouragement and commiseration during hard times is much appreciated given this can be a solitary career.” Warren remembered a referral from Debbie Abrams Kaplan that provided work when she needed it.

Indeed, fellow ASJAers have helped members who are struggling by making referrals, or even just providing some extra confidence. 

Susan Shapiro says ASJA gave her a much-needed boost to continue a project that had been troubling her.  “I’d been working on a memoir, “Forgiveness Tour,” for years with no luck,” Shapiro said. “I published a short 1,000 word piece on it (that) won an ASJA essay award. When I gave a speech at the ASJA conference, I said ‘I’ve written 1,000 pages of this and I now know 1,000 words works.’ And everyone got it and applauded. It gave me confidence to keep going, and I wound up selling the book and it got my best reviews – including my first starred Publishers Weekly review.”

Many ASJA friends were there for Poornima Apte over the past winter when a loved one was hospitalized for close to three months. She wrote: “Lisa Fields used to text me often and share jokes to lighten my mood. That helped a lot. Lisa Rabasca Roepe and Dara Chadwick knew just how often to get in touch. Cathie Allen Ericson and I co-worked a lot using Zoom. She got to hear about the near-daily ups and downs. It was so useful to have that sense of normalcy amid all the worry and chaos. Finally, Renee Bacher provided a connection to a friend despite having a lot on her own plate.”

ASJA Benefits and Programs Offer Additional Support

Members might be ASJA’s best and broadest source of support. But the organization offers plenty of programs and benefits that can bolster members when times are tough. 

• WEAF offers grants to professional freelance writers who are unable to work because of a life crisis. If you’re feeling flush, you can donate to WEAF to help fellow writers.
• ASJA webinars offer information not only on writing, but on managing your physical and mental health while running your freelance business. 
• Attorney and literary agent Joseph Perry offers discounted legal consultations to ASJA members. 
• ASJA offers health insurance options through partnership with LIG Solutions.

ASJA gives all of us who are in this solitary career a place where we feel we can be part of something, can belong. In the difficult times – and in the day to day – that support can be invaluable. 

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Holly Leber Simmons is absolute garbage at writing her own bio, but is a crack writer of other people’s profiles. She is a recovering newspaper reporter turned content marketing writer who will always have the heart and patience of a journalist. Since 2020, Simmons has been the volunteer editor of the ASJA Weekly newsletter, which has afforded her the opportunity to collaborate with many ASJA members she might not otherwise have connected with. Read more about her work and services at Red Pen Editorial. Simmons lives in Silver Spring, MD, with her husband and 6 (“and a half!”) year-old daughter, who keep her laughing, crazy, and laughing like crazy.