Publication Day

I’ve had May 28 marked on my calendar for months. Today my publisher, Bloomsbury, has released my book, Poverty Abolitionists. This blog post tells the story of how this book came about and what I hope it will achieve. 

When I retired from Bread for the World in 2020, I worked hard to stay engaged in advocacy—helping Bread with fundraising and leading the Circle of Protection. The Circle coalition played an important role in passing Biden’s first-year legislation, which succeeded in reducing child poverty in the midst of the pandemic.

I also taught graduate students—at Berkeley, then New York, then Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS). Teaching about the politics of poverty helped me learn more about anti-poverty strategies other than legislative advocacy—such as community organizing and electoral politics. I invited leaders of different types of anti-poverty organizations to speak to my classes. 

Starting toward the end of 2023, I carved out time to work on a book. Several VTS seminarians helped me with research. Most of my previous books had been handled by religious publishers.  This time I aimed for a commercial publisher to reach a broader audience. I learned about the key role of literary agents in commercial publishing. They work with aspiring authors and pick a few to recommend to publishers. Two agents considered my book proposal and turned it down. But in the process, they helped me improve it. They pushed me to analyze my proposal from a marketing and sales perspective. Thinking about my book from the perspective of people who might buy and read it made it better.

Toward the end of 2024, an agent named Don Pape agreed to represent my book. He sent my book proposal to about 20 publishers all at once. Two accepted it, including the U.S. branch of Bloomsbury Publishing.  Bloomsbury is an international, commercially successful publisher. My acquiring editor was Richard Brown. He made several very helpful suggestions that improved the book substantially.  One was to strengthen its appeal to younger readers. I also want to mention Robin Stephenson, who has helped me with research, editing, and social media, including this newsletter.   

I was able to make revisions until nearly the end of the first year of the current Trump administration. President Trump and MAGA came to power with well-developed plans. With alarming speed, he and his colleagues attacked an array of programs and policies that are important to people in poverty. They dismantled USAID, cut $1.2 trillion from domestic food and health assistance, launched a brutal program of mass deportation, worked against civil rights and voting rights, and imposed a new and shifting regime of tariffs. Trump strained the legal limits of presidential authority, with a Republican Congress and conservative Supreme Court often condoning his actions.

In February 2026, the US and Israel attacked Iran.  War in the Middle East has killed more than 7,000 people.  It has also caused a massive increase of extreme hunger.

After decades of progress against poverty, MAGA is now increasing hunger and poverty in our country and around the world. Pushing back against MAGA, including the election of more Democrats, is crucial to renewed progress against poverty.  

Since finishing the manuscript, I’ve been focused on encouraging pre-publication orders and promoting key messages from the book among a wider audience.  Bread for the World, the Alliance to End Hunger, Virginia Theological Seminary, the World Food Prize Foundation, Interfaith 20, and Fortier Public Relations are all helping with this work.  I’ve also been supported by Rick Steves, Eleanor Crook, Chang Park, Fred and Jeanne Groos, Terry Meehan, Maureen O’Leary, and other friends.  I’m planning to continue speaking and writing on these issues over the coming year.

I pray that Poverty Abolitionists encourages and empowers a surge of activism, and that God delivers our country and the world from the evils that confront us now.