The Omikuji Project began in April 2008 as a unique experiment in crowdfunded creativity. Each month, Catherynne M. Valente wrote a new story (or the occasional poem) for subscribers. Subscribers could choose to receive each month’s Omikuji offering either digitally or via snail mail. Those who subscribed to the postal edition looked forward to lush missives printed on archival paper, signed by the author, and carefully sealed with scarlet wax. And, in honor of the sacred lottery of the Omikuji, a random subscriber was chosen each month to receive a unique, handmade gift as well. These gifts included beaded jewelry, hand-knitted minotaur hooves, and blown-glass flowers– all created by CMV.

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CMV wrote that the Omikuji Project “is an old-fashioned approach to new-founded literature, the shortest path from author to reader. It is a secret and marvelous communication, a unique way for you to read stories unavailable in any other venue, in any other way. It is a network of tales, a community. It is whispering in the dark; it is a fireside confession.”

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This network of monthly letters and tales knitted together a whole community, who participated in an online forum and also organized meet-ups. The first anthology of Omikuji stories includes a selection of art, inspired by the tales themselves and created by members of that community. Also, before any Omikuji piece was offered for publication elsewhere, CMV first sought the approval of the community.

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The project ran for five years, a remarkable achievement for a crowdfunded creative project of this scale. The curtain was finally drawn in April of 2013, but there’s still a second anthology in the works and a sense of connection that will never fade.

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