Last updated: 17 August 2026
MYM Literature (“MYM,” “we,” “us”) is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit literary organization. This page explains what information mymonline.org collects, why we collect it, and what choices you have. We keep as little as we can, and we do not sell your information to anyone.
Information you give us
- Newsletter. When you subscribe, we collect your email address so we can send you new pieces, writing prompts, and occasional news. Every email includes an unsubscribe link.
- Comments. If you leave a reflection on a piece, we store your name, email address, website (if given), your comment, and your IP address. Your name and comment are public; your email address is not.
- Contact and application forms. When you write to us or apply to a writer cohort, we receive what you type into the form, including your name and email address. Cohort applications are collected through Google Forms and are subject to Google’s privacy policy as well as this one.
- Accounts. If you have a writer or staff account on the site, we store the profile details you enter, including any biography or photo you choose to add.
- Orders and donations. When you buy a book or make a gift, we receive your name, email address, and shipping or billing address. We never see or store your full card number. Card details go directly to Stripe, our payment processor.
Information collected automatically
Like most websites, our server records standard technical information when you visit: your IP address, browser type, the pages you view, and the site that referred you. We use this for security and to understand which pieces people are reading. We also use analytics provided by Jetpack (Automattic) to count visits and page views in aggregate.
Our forms are protected by Google reCAPTCHA, which collects device and usage signals to tell humans from bots. Our site is protected by Wordfence, which logs requests that look like attacks.
Cookies
We use cookies to keep you logged in, to remember what is in your shopping cart, to remember that you have dismissed our newsletter prompt, and to remember your comment details so you do not have to retype them. Analytics and reCAPTCHA also set cookies. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings; parts of the site, such as the shop, may not work properly if you do.
Who else handles your information
We share information only with the services that make the site work. Each one handles data under its own privacy policy:
- SiteGround — website hosting
- Stripe — payments for orders and donations
- Mailchimp — newsletter delivery
- Automattic (Jetpack, Gravatar, Akismet) — site statistics, comment avatars, and comment spam filtering
- Google — reCAPTCHA on our forms, and Google Forms for cohort applications
- Meta, X, and Instagram — only if you click a share or follow button, or view our embedded Instagram feed
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We disclose it otherwise only where the law requires it.
How long we keep things
Published pieces and their comments stay on the site indefinitely, because they are part of a public literary archive. Newsletter subscriptions are kept until you unsubscribe. Order records are kept as long as our nonprofit accounting obligations require. Form submissions and applications are kept for as long as they are useful to the program, and then deleted.
Your choices
You can ask us to show you what personal information we hold about you, correct it, or delete it. You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time using the link in any email. If you are in the EU, the UK, Canada, or a US state with its own privacy law, you may have additional rights, and we will honour requests from anyone regardless of where they live.
One thing to note: if you ask us to remove a piece of writing you published with us, we will discuss it with you individually. Requests to delete a published literary work are handled case by case, because other people may have linked to or written about it.
Young writers
MYM works with young writers, and some of our contributors are under 18. We do not knowingly collect more information from a young writer than the program requires, and we ask for a parent or guardian’s involvement where it is appropriate. If you are a parent or guardian and would like to know what we hold about your child, or would like it removed, please contact us and we will act promptly.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we handle information, we will update this page and change the date at the top.
Getting in touch
For any question about this policy, or to make a request about your information, please use our contact form and we will get back to you as soon as we can, God willing.
