Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton penned a fond farewell note to literary blog TheToast.net on Friday.
The Toast is closing its doors after failing to generate ad revenue and sufficient steady traffic to keep itself afloat. Site editor Nicole Cliffe said on Friday, "This is not a joke. Hillary’s team had talked to me a few weeks back about doing something, but I didn’t want to do, like, a 'If Hillary Were Your President' type thing, and then they got in touch on Wednesday and said she wanted to write something HERSELF (it seems her people show her Two Monks or what-have-you on long campaign days) and I said only if it was funny and they said 'she was thinking more heartfelt?' and here we are."
"Dear readers," the former Secretary of State began, "I know that today is the final day of The Toast, and I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what this space -- and spaces like it -- mean for women."
In nearly every industry, from publishing to scientific research, women have had to forge their own paths against overwhelming odds and less-than-friendly welcomes. When I arrived in the Senate in 2001, I was one of just 13 women, and I remember how thankful I was for my female colleagues on both sides of the aisle. My friend Barbara Mikulski famously started a tradition of dinner parties for all the women of the Senate. Over a glass of wine — okay, maybe three — we’d give each other support, advice, and highly relevant tips to navigate being in such an extreme minority.
She went on to say that the Toast's editorial team -- Cliffe, Mallory Ortberg and Nikki Chung -- created a space "where women can speak their minds freely," while making readers "laugh and think along the way."
Clinton said she looks forward to seeing what all of the authors and editors associated with The Toast do next and urged them, "Speak your opinion more fervently in your classes if you’re a student, or at meetings in your workplace. Proudly take credit for your ideas. Have confidence in the value of your contributions. And if the space you’re in doesn’t have room for your voice, don’t be afraid to carve out a space of your own. You never know -- you might just be the next Nicole Cliffe, Mallory Ortberg or Nikki Chung."
The toast gathered a small but devoted following with posts like "Signs you may be dying in a Victorian novel," "Text messages from Hieronymus Bosch," and the "Two Monks" series. The editorial staff announced in May that the blog would be closing July 1.
