Ten Ways to Support Split This Rock

Split This Rock has been a people's movement since its founding in 2008. Sustained by the community's call for a permanent home for progressive poetry, together we have engaged poetry as an agent of change, speaking up for peace, elevating the voices of the disenfranchised, and using poetry to call forth the just community we wish to see. 

June Jordan's words ring true when reflecting on Split This Rock's history and accomplishments: we are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

As we head towards the end of Split This Rock's fiscal year, in a society fraught with turmoil and with the future of arts funding uncertain, the need for continued solidarity is crucial. 

Our goal is to raise $5,000 by June 30 and with your help -- financial and otherwise -- we know this goal is in reach. We're halfway there! If you believe in the work of this organization, there are so many ways to show your support and help equip us to enter our next fiscal year, marking Split This Rock's 10th anniversary, strong. We offer 10 suggestions below. 

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1. Repost, Share, Shout Us Out! Moved by a Poem of the Week? Share it on your social media and encourage people to sign up to receive our emails. Excited about the DC Youth Slam Team? Invite friends to attend its next event. Love the new Split This Rock merchandise? Point people to the website. Let others know what moves you about Split This Rock and that the organization is worth their time and investment.

2. Attend David v. Goliath on Tuesday, June 27, 9-11 am at Busboys and Poets - Brookland! Split This Rock’s DC Youth Slam Team goes up against the adults of the Beltway Poetry Slam team in a fundraiser to send both teams to their national slams. It’s a night of fun competition you won’t want to miss! Tickets are on sale for $10 at Eventbrite.

3. Hire Poets! Split This Rock’s Ushindi Performance Tribe, composed of dynamic DC Youth Slam Team alumni, is available for performances, workshops, and other engagements. We promise they’ll blow you away! Just ask the folks at the opening of The National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Kennedy Center, Poetry Out Loud national finals, and all the other places they’ve shared their talents. For details, send an email to slam@splitthisrock.org  

4. Host a Fundraising Event and/or Donate Signed Copies of Your Book! Help us widen the Split This Rock network by hosting a house party, reading, or other fundraising event. You supply space and refreshments and invite your friends. We'll provide poetry and info about Split This Rock. If you’re a poet, send us a signed copy of your book (or a few!) to sell at one of these special events or to offer as a perk for fundraising campaigns.

5. Connect Split This Rock Poets & Poetry to Activist Circles! Encourage activist friends and groups to incorporate poetry of provocation and witness into their work for social change. Let them know about The Quarry online social justice poetry database and Split This Rock as a resource.

6. Get Creative with Your Giving! Gayle Brandeis donated $5 for every pre-order she received for her latest chapbook. Be like Gayle and get out of the box! What can you do to encourage others to give? What other resources or talents could you contribute? Visit the wish list on Split This Rock's website to see if it sparks an idea.

7. Give the Gift of SkyMiles! Help us send youth to Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival and bring featured poets to Split This Rock Poetry Festival 2018 and other events.

8. Help Secure Venues for Split This Rock Poetry Festival and other events! DC venues are costly and hard to find. But poetry deserves beautiful spaces! Help us find donated or discounted venues. Festival sponsorship opportunities are also now available. Visit Split This Rock's website for details.

9. Volunteer! It’s festival planning season! And 2018 will be full of 10th Anniversary activities! Though Split This Rock's reach has expanded dramatically over the last ten years, we remain a small organization internally and simply could not pull off the festival and other major events without a strong crew of volunteers. Check out the festival leadership roles on the website! Volunteer positions are always available!

10. Donate! Your donations send the DC Youth Slam Team to Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam 2017 in California, support 2018 festival costs such venue rental, event mobile app fees, featured poet stipends, and the like, bolster efforts to make Split This Rock programming accessible to all, and so much more! Visit Split This Rock's website to read further about what your gift can do or to give online!

And there are so many other ways to help! Reach out to us if you'd like to assist in any of these ways or explore other options at 202-787-5210 or info@splitthisrock.org. We'd love to hear from you!