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Donate to Split This Rock

Split This Rock is a grassroots effort—a people’s movement begun in 2008 with the very first Split This Rock Poetry Festival, an outgrowth of DC Poets Against the War. Thanks largely to the support and participation of so many of you, the first Split This Rock Poetry festivals were tremendously successful. You—and many others—asked us to make the festival a regular event and to build Split This Rock into a permanent home for progressive poets. We've been building on that vision ever since and there's so much more to do!  To reach our programming goals, we'll need your involvement. Will you invest in Split This Rock today?
 
We hope you'll lend your support. With your help, we can continue cultivating Split This Rock as an organization that genuinely represents the diversity of progressive poets working in all areas of our country and in all poetic styles today. We're excited about the opportunities to improve and grow but it takes resources to get us there. Be part of making it happen! INVEST IN THE POWER OF POETRY TODAY!

 

Thanks to everyone who has spread the word about Split This Rock's work, donated, and launched fundraisers on our behalf. Read these special messages from year-end 2018:

 

Give Today & Honor a Poet's Legacy!

In celebration of Split This Rock’s first decade and to inspire support for the years to come, we have named Giving Circles in honor of poets who have inspired, supported, and helped to shape Split This Rock’s work. When you give, you build on their legacy. You can now give to honor following poets:

  • Langston Hughes Circle ($10,000): Split This Rock’s name is drawn from the Hughes’ poem “Big Buddy”: Don’t you hear this hammer ring? / I’m gonna split this rock / And split it wide! / When I split this rock, / Stand by my side. Permission granted by the Langston Hughes estate.
  • June Jordan Circle ($5,000+): On the 10th anniversary of Jordan's passing, Split This Rock dedicated the 2012 Festival in her memory. Her poetry, prose, and teaching continue to inspire and animate Split This Rock’s work.
  • Adrienne Rich Circle ($1,000+): Moved by the vision for Split This Rock, Adrienne sent Split This Rock’s founders a powerful letter of endorsement and a check for $1,000 to support the first festival.
  • Lucille Clifton Circle ($500+): One of the first poets to say “yes” to featuring at the 2008 festival, Ms. Lucille, as she's fondly known, sadly was unable to attend due to illness. Split This Rock paid tribute to her at the 2010 festival, a month after her death. In her memory, her family has made the inaugural gift to the Lucille Clifton Circle.
  • Francisco X. Alarcón Circle ($250+): A faithful attendee at Split This Rock Poetry Festivals, Francisco spearheaded Poets Responding to SB 1070, often partnering with Split This Rock, and worked tirelessly for immigration justice.
  • Zahara Heckscher Circle ($100+): An active member of Split This Rock’s network, Zahara invented the Poetry Game, presenting it at festivals and designating a portion of proceeds to supporting Split This Rock.
  • Maxwell Corydon Wheat Jr. Circle ($1-99): After being fired as Poet Laureate of Nassau County, NY for writing poems against the Iraq War, Max was declared Poet Laureate by the community’s poets. An attendee and panelist at Split This Rock’s first festival, Max mailed $5 checks to Split This Rock every month until his death in 2016.

20172018 Logo for Catalogue for PhilanthropySPLIT THIS ROCK NAMED ONE OF DC'S BEST SMALL CHARITIES

Split This Rock is featured in the 2019-2020 Catalogue for Philanthropy as one of the best small charities in the Greater Washington region. Visit Split This Rock's page to give today! Donations given through the Catalogue portal incur the lowest transaction fees.