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Sponsor the Fest!

Show your support for poetry of conscience by becoming a sponsor for Split This Rock Poetry Festival: Poems of Provocation & Witness 2018 (April 19-21), marking Split This Rock’s 10th anniversary, or by purchasing an ad in the festival program book. Your investment is a powerful illustration of solidarity for bringing poetry further towards the center of public life, where we believe it belongs.

Plus, sponsorship comes with unique perks! Check them out below!

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL: Split This Rock Poetry Festival is a unique gathering, now attracting over 700 people in our nation’s capital for three days of readings, workshops, panel discussions, youth programming, open mics, and activism, plus a book fair and a party! The festival is DC’s premiere poetry event and the only one of its kind in the country highlighting poets working at the intersection of the imagination and social change.

Image of an audience. Members are clapping with hands held high. One is smiling pleasantly.Get inspired by a dynamic array of poets illustrating the true diversity of poetry and our nation! Some of the most innovative and necessary poets of our time have been featured at past Split This Rock festivals, among them Jan Beatty, Franny Choi, Martín Espada, Ross Gay, Andrea Gibson, Linda Hogan, Yusef Komunyakaa, Naomi Shihab Nye, Sonia Sanchez, Danez Smith, Patricia Smith, and Alice Walker. In 2016, the festival even included the newly appointed Poet Laureate of the United States, Juan Felipe Herrera. It is one of the rare occasions you’ll find national slam champs, Pushcart and Pulitzer Prize winners, and emerging talents presented together on one stage.

The 2018 festival lineup includes Elizabeth Acevedo, Kazim Ali, Ellen Bass, Sherwin Bitsui, Kwame Dawes, Camille Dungy, Ilya Kaminsky, Sharon Olds, Sonia Sanchez, Solmaz Sharif, Terisa Siagatonu, Paul Tran, Javier Zamora! It’s not to be missed!

Well known as an affirming space for people from a wide spectrum of backgrounds to gather and connect, Split This Rock Poetry Festival provides opportunities to explore how poetry offers creative transformation and healing for our world. Sessions and featured readings invite poetry to speak back and speak out about contemporary issues such as xenophobia, environmental justice, sexism, homophobia, and racism. Join us in exploring the craft of poetry and how to bring poetry into the public sphere where we believe it belongs.

ABOUT RATES & SPONSORSHIP: Sponsorship helps to ensure this experience is as accessible as possible for all, regardless of income level. We offer registration rates that are as economical as you’ll likely find for this type of programming and provide scholarships to ensure that event fees are not prohibitive. Only a fraction of the cost of the festival, a mere third, is covered by registration fees so we look to you, our community, for support. Sponsors help cover necessary costs such as travel, lodging, and honorariums for featured poets, venue rental costs, printing of materials, accessibility services, the festival mobile app, and more!

An overview of sponsorship opportunities and links to give online can be found below. We encourage you to add the festival to your calendar and make room for it as a line item in your budget. In return for your generous investment, it is our pleasure to offer an array of benefits. At the $3,000 sponsorship level, for instance, we offer 12 festival passes and the opportunity to host a featured poet for a reading or workshop at your organization if you are in the DC area. Also, every donor that gives $100 or more has their name printed in the festival program book to be given to all festival attendees. 

We hope to partner with you to make Split This Rock Poetry Festival 2018 the best one yet! For more information, contact Camisha Jones at camisha@splitthisrock.org.

We thank you in advance for your consideration!


2018 POETRY FESTIVAL SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

For more information, contact Camisha Jones at camisha@splitthisrock.org (preferred) or 202-787-5268.
 

SPONSORSHIP LEVELS ($100 to $10,000+)

Your sponsorship helps to cover travel, lodging, and honorariums for featured poets, venue rental costs, printing of materials, accessibility services, and more! Thank you! Registrations listed as perks can be used for student or general admission. Gifts can be given online for Major Partner sponsorship and other levels. Please note, to be listed in program book, in mobile app, or on t-shirt, sponsorship must be confirmed by Friday, February 23, 2018. Anonymous gifts are welcomed and those who prefer to give in that way, can use the social media shout-out perk as a tribute to a third party with prior approval.

MAJOR PARTNER Sponsor ($10,000+) perks include:  

  • Twenty-five (25) festival registrations (Please provide name & contact info for each attendee by 4/1/18)
  • Opportunity for a featured poet to be guest poet at an event/class at your school or organization (must be within the DC metro area)
  • Reserved seating at featured readings (Confirm total number attending by 4/1/18 and arrive
  • 15 minutes early to ensure that we can accommodate you)
  • Full page black and white ad in festival program book (Please supply ad by 3/1/18)
  • Description and logo of your organization on the “Major Partners” page of the festival program book and on festival sponsor page of Split This Rock’s website
  • Logo on the back cover of the festival program book
  • Logo and/or listing on the slide show that scrolls before and after each featured reading for an
  • audience of up to 400 each night
  • Logo and/or name on festival t-shirts*
  • Included in sponsor list of select festival emails sent to Split This Rock list of 7,500 nationwide
  • Acknowledgement on social media
  • Name included on printed festival promotional materials
  • Words of thanks from the stage at featured readings and via social media
  • Logo and listing on the festival mobile app*
  • Table space at book fair or materials displayed at book fair or at festival hub (Please confirm by 1/5/18 as space at book fair is limited.)

Langston Hughes Sponsor ($5,000+) perks include:                   

  • Eighteen (18) Split This Rock Festival passes (Please provide name & contact info for each attendee by 4/1/18.)
  • Opportunity for a featured poet to be guest poet at an event/class at your school or organization (must be within the DC metro area)
  • Reserved seating at featured readings (Confirm total number attending by 4/1/18 and arrive
  • 15 minutes early to ensure that we can accommodate you)
  • Half page ad in festival program book (Please supply ad by 3/1/18)
  • Included in sponsor list of select festival emails sent to Split This Rock list of 7,500 nationwide
  • Acknowledgement on social media
  • Name included on printed festival promotional materials
  • Words of thanks from the stage at featured readings
  • Listing on festival mobile app sponsors page*
  • Listing and logo on sponsors page of festival program book*
  • Listing and logo on Split This Rock’s website 
  • Table space at book fair or materials displayed at book fair or at festival hub (Please confirm by 1/5/18 as space at book fair is limited.)

Big Buddy Sponsor ($3,000+) perks include:  

  • Twelve (12) Split This Rock Festival passes (Please provide name & contact info for each attendee by 4/1/18)
  • Opportunity for a featured poet to be guest poet at an event/class at your school or organization (must be within the DC metro area)
  • Quarter page ad in festival program book (Please supply ad by 3/1/18)
  • Name included on printed festival promotional materials
  • A social media shout out*
  • Listing on festival mobile app sponsors page*
  • Listing and logo on sponsors page of festival program book*
  • Listing and logo on Split This Rock’s website
  • Table space at book fair (if available) or materials displayed at book fair or at festival hub (Please request by 1/5/18 as table space at book fair is limited & thus offered based on availability.)

Hear It Ring Sponsor ($2,000+) perks include:  

  • Eight (8) Split This Rock Festival passes
  • Name included on printed festival promotional materials
  • A social media shout out*
  • Listing on festival mobile app sponsors page*
  • Listing and logo in festival program book*
  • Listing and logo on Split This Rock’s website
  • Materials displayed at either the festival hub or the book fair
  • (Please request by 1/5/18 as space at book fair is limited & thus offered based on availability.)

Split It Wide Sponsor ($1,000+) perks include:  

  • Four (4) Split This Rock Festival passes
  • Listing and logo in festival program book*
  • Listing and logo on Split This Rock’s website
  • Materials displayed at either the festival hub or the book fair
  • (Please request by 1/5/18 as space at book fair is limited & thus offered based on availability.)

Ringing Hammer Sponsor ($500+) perks include:  

  • Two (2) Split This Rock Festival passes, 10% off additional online registrations (up to 3) 
  • Recognition in festival program book*
  • Name listed on the Split This Rock website

Lending Hand Sponsor ($300+) perks include:  

  • One (1) Split This Rock festival pass, 10% off additional online registrations (up to 3) 
  • Recognition in festival program book*
  • Name listed on the Split This Rock website

By My Side Sponsor ($100+) perks include:  

  • Recognition in festival program book*
  • Name listed on the Split This Rock website

*NOTE: To be listed in program book, in mobile app, or on t-shirt, sponsorship must be confirmed by Friday, February 23, 2018. If you prefer to give anonymously, social media shout-out can be used as a tribute to a third party with prior approval.