$2,884 raised by 38 donors
64% complete
$4,500 Goal
The Sacramento Poetry Center was founded in 1979 and has presented hundreds of readings and poetry workshops at venues all over Sacramento in the last 42 years. The SPC has held readings featuring Gary Snyder, Robert Hass, Jane Hirshfield, and William Stafford, and many other prominent national poets. We bring in poets from many local communities as well -- youth poets, senior writing groups, community colleges, high schools. SPC readings feature both published and unpublished writers, spoken word artists and poets who read from the page.
In addition to the reading series, SPC publishes an annual literary journal. SPC volunteers also work in schools to help young people write or perform their poetry. We have helped students in the Poetry Out Loud competition, and we have put on classes for incarcerated men at New Folsom State Prison. To bring poetry to more people, SPC also collaborates with many other organizations, from The Crocker Art Museum to 916 Ink, from the MIND Institute to Every Fourth Woman. We organize and present well over a hundred events or workshops every year, with an all-volunteer working board of directors.
The Sacramento Poetry Center's mission is to promote and advance the practice and application of poetry and the literary arts in our community, to enliven and extend the cultural boundaries of Sacramento's literary arena by creating and maintaining forums for local writers; to support and empower emerging and established poets, and to bring the best practitioners of the craft into the community.
Digital Costs: The SPC has new expenditures to keep up with the pandemic that were previously offset by a generous discount because of covid. As we look to reopen, we are returning to our regular rent with the additional Zoom expenses.
Facility Cost: SPC needs to continue improving our space at 25th and R streets. We hope to make the space even more useful as we welcome more people from the region, and this will involve some cost for hauling, refitting, and renovating.
Publishing: SPC publishes Tule Review, a nationally recognized literary journal, and while volunteers do all the editing work, production and distribution runs $2,500 a year. We would greatly appreciate a sponsor for Tule Review. We are looking to broaden our publishing efforts as well.
Honoraria for Poets: SPC offers honoraria to selected poets who read in Sacramento and plans to bring a nationally recognized poet to Sacramento each year. In 2016, we spent over 7,000 on honoraria, and presented dozens of acclaimed writers, including Juan Felipe Herrera and Dana Gioia. We have been fortunate to bring many guests at lower costs via Zoom, but our board is interested in distributing more honoraria to more poets, as well as bringing someone big to Sacramento soon, as the pandemic allows.
Cleaning: We have several times hired a hospital-ready cleaning service during the pandemic. If we return to regular events, we will be considering cleanings more often.
Organization name
Sacramento Poetry Center
Tax id (EIN)
94-2614096
Mission Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities
Operating Budget
$0-$50,000
Organization Need
Funding: Program, Funding: Other, Technology
Address
1719 25th StSacramento, CA, US