"A poet's work is to name the unnameable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world, and stop it going to sleep."
Salman Rushdie

Poetry is everywhere. We have all been touched by a poem at one point in our lives. It ignites curiosity and comforts grief; it unites the rumblings of the spirit with the concrete reality of society. Poetry is the collective verse of history whose rhythms change with the times to incite the future.

What We Do
Street Poetry Outreach has set out to help vulnerable youth identify their core values and concerns through poetry. Many intelligent and observant kids see themselves as removed from the collective voice; this could be from lack of education, hopelessness or simply that they do not feel worthy of being heard. Our aim is to visit different communities in Portland, Oregon and let kids express themselves through poetry. We offer workshops similar to those of any university creative writing course; we teach the basics of poetry forms: haiku, free form, sonnets and cantos.

What They Do
Students start out by having open discussions to identify what it is they want to say; they then compile lists based from those discussions. We then break down into groups where instructors offer workshops in vocabulary, form, rhyme and punctuation. Once students have some command over these things, the poetry begins! Poems are then revised in workshops, edited and tested to see if they convey the meaning the authors intended.

What We Do Together
After working with several groups, we will publish their poems in bound books to be sold in a few of Portland's prominent book stores. Proceeds from the books will go back into the community, organization or school that we worked with. Copies will be sent to local politicians as a means of sharing unheard voices from vulnerable populations.

What $1500 Will Do
With your donations, we will be able to have 200 books of poems bound at a heavily discounted price. We can do this!

Spread the Word!
Please find, follow and like us on Facebook and Twitter!
https://www.facebook.com/StreetPoetPDX?re
@PDXStreetPoets

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Rebeka Woodsmith
Portland, Oregon, United States
I've been writing poetry since I was eight years old, and sharing this art with the world is my passion.
$599 collected
Raising $599
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