Split This Rock Poetry Festival 2018
Registration 

Split This Rock Poetry Festival: Poems of Provocation & Witness 2018 (April 19-21), celebrating Split This Rock's 10th anniversary, invites poets, writers, activists, and dreamers to Washington, DC for three days of poetry, community building, and creative transformation. Featuring readings, workshops, panel discussions, youth programming, and activism, the festival offers opportunities to speak out for justice, build connection and community, and celebrate the many ways poetry can act as an agent for social change.  

Online Registration is OPEN until Wednesday, March 28, after which on-site registration will be available April 19-21 at the festival hub, the National Housing Center, located at 1201 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005. Specific on-site registration times TBA. 

EARLY BIRD RATES has been extended until Friday, February 23, 2018!

INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING? Volunteers who help for 5 or more hours receive FREE festival registration! If you'd like to volunteer, please complete the VOLUNTEER INTEREST FORM BEFORE registering for the festival. Space is limited! (Click here for the form.)

ABOUT FESTIVAL REGISTRATION FEES: Split This Rock is committed to making its biennial festival accessible to all regardless of financial ability. We keep fees low, offer generous scholarships, and provide opportunities to attend the festival for free through volunteering. With income from registration fees covering only about 1/3 of past festival costs, it has become necessary to reimagine our rate structure. For the 2018 festival, we are offering a range of fees to better sustain the event and, ultimately, Split This Rock itself. We estimate the true cost of the festival to be $300 per person and we ask everyone who can to pay at that level. For those with a greater capacity, please consider giving an additional amount in order to subsidize those who aren't able to afford that cost. Thank you!

Reasonably low rates, scholarships, and volunteer opportunities remain available for those who seek them.

WANT TO HELP OTHERS ATTEND SPLIT THIS ROCK POETRY FESTIVAL? Consider donating to Split This Rock at our website. In addition to helping to sustain Split This Rock as an organization, donations allow us to provide generous scholarships to students and other poetry lovers who would not be able to attend the festival otherwise. Donations are tax deductible and you may give at whatever level you are most comfortable online. Whether you're able to give or not, we thank you mightily for the ways you hold up the work of Split This Rock!

SPONSOR THE FESTIVAL: Show your support for poetry of conscience by becoming a sponsor for the festival. Showcase your own organization or institution on festival print and promotional materials, while helping to cover costs! A variety of giving levels are available. Sponsorship comes with unique perks and is a powerful show of solidarity, bringing poetry to the center of public life, where it belongs. Learn more at the website. 

ACCESSIBILITY: Split This Rock values individuals of all abilities and strives to make its programs and materials accessible to all. All the festival's venues are wheelchair accessible. Large print program books will be available at the festival by request. Featured readings will include ASL interpreters. If you have questions, suggestions, or an accommodation request, please contact us at poetryfest@splitthisrock.org or 202-787-5210.  Visit the website for our statement on festival accessibility.

Register Now!REGISTRATION FORM: Online registration is preferred but if you have trouble accessing the form, click here for a hard copy in Word or as a PDF.  Please note, mailed registration forms must be postmarked by Monday, March 19, 2018. For assistance, contact Split This Rock at poetryfest@splitthisrock.org or 202-787-5210.

MORE ABOUT SPLIT THIS ROCK POETRY FESTIVAL 2018
Visit the website to learn more about the festival!

Featured Poets: Elizabeth Acevedo,
Kazim Ali, Ellen Bass, Sherwin Bitsui, Kwame Dawes, Camille Dungy, Ilya Kaminsky, Sonia Sanchez, Solmaz Sharif, Terisa Siagatonu, Paul Tran, Javier Zamora, and more!

Visit the website to learn how we choose festival featured poets and to learn more about this year's dynamic poets.

Readings, Panels & Workshops: Visit the website for the most up-to-date information regarding the festival sessions. Be on the lookout as well for the festival mobile app, which will have all the latest information, including updates during the festival itself. When we announce its launch, you’ll just search for "Split This Rock" on your smartphone.

Activism: At every festival, we take poetry to the streets of the nation’s capital to demand a new world based on justice. We're continuing to collect ideas for the 2018 public action. Share your thoughts on a brief 3 question survey!

Share Your Poetry: The festival will include open mics at the legendary Busboys and Poets on Thursday and Friday evening. More info soon. 

Party: Shake, move, and groove at a party after the Saturday night reading! Details to come.

Book Fair: Saturday will feature a book fair, open to the public, showcasing publishers, literary journals, and social justice organizations - stay tuned for registration information! 

Hotel: We are happy to partner with the Beacon Hotel to offer special discounted rates to festival participants. Located at 1615 Rhode Island Avenue, NW in DC, the Beacon Hotel is in walking distance from all of the festival venues. To book your stay at the Beacon, click here and reserve your room(s) no later than Tuesday, March 20, 2018. Make your reservation early as space is limited and sells out quickly. (Note: The Beacon Hotel is approximately 5 blocks from the festival hub, the National Housing Center. If this distance is inaccessible for you, please contact us as soon as possible and we'll provide information on a closer lodging option. We can be reached at poetryfest@splitthisrock.org or 202-787-5210.)

Accessibility: Split This Rock values individuals of all abilities and strives to make its programs and materials accessible to all. All the festival's venues are wheelchair accessible. Large print program books will be available at the festival by request. Featured readings will include ASL interpreters. If you have questions, suggestions, or an accommodation request, please contact us at poetryfest@splitthisrock.org or 202-787-5210.  

Volunteer: We depend on volunteers to make the festival a success! Those who help for 5 or more hours receive free registration to the festival. To submit an application to volunteer with Split This Rock, click here.

Scholarships: Split This Rock is happy to offer a limited number of scholarships to cover the cost of registration for people who would not otherwise be able to attend Split This Rock Poetry Festival 2018. To apply for a scholarship, click here and submit the form by March 28. For further information, contact us at poetryfest@splitthisrock.org or 202-787-5210.

Group Rates: For information on reduced rates for groups of 10 or more, please contact us at 202-787-5210 or poetryfest@splitthisrock.org.

For More Information: Connect with us on our blog (Blog This Rock), where we'll be posting interviews with the 2018 featured poets (check out interviews with the 2016 festival featured poets in the meantime!). Visit Split This Rock's Youtube channel to watch videos from past festivals. Visit the website to learn more about Split This Rock or make a donation to support poetry and social justice. 

 

MAJOR PARTNERS FOR THE 2018 FESTIVAL

We are grateful to Busboys and Poets, the Institute for Policy Studies, and The Poetry Foundation & POETRY Magazine for their support as Major Partners!

               

SPONSORS

The 2018 festival is cosponsored by the Beacon Hotel, the Jimenez-Porter Writers House at the University of Maryland, Sinister Wisdom, and the Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives. We are grateful for their financial and in-kind support!

Additionally, the festival is made possible in part by the Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz, Compton, CrossCurrents, Reva & David Logan, Revada, and Rosenthal Family Foundations, the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, and many generous individuals.