Split This Rock

### Context Profile for Split This Rock

1. **Organization Mission & Cause**
   - **Mission**: Split This Rock is dedicated to integrating poetry and social justice. It supports poets who are often marginalized, particularly those who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQ, disabled, or working-class. The organization emphasizes the transformative power of poetry to witness injustice and provoke social change, reflecting the diversity and complexity of human experiences.
   - **Cause**: The organization aims to expand inclusion in the literary landscape and assert the importance of language in advocating for racial, gender, economic, and disability justice.

2. **Type of Activities**
   - **Events**: Split This Rock hosts poetry readings, workshops, and festivals that celebrate diverse voices and promote social justice themes. A recent example is the "Trans Ruckus Virtual Poetry Reading," which honors Transgender and Non-Binary poetry.
   - **Fundraising Campaigns**: They conduct fundraising initiatives to support their programs and provide discounted tickets to ensure accessibility.
   - **Community Programs**: The organization offers resources and support for poets, including workshops and opportunities for engagement within the disability community.

3. **Tone of Voice**
   - The tone is **inspiring**, **inclusive**, and **supportive**. The language used is accessible and encourages participation, reflecting a commitment to community and social justice. The organization uses a blend of formal and casual language to engage a diverse audience effectively.

4. **Emoji Usage**
   - The website and communications do not prominently feature emojis. The tone remains professional and focused on the content of poetry and social justice rather than casual or playful elements.

5. **Key Facts**
   - **Founding Info**: Split This Rock was established to promote poetry as a means of social change.
   - **Scale**: The organization has hosted multiple events and campaigns, including at least four forms and three email campaigns.
   - **Impact Metrics**: While specific metrics are not detailed on the website, the organization emphasizes its commitment to supporting underrepresented poets and fostering community engagement.
   - **Volunteer Info**: Information on volunteering is not explicitly stated on the website, but opportunities for engagement and support are implied through their community programs.

6. **Writing Guidelines**
   - **Style**: Content should be clear, engaging, and reflective of the organization's mission. Use inclusive language that resonates with diverse audiences.
   - **Structure**: Organize information logically, using headings and bullet points for clarity. Maintain a balance between formal and conversational tones.
   - **Call to Action**: Encourage participation in events and support for the organization’s mission. Highlight the importance of community involvement and accessibility.
   - **Accessibility**: Ensure that all communications are accessible, including offering alternative formats and accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

This context profile serves as a foundational guide for creating tailored content that aligns with Split This Rock's mission, values, and audience engagement strategies.

LXCL:Raffle tickets may be used during the event to enter a raffle for a fine selection of prize items (poem editing session, free workshop tickets, etc.) or to access enticing event activities.

$25 Event Ticket + 2 Raffle Tickets

LXCL:For attendees 24 years old and younger. Raffle tickets may be used during the event to enter a raffle for a fine selection of prize items (poem editing session, free workshop tickets, etc.) or to access enticing event activities.

$15 Youth Ticket + 2 Raffle Tickets

LXCL:Special discounted tickets for folks who want to sign up for the open mic list— open mic time guaranteed, only 10 tickets available.

$10 Reader Ticket + 2 Raffle Tickets

LXCL:Receive double the amount of raffle tickets and provide an additional boost to our fundraising efforts. We are grateful for your enthusiastic support!

$50 Booster Ticket + 4 Raffle Tickets

LXCL:Receive 10 raffle tickets to increase your chance to win special prizes, participate in multiple activities, and go above and beyond to support our fundraising efforts. We are grateful for your enthusiastic support!

$100 Super Booster Ticket + 10 Raffle Tickets

LXCL:Can't join the festivities yourself but still want to support? Select this option to gift a free event ticket + 2 raffle tickets for local attendees!

$25 Pay-it-forward Ticket

<span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{firstname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip" fr-original-style="" style="background-color: rgb(248, 248, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255); border-radius: 4px; color: rgb(42, 42, 196); padding: 1px 8px; font-size: 11px; display: inline-block; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: anywhere; user-select: none; box-sizing: inherit;">First name, Thank you for purchasing an event ticket to Everyday Kind of Love: A Poetry Party to Save Split This Rock ft. Clint Smith! Your ticket cost is going directly toward Split This Rock&rsquo;s fundraising campaign. The staff and board of Split This Rock appreciate your support. We are delighted to be in community and celebrate Split This Rock&rsquo;s past, present, and future with you! We look forward to seeing you at 7pm on Thursday, December 11, at Busboys and Poets at 450 K St., Washington D.C. Mount Vernon Square or Gallery Place-Chinatown are the closest metro stops. Parking garages are located nearby if you are driving in for the event. Food and drinks are available for purchase at the venue.If you have any questions regarding the event, feel free to email info@splitthisrock.org. Yours in poetry and resistance,Split This Rock Board of Directors

Join us for EVERYDAY KIND OF LOVE: A Poetry Party to Save Split This Rock! At the heart of Split This Rock’s work has always been an insistence that poetry for liberation does not happen in isolation, but in community. While most of our work in recent years has facilitated virtual connection, we are excited to announce an in-person poetry gathering for our local community— Everyday Kind of Love: A Poetry Party to Save Split This Rock ft. Clint Smith! Join us for a joyful celebration with a live DJ, raffle prizes, tarot readings, special guest readers, and more as we fundraise to bridge a funding gap at Split This Rock. Help us reach our Everyday Kind of Love fundraising goal of $5,000! During the celebration, attendees are invited to sign up for an open mic to share up to 2 minutes of written work and/or testimonies about what Spit This Rock has meant for them. Attendees may sign up for the open mic list in advance by purchasing a discounted “$10 Reader Ticket.” Spots will also be available on a first-come, first-serve basis the day of the event.  From our biennial poetry festival and Sunday Kind of Love, the DC Youth Slam Team and Louder Than A Bomb Youth Poetry Slam and Festival, to Poem of the Week, virtual writing workshops, the Youth Activist Poetry Anthology, and more, Split This Rock has been grateful to contribute to a poetic infrastructure that keeps justice and liberation at the forefront. Not only is this an opportunity to provide funds for Split This Rock’s survival, but a moment to celebrate poetry of provocation and witness, the numerous ways it spreads an enduring love in us all.  About the feature: Clint Smith is the author of the narrative nonfiction book, How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America, which was a #1 New York Times bestseller, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, the Hillman Prize for Book Journalism, the Stowe Prize, and selected by the New York Times as one of the 10 best books of 2021. He is also the author of the New York Times bestselling poetry collection Above Ground and the award-winning poetry collection Counting Descent. His writing has been published in the New Yorker, the New York Times Magazine, Poetry Magazine, the Paris Review, and elsewhere. Smith received his BA in English from Davidson College and a PhD in Education from Harvard University. He is a staff writer at the Atlantic. Accessibility:Accessibility is a core value for Split This Rock. We strive to provide programs, materials, and communications that allow people within the disability community to engage fully. Busboys and Poets 450K includes a lift on and off the stage as well as a ramp and accessible path to get into the event room for those unable to use stairs. The venue also has microphones for use during the event to ensure everyone can hear those speaking during the program. Before and after the program, a DJ will be playing music and there will be ambient noise from conversation and other activities taking place in the room.  Large print copies of poem text for featured readers will be provided. Masks will be provided. We encourage all event attendees to wear a mask to keep the space safe and accessible for all participants and as a practice of community care. An air purifier will be running during the event. Thank you for helping us hold safe space! Let us know of any accessibility questions or accommodation requests by emailing info@splitthisrock.org with "ACCESS REQUEST" in the subject line by Tuesday, December 2nd. Given our ongoing funding challenges, we cannot promise accessibility services, but will do our best to provide accommodations.  Venue Travel Information:Busboys and Poets 450K is located at 450 K St NW.  For those driving, paid street parking, paid parking lots, and paid garage parking is available in the blocks surrounding the venue. From Maryland, 295 Southbound to Washington onto New York Avenue is the most direct route. From Virginia, 395 Northbound is the most direct route. For those using public transportation, the venue is a 9 minute walk from the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro stop on the Red, Green, and Yellow lines. It is also a 10 minute walk from the Mt. Vernon Square Metro stop on the Green and Yellow lines. There are also various bus stops within closer proximity to the venue. About Split This Rock’s Funding Crisis: In August 2025, Split This Rock announced an unprecedented funding gap of $68,750 and the difficult decision to temporarily suspend all programming and publications to focus on emergency fundraising to keep the organization afloat. Since then, we have made strides to close the funding gap with an outpouring of support from the community. We are overwhelmed with gratitude for all of the donations and offers of support we have received over the past two months! We have relaunched fee-for-service programmatic offerings to support our fundraising efforts, as well. If you are interested in joining us for virtual poetry workshops in the new year, please find more information at our website: www.splitthisrock.org.Our December fundraising event will be a celebration of how far we've come and a rallying call to sustain Split This Rock's urgent work into the future. All ticket sales support Split This Rock's ongoing fundraising efforts. We are still fundraising to unlock a $25,000 challenge grant from the Poetry Foundation, which means every gift goes twice as far! With your help, we can bridge our funding gap and continue to fulfill our mission. Thank you for your investment in our work of materially supporting poets who are often underrepresented, excluded, and erased from the literary landscape!

Split This Rock

EVERYDAY KIND OF LOVE: A Poetry Party to Save Split This Rock!

450 K St NW