Write Out Loud has applied for funding to create a Community Poetry Toolkit, to allow poetry group organisers to exchange ideas and share best practices on how to run successful and inclusive poetry gigs. It will also contain valuable resources, such as helping organisers to find venues and guest poets.

Sounds good?  We need votes to get funding to make it happen – so we’re asking for your help.  Please vote to support this idea.

What are we trying to do? Every day in the UK people meet at scores of community poetry events where anyone can share their poems in a friendly group. Simple, but personally fulfilling, life-changing even.

Write Out Loud has long supported this work via its Poetry Gig Guide that lists thousands of community poetry events across the UK, most run by individuals wanting to provide opportunity for others. This initiative aims to provide the Community Poetry Toolkit, an online resource which gives help and advice to people wanting to start and sustain local community performance poetry and spoken word groups.

Write Out Loud needs funding to:

Survey and collate data from poetry event organisers, performers and audience members throughout the UK to create the Community Poetry Toolkit.

Create the technical infrastructure that will allow users to continue to share advice and update the toolkit after its initial launch.

Extend existing online resources to allow people to find potential venues and guest poets who are local to them.

Write Out Loud supports a network of grassroots poetry events and run the website www.writeoutloud.net, an information hub for UK poetry news and listings. As a community interest company our first priority is to bring more people to poetry. Our events welcome anyone to share their writing regardless of social, educational or cultural background. For many, Write Out Loud is where they find their voice, an audience and confidence; many going on to other achievements.

If you think this idea is worthwhile and deserves support, please vote here to back our project – and share it wherever you can on social media to spread the word!