The Poets' Asylum has always counted on contributions from the audience and wider poetry community to help the Slam team take part in the events of the greater Slam community. In 2007 we began an effort to spread our fundraising efforts over the year so that we don't bore everyone to tears with our begging in May, June and July.
We are very pleased to have Cyndi Keeley working as the fund raising coordinator. Please contact her at fundraising @ poetsasylum.org if you have any questions, need fund raising sheets, want to donate to the art sale or auction, or have a great fund raising idea.
| June 14th Yard Sale | June 15th Asylum Auction | Make a Donation | Past Fundraising |
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As part of our fundraising efforts for this year we will hold Yard Sale on Saturday June, 14th. The yard sale will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. outside The Q Cafe (362 Chandler Steet, Worcester, MA). Expect a wide variety of stuff such as books, DVDs, stuffed animals, small appliances and more. Come browse the goods and maybe you'll find a gem you can't live without.
We are seeking donations of good condition items for both the yard sale and auction. Please drop an e-mail to host @ poetsasylum.org to reach Dave, Liz or Cyndi to arrange a drop off time.
It's time once again for the annual Asylum Auction!!! We'll hold the
auction as part of the weekly reading on Sunday, June 15th at The Q Cafe
(362 Chandler Street, Worcester). We'll have an extended open mic with a bit
of auction action thrown in for fun.
This is our big event to raise the money needed to get the Slam team to Nationals. Nationals are in Madison, WI and our expenses include registrations, airfare, and lodging for the team and coach. All told we expect to need over $3000 this year.
The auction is made possible by donations from the poetry community of everyday items that are in good shape plus the occasional interesting item such as the Sylvia Plath EasyBake Oven. If you have good or interesting items you'd like to donation to the Auction plea se send an e-mail to fundraising @ poetsasylum.org with the details.
Tax-deductible donation to the Poets' Asylum can be made through the generous support of the Worcester County Poetry Association. Please make your check out to the Worcester County Poetry Association and write "for the Poets' Asylum" in the memo field. You can hand your check over to Cythia Keeley or Bob Gill or you can mail it to the WCPA, 1 Ekman Street, Worcester, MA 01607.
The Worcester County
Poetry Association is a 501c3 non-profit organization whose mission is to
promote the writing arts. Founded in 1971 to provide a forum for local poets,
students, and others to celebrate the rich literary history of Central
Massachusetts, the WCPA sponsors readings, workshops, and other activities
involving both local and nationally known poets and writers.
04/05/2008 - 24 Hour Reading
Bill MacMillan undertook a 24-hour poetry feature starting Saturday, April 5th at 8:00 p.m. Bill read poetry, his own work and covers, over the following 24 hours, wrapping up as the weekly Asylum open reading gets underway on Sunday the 6th. The Q Cafe generously agreed to stay open all night long so that Bill could undertake this endeavour.
Thanks to the generousity of all involved we raised over $700 in support of the 2008 Worcester Slam Team at this event.
Bill took part in a coordinated national movement to have 24-hour readings across the country happening at the same time. Mad props and credit to Scott Woods for pioneering this national event.
12/02/2007 - Crafts Bizarre
On December 2, 2007 we ran a craft fair to benefit the Poets' Asylum. Area crafters were invited to rent a table, display their crafts and sell to their hearts content. The Asylum raised money through the rental of space allowing the crafters to keep their profits as their your own. The event was held at the Java Hut (1073A Main Street, Worcester) and rUn from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
A half dozen crafters participated with varying results. We feel that bad weather kept many folks from coming out. The Asylum made $195 from the event and we thank all the participants for their support.
We may try this one again. If you are interested drop us a note and we'll discuss it with you.
December '07 - Art Sale
During the month of December '07 the Java Hut agreed to allow the Poets' Asylum to run a month long Art Sale. Instead of a single artists work appearing on the walls the Asylum collected donated art work from a variety of artists. Asylum regulars and Java Hut patrons were able to browse the collection at the Java Hut, purchase a piece of art and take it home with them.
The Java Hut closing threw a wrench into this plan. We did manage to sell a few pieces however, raising $215 for the Poets' Asylum. Our thanks to the artists who donated their work to our abbreiviated show.
Early 2007
In support of the 2007 Worcester Slam team the Poets' Asylum produced an anthology, held our first ever Art Sale & Silent Auction and held the annual Asylum Auction. All together we raised over $3500 to cover the expenses of sending the team to Nationals in Austin, TX. Additional info about our 2007 Fundraising efforts is available if you are interested.