As many of you know, I have worked over the years to help promote not only poetry but poets and other creative individuals (actors, musicians, artists, students). I have done this through my web site, through performances and events which I have organized and produced as well as through readings and other events which I have instigated over the years. Some of these include:
- The annual 30 for 30 poetry challenge, held each year in April during National Poetry Month, in which I host poets from all over the country and from all over the word. Thank you to the hundreds of individuals who have participated.
- The COVID 19 Project in which I hosted poets and visual artists responding to the pandemic and which we used to raise money for a local food bank. Thank you to the poets and artists who participated and to DCTrending.com (Cecilia Mencia and Norah Vawter_ for featuring us).
- Performance pieces such as cloudism and Music for Mummies, performed at the now-defunct Soundry and at the Capital Fringe Fest (Thank you Graham Pilato, Allison Clapp Fuentes and Tina Hughes. Thank you also Steven Allen May)
- Cloudism: The Exhibit at the Waddell Gallery at Northern Virginia Community College in which the exhibit was whatever you wanted it to be and, as a result, changed from day to day. This involved artists such as Ceci Cole Mcinturff, Matt Pinney and others. Thank you all.
- Collaborations such as Springtime in Winter in which we brought together poets, artists,
composers and high school musicians. This was done in collaboration with Reston Art Gallery and Studios (thank you Pat MacIntyre), Herndon High School (thank you Bette Gawinski) and George Mason University (thank you Jesse Guessford). Local composer and musician Brain Scarbrough also participated (thank you Brian) and we ended up with a book of poetry and artwork as well as a CD of the original music performed by our student musicians. This was a great opportunity for our high school students. - A poetry contest at Herndon Middle School in which the winners were featured on Hotline with Dennis Price on Fairfax Public Radio (thank you Dennis).
- Peace and Identify, a collaboration with Antonella Manganelli ,which featured artists from the Reston League of Artists, poets from the Poetry Society of Virginia and, again, high school students and budding musicians. Thank you all.
- A collaboration with the Reston Chorale which featured poets from the Poetry Society of Virginia.
The list goes on. I have had judges who have judged my 30 for 30 and Potomac Review has been kind enough to donate a free subscription each year to the individual chosen as the winner (thank you John Wang).
All of this was made possible by the generous participation of all involved, none of whom got paid and none of whom expected compensation. Nonetheless, my guilt abounds (12 years of Catholic school?), and creators of all stripes need to get paid and make a living.
Therefore, I have created two fundraising mechanisms and ask for your kind generosity to support:
- A GoFundMe Page (https://gofund.me/b9f11e46) in which you can make a one-time contribution
and
- A Patreon Page (patreon.com/mikemaggio) in which you can become a patron and commit on a monthly basis.
The money raised will be used to help maintain my web site, so that I can continue showcasing poets, as well as for upcoming performances and events, such as “La Guerra è Pace/La Guerra e Pace,” a performance piece I am putting together for an event in Naples, Italy this September. I want to recruit poets and performers and to be able to pay them.
If you can contribute, I will be eternally grateful. If you cannot (and I know many of you cannot) I would be eternally grateful if you would share this appeal with your networks.
Thank you, again, for taking the time to read this and for all the support you have given me over the years.
Best wishes,
Mike
