DC Youth Slam Team

10/05/2023

Are you under 25 and near DC? Join our writing community and wield the magic of words! Come explore the power and possibility of poetry with teaching artists extraordinaire Kenny Carroll, Lauren May, Alexa Patrick, Brandon Douglas & Ayinde Sekou Grimes.

Free refreshments and masks provided. Workshops are free and will be held at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, American Poetry Museum, and Split This Rock's office off Dupont Circle. Check the schedule to figure out which workshops work best for you and come ready to write!

For more information, visit Split This Rock’s website: https://bit.ly/3OeyldW

Image Description: Over a background with earth-toned rainbow rays branching out from the center, a beige doorway shape contains Split This Rock's red logo and the following text: "Youth Writing Workshops. Join our writing community and wield the magic of words! Come explore the power and possibility of poetry with us. Free refreshments and masks provided. With Teaching Artists Kenny Carroll, Lauren May, Alexa Patrick, Brandon Douglas & Ayinde Sekou Grimes. Join free monthly workshops at Martin Luther King Jr. Library, American Poetry Museum, and Split This Rock's office at Dupont Circle.” Underneath the text, there is a URL: splitthisrockorg. Sparkles surround the text on the graphic.

07/28/2022

Camisha Jones, Managing Director of Split This Rock, will transition out of the organization in August. From being a marvelous mind behind our literary programs to introducing and instilling key disability justice practices in the organization, Split This Rock is and will continue long into the future to be indebted to the work of the wonderful poet, organizer, curator, and human that is Camisha Jones. Read the full announcement from Camisha and the Board of Directors at Split This Rock’s website: https://bit.ly/3PHoiML

Image Description: Split This Rock’s red logo is centered at the top of a graphic with a black background. Between two gray lines there is bold white text that says “Important Announcement from Camisha Jones, Managing Director" next to an image of Camisha. Camisha smiles while sitting outside in a park. She has brown skin and her hair is styled in two-strand twists. She wears glasses, dangling earrings decorated with jewel-toned stones, a necklace, and a v-neck purple dress.

06/30/2022

Split This Rock will return from fallow season tomorrow, July 1! Throughout all of Split This Rock’s nearly 15 years of work, we have been constantly affirmed that poets are at the forefront of responding to cultural crisis – providing possibilities and ways forward, opening perspective and conversation, and inviting us all deeper into the ongoing work of liberation. Toni Cade Bambara says it best: “The role of the artist is to make revolution irresistible.” We’re excited to get back to uplifting poets and poetry that make revolution irresistible, and to sharing that work with our community as we re-engage with refreshed programs.

To kick off our return, the Poem of the Week Series will return to your inboxes tomorrow, Friday, July 1! Be sure to sign up for the newsletter today at Split This Rock’s website so you don’t miss this week’s poem: https://bit.ly/3OEBcKu

Newly Available: We also released the captioned recording of "'The future lives in our bodies:' A Disability Justice & Poetry Virtual Roundtable" featuring Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Naomi Ortiz & Meg Day! If a poem would support your organizing, protesting, grieving, and healing, be sure to check out the curated top poems from the disability community and the special offering of poems in support of reproductive justice and solidarity work. Learn more about these offerings at Split This Rock’s website: https://bit.ly/3bGX75O

Image Description: Split This Rock’s red logo appears over a white square background. Beneath is bold black text with a yellow outline that says “Fallow Season Ends June 30.” Under this text is an illustration of a yellow-orange sun rising from green fields under a light blue sky. Three yellow dots surround the illustration. A URL appears in the lower left-hand corner: splitthisrock.org.

05/19/2022

Announcing Disability Community Top Poems!
Visit The Quarry: A Social Justice Poetry Database to explore a special collection of poems readers have turned to most by poets within the disability community on the body, disability, and community. These are poems that honor humanity’s beautifully diverse spectrum of ability and being, expose the harm of ableism & oppression, and present urgent demands for cultural transformation. Read, listen to, and amplify the full collection of poems via Split This Rock’s website: https://bit.ly/3N9SUVC

Featured poets include George Abraham, Sheila Black, Ching-In Chen, Peter Cook and Kenny Lerner, Meg Day, Shira Erhlichman, Amanda Gorman, torrin a. greathouse, Tara Hardy, Camisha Jones, Jasminne Mendez, Emily Michael, Noor Ibn Najam, Naomi Ortiz, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Amir Rabiyah, Nathan Spoon, Margo Tamez, Malik Thompson, and Kathi Wolfe.

This collection is being presented in support of this year’s Poetry Coalition theme, “‘The future lives in our bodies’: Poetry & Disability Justice.” The line “The future lives in our bodies” is from the poem “Femme Futures” by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha. The Poetry Coalition is a national alliance of nearly 30 independent poetry organizations (including Split This Rock) that are dedicated to working together to promote the value poets bring to our culture and the important contribution poetry makes in the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds.

ACCESSIBILITY: All poems include text, image descriptions for author photos, and audio or video of the poems.



Image Description: Split This Rock’s red logo is aligned to the left with white text in a solid black box under it that says "Disability Community Top Poems." Collaged photos in square frames of the 20 images of the featured poets surround the text. From left to right in the top row are photos of Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, George Abraham, Amanda Gorman, Kathi Wolfe, and Shira Erhlichman. From left to right in the second row is Margo Tamez, Emily Michael, Tara Hardy, and Meg Day. From left to right in the third row is Peter Cook and Kenny Lerner, Noor Ibn Najam, Jasminne Mendez, Naomi Ortiz, and Camisha Jones. From left to right in the bottom row is Nathan Spoon, Sheila Black, Amir Rabiyah, torrin a. greathouse, Malik Thompson, and Ching-In Chen.

05/18/2022

Save the Date! Gather virtually with us for “The future lives in our bodies”: A Disability Justice & Poetry Roundtable on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, 6:30-8 pm ET!

The free roundtable discussion on disability justice in the poetry world will explore what's most at stake, what's most cherished, and ideas on the way forward. Featured poets will include Naomi Ortiz, Meg Day, and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha. Camisha Jones will serve as moderator. Learn more about the poets and Split This Rock’s offerings in support of this year’s Poetry Coalition theme at Split This Rock’s website: https://bit.ly/3lcBZpz

Tune in to the live-streamed roundtable discussion on Split This Rock's YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/3PsC5ao
You can turn on a reminder to receive a notification through YouTube when the event is about to start.

ACCESSIBILITY: ASL interpretation and CART service will be available. To request other accommodations, please send an email to [email protected]. Emails received by May 24 will give us our best opportunity to fulfill requests. After the conversation is live-streamed, a captioned recording will be prepared and available via YouTube.



Image Description: On the left, green and white text reads "The Poetry Coalition 2022 Programming. The future lives in our bodies: Poetry & Disability Justice. Join us or follow along: .” On the right, there are collaged photos of featured poets Meg Day, Naomi Ortiz, Leah Laksmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, and moderator Camisha Jones.

03/31/2022

Important Update from Split This Rock!

Important Update: Split This Rock's fallow season will continue until June 30, 2022.

Programs and publication will remain on pause while staff and board make plans to transition out of fallow season, refine program offerings, and continue to expand the organization’s capacity and strengthen its internal systems. Program start dates will be announced over the next few months.

Read more about this decision and check out a video update from staff at Split This Rock’s website: https://bit.ly/FallowSeasonUpdate

Image Description: Split This Rock’s red logo appears over a white square background. Beneath is bold black text with a yellow outline that says “Fallow Season Update.” Under this text is an illustration of a yellow-orange sun rising from green fields under a light blue sky. Three yellow dots surround the illustration. A URL appears in the lower left-hand corner: splitthisrock.org.

10/29/2021

Greetings from Fallow Season! Check out Split This Rock's latest newsletter for updates & celebrations, including our 2021 Best of the Net nominations and an invitation to let us know about your new books. Read more at: ow.ly/GZjH50GBqKr

Image Description: Black header text reads "Greetings from Fallow Season July 1, 2021 through April 1, 2022." Words hover over and above an illustration of a yellow sun rising from green fields under a blue sky. Three yellow dots surround the illustration.

06/30/2021

Split This Rock's fallow season begins tomorrow, July 1!
Learn more about the inspiration, projects & goals for fallow season & explore responses to frequently asked questions at Split This Rock's website: https://bit.ly/FallowSeason1

06/29/2021

Split This Rock's fallow season starts Thursday, July 1!

Though programs and external collaborations will be on pause, we’re eager to continue engaging with you. Learn more about the season's goals and how you can be involved at Split This Rock's website: https://bit.ly/FallowSeasonAnnouncement

06/25/2021

While Split This Rock is in a fallow season, check out The Quarry: A Social Justice Poetry Database: https://www.splitthisrock.org/poetry-database

Learn more about The Quarry in the post below.

While Split This Rock is in a fallow season, check out The Quarry: A Social Justice Poetry Database!

The Quarry is a free online resource at Split This Rock’s website filled with over 600 poems by a diverse array of contemporary socially engaged poets. The database is searchable and you can filter by social justice theme, poet identity, geography, format, and more. Split This Rock welcomes educators, organizers, poets, and everyone to explore The Quarry and share its poems widely with credit. Visit The Quarry at Split This Rock’s website: splitthisrock.org/poetry-database

Split This Rock is entering a fallow season beginning July 1, 2021 & ending April 1, 2022. Learn more about Split This Rock's fallow season and how you can be involved at Split This Rock's website: https://bit.ly/FallowSeasonAnnouncement

Image Description: Split This Rock logo over text that says: "Split This Rock presents The Quarry: A Social Justice Poetry Database." Underneath is a list of info included in this post. Beside each item is a box with a red check mark in it. The Quarry URL is at the bottom.

06/25/2021

Split This Rock's last Poem of the Week of 2021 is "Stone" by Aideed Medina!

CN: refers to imperialism & military occupation

I make my own heaven. I drag it out of the streets, and inhospitable terrains.

The last Poem of the Week of 2021 is “Stone” by Aideed Medina. This poem is available in audio and text format at The Quarry, Split This Rock's online social justice poetry database: https://bit.ly/3hOxvF2

Aideed Medina invites people to support the REFORMA Children in Crisis (CIC) project. The REFORMA Children in Crisis project has been addressing the needs of asylum seeking children arriving at our borders since 2014 when Oralia Garza de Cortes and Lucia Gonzalez founded the group. Learn more at their website: https://refugeechildren.wixsite.com/refugee-children

Read this last Poem of the Week newsletter of 2021, including information on Split This Rock’s upcoming fallow season (July 1, 2021-April 1, 2022) at: https://bit.ly/3h3oHsN

Be sure to sign up for our email list to receive updates during fallow season: https://bit.ly/3vSRR3p

Image Description: Split This Rock Poem of the Week graphic which includes the poem title, author, and excerpt with a black and white photo of Aideed Medina in a circular frame. Aideed Medina appears against a background of framed art and photos; she wears a white flower in her hair and wears a dress with a flower pattern. Aideed tells us the picture captures her "ready for virtual quarantine poetry reading in flor y canto regalia flowers Zoom Room Bloom."

06/24/2021

IMPORTANT NEWS: Split This Rock is entering a fallow season beginning July 1, 2021 and ending April 1, 2022.

Learn more in the post below, or by visiting Split This Rock's website: https://bit.ly/FallowSeasonAnnouncement