Hello, we’re Spork! Poetry CIC
As an organisation, we put on fun, fabulous and accessible spoken-word poetry events around Exeter, and beyond, including workshops and a programme of artist support. In the last 5 years we’ve put on over 60 events, from Haiku slams to poetry picnics. We’ve programmed drag queens, brass bands, and some of the best performance poets around, from John Hegley to Vanessa Kissule, as well as hundreds of local and emerging artists from across the South West.
Usually, we’re funded by project grants from Arts Council England, but with funding growing scarcer and more competitive, we struggled to find funding earlier this year. So, we’ve decided to launch a good old fashioned crowdfunder.
Over the next 6 months, we want to:
● Make sure our 3 planned events at Exeter Phoenix are amazing and affordable; with a summer special in August, a Halloween spooktacular featuring Rick Dove and a Dead Poets Slam, and our 4th annual Christmas show featuring poetry alongside comedy and live music.
● Deliver a FREE workshop and slam competition for young people in Exeter, with the winner receiving a paid slot at our Christmas Special
● Pay a Producer for the time it takes to write a funding bid, so that we can ensure Spork!’s survival, and do even more in 2024
In return, we’ve got an exciting array of rewards, including some Spork! branded badges and mugs, tickets to live events, and personalised poems from Ed Tripp and Harula Ladd.
Anything we make beyond our £2,000 target will go into our planned activities for this year and beyond. We’re a not-for-profit organisation, and for the next 6 months none of our event organisers will be paid for their time. Our team currently consists of Spork! Founder Chris White, local poets Ed Tripp, Harula Ladd and Ceri Baker, local Producer Jessamie Edkins O’Brien, and our fabulous photographer Martin Niebroj
Anything you can give will help us keep poetry alive in Exeter!
