Poetry matters because you do! Support Tupelo today!

Allison Baldwin is a poet with a disability based in New Jersey. She holds an MFA in Poetry and Poetic Medicine from Dominican University of California and her work has been published in print and online, most recently in the Disability issue of Feels Zine and HNDL Mag. She is a columnist for The Poetry Lab and a reader for Only Poems Magazine.

Hello Beloved Friends and Community Partners,

This month I'm writing 30 fresh, never before seen poems in an effort to help raise funds for Tupelo Press! Think of it like National Poetry Month, but in August. The best part of the whole experience: you, my supporters, will get the first look at these new drafts. You, my friends, family, and social networks will get to see these before any literary journal or editorial team!

My goal is to raise $350, and any amount helps, even a dollar or two.

Tupelo Press is providing the platform. I'm sharing the words. And I'm not alone. Along with a cohort of seven other poets, we are working to bring poetry hot off the proverbial press and directly to readers. Poetry matters and we have an opportunity to keep writing it, reading it, and sharing it together. When the month ends, the 30/30 poets are free to edit and submit our poems anywhere we see fit. 30/30 poems have been accepted by over 200 journals and featured in over 40 published chapbooks.

I've been developing my poetic voice, and practice, which includes using tools like tarot and oracle cards, found poetry, ekphrasis and erasure, and writing directly from my experiences as a person with a disability, since I was twelve years old. That said, I know first-hand that poetry matters now and that sometimes the publishing process can take longer than any of us wishes, the presses we publish with included.

I'm writing with Tupelo this month because there's no wait time. I have an opportunity to get my work to readers immediately; plus offer a behind-the-scenes look at my creative process and some of the thoughts that went into the writing of each draft.

I'm excited to be one of the many diverse voices that Tupelo publishes through 30/30 this month. I know that, together, we can sustain Tupelo's mission of publishing necessary books written by voices that might otherwise not be heard. We need to use our voices more than ever. Don't stay silent. Write poetry, read poetry, share poetry and please support me as I write for a good cause and learn about fundraising for a nonprofit.

I began writing poetry because when I needed help, when I needed a reminder that my voice was worth raising, it was a poet's words that helped me remember. Some of the poets who have influenced me, and continue to shape me, are Glenis Redmond, Joy Harjo, Natalie Diaz, Lucille Clifton, Geffrey Davis, and Clint Smith.

I've studied under poets Glenis Redmond, Judy Halebsky, Joan Baranow, Raina Leon, Dean Rader, Krissy Kludt, and J. Drew Lanham, as well as novelist Kim Culbertson, and participated in and facilitated a variety of poetry workshops and open mics.

I'm not where my mentors are yet, but I hope to be someday. I know that my words can help someone now. I hope that someone is you.

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey. I look forward to sharing my words with you!

Sending you lots of love.

Allison

P.S. My dog Skylar is the official mascot of my 30/30 fundraiser. She says, "Poetry about dogs is the best!"