Keep small press publication alive and well!

About Me:

ellie swensson is a queer southern ex-pat currently writing poems in denver, CO. she earned her MFA from Naropa in 2015 and is the founder and co-director of Bolder Writers Warehouse, a mobile writers' community resource. she has over 5 years of curation experience including the reading series Bouldering Poets, collaborations with the City of Boulder's Office and Art + Culture and the Jaipur Literature Festival, community workshops, independent book releases, and more. swensson is a firm believer that poetics is what occurs where eros, divinity, activism, and careful craft intersect. her poems are published in a handful of places you may know, but she prefers her words alive in the mouth and the body.

About the Project:

For 2019 I am dedicating renewed energy to supporting small presses, connecting literary communities, and growing my own writing practice. Tupelo Press' 30/30 Project is a great way to celebrate all three of these initiatives, and I'd love for you to join me!

Starting on January 1st, I will write one poem every day for publication of Tupelo's website. These poems will all be original work and every piece will be crafted in a 24 hour time frame. I am asking my friends, family, and writing comrades to sponsor me during this month of continuous creativity. I am donating my time and my words to this project in the hopes that my work can inspire others to donate much needed funds for Tupelo to continue their work of small press publishing, hosting conferences, and providing education and outreach through their Teen Writing Center. I am asking y'all to support this project because I believe in Tupelo and the work they are getting out into the world -- they are publishing the kind of diverse, challenging, urgent, and inspired poetry that I long to see more of, and I want to do what I can to keep this press thriving for years to come.

My goal is raise about $17/day for Tupelo, and you can support me in a few different ways:

1. Donate what you can on this fundraising page. If you are already a poetry lover and have the means, I encourage you to look at Tupelo's current offerings and consider subscribing to the press. Subscriptions start at $66 which includes 7 fresh poetry books delivered to your door (no shipping cost) throughout the coming year.
2. Share my poems as they are published on the Tupelo site to increase visibility. Repost them on Facebook, screenshot your favorite line for Instagram, forward the link in an email, print 'em and collage 'em and mail 'em to strangers. I love seeing how my words can evolve and take on new life beyond my work.
3. Visit the other January contributing poets' pages and discover some new voices. Share their work, too!
4. Offer me some words of encouragement to me along the way. Writing a publication-ready poem every day is going to take some serious focus, and having y'all in my corner for the journey will be a game changer.

This is an incredible opportunity to start 2019 off right and truly make a difference in the poetry scene. Thank you so much for your support!