31st Annual Poetry Marathon & Benefit
Sat. & Sun., Jan. 25 & 26 | 10 am-10 pm
HYBRID In person and livestreaming via Crowdcast
@ SAINT KATE – The Arts Hotel | 139 E Kilbourn Ave, Milwaukee
POET REGISTRATION OPENS OCTOBER 5
After four years of unforgettable online Marathons, we are overjoyed to announce our first-ever hybrid Poetry Marathon. As implied, this year’s Marathon will combine the best aspects of previous in-person and virtual iterations, bringing back the (figurative) electricity of live, in-person performances while continuing to hold space for poets from the far reaches of our national and international communities.
The event will take place in Milwaukee—at Saint Kate, the Arts Hotel—over the course of two days and 24 hours, and will feature not only hundreds of poets from our city, region, and beyond, but also live musical performances, screenings of moving-image works, and various surprises. Performances will take place before a live audience, and will also be livestreamed via Crowdcast.
And while there won’t be the potlucks of yore, there will indeed be refreshments courtesy of Saint Kate, which as generously donated The Arc Theater for this year's event. What’s more, the hotel has offered us a block of 50 discounted rooms ($149 per night) for those traveling from out of town!
Poets—be sure to register early, not only to ensure your spot but also the day and time you prefer! While a majority of time slots will be held for in-person participants, there will also be opportunities to take part virtually for immuno-compromised and disabled poets, as well as for those too distant to join us at Saint Kate.
In addition to being an extraordinary event and a beloved tradition for poets of all ages, the Poetry Marathon serves as a community-driven fundraiser. All participating poets are asked to attempt to raise funds among family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc., and/or via social media, with a goal of $50 on each reader’s behalf. Those contributions are then matched by a sponsor for the hour and supplemented by major sponsorships. Thanks to our community, funds raised through the Marathon each January have kept Woodland Pattern going strong for decades, providing fuel for all our programmatic activities in the year ahead.
REGISTER TO READ: Registration opens for all poets on Saturday, October 5, 2024. See details below!
SPONSOR A POET: Click on the link below or give us a call to sponsor a reader. You can make your donation on the behalf of a particular poet, or if you’re unsure who to sponsor, consider a “Pledge a Reader” donation. Money received through these donations will go directly to a poet who is unable to meet the $50 pledge goal. This is a great way to support Woodland Pattern and a poet—win-win!
SPONSOR AN HOUR: If you would like to sponsor an hour of the Marathon, please see our program schedule below to select an hour in need of sponsorship. To complete your sponsorship, you can click the link below to complete your pledge online—making sure to note the hour you prefer as you complete the transaction. Or, you can also email or call us and let us know what hour you would like to sponsor and make your gift over the phone or send a check by mail.
BECOME A MAJOR SPONSOR: In addition to hour sponsorships, the Marathon is supported by major sponsors at premier and presenting levels. Premier levels include sponsorships that cover either a 3-4 hour segment (Ode) or one of the two days of the event (Sonnet), while presenting-level sponsorships (Canto and Epic) support the entire event, start to finish. To learn more, please click below to download our Sponsorship Packet, or call the center and ask for Executive Directors Jenny Gropp and Laura Solomon. You can also send an email inquiry through the link below.
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
NEW LIVE COMMUNITY HOUR SLOTS AVAILABLE—Saturday from 5 to 6 PM!
General registration is nearly full, but cancellations always occur. If you want to participate in the Marathon and have not yet registered, please do not hesitate to sign up for the waitlist for your preferred hour. We will contact you if we're able to fit you in.
If you have been invited to take part in a curated hour, please be sure to sign up before December 15.
In-Person Participants: The deadline to register to join us in person is Sunday, December 15, 2024.
Virtual participants must register by Friday, November 22, with submissions materials—5 minute video of your reading, along with text document of your poems for captioning—due Sunday, December 1, 2024. (Check back soon for a link to submit materials.)
General vs. Curated Hours: If you have been invited to join a curated hour, click on the curated hours link to register. Otherwise, click the link for general registration to select the day and hour of your performance.
Waitlist: As hours fill, they will be marked "full–waitlist only." However, you can still add your name to the waitlist. If a spot opens in your preferred hour (or any other hour), we will let you know!
Youth Poets: If you are under 18 and would like to participate in the Youth hour, please call us at 414-263-5001 and ask to speak to Alexa Nutile or Antonio Vargas-Nieto.
FAQs for POETS
Q: I've participated in the virtual or in-person Marathon before—how will the hybrid Marathon be different?
A: This year, most hours of the Marathon will take place live, in-person at Saint Kate, with a few hours that will feature pre-recorded performances. All hours will be livestreamed. For participating poets, one key difference is that you will need to choose a specific day and time to read.
Q: Do I have to register online?
A: No, you can also give us a call at 414-263-5001 and we can assist you.
Q: Does it cost $50 to read?
A: No, the $50 pledge is not an entry fee, but a fundraising goal. Like runners participating in a Marathon or 5k run that benefits a cause, poets are asked to try to find people who will sponsor their participation in the Poetry Marathon and help them meet their fundraising goal. By asking people to sponsor you, you also help us spread the word about the Marathon and your performance in it!
Q: I'm not sure if I can raise $50. What if I can't meet the pledge goal?
A: Click here for a list of fundraising strategies that have been successful for other participating poets in the past. In our experience, most of the time poets are able to find donations to help them meet the minimum pledge goal. However, if you try and just aren't able, you will not be turned away!
Q: I'm participating in person—what time should I show up for my performance?
A: Poets who are participating live should arrive at Saint Kate at least one hour in advance of the hour they are reading in. Upon arrival, you will need to check in at the registration table.
Q: I'm participating virtually—how do I send Woodland Pattern my video?
A: After you've registered, you will receive instructions for uploading your video via Submittable. Click here to submit your materials. You'll also be asked to provide the text to your poems for closed captioning purposes.
Q: Can my performance go over 5 minutes?
A: As always, each poet participating in the Marathon is asked to limit their performance to five minutes. Part of what makes the Marathon so special is the equality of time and attention afforded each participant and the variety of poets who appear side by side. Keeping your performance to five minutes ensures that everyone's voice is heard.
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
After registration closes, check back to find out who will be performing in each hour. Note to participating poets—hours marked as "Community" are available for general registration.
Saturday, January 25th
10 am–11 am: COMMUNITY HOUR (LIVE)
11 am–12 pm: COMMUNITY HOUR (LIVE)
12 pm–1 pm: YOUTH HOUR (LIVE)
—Intermission (1–2 pm)—
2 pm–3 pm: VETERANS FOR PEACE (LIVE)—CURATED BY BOB HANSON
3 pm–4 pm: WISCONSIN FELLOWSHIP OF POETS (LIVE)—CURATED BY ED WERSTEIN
4 pm–5 pm: WISCONSIN POET LAUREATE COMMISSION (LIVE)—CURATED BY ANGIE TRUDELL VASQUEZ
5 pm–6 pm: MILWAUKEE EMERGING POETS HOUR (LIVE)—CURATED BY BEN BINVERSIE & TASNEEM JASSAR
—Intermission (6–7 pm)—
7 pm–8 pm: LATINX HOUR (HYBRID)—CURATED BY BRENDA CÁRDENAS & ROBERTO HARRISON
8 pm–9 pm: COMMUNITY HOUR (LIVE)
9 pm–10 pm: COMMUNITY HOUR (LIVE)
SPONSOR AN HOUR: If you would like to sponsor an hour of the Marathon, please see our program schedule to select an hour in need of sponsorship. To complete your sponsorship, you can click the link below to complete your pledge online—making sure to note the hour you prefer as you complete the transaction. Or, you can also email or call us and let us know what hour you would like to sponsor and make your gift over the phone or send a check by mail.
Sunday, January 26th
10 am–11 am: WEDNESDAY WRITERS (HYBRID)
11 am–11:30 am: RACINE/KENOSHA POETS (HYBRID)—CURATED BY STEPHEN KALMAR II
11:30 am–12 pm: COMMUNITY HOUR (LIVE)
12 pm–1 pm: COMMUNITY HOUR (LIVE)
—Intermission (1–2 pm)—
2 pm-3 pm: COMMUNITY HOUR (VIRTUAL)
3 pm–4 pm: COMMUNITY HOUR (LIVE)
4 pm–5 pm: OXEYE PRESS (LIVE)—CURATED BY JORDAN DUNN
5 pm–5:30 pm: ADJUNCT PRESS (LIVE)—CURATED BY JONNY LOHR & ALICE LADRICK
5:30 pm–6 pm: PALM READINGS (LIVE)—CURATED BY ANTONIO VARGAS-NIETO
—Intermission (6–7 pm)—
7 pm: GENRE: URBAN ARTS (LIVE)—CURATED BY NAKEYSHA ROBERTS WASHINGTON
8 pm–9 pm: MOODY THE ZINE (LIVE)—CURATED BY MELISSA MURSCH-RODRIGUEZ
9 pm–9:30 pm: WYRD (LIVE)—CURATED BY KC HARRISON
9:30 pm–10 pm: FOOD FOR THOUGHT (LIVE)—CURATED BY KATHRINE YETS
SPONSOR A POET: Click on the link below or give us a call to sponsor a reader. You can make your donation on the behalf of a particular poet, or if you’re unsure who to sponsor, consider a “Pledge a Reader” donation. Money received through these donations will go directly to a poet who is unable to meet the $50 pledge goal. This is a great way to support Woodland Pattern and a poet—win-win!
Questions?
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720 E. Locust Street
Milwaukee, WI 53212
Phone: 414 263 5001
Hours: Tues–Sun | 12-7 pm
Closed Mon
Building Accessibility: Despite the age of our physical location, and attendant limitations to access, Woodland Pattern is committed to making its programs and facilities available for as many as possible. Please call for more information.
Events Accessibility: Woodland Pattern is able to offer captioning services for its online events and with advanced notice can provide ASL interpretation for live events. Please contact us with accommodation requests and questions.
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