2010 Split This Rock Poetry Festival in D.C.

MARCH 10-13, Washington, D.C. will host the Split This Rock Poetry Festival, which brings together poets and activists to speak out on the latest issues facing our nation.  This year, there's a lot to discuss with two wars, an economic crisis, and more.

The festival features readings, workshops, panel discussions, and other activities and it is a mix of performance, poetry, and film.  I've never been to this event, but this year I received a scholarship to cover the registration cost of $75, which is the early bird price through Feb. 20, 2010.  So if you'd like to go, register TODAY!

For information about the scholarships, go here.

Check out the schedule, which is being updated regularly.

I'm really looking forward to these panels:

1. The Public Role of Poetry: How to Build a Poetry Reading
2. The Care and Feeding of the Rural/Small Town Poet-Activist
3. Women & War/Women & Peace: International Voices
4. Warriors Writing: Teaching Creative Writing to War Veterans
5. The Peace Shelves: Essential Books and Poems for the 21st Century (which features my Suffolk University Advisor Fred Marchant; He now directs the Poetry Center, which emerged after I graduated from undergrad)
6. Cross-Discipline Collaboration: How Writers and Artists are Working Together to Push Boundaries and Engage the Public
7. Giving Voice to the Silence/d
8. What Makes Effective Political Poetry? - Editors' Perspectives
9. Split This Rock Panel
10. The Poet as Historian in the 21st Century: A Rare Opportunity in Difficult Times
11. Fatty Girls, Imaginary Cocks, and Vaginas Built Like Bookstores: A Workshop on Writing the Activist Body

I probably won't get to all of these panels since some of the times overlap, but you can bet I'll be blogging about the festival and showing you some great photos.

Did I forget to mention that Bruce Weigel will be reading.  There are individual reading tickets available for $8 as well, so even if you want to just attend a reading, you can!

This also marks the first time I will be visiting the U Street Neighborhood and its cool venues.  One of those venues is Busboys and Poets, which I've been dying to get to!  Thankfully, there is a great list of venues and directions on the festival Website.

OK, I've left out the best part of the festival -- besides the panels and the readings -- THE BOOK FAIR!  Not that I need more books, but it will be good to check out new-to-me poets and their books, and maybe break that book-buying ban!

Now, I don't consider myself an activist poet, but I've always admired their work and would love to take this opportunity to learn more about them.  I hope some of you in the D.C. area will join me.  It's bound to be a lot of fun, and there is an end-of-festival party!

What panels would you like from the list?  Which ones do you think I should attend?