The Raven Write-a-thon event is April 8, but the month leading up to the event — that’s now! — is where the fundraising action is. Eleven people have signed up and helped us reach 26% of our goal in the first week. One of our top fundraisers is based in Juneau, not Anchorage, but she’s leading the pack! Truly fantastic.
I’m posting on a Saturday to urge you to become a participant. Your top reason for not doing so may be the idea that it’s tricky to sign up (click here to start and youll see how easy it is). Or maybe you’re thinking it will be tricky to get people to pledge you. Several of us found out, this week, how easy it can be. By posting a link at Facebook, I’ve received a few pledges from strangers or distant acquaintances– and now I’m nearly to my personal fundraising goal. How surprising is that? The cause speaks for itself. Sign up, share what you’re doing via email, FB, word-of-mouth, or telepathy (well, maybe not that), and then see what happens. It’s one of the easiest things you’ll do this week to help give our literary community a helpful nudge.
Here are ten additional reasons — besides the ‘easy’ (and happy) factor — to take part:
1. To aid and celebrate your writerly self-discipline. On the event day itself, you’ll set aside five hours with your laptop or notepad, no email, no one telling you to the dishes, fellow writers cheering your efforts, community recognition for what you need to do to make the writing happen. Take part in a festive group setting at Snow City café, create your own satellite write-a-thon, or go it alone – but in either case, mark the day and take part.
2. To raise money for 49 Writers and the 49 Alaska Writing Center. Yes, we need money to support our upcoming events, classes, the blog, and more. This is our big April push. If we raise enough, we can spend more of the rest of the year on non-fundraising tasks. Wouldn’t that be great?
3. Because it’s worked elsewhere. In San Diego, the 2nd Annual Blazing Laptops event involved 40 writers and raised $17,000, while fostering a better sense of literary community. Wow.
4. Because some of the money will be going to develop youth programming: a new program called Raven Words, in partnership with the Alaska Writing Consortium. Kids need to write, too; help us make it happen.
5. Because we’ll treat you really well during the event itself. On the menu: bottomless coffee and soda, chevre toasts, Asian chicken skewers with noodles, halibut bites, grilled vegetables.
6. Because we’ll shower you with wonderful prizes each hour: donated gift cards to Bear Tooth, Moose’s Tooth, Snow City Cafe, Spenard Roadhouse, Title Wave Books, Fromagio’s Artisan Cheese and much, much more. (No kidding!) This goes for people who register and participate alone or in another community — some prizes are being specially reserved for satellite participants.
7. Because we’ll reward you with an after-party featuring notable Alaskans made to perform Pen-under-Pressure writing feats, a cash bar, and all that good party stuff. Come to watch notables like Ethan Berkowitz, Mark Muro, and Rage City Rollergirl JENetically Evil compete to write poetry and prose. Listen as interpretive judges Maia Nolan, Sherry Simpson, and Bruce Farnsworth debate which game-player has exhibited the greatest spontaneous brilliance.
8. Because your friends are doing it. Join them!
9. Because your friends aren’t doing it. Be contrary. It’s an excellent trait for a writer to have.
10. Because you don’t want to do your taxes yet. Down with numbers. Up with letters!
Get started here — and thanks.
P.S. Raising money so far — and the link where you can see the latest fundraisers list:
Note that new teams can be created and individuals can join existing teams.
In random order:
Bill Sherwonit (Team Wild Writers)
Brian Lax (Team Lax)
Karen Benning (Team Fiction Workshop)
Don Rearden (Team The Raven’s Gift)
Therese Harvey (top non-Anchorage fundraiser!)
Morgan Grey
Tziporah Lax (Team Lax)
Deb Vanasse (Team Fiction Workshop)
Andromeda Romano-Lax (Team Lax)
Sandy Kleven (currently in the lead!)
Olga Livshin (Team Olga)