Attend Our Fundraiser On May 4th, 2024

Make a Difference in Your Own Community

The Skagit River Poetry Foundation is an educational nonprofit that strengthens our local community through the power of poetry.

“May the 4th” (Force) of Poetry Be With You

The Skagit River Poetry Foundation (SRPF) invites our community to a galaxy far, far away and presents an evening fit for a Jedi at our 4th Annual Auction, A New Hope: “May the 4th” (Force) Be With You on Saturday May 4th (Star Wars Day) at 5:00pm at Hillcrest Park Lodge in Mount Vernon.

This Star Wars themed extravaganza will appeal to all ages as we take a trip through the Foundation’s history and share our mission of supporting literacy through poetry. The featured event will be the live and silent auction where attendees will bid on a wide range of auction items to raise funds for the organization. A few examples include meeting Dublin poet, Tony Curtis, at a five course dinner on the picturesque Swinomish Channel in LaConner, I Sing the Salmon Home kayak trip, VIP tickets to the Skagit River Poetry Festival in October, tickets to the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, and a Star Wars Mania Treasure Box full of an assortment of items sure to please the most dedicated Star Wars fan, among many more. Our out-of-this-world event will include a delicious Dark Side Dessert Dash, Raise-Your-Lightsaber for Kids, “Be the New Hope” Photo Booth with costumes and props, and games to test your Star Wars trivia knowledge. Hearty appetizers will be provided by Simply Sound Catering from Josh Van Hine and themed drinks (sans alcohol, too) will be found at our Star Wars inspired Mos Eisley Bar.

When you support the Skagit River Poetry Foundation you support student learning and community enrichment as we collaborate with poets from around the nation to bring poetry into area classrooms every school year. Our education and arts nonprofit has placed professional poets in area classrooms to help build literacy skills among K-14 students since 1998. The SRPF brings poetic voices to rural and urban communities that reflect diverse multi-ethnic and multi-generational populations, viewpoints, and history.

Here are a few examples of what poets and students are up to this year in our local school districts:

One of our poets from Bellingham, Jeffrey Morgan, works with a young poet as Morgan teaches writing and creativity exercises and students write and explore poetry for a week-long residency at Concrete Elementary School in March of this year.

Lisa Dills, a Concrete teacher, shares the experience with us on social media:

“Today was our second day with Jeffrey Morgan, who is working with Skagit River Poetry Foundation’s poet-in-residency program. I can not say enough good things about him. The kids love working with him. He makes them feel heard and shows them that he values their ideas. It is so fun sitting back as the classroom teacher and watching them be excited about their writing. Thank you SRPF!”

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David Lasky, a Seattle based comic artist and poet, guided students through a comic haiku exercise. This haiku is written and beautifully illustrated by a student in a 4th/5th grade elementary class in LaConner. March 2024.

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And, this is a poem from an Oak Harbor High School Student during a poet residency in February 2024:

To fall asleep into spring

By Melayna Mendoza

 

A dancing flower 

Will tinker like stars 

The bright sleek

Is shivering and cold

The sky falls asleep 

Quietly now everything is pink 

The air is intense 

And all your imagination 

Blooms into spring

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This is proof of why you should make a gift to our organization – so that more experiences like this may unfurl in area school districts and impact our local students. These meaningful interactions are not fleeting, but cultivates a creative practice that students can nurture and continue growing in the future.

Our organization also hosts the Skagit River Poetry Festival, which is held every other year in LaConner, WA. This festival is a culmination of the special work that our local student’s are inspired to create in our Poets in Schools Program and also invites acclaimed poets from all over the world to join us. The 2024 Poetry Festival will include a long list of international, national, and regional poets teaching workshops and performing readings for our local community. Poets such as Elizabeth Austen, Ellen Bass, Chen Chen, Claudia Castro Luna, Tony Curtis, Ilya Kaminsky, Tim McNulty, M.L. Smoker, Arthur Sze, and WA State Poet Laureate, Arianne True, among many others. Giving to our organization will enable us to bring the best and most diverse creative voices to the community as they converge for our three day festival on October 3 – 5, 2024.

Along with the Poets in Schools Program and the Festival, we also host and sponsor poetry and cultural related events throughout the year to engage our community with an array of perspectives, stories, and provide a platform for underrepresented voices.

Clear your calendars for May 4th! Attend our auction and make your gift and support us so we may continue our Jedi mission of engaging the community through the power of poetic expression.

If you’re feeling festive, guests who attend in a Star Wars inspired costume will be entered into a drawing to win a prize! Costumes are certainly optional! But, your enthusiasm and your positive “force” is required.

We’ll see you at our auction event.

Click here to purchase your tickets!

Early Bird Tickets before April 15: Individual $40, Couple $70

Regular Tickets after April 15: Individual $50, Couple $90

• Event Date & Time: Saturday, May 4th @ 5pm
• Location: Hillcrest Park Lodge, 1717 S. 13th St., Mount Vernon, WA 98274

If you’re unable to attend the event, this is a perfect opportunity to donate online at:

SkagitRiverPoetry.org/Donate

Or, if you’d rather send a check please send your donation to:

Skagit River Poetry Foundation

PO Box 238

LaConner, WA 98257

You can donate any time of year. We appreciate your donations! You make our goals a reality!

For more information, visit the Skagit River Poetry Foundation.

Read more about our 2023 auction event and celebration!

~ May the Force of Poetry Be With You ~