Join Us
I’d love to tell you about a poetry collective we’re forming for Grand Rapids poets. Our goal is to share skills and opportunities to publish, promote, and amplify the voices of under-celebrated poets in our community.
Who’s a Grand Rapids poet? If you’ve lived or worked here for a stretch, if you have a history here, and if you consider yourself one—then you are.
In November 2023, a handful of us founded the Grand River Poetry Collective, a small group with big ideas. You can check us out here: Website Link.
We’re working on partnering with a nonprofit fiduciary to secure grants that will help support and expand our offerings. More updates on that soon!
For now, here’s what we can offer:
Mailing List – If you’d rather not be, let me know.
Facebook Group – A space where poets can exchange skills and opportunities to help each other through the publication process. Even if you’re not on Facebook, some create an account just to access one group. We’re just starting, but we hope it becomes a lively community!
Skills Exchange – This includes feedback on manuscripts, editing, layout and design, illustration, cover art, marketing, event coordination, and even simple word-of-mouth promotion—everything helps!
Opportunities – Readings, book sales venues, review writing, award nominations, and more.
Manuscript Readers Needed – We need volunteers to read manuscripts for the publishing collective. Some training will be provided to ensure we’re aligned. If you’re interested, please let us know soon!
Publishing Opportunities – We’ll soon be accepting manuscripts! We’ll offer a print-on-demand model, plus marketing and publicity support. Most profits go to the poet, with a portion set aside to help fund the next publication.
Future Goals – We’re developing a grant-funded business model to offer better publishing packages, including free copies for poets. Stay tuned!
Our First Publication! – We’ve just launched our first book. Check it out here: Amazon Link
We’d love for you to be part of this. Whether you want to publish, volunteer, or simply stay in the loop, we welcome you.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Grand River Poetry Collective