Save Sharks with Poetry and Drinks

Hi there!  My name's The Klute. 

OK, not really. It's a stage name that I've been using for the last 17 years as I've performed around the world as a slam/performance poet, and it's kind of stuck (although most people drop the "The" in polite company).  I've done pretty well, representing the cities of Mesa, Phoenix, and Sedona, at the National Poetry Slam 10 times. Here's a poem that a lot of people seem to like.


I'm also a amateur shark conservationist, trying to save sharks through action, education, and performance (from giving lectures on sharks to Head Start classes in Phoenix, to trying to de-mystify sharks from the performance stage, to arranging events that educate and entertain around the country). 

In 2014 and 2015, I spent the summers at Isla Guadalupe diving with Great White Sharks (check out some of my footage!):

I've decided to put my two great loves together (poetry and sharks) as a benefit for Fins Attached, a professional shark conservation group based out of Colorado Springs.  They've done great work at Isla Guadalupe, helping scientists tag, photo ID, and get skin samples from the sharks.  

In 2017, I'll be releasing a full book of poetry ("Words for the Men in Grey Suits") about sharks, for sharks, with a portion of profits going TO sharks (specifically, to Fins Attached).  In order to drum up interest (and get money to the non-profit), I put together a little sampler of poems (a chapbook, in poet parlance) with some of the poems that'll be in the final book. I call it "Chumming the Waters" and it's been pretty successful in getting money to shark conservation, but I'd like to close out the year with a big splash (yes, I know - puns are the lowest form of humor).

So, I'm offering up the chapbook with some extra incentives!   Specifically, tiki mugs and tropical drinks!  You can just help donate, you can get a postcard with a picture of shark from Isla Guadalupe that I took with a drink recipe (a toothy concoction, or for those of you in recovery, a delightful virgin variant), or a tiki mug (or set!) that references on of the poems. 

All money over cost for this campaign will go to Fins Attached!  So, help save sharks, get and get some great poetry, delicious drinks and tikis for your collection.  The sharks, well, they might aloof and skittish when you see them in the wild, but if they could thank you, they would!