Help me get to Tech
Donation protected
Dear friends, family, new friends, and new fam,
My name is Shaina Jones; I am an educator, poet from Harlem, NY. My work seeks to preserve, heal, and honor displaced black folk, specifically femmes and young folk. I received my BA in Poetry, Theater, and Africana studies at Hampshire College. Before pursuing my MFA, I taught middle and high school Humanities for two years and came to love the craft of teaching almost equally as much as I do the craft of writing. In September 2018, I started MFA coursework at Sarah Lawrence College. There I watched my poems soar past any expectations or limits that I had set for myself, and I met some of the most talented, loving folks in New York City. A constant challenge of mine this year was surviving in New York City while teaching a social justice based theater program with Girl Be Heard and attending grad school full time. Through the bulk of this school year, I struggled to stay afloat, but I made it. However, I was sure that I wouldn’t be able to sustain myself, my art, and my health with so little resources for another year at SLC.
I submitted another round of applications to programs that focus more on teaching and could fully-fund my learning. I was accepted into Virginia Tech’s MFA Poetry Program and will be moving to Blacksburg, VA mid-July to settle in, pick up a summer job, and get to know the area before the semester starts.
Virginia Tech’s MFA program is FULLY FUNDED, and I know how blessed I am to have this opportunity. It will make room for me to focus less on finances, more on the work, and on becoming the best writer that I can be. These things in mind, there are expenses that I need support in funding so that I can relocate and settle into my new city and school:
First & second month’s rent & security deposit - $ 2400
Gas/driving expenses - $ 200
Packing materials - $ 100
Household Necessities - $700
Living Expenses - $ 2100
*for just after my job finishes in New York and hopefully through my first week in Blacksburg
Total: $ 5500
I saw this on a friend of a friend’s campaign and thought it was such a lovely, fun, personal way to thank people and to share my art, so I thought I’d borrow it:
If you can donate $30, I will send you a handwritten thank you card/letter!
*
If you can donate $45, I will send you a handwritten thank you card/letter AND write you a haiku about a topic of your choice!
*
If you can donate $70, I will send you a handwritten thank you card/letter, write you a poem about a topic of your choice, and a small doodle translation of the poem!*
*
If you can donate $100+, I will send you a handwritten thank you card/letter, write you a poem in the received form (rondelet, triolet, ghazal, ode, persona, or elegy) about a topic of your choice, a small doodle translation of your poem*, and an audio recording of me reading the poem.
* I am a novice visual artist, but it’ll be cute.
Thank you so much for your support and well wishes as I transition into this next chapter of my life.
Love,
Shaina
My name is Shaina Jones; I am an educator, poet from Harlem, NY. My work seeks to preserve, heal, and honor displaced black folk, specifically femmes and young folk. I received my BA in Poetry, Theater, and Africana studies at Hampshire College. Before pursuing my MFA, I taught middle and high school Humanities for two years and came to love the craft of teaching almost equally as much as I do the craft of writing. In September 2018, I started MFA coursework at Sarah Lawrence College. There I watched my poems soar past any expectations or limits that I had set for myself, and I met some of the most talented, loving folks in New York City. A constant challenge of mine this year was surviving in New York City while teaching a social justice based theater program with Girl Be Heard and attending grad school full time. Through the bulk of this school year, I struggled to stay afloat, but I made it. However, I was sure that I wouldn’t be able to sustain myself, my art, and my health with so little resources for another year at SLC.
I submitted another round of applications to programs that focus more on teaching and could fully-fund my learning. I was accepted into Virginia Tech’s MFA Poetry Program and will be moving to Blacksburg, VA mid-July to settle in, pick up a summer job, and get to know the area before the semester starts.
Virginia Tech’s MFA program is FULLY FUNDED, and I know how blessed I am to have this opportunity. It will make room for me to focus less on finances, more on the work, and on becoming the best writer that I can be. These things in mind, there are expenses that I need support in funding so that I can relocate and settle into my new city and school:
First & second month’s rent & security deposit - $ 2400
Gas/driving expenses - $ 200
Packing materials - $ 100
Household Necessities - $700
Living Expenses - $ 2100
*for just after my job finishes in New York and hopefully through my first week in Blacksburg
Total: $ 5500
I saw this on a friend of a friend’s campaign and thought it was such a lovely, fun, personal way to thank people and to share my art, so I thought I’d borrow it:
If you can donate $30, I will send you a handwritten thank you card/letter!
*
If you can donate $45, I will send you a handwritten thank you card/letter AND write you a haiku about a topic of your choice!
*
If you can donate $70, I will send you a handwritten thank you card/letter, write you a poem about a topic of your choice, and a small doodle translation of the poem!*
*
If you can donate $100+, I will send you a handwritten thank you card/letter, write you a poem in the received form (rondelet, triolet, ghazal, ode, persona, or elegy) about a topic of your choice, a small doodle translation of your poem*, and an audio recording of me reading the poem.
* I am a novice visual artist, but it’ll be cute.
Thank you so much for your support and well wishes as I transition into this next chapter of my life.
Love,
Shaina
Co-organizers (2)
Shaina Harris
Organizer
New York, NY
Natalie Sowell
Co-organizer