<div><strong>HELP US GIVE ROMANIAN POETS A BOOK — WITHOUT MAKING THEM PAY FOR IT</strong>
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<div>I made a promise to a friend who is no longer here. <strong>I intend to keep it.</strong>
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<div>My name is Florin Marksteiner. I am a Canadian author and life coach with Romanian roots.
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<div>In 2024, a dear poet, Marian Bamboi, friend of mine passed away.
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<div>Before he died, <strong>he had a dream:</strong>
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<div>He wanted to find a way for talented Romanian poets to be published without having to pay for their own books.
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<div>I understood his pain because I had seen what happens to poets who simply want their work to exist.
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</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/106295245_1786194207519430_r.png" width="100%" />
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<div><strong>THE PROBLEM</strong>
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<div>In Romania, famous Eminescu’s country, now many poets are expected to finance their own publishing.
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<div>They pay for editing, they pay for design, they pay for printing and they receive just some boxes of books.
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<div>And then, because they are poets and not necessarily business people, they often give those books away to friends, family and people who appreciate their work.
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<div><strong>The result?</strong>
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<div>They can spend thousands of euros creating a book and recover very little—or nothing—of that money.
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<div>Some even <strong>go into debt </strong>simply because they wanted to publish their poetry.
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<div><strong>This happened to my friend.</strong>
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<div>And I <strong>couldn't accept that</strong> his dream would disappear with him.
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<div><strong>So I decided to do something about it.</strong>
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</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/106295245_1786194285178666_r.jpg" width="100%" />
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<div><strong>A SIMPLE IDEA</strong>
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<div>I started a Poetry Festival in Romania in his memory:
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<div>VIATA IN VERSURI (Life in Lyrics)
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</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/106295245_1786194246899848_r.jpg" width="100%" />
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<div>The concept was simple:
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<li>Discover the best poets through a poetry competition.
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<li>Give the winners the opportunity to have their work professionally published.
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<li>And don't make the poets pay for it.
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<div>I contacted <strong>65 Romanian publishing houses </strong>and invited them to collaborate with us, taking one single author and publish their book <strong>pro bono</strong>.
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<div>Unfortunately, <strong>not one </strong>responded to our call.
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<div>So, I made a decision.
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<div>If nobody else was willing to do it, <strong>I would build the solution myself.</strong>
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<div><strong>I started a publishing house</strong> specifically to fill this gap.
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<div>And we made a promise:
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<div>The best poets discovered through the festival would be published <strong>for free.</strong>
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</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/106295245_178619433342454_r.jpg" width="100%" />
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<div><strong>I PUT MY OWN EFFORTS, TIME AND MONEY BEHIND THE PROMISE</strong>
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<div>I didn't want this to remain<strong> just an idea.</strong>
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<div>So, <strong>I took a bank loan</strong> and personally financed the publication of:
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<li>10 poetry books
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<li>The first festival anthology
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</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/106295245_1786193567378282_r.jpg" width="100%" />
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<div>These books have <strong>already been created and published</strong>.
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<div>The poets <strong>have their books</strong>.
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<div><strong>The dream became real.</strong>
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<div>And that is something I am <strong>incredibly proud of.</strong>
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<div>But I also learned something important:
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<div><strong>I cannot finance this entire mission alone.</strong>
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</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/106295245_1786193544334666_r.jpg" width="100%" />
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<div><strong>WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP</strong>
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<div>The second edition of the festival is coming this October.
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<div>We want to continue discovering talented Romanian poets and giving the winners something they may otherwise never be able to afford:
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<div>A professionally produced book with their name on it and a way to earn with their talent.
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<div><strong>Publishing a book properly</strong> is not simply a matter of pressing “print.”
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<div>It takes approximately €1,000 to publish one author from manuscript to finished, promoted book.
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<div>That includes:
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<li>Editing — preparing and correcting the manuscript
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<li>Book layout and interior design
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<li>Professional cover design
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<li>Printing
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<li>Dealing with the necessary authorities and publishing requirements
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<li>Promotion and marketing
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<li>Preparing the book for sales and distribution
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<div>In other words:
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<div>€1,000 can help transform a poet's manuscript into a real book.
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<div>A book they can hold.
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<div>A book they can show their family.
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<div>A book they can share with the world.
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<div>And, most importantly:
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<div><strong>A book they did not have to go into debt to create.</strong>
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<div><strong>WHAT YOUR DONATION CAN HELP MAKE POSSIBLE</strong>
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<div>Your contribution will help us fund:
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<div><strong>-	PUBLISHING POETS</strong>
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<div>The biggest part of this campaign is creating the funds necessary to publish the winning poets without charging them.
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<div><strong>-	THE POETRY FESTIVAL</strong>
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<div>Venue rental, prizes, diplomas and medals, and the practical costs of organizing the competition.
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<div><strong>-	 PROMOTION</strong>
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<div>Marketing the festival, the poets and their books so that these authors have a real opportunity to be discovered.
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<div><strong>-	 BUILDING SOMETHING THAT CAN LAST</strong>
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<div>Our goal is <strong>not to depend forever on donations.</strong>
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<div>We want to build a publishing and cultural initiative that <strong>eventually becomes self-sustaining</strong> through book sales, partnerships and other sources of revenue.
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<div><strong>But we need help getting there.</strong>
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</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/106295245_178619369931669_r.jpg" width="100%" />
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<div><strong>THIS IS BIGGER THAN ONE FESTIVAL</strong>
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<div>I believe something important is happening here.
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<div>There are talented writers who <strong>have never had the opportunity</strong> to publish professionally.
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<div>There are voices that<strong> deserve to be heard</strong>.
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<div>There are poems that may never be written down if the people creating them believe that publishing <strong>is financially impossible</strong>.
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<div>And there are poets who need to see that <strong>their work has value</strong>.
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<div><strong>I want to help change that.</strong>
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<div>Not just for one poet.
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<div>Not just for this year's festival.
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<div>But for the poets who will come.
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<div><strong>HELP ME KEEP MY PROMISE</strong>
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<div>When my friend died, I couldn't save him.
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<div><strong>But I can keep his dream alive.</strong>
</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/106295245_1786193798363153_r.jpg" width="100%" />
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<div>I can make sure that his belief—that talented poets deserve an opportunity to be published without being financially destroyed by the process—doesn't disappear.
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<div><strong>I've already</strong> put my own time, effort and money behind this.
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<div><strong>I've already </strong>created the festival.
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<div><strong>I've already </strong>started the publishing house.
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<div><strong>I've already published 10 poetry books and our first anthology.</strong>
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<div>Now I'm asking for help to <strong>take the next step</strong>.
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<div><strong>YOU CAN HELP PUBLISH A POET.</strong>
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<div>A donation of €10, €25, €50, €100—or <strong>whatever you can comfortably give</strong>—brings us closer to that goal.
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<div>€10	Help us <strong>keep the project moving</strong>
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<div>€25	Help bring a poet closer to publication
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<div>€50	Help fund part of a poet's book
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<div>€100	Help publish<strong> 10% of a poet's book</strong>
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<div>€250	<strong>Become a major supporter</strong> of one poet
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<div>€500	Help bring a poet <strong>halfway to publication</strong>
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<div><strong>€1,000	Sponsor one poet's complete publication</strong>
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<div>And if enough people contribute, we can do something extraordinary:
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<div>We can give dozens of poets the chance<strong> to proudly say</strong>, “I am a published author.”
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<div><strong>If you believe</strong> poetry matters, please donate.
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<div>If you believe <strong>culture matters</strong>, please donate.
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<div>If you believe talented people deserve an opportunity,<strong> please donate</strong>.
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<div>And if you cannot donate, please share this campaign.
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<div>Your share could reach someone who can help.
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<div><strong>ONE BOOK CAN CHANGE A LIFE</strong>
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<div>I don't know how many poets we will be able to publish.
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<div>I don't know how far this project will ultimately go.
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<div><strong>But I know this:</strong>
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<div>We have already started.
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<div>The books exist.
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<div>The poets exist.
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<div>The festival exists.
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<div><strong>The dream exists.</strong>
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<div><strong>And with your help, it can grow.</strong>
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<div>Help us turn €1,000 into one poet's finished book.
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<div>Help us give Romanian poetry a future and give back the Romanian People their poetry international pride.
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<div><strong>Help me keep the promise.</strong>
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<div>❤️ <strong>Thank you for believing in this mission.</strong>
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<div>Donate or share the campaign here:
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<div><a href="https://gofund.me/21e4b5829" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://gofund.me/21e4b5829" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://gofund.me/21e4b5829</a></a>
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Help Us Publish Romanian Poets for Free

Still $5,491 to go. Help us build momentum.