The Hook/2016 Launches!
Donation protected
The Hook is a non-profit organization which produces workshops and showcases of spoken word, performance poetry, and live storytelling to engage, empower, entertain, and inspire our community.
The Hook operates with an unbridled passion for helping people of all ages appreciate poetry and storytelling, hone writing and speaking skills, and grow more empathetic through the stories that connect us.
Writers, coaches, mentors, artists, and musicians associated with The Hook are eager to offer unique and engaging storytelling through various art forms! And we believe that these well-crafted stories, told authentically and bravely, will inspire a more tightly-knit and engaged community.
The Hook and a new take on art in CR in 2016:
ArtLOUD!
We offer workshop sessions for writers 17 years and older. These ArtLOUD! writers have the opportunity to participate in up to six formal showcases of performance poetry and creative storytelling. Showcases also include curated art, music, and dance.
Drop the Mic
More casual, monthly gatherings of spoken word and storytelling in a setting which attracts writers of all ages (and of all genres), backgrounds, and levels of experience to try their hand in front of a live audience.
Youth SLAM! Team
For decades and throughout the country, performance poetry has been a tool for youth to express themselves. Yet, here in Cedar Rapids, there has been very little offered in the way of a city-wide attempt to provide this sort of safe space for youth to learn presentation/communication skills, writing and reading skills, and confidence-building while expressing themselves through spoken word. This team meets weekly to workshop their writing and prepare for live showcases.
The Write to Art
A fresh experience that hinges on direct collaboration between three artists and three writers (of all ages) who create a live showcase of literature and art inspired by one another's work.
On The Line (Summer Workshops)
These three-week summer workshops are designed to offer students of all ages an opportunity to hone their creative writing skills and experiment with performance poetry.
And More...
Additionally, The Hook is gearing up to host several workshops and networking events for local writers whose careers involve elements of journalism, blogging, fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction.
And what about a podcast? Yup--that's a goal of ours.
While our projected annual budget is $84,000 and we are currently seeking funding through the traditional channels (grants, corporate sponsorships, individual contributions, in-kind support, etc), we aim to raise $25,000 by May 2016 through GoFundMe to jump start this initiative!
This $25,000 will go towards stipends for the coaches of the Youth SLAM! Team, workshop leaders for ArtLOUD!, and The Hook's musical director. It will also offset costs associated with marketing, venue space for showcases, and meeting space for workshops.
"Stories can move us to tears, change our attitudes, opinions and behaviors, and even inspire us." We need your help to start this journey to add a unique element of storytelling and art that is missing in our community.
The Hook operates with an unbridled passion for helping people of all ages appreciate poetry and storytelling, hone writing and speaking skills, and grow more empathetic through the stories that connect us.
Writers, coaches, mentors, artists, and musicians associated with The Hook are eager to offer unique and engaging storytelling through various art forms! And we believe that these well-crafted stories, told authentically and bravely, will inspire a more tightly-knit and engaged community.
The Hook and a new take on art in CR in 2016:
ArtLOUD!
We offer workshop sessions for writers 17 years and older. These ArtLOUD! writers have the opportunity to participate in up to six formal showcases of performance poetry and creative storytelling. Showcases also include curated art, music, and dance.
Drop the Mic
More casual, monthly gatherings of spoken word and storytelling in a setting which attracts writers of all ages (and of all genres), backgrounds, and levels of experience to try their hand in front of a live audience.
Youth SLAM! Team
For decades and throughout the country, performance poetry has been a tool for youth to express themselves. Yet, here in Cedar Rapids, there has been very little offered in the way of a city-wide attempt to provide this sort of safe space for youth to learn presentation/communication skills, writing and reading skills, and confidence-building while expressing themselves through spoken word. This team meets weekly to workshop their writing and prepare for live showcases.
The Write to Art
A fresh experience that hinges on direct collaboration between three artists and three writers (of all ages) who create a live showcase of literature and art inspired by one another's work.
On The Line (Summer Workshops)
These three-week summer workshops are designed to offer students of all ages an opportunity to hone their creative writing skills and experiment with performance poetry.
And More...
Additionally, The Hook is gearing up to host several workshops and networking events for local writers whose careers involve elements of journalism, blogging, fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction.
And what about a podcast? Yup--that's a goal of ours.
While our projected annual budget is $84,000 and we are currently seeking funding through the traditional channels (grants, corporate sponsorships, individual contributions, in-kind support, etc), we aim to raise $25,000 by May 2016 through GoFundMe to jump start this initiative!
This $25,000 will go towards stipends for the coaches of the Youth SLAM! Team, workshop leaders for ArtLOUD!, and The Hook's musical director. It will also offset costs associated with marketing, venue space for showcases, and meeting space for workshops.
"Stories can move us to tears, change our attitudes, opinions and behaviors, and even inspire us." We need your help to start this journey to add a unique element of storytelling and art that is missing in our community.
Organizer
Akwi Nji
Organizer
Cedar Rapids, IA
