VERVE Grants for Spoken Word Poets

Calling all Minnesota Spoken Word Poets! Applications are now available for Intermedia Arts' 2010 VERVE grants, which awards VERVE grants of up to $3,000 to artists just like you!

Deadline Extended: February 11, 2010

The VERVE grant program is designed for emerging artists who are ready to achieve their next level of artistic success, and who are interested in developing their abilities to become artistic leaders in their communities.

We are looking for artists who:
• Have a history of performance and involvement in the spoken word community
• Articulate interest in participating in a creative and critical process with peers
• Have begun to receive some recognition for their artistic ability and potential

We define an emerging artist as someone whose work demonstrates a sustained level of accomplishment and commitment to the art form, but who has not yet received widespread recognition or acknowledgement as an established creator from fellow writers and/or other arts professionals.

The purpose of this program is to make grants to support the creation and production of new artistic works by emerging Minnesota spoken word poets, and to contribute to the professional advancement of those artists. Our goal is to provide financial assistance, professional encouragement, and recognition to a culturally and socio-economically diverse group of literary artists, in an effort to strengthen and support Minnesota's literary community.

 Past VERVE grant recipients have used the grant to:

• take time away from work to focus on their craft
• take classes
• hire a seasoned spoken word artist to mentor you
• travel to develop a network for exchanges and collaborations with artists in
• other cities
• attend a festival or a conference
• develop a performance piece
• develop and implement a marketing plan
• design a tour
• produce a CD
• explore new mediums for spoken word such as the Internet, CD-rom or DVD technology

 These are just a few of the possibilities. We encourage you to give serious thought to how this grant could make a difference in your career! Scroll down to download your application today!

This program is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Jerome Foundation.