Write Around Portland

“The 990 is provided to the board for their review prior to filing.”

“Enforcement of conflicts policy the board of directors reviews the conflict of interest policy and discloses potential conflicts of interest annually. Individual board members disclose potential conflicts of interest upon joining the board and as they arise.”

“The board of directors reviews nonprofit salary and benefit data of comparable organizations and staff positions in order to provide valid data at the time salary and benefit determinations are being made as part of the annual budget process.”

“Governing documents and financial informatiion is available upon request”

“Writing workshops: in 2024, write around portland continued rebuilding our programming both in our partnerships with social service agencies and in our volunteer program. We held 30 writing groups for adults and youth in hospitals, schools, shelters, treatment centers, low-income housing buildings, senior centers and other health care and social service settings. Writing groups met for up to 10 weeks, and we offered these generative writing groups free of charge to more than 375 adults and young people experiencing financial insecurity or isolation. We also held 16 one-time writing circles in partnership with other non-profits and educational institutions to support their programming and in those workshops wrote with 181 participants. In total we held workshops in partnership with 35 different organizations to bring writing to places where people live, study and receive services. We provided journals, pens, snacks, bus tickets and accommodations to remove obstacles to participation. 95% of participants reported improvements in writing and listening skills as well as a decrease in isolation. We also held 17 sliding scale and market rate writing circles open to the general public and 28 free resonate writing circles that offered a supportive space for black, indigenous and people of color to write and share, 22 of which were online and 6 that were offered in-person. We held 2 volunteer facilitator trainings and trained 17 new facilitators to help lead the writing groups. We also started the first annual resonate facilitator training and trained 6 new facilitators for the resonate bipoc program. Workshop participant mary maskell shared, "i have had a stroke and have been unable to walk for fifteen months which has made me feel very sad. Starting to write again has uplifted my soul and brought joy into my life." publications: we published two professionally designed books of participants' unique and powerful writing. We printed and distributed 700 copies: "countless vibrant lives" (spring) and "i'm the ink" (fall). These publications were truly community endeavors, with more than 30 volunteers helping to produce each book. Workshop participants each received a free copy of the book in which their writing was published. Books were also made available at local bookstores, public libraries, correctional facilities and at schools. We featured writers and their work on our website and through social media, and we also created community chapbooks of writing by participants in our prompt writing groups. In her introduction to our 62nd anthology, 'countless vibrant lives", facilitator arabelle may wrote, "i've never been as humbled, nor as inspired, as i have while facilitating workshops for writers who didn't think of themselves as writers. I've never been as warmly proud of somebody as i have been listening to a shy writer resist silence and choose to share their work anyway." community readings: we held 2 large and 4 smaller readings with more than 430 audience members. Our large community readings were open to the public and were free of charge. These readings brought participants from all of our writing groups together and with the general public to share their work. These events promoted respect for diverse voices and provided the opportunity to share the stories of individuals experiencing isolation because of economic, cultural, physical, social or other barriers. The range of stories at each reading was vast. A spirit of support, compassion, respect and enthusiasm for the writers and the written word permeated each reading. Our writers and audiences are among the most diverse in portland. Facilitator susan russell shared, "write around portland casts a wide net because it sees a writer in each of us whose words need to be heard, no matter the life challenges we face. By writing and sharing our words, they gain power: the ability to heal and transform our lives and those of others. To open our minds, forge relationships, change li”