Support me through May 30/30 with Tupelo Press!

During the month of May, I’m writing poems for Tupelo Press’s 30/30 challenge! Not only are my poem drafts being published on Tupelo’s site (linked here: https://www.tupelopress.org/the-may-2023-30-30-project/), but I’m also helping raise money to support Tupelo, a wonderful independent press.

Here’s the link for my donation page–please help me reach my goal! https://tupelopress.networkforgood.com/projects/192860-caroliena-cabada-s-fundraiser

I’m taking on this challenge for a few reasons: I want to write more poems, and I want a format that will encourage me not just to write poems, but to also think about my poems and my writing process. Also, in a moment of nice serendipity, I’m turning 31 during this month, and this challenge is a kind of gift to myself: at the end of this month, I’ll have some poems (hopefully) that I like enough to keep working on them.

As the month goes on, in addition to the poems being posted to Tupelo’s May 2023 page, here are a few of my plans.

Donation rewards: Shoutouts, poem prompts, and feedback

Any contribution you can make to this challenge will be greatly appreciated, and any amount will be a great motivator to help me through this challenge. But I have a few extra incentives at certain donation amounts, in case that entices you to donate a little bit more.

Shoutouts in weekly blog posts (below) – Any amount

For any amount donated, unless you would prefer not to be named (in which case, please indicate this in your donation!), I’ll include your name in the list of donors in my weekly blog post!

Poem prompts – $15 to $30

A donation of $15 to $30 will give you the chance to prompt one of my poems. Want me to try to use a particular word, or set of words, in a poem? Want me to write a sestina? Want me to write an ode to an egg sandwich? Want me to write a poem dedicated to your best friend? I can do that! (According to my discretion, of course, e.g., I will not deliberately use offensive or derogatory language if prompted, and I may ask for more details if you want me to write a poem about a person I do not know.)

If you make a donation, use the Contact form on my site to submit the details of your donation: your name (and, if anonymous, the date and time of your donation), the amount, your email address, and your prompt. I’ll then let you know when the poem has been written and posted to Tupelo’s page.

Feedback – $30+

A donation of $30 or more will give you the chance to get feedback on your writing. I’ll give feedback on up to 5 poems or 10 double spaced, 12-point font pages of prose.

If you make a donation and want to redeem this tier, use the Contact form on my site to submit the details of your donation: your name (and, if anonymous, the date and time of your donation), the amount, and your email address so that I can reach out and receive the writing you’d like to have me read and give feedback.

Weekly blog posts about my writing

Similar to this blog post about my writing process for a poem I recently published, I’ll be posting a weekly blog on Fridays with my reflections on the week’s writing. These will hopefully be quite evergreen and live beyond the time of this challenge: there’ll be a little bit of capturing the current moment, a little bit of context about my poems, and a little bit of poetry craft that can be carried onward.

I may post more rewards, incentives, and updates as the month goes on. But in the meantime, here’s to a poem-filled May! Happy writing!