Summer Writing Program Fund

The origin story of Naropa University is also the story of The Summer Writing Program (SWP) and the birthplace of the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics, founded in 1974 by the late Allen Ginsberg and Anne Waldman. The challenge then was to create a school that would last for 100 years and more. Half way to this goal, we are proud of the community which has been such a model for inquiry, activism, and compassion in their intellect and writing. 

We keep the tradition of this first Summer each year by championing the arrival of guest artists and students from all over the world to enter the festival-as-school curation of workshops, panels, lectures, 1:1 conferences, readings, and other student-led activities. The traditional roles of “teacher” and “student” are broken down as communication and learning flows between writer and writer.

Since 1974 we have been able to grow, through the generous support of donors, by offering as many as 20 scholarships to attendees in a given Summer, many of them in memory of legendary figures such as Leslie Scalapino, Amiri Baraka, Zora Neale Hurston, kari edwards, Kevin Killian among others. While most of our programming is free and open to the public, these scholarships help give access to instruction of the highest caliber to individuals with powerful voices living in the margins.

Funds donated to the SWP Gift Fund are first and fore-most used to help maintain existing scholarships in perpetuity. Other uses may be in supporting other needs, such as updating the Harry Smith Print Shop, or special projects (such as memorial broadsides for Joanne Kyger, Jack Collom, and Bobbie Louise Hawkins).

Any amount of donation is celebrated as we continue the work of being “Outrider“.

Naropa University’s Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 84-1029228.

All donations are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law.