Dear Friends,

It is a boring cliché that writing is a lonely pursuit, however cliché it may be though, it is not a myth, or has not been for me.  As a poet who has lived in Providence since 2002, I have struggled to find “my people”—partly as I was not part of any academic community here and partly out of my own shyness.  In a city with a robust visual arts culture, my circle very often felt constricted to a few open mic nights and the delicious and delightful bookstores here.

When I first began seeing Frequency posters popping up around town five years ago, I was curious and hopeful.  “Please let it last,” I thought.  Since then, I have taken a handful of Frequency workshops and had the great joy of leading one myself.  And what do I value about Frequency the most?  That beautiful word that hides in plain sight in our subtitle:  “community.”

I have reason to believe that my Frequency peers relish the community as well. Familiar faces appear repeatedly in each new class. Newcomers often say, “I just moved here; I’m trying to find other writers” and in just a little while, those newcomers have turned into familiar faces—and so the community grows and becomes stronger.

In just the year and a half that I have been involved with Frequency administratively, I’ve been impressed with the behind-the-scenes growth as well and the idealism that drives our mission.  Frequency is run by writers that have experienced first-hand juggling living expenses with the seemingly more indulgent expenses that can go along with nurturing one’s creative life.

We pride ourselves on keeping our tuition costs affordable and offering scholarships as often as we can:

• Frequency’s Tina Cane is currently leading a poetry workshop for veterans that was offered tuition-free.
• Last summer, with assistance from Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, we were able to offer our first tuition-free youth class.  We are already planning another low-cost youth class —bookmaking with Kate Schapira!— to take place this summer.
• Each course session, we offer multiple classes on a sliding scale so that students may pay what they are able. This is offered in good faith that those who can pay more will do so, in support of Frequency but also in support of one another.

In these ways, it is the “community” part of Frequency’s name that makes our vision possible.  A gift of $25 to $75 is enough for us to offer a partial scholarship to one person.  $125 pays a month’s rent for our bright & cozy classroom space at Carpenter Street.  Gifts of any amount ($5-$500) go a long way toward Frequency’s operational costs, and compensating the tireless efforts of our small staff.

Please consider making a donation to Frequency today.  You will truly be helping your community thrive.

Sincerely,
Rosalynde Vas Dias
Board of Directors
 

Your tax-deductible donation, big or small, will help us in our mission to connect writers to a supportive community, create a space for writers to experiment with their art that is outside of the marketplace, and offer readings and events that enrich the culture of our region.

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