• For Poets
• For Business
• How to Participate

POJ is a series of poets residencies in various work-places and businesses throughout the state of SC.

A poet spends from a week to two months "in residence" in a business or workplace, establishing a relationship with the employees of that work place, generating poems based on that residency, doing workshops with the employees and families, and becoming part of a highly publicized collaboration between the work-place and the artist.

The residency culminates in a public reading/ exhibition by the poet. The poet is granted a fellowship for the residency funded by the business and the Poetry Initiative.

BENEFITS FOR BUSINESSES

• Promotes the business as an enterprise that is interested in creativity and innovation.
• Promotes the business as an enterprise that is committed to the arts and to the support of the arts within the community.
• Offers training opportunities for the employees of the business that will seek to enhance creativity by helping them to get in touch with their creative instinctives through workshops and talks.
• Offers cost-effective general publicity for the business as a responsible and civilizing force in the larger community. Publicity through the statewide media outlets, national arts outlets, etc..
• Promotes the business as an enterprise that is committed to wholistic methods of dealing with staff development and morale by conducting activities that will benefit the staff and the family of staff.
• Establishes stronger ties between the business and the university--a premium brand for higher education and intellectual advancement in the community.
• Promotes the business as a hip, forward-thinking, daring, brand that could become the first choice for clients from the arts community and from patrons of the arts.

FOR THE POET

• Offers a two week fellowship to write work that connects with the community.
• Grants a higher public profile to the poet through a well-publicized series of activities.
• Establishes a prototype for the interaction between the poet and the larger public--especially businesses.
• Provides fresh stimulus and incentive for the poet to generate new work.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Businesses interested in participating in the Poets on the Job project should contact the Poetry Initiative to discuss the possibility of a residency and to explore the terms of theresidency. This dialogue will ensure that the right partnership is achieved.

Poets Interested in partcipating in the Poet on the Job Project should send a letter of interest, a porfolio of poems, a brief biography, contact details, and any suggestions about ideal locations for the residency to the Poetry Intiative.