We’ve accomplished so much together in 20 years.
You can help us continue for 20 more.
All contributions between now and June 30 will be matched up to $15,000, doubling your donation and helping us meet our goal to raise $75,000 for The Telling Room’s writing and publishing programs.
And, when you make a gift of $250 or more before June 30th or join our Circle Up program at the $50/month level or higher, you’ll receive a copy of our 20th anniversary anthology, It Rains Diamonds on Neptune.
Your gift today supports our foundational work, creating the space and opportunity where youth explore their voices, their stories, their agency, and their power. Thank you.
Telling Room co-founders Sara Corbett, Susan Conley, and Michael Paterniti speak at Paint the Town Read: The Telling Room’s 20th Anniversary Bash in October 2024
““20 years ago the idea seemed as simple as it does today, which is that stories bind us and give us meaning, and that a little afterschool writing program can help us create a safe, nurturing space to help young people brimming with dreams and secrets and amazing stories to find their voices. All they need is someone to listen.””
Executive Director Kristina Powell holds a copy of It Rains Diamonds on Neptune, The Telling Room’s 20th Anniversary Anthology.
Dear Friends,
The brightness of spring brings book launch season—brand new books filling the air with the fresh prose and poetry of young writers. This year, as we celebrate each emerging voice, we also recognize that we’ve achieved another milestone in our organization’s evolution here in our 20th year.
Over the past few months, we’ve closely investigated what we do, what matters most to us, and what’s important to the youth we serve. We’ve strengthened our commitment to expansively live our values of creativity, curiosity, voice, justice, and community. Driven by curiosity, and in partnership with Dr. Alexis Mann of Northbound Research and Consulting, we listened to our students and alumni to learn about the impact of writing with The Telling Room and what this community means to them. We dug deep to examine our program model, understand the deliberate choices that fortify our pedagogy, and map the practices that uplift and empower youth.
The result is The Telling Room’s first-ever Theory of Change.
What exactly is a Theory of Change? In short, it’s how we conjure the magic of The Telling Room. It’s a distillation of what we do and how it leads to change. It illustrates the community-building, the growth, and the self-discovery that youth experience as a result of spending time with us.
Through writing with The Telling Room, youth are more empowered and equipped to realize their individual potential as they position themselves and their communities for success. Young people are experiencing a time of deeply divisive rhetoric, action, and silencing of voices. Limitations are being imposed on the ability to access the shared learning and joy that comes from understanding that everyone’s unique perspective and experience is important and of value. In the warming weeks ahead, we will share more about how we think about and create change—how we courageously and consciously cultivate a space for youth that upholds kindness, self-expression, and belonging.
Today, I am asking for your support and a commitment to enact change together. Your gift today supports our foundational work, creating the space and opportunity where youth strengthen their voices, their stories, their agency, and their power.
Thank you for helping us mark the many joyous milestones of our 20th year as a beloved organization—and for joining together to create our future as a vibrant institution continuing to move us all forward together.
With gratitude,
Kristina
Kristina M. J. Powell,
Executive Director, she/her/hers
Students take the mic at the Works-in-Progress afterschool reading in spring 2024
“Writing requires you to put yourself into someone else’s shoes. That inherently builds empathy.”
— Madeleine Turgelsky, author of At the Corner of Christopher Street
“It’s one thing to talk to computers, it’s another to talk to humans. Storytelling is a great way to do that.”
— Salim Salim, Telling Room alum and computer science graduate student at the Roux Institute
“Being able to connect with others and share my story allowed me to heal, grieve, and grow.”
— Leela Marie Hidier, Telling Room alum and author of Changes in the Weather
How to Give
All donations will help us advance our mission to empower youth through writing and share their voices with the world. Thank you for your support.
You can make a secure online donation here.
Contributions may be sent to:
The Telling Room
225 Commercial Street, Suite 201
Portland, ME 04101
For other ways to give, please contact our Development Director Sarah Schneider at sarah@tellingroom.org.
The Telling Room is a registered 501(c)(3) organization, so all donations are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Tax ID # / EIN: 74-3136956 We currently hold a Guidestar/Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency for nonprofit reporting in finances, structures, programs, capacity, and impact.
Become a Corporate Sponsor
Our new annual sponsorship structure gives local businesses and organizations the opportunity for increased visibility through our special events, audience channels, and publications throughout the year. All contributions go towards supporting our suite of innovative writing and publishing programs for youth.
Read Our Latest Impact Report
See what a difference your gift makes here.
Our vibrant and generous community powers The Telling Room and uplifts our youth. Every gift we receive makes an enormous difference. Your donation will:
Reach youth throughout the State with one-of-a-kind literary arts programs: Each year we work with young writers in over 100 communities
Ensure students have healthy snacks in our afterschool programs – and treats at their book launch celebrations: We’ve served over 35,000 youth in 20 years!
Amplify youth voices: Telling Room authors share their work at events hosted by libraries, bookstores, festivals, museums, and other venues across Maine as changemakers and artists vital to the literary conversation. We’ve published 5,100 authors in over 200 books!
Ignite the power of creative expression: Students say that they’re more confident and feel like their voice matters after working with The Telling Room
Reading Ahead:
Our 2023 - 2027 Strategic Plan
Learn more about what The Telling Room’s goals are for the next three years and how you can get involved here in our latest strategic plan.
Thank you to our generous supporters for helping make it all possible.
Community Support
The Telling Room belongs to a vibrant community of youth-serving organizations and arts nonprofits. We encourage wide support of Maine’s many nonprofits that uplift youth and the arts so our whole community can be stronger together.