The name “Border Voices” refers not only to physical borders, but to all borders – physical, cultural and emotional. It is across those borders that whispers of understanding can be heard, frequently wrapped in the creative energies of poetry.
MISSION STATEMENT
i) To increase the visibility and appreciation of the literary arts in San Diego, and to make San Diego a nationally recognized showcase for those arts.
ii) To encourage literary and academic collaborations across geographic, cultural and intellectual boundaries.
iii) To use poetry to cultivate sensitivities of perception that are socially and personally valuable for young people and the community at large, while raising student scores on standardized tests of verbal ability.
Who Supports Border Voices Poetry?
Border Voices is proud of its many excellent sponsors, all of whom provided enthusiastic help (monetary and otherwise) in supporting our efforts to inspire San Diego students.
Some of these sponsors funded special projects as well as the annual fair. The California Arts Council underwrote the $20,000 study of the effects of poetry on students’ overall achievement. That study showed poetry triggering “huge and continuing” increases in student scores on standardized tests, a result documented more fully in the section of this Web site entitled “Student Scores Soar with Poetry: the Pershing Miracle.”
Supporters of Border Voices fair over the years have included the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council, the Helen K. and James S. Copley Foundation, the John R. and Jane F. Adams Endowment, San Diego State University, Poets & Writers, Inc. and The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Others who have provided significant support: the San Diego Unified School District; Deborah Szekely, president of the Eureka Communities foundation; Audrey Geisel and the Dr. Seuss Foundation; The Parker Foundation; The City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, The San Diego State University Foundation; The Administrators Association of San Diego City Schools; California Poets in the Schools; the San Diego Chargers and the San Diego Padres; the Greater San Diego Council of Teachers of English; The Associated Students of San Diego State University; National School District; the Fieldstone Foundation; and the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians.
If you represent an organization or individual who would like to be a part of Border Voices, please contact:
Border Voices Poetry Program 