Your feedback helps Write Around improve

Results from our 2023 survey

Recently, we sent out a quick 3-question survey to our donors and volunteers asking a few questions to help us improve our communications.

We were thrilled at the number and quality of responses. Thank you to everybody who took the time to give us some feedback! (If you haven’t yet participated, the survey will be open for responses through August 20, 2023.)

Here are the results:

What, in your opinion, is the most inspiring Write Around Portland program?

1. Community Readings (23.7% responded “most inspiring”)
2. Workshops for people who are houseless or living in low-income housing (15.8%)
3. Workshops in prisons (13.2%)
4. (Tie) Book Publishing Program and Virtual/Online Remote Workshops (7.9%)
5. (Tie) Workshops in Hospitals and Trauma Centers and Workshops for Youth or in Schools (5.3%)

Other choices included Resonate: A BIPOC Writing Circle and Workshops for people with disabilities. Neither of these choices were marked as “most inspiring” by those surveyed.

In your opinion, what are the top 3 benefits of our creative writing program?

1. Building confidence and a sense of accomplishment (60.5% ranked in the top 3)
2. Relieving loneliness and isolation (44.7%)
3. Feeling validated and accepted (42.1%)
4. Supporting self-care and healing (34.2%)
5. Sparking energy, enthusiasm, and joy (28.9%)
6. Building empathy for others (23.7%)
7. Building communication, listening, and critical thinking skills (21.1%)
8. Creating new connections (15.8%)
9. Activating a sense of wonder and awe (10.5%)
10. Addressing symptoms of mental illness and trauma (5.3%)
11. Providing an outlet for stress (2.6%)

The “Fun” Questions

We also offered folks the option of answering some demographic questions to help us better understand our community. Here are a couple of the “fun” questions below:

What is your favorite local bookseller?

1. Powell’s Books (37.1%)
2. Broadway Books (34.3%)
3. Annie Bloom’s Books (8.6%)
4. Green Bean Books (5.7%)

Other booksellers mentioned: Arches Bookhouse, Birdhouse Books, Mother Foucault’s Bookshop, Third Eye Books, and Wallace Books. We love our local bookstores!

How many books, on average, do you read each year?

1. 5-10 books (7 respondents)
2. 11-15 books (6 respondents)
3. 16-20 books (5 respondents)
4. 21-25 books (5 respondents)
5. 26-35 books (3 respondents)
6. 36-49 books (1 respondent)
7. 50 or more books (4 respondents)

Way to go, Write Around community! Speaking of reading, have you purchased our 60th anthology, Through a Kaleidoscope?

How much would you say you spend on books each year, on average?

1. $49 or less (1 respondent)
2. $50-$99 (4 respondents)
3. $100-$199 (7 respondents)
4. $200-$299 (11 respondents)
5. More than $300 (4 respondents)

Many survey respondents said that they tend to pick up books from the library as their main source of book procurement. We love our local libraries, too!