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Spring 2010 Catalogue Online

When spring comes around again, we can’t wait to get back outdoors and reintroduce ourselves to nature and the world around us. Let me warn you, however, that once you have a look through all these great classes and events we’re offering here at W&B over the next several months, it’s going to be very difficult for you to spend your entire time outdoors. Sure, there’s gardening to be planned and tended to; hiking, biking and sporting events aplenty; but the creative mind needs to be fed and nourished also. So, here’s our offer: give us two, maybe three nights of every week, and take the other four or five for those other things. We think it’s a fair deal, and we think you will too.

All courses for Adults, Kids and Teens for Winter are now online and available for registration online or over the phone.

SummerWrite 2010 Catalogue Online

Summer is a time when Rochester’s young readers and writers bring their boundless creativity to the neighborhood of the arts. There is little I find more inspiring than the energy of young writers and creators in the classrooms, on the playground, under the sun at Writers & Books.

The SummerWrite 2010 youth catalog has over 70 workshops for children and teens. We have old favorites to choose from as well as a host of new workshops. Whether it’s fiction or drama, poetry or journaling, nature writing or songwriting, we have something for everyone.

We look forward to seeing new friends and old at SummerWrite this year.

SummerWrite are now online and available for registration.

2010 Gell Poetry Prize Winner Teresa Middleton

Writers & Books and Big Pencil Press are pleased to announce that the winner of the third annual Kenneth and Geraldine Gell Poetry Prize is Teresa Middleton, a poet from Greenwood, Indiana, for her full-length-book manuscript entitled Junk DNA: A Collection of Sonnets. Ms. Middleton's book was selected by finalist judge Baron Wormser.

The Gell Poetry Prize is awarded annually for an as-yet-unpublished book of poems of exceptional quality. In addition to the fall, 2010 publication of her book by Big Pencil Press, the publishing imprint of Writers & Books, Ms. Middleton will receive an honorarium of $1000, and a residency at The Gell Center, W&B's rural retreat center in New York's Finger Lakes Region.

In his Foreword to the book, Mr. Wormser said, "The wonder of this book is how Teresa Middleton has taken a centuries-old form and made it her own, for what distinguishes these sonnets is their remarkable legerity. These poems dance. The rhymes are not impediments; they are spurs to continuous feats of fancy, insight, narrative and reflection."    

Teresa Middleton lives with her daughter and husband in Greenwood, IN, and has taught English and creative writing in Indiana Schools for over twenty years. Her first book of poems, Core and Seed, was published in 2001 by Magner Publishers. She was inspired to write Junk DNA after attending an Associated Writing Programs (AWP) workshop in Vancouver, B.C.  The idea that 98% of human DNA is a mystery to scientists, and that the sequences in DNA function much like language, fascinated and motivated her to experiment with the sonnet form--to write a collection containing ten strands of ten connected sonnets.

Writers & Books Executive Director Joe Flaherty said, "An unprecedented high number of entries were received in the competition this year, with many of superb literary strengths. The decision-making process was not easy."

Previous winners of the award have been Veronica Patterson in 2009, for her book Thresh & Hold, chosen by Lola Haskins; and Roz Spafford in 2008, for her book Requiem, chosen by Carl Dennis.

"It’s Good to be Home…" Poetry Contest for Youth
sponsored by ESL and W&B

What does “home” mean to you? Enter to win a $100 savings bond! Use your imagination to write a unique poem that celebrates your concept of home. The contest is open to youth in grades 1-8 from the Greater Rochester and surrounding areas.

Clik here for details and to download a contest entry form.

"If All of Rochester Read the Same Book..." 2010 Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Click here for more information on the book and the author's visit to Rochester!

Bel Canto is here! We have new copies of Bel Canto, the selection for our 10th annual "If All of Rochester Read the Same Book..." program, in stock and available for purchase. Member and bulk discounts are available. Save the date: Author Ann Patchett will be in Rochester for free public events March 24-27, 2010.

Master Class for Writers with Ann Patchett

Sat., March 27 10:00-11:30am

Master Class for Writers with Ann Patchett is open to all writers of any age, genre or experience. Ms. Patchett will not be reviewing manuscripts before, during or after the workshops, but will offer writing advice and suggestions and answer questions.

Cost is $75 for the general public and $55 for members and full-time students with ID. Register in advance by calling W&B at (585) 473-2590, x. 107 by Monday, March 22 at 9pm or Register Online.

Publishing FAQ

Do you have a piece you would like to publish, but don't know how to go about it? Steve Huff, author and Director of Adult Education has produced answers to the most frequently asked questions regarding self-publishing, magazine, and novel publishing. Read it here.

Writers & Books, Rochester's community literary center, inspires and instructs over 25,000 people each year through a wide array of offerings in nearly every literary genre. Believing that the written and spoken word are central to our lives and culture, Writers & Books celebrates, promotes and works to make them available to all. Writers & Books is located at 740 University Avenue, near Atlantic Avenue in the Neighborhood of the Arts.

Writers & Books is located at 740 University Ave, Rochester NY 14607