Support Our Work in the Rochester Community

Now you can contribute to our annual fund online. Just click here to add your contribution to your shopping cart.

 WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO KEEP
THE WRITTEN WORD ALIVE?

Dear Friend of Writers & Books,

We’ve all heard about magazines and newspapers recently closing down because of reduced readership.  Perhaps one of your favorite publications has disappeared. In fact, we are now faced with the possibility of major American cities, such as Philadelphia and Denver, not having a daily newspaper. It is also true that publishers are printing fewer books and writers are having a harder time reaching an audience.

On the other hand, I’m sure you’d find it hard to imagine your life without reading and writing.  There are the many personal stories, perhaps even one of your own, of how a certain book or poem changed someone’s life. We know the written word is crucial not only to our lives, but also to our community, our country, and to people around the world.

So, with the circulation of newspapers dwindling across the country, established magazines going out of business and publishing houses shutting down, what does it take to keep the written word alive?

It takes an organization working 365 days a year to promote reading, writing, literacy and the spoken word right here in the greater Rochester area. An organization that offers to this community:

•          over 200 writing classes for young people, adults and seniors in non-fiction, journalism, business writing, fiction writing, poetry, screenwriting and more

•          SummerWrite creative camp for children ages 6 – 19, held from June through August, offering 70 different classes that teach and inspire a love of reading and writing

•          scholarships for children and adults that make it possible for ANYONE to participate in our programs

•          a reading series featuring both local and visiting authors

•          two community-wide reading programs-The Big Read and If All of Rochester Read the Same Book-that reach 25,000 people twice a year

•          writing retreats for new and already established writers at The Gell Center of the Finger Lakes-our rural writers retreat in South Bristol

•          community engagement with partners such as the Memorial Art Gallery, Valley Manor Senior Living Center, The George Eastman House, The Red Cross,  Rochester Young Professionals, the Susan B. Anthony House, the Jewish Community Center and many others

But to continue our work, we need your help! With the support of friends like you, Writers & Books has been an important part of the Rochester cultural landscape for the past 28 years. During that time we have grown into one of the country’s largest community literary centers with the highest per capita participation in the United States.

Won’t you consider becoming a Friend of Writers & Books today and contributing to our 2009-2010 annual fund drive? Your tax-deductible contribution will make a significant impact. We don’t need $700 billion to do what we do well. Send us just $70 – a mere .00000001% of what Wall Street needed and watch what we do with it! (Of course, we would be happy to accept more…) That money will be used for many remarkable things.

But your gift can do another very special thing. It can express your thanks to a writer or book that changed your life. When you make your contribution we encourage you to tell us the name of the writer or book that made a difference in your life. 

You never know whose life you will touch–or change–through your contribution.

YOU CAN HELP KEEP THE WRITTEN WORD ALIVE.

CONTRIBUTE TO THE WRITERS & BOOKS 2009-2010 ANNUAL FUND DRIVE.

Sincerely,

Joe Flaherty

Executive Director

Contribution Levels

• up to $99 (Poet)
• $100-$249 (Editor)
• $250-$499 (Novelist)
• $500-$999 (Publisher)
• $1,000-$4,999 (Muse)
• $5,000+ (Godsend)

NEW!!!

Now you can contribute to our annual fund online. Just click here to add your contribution to your shopping cart.

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