During these times of social distancing, we have compiled, and will continue to add to, this list of free online resources.
Literary Arts
Brightly – Educational resources and engaging activities for ages infant to teen.
Open Culture – Download 800 free eBooks to your Kindle, iPad/iPhone, computer, smart phone or ereader.
The Society of Authors – a bi-monthly Twitter book club – #DeadGoodLit – celebrating a selection of our favourite titles from the expansive stable of books belonging to our various literary estates.
Gwasg Gomer / Gomer Press – a bilingual online book group on Facebook.
Hello Sunshine – Every month, Reese Witherspoon picks one book she loves with a woman at the center of the story and shares it with her book club.
The Academy of American Poets: For Educators – Features a wide range of free poetry resources for educators including unit and lesson plan ideas as well as a discussion forum where teachers can share ideas.
The Walt Whitman Archive – Access to a large portion of Whitman’s writings and also offers resources, study guides, and criticism.
Project Gutenberg – Online access to many books that are no longer in copyright, including full texts for many of the major novels, plays, and poems in American literature.
Whiting – The speech Siddhartha Mukherjee delivered at the Whiting Awards was later adapted and printed in The New Yorker.
The Free Library of Philadelphia – Extensive collection of podcasts, lists, and resources from all 54 branches of the library
The New York Times – List of various authors reaching out online.
National Women’s History Museum – Recorded interviews about historical women.
Bookmarks – AudioFile’s Best Audiobooks of March.
Audible – Kids everywhere can instantly stream an incredible collection of stories, including titles across six different languages, that will help them continue dreaming, learning, and just being kids. All stories are free to stream on your desktop, laptop, phone or tablet.
Bagley Wright Lecture Series – Bagley Wright Lecture Series on Poetry.
The National Emergency Library – A collection of books that supports emergency remote teaching, research activities, independent scholarship, and intellectual stimulation while universities, schools, training centers, and libraries are closed.
The Social Distance Reading Series – Tommy Blount Tommye reading from FANTASIA FOR THE MAN IN BLUE.
BBC Poetry Season – Explore the lives and legacys of various poets through their with poems, videos and more.
Instagram – Sir Patrick Stewart reading sonnets daily on his Instagram page.
Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature – Collection of children’s literature.
The Folger Shakespeare Library – Enjoy Shakespeare’s plays for free from the Folger Shakespeare Library.
Nosy Crow – Free resources and activities for kids.
Twenty Two Words – ebooks for kids.
Chatter Pack – Online resources for kids: visrtual tours, lessons, activities.
Poets on the Couch – Poets reading in videograms.
Wizarding World – Harry Potter resources.
Penguin Random House – Penguin Random House Open License Online Story Time and Classroom Read-Aloud Videos and Live Events.
Central Casting – Each week Central Casting will add new podcasts, interviews, audio essays, poetry readings and musical recordings from Rochester Public Library patrons and from the web.
YouTube – Just Buffalo Literary Center proudly presents LIT CITY VOICES, a video poem series showcasing the voices and landscapes of Buffalo.
A Public Space – A Public Space No. 28.5 is a collection of free-access pieces from the magazine’s archive, a kind of in-between issue for an in-between time.
Poets.org – COVID-19 Resources for Poets, Writers, and Poetry Organizations
New York Foundation of the Arts – NYFA Partners with The Maurice Sendak Foundation to Create New Emergency Grant Program
Remezcla – One of the Largest Digital Collections of Latino Art & History.
Commaful – Writing advice and tips.
Sesame Street and Headspace – Sesame Street and Headspace Team Up to Encourage Kids to Practice Meditation and Mindfulness.
National Endowment for the Arts – Creative Writing Prompts for the Whole Family.
#ShareYourShakespeare – Share your appreciation of the bard!
NYSCA COVID-19 Resources – NYSCA is compiling and daily updating resources to support New York State’s artists and arts organizations as we navigate the challenges of COVID-19 together.
826 National – 826’s staff and friends are sharing writing prompts, lessons, readings, encouragement, and more at the #agoodtimetowrite YouTube channel.
Arts Education Partnership Resources – AEP Partner Resources for Serving the Arts Education Field in the Time of COVID-19.
National Guild for Community Arts Education – COVDID-19 resource page
Query Letter.com – Write and submit a back cover blurb of 100 words or fewer that sets the stage for a novel, establishes the characters, and raises the stakes in a way that makes readers want to find out more.
BEINECKE RARE BOOK & MANUSCRIPT LIBRARY – Creativity in Isolation: Poet Toi Derricotte on Writing and Revising
Wizarding World – Daniel Radcliffe reads the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone/Sorcerer’s Stone, as part of Harry Potter At Home.
Sesame Street – Ideas to help your family find ways to breathe, laugh, and play together.
Stone Soup Writing Prompts – Stay Creative with Stone Soup: COVID-19 Resources.
National Women’s History Museum – Women Writing History: A Coronavirus Journaling Project.
Seat Up – Poetry Writing Resources.
Custom Writing – Free Books Online: 179 Places to Read and Download Free Ebooks.
Music / Theater / Museum Experiences
NPR – A List Of Live Virtual Concerts To Watch During The Coronavirus Shutdown
Houston Chamber Choir – Free performances every day at noon
YouTube – The Swan Project
Broadway.com – Rosie O’Donnell benefit showcase of Broadway stars
YouTube – Straight No Chaser releases never-before-seen live concert footage from Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Instagram – Scott Avett is frequently posting #emptylivingroomconcerts
Instagram – Mary Chapin Carpenter (Aug. 21) is airing a new series of “Songs from Home”
Instagram – Jason Isbell (Aug. 28, with The 400 Unit) is also blowing off steam on his Instagram page ahead of the forthcoming release of Reunions.
YouTube – Questlove is livestreaming DJ sets on the group’s YouTube Channel and soliciting donations to benefit FoodHub, which serves New York City schoolchildren who no longer have access to meals at school.
National Theatre at Home – Every Thursday, enjoy a much-loved National Theatre Live production, free to stream on YouTube for seven days.
MET Opera Series – New York’s Metropolitan Opera House will broadcast events as part of its “Live in HD” series.
Smithsonian – Fun Stuff for Kids and Teens
Mvskoke Youth Cultural Arts Mentorship – Mentee Presentations
New York Times: Opening Night – Join the stage’s biggest stars as they virtually gather to perform the songs, scenes and showstoppers that helped define a year like no other.
Film
Ann Arbor Film Festival – Annual Festival streaming online
The Little Theatre – Indie movies available online
Kanopy – Kanopy lets you stream more than 30,000 documentaries, classic and indie films. This content is available to those with a public library card or a university login.
Vilnius Film Festival – Selections from Lithuania’s largest film festival online.
CPH:DOX – Copenhagen’s largest film festival streaming selections online.
Environmental Film Festival – DC’s Environmental Film Festival online.
Boston Jewish Film Festival – Movies and discussions online.
Talking Shorts – Every week Talking Shorts will present an online program of seven short films on the subject of “dystopia” that have been suggested from our quarantined short film friends around the globe. The audience can then vote for their favorite film.
Local Resources
Memorial Art Gallery – Access to programs at home,
George Eastman Museum – Archival access to the Museums records, photos, and more.
Rochester Museum & Science Center – Science experiments and activities to do at home.
Jewish Community Center – Access to programs, exercises, and more.
Seneca Park Zoo – Animal related crafts and activities.
Visit Rochester – A full listing of local offers and resources in the the Rochester area.
Blackfriars Theatre – Weekly Book Club that reads plays.
Canandaigua Chamber of Commerce – A listing of resources and opportunities.
Ten Minute Teachings from Ganondagan – Ten Minute Teachings with Ganondagan State Historic Site Manager Peter Jemison (Seneca), Wednesdays & Fridays, 11 am on FB Live.
Ganondagan Facebook Live Storytelling – Take advantage of the storytelling skills of Ganondagan Site interpreters Tonia Galban (Mohawk) and Michael Galban (Washoe/Paiute), 3:30 pm, Monday through Friday, on our Facebook Live.
Avenue Blackbox Theatre – COVID-19 resources
Rochester Public Library – A podcasting and audio file site from the Rochester Public Library (NY)
Fertile Ground – an exploration of placemaking in Rochester, New York
Virtual Tours
Explore – Virtual Museum tours.
Monterey Aquarium Live Cams – Ten live cams to choose from, you can experience the wonder of the ocean no matter where you are.
Smithsonian – Tour Five Egyptian Landmarks
Virtual Field Trips: Hit the road with these fun tours
Tallest Buildings in the World: Take a tour of these sky-scrapping structures
Mental Wellness & Mindfulness
New York Times – Make your own mask.
Artist Relief – To support artists during the COVID-19 crisis, a coalition of national arts grantmakers have come together to create an emergency initiative to offer financial and informational resources to artists across the United States.
A NY State of Mind – This special NY collection of meditation, sleep, and movement exercises are here to support you through stressful and challenging times.
BookWeb – Day-to-day self-care practices.
Lifeline – Tips and advice for self-care.
Rochester Central School District – Beginning on Monday, April 6, the District will begin providing a Chromebook if needed to any RCSD students in grades 6 through 12 who have not yet received one this school year.
Physio-Logics Youth Wellness – a local (Penfield-based) anxiety prevention and education center for kids, teens and families.
Children’s Institute – For parents self-care.
Mindful – How Reading Aloud Can Be a Mindfulness Practice
Sesame Street – Ideas to help your family find ways to breathe, laugh, and play together.
Sunshine Behavioral Health – Resources on addiction & recovery.
The Recovery Village – Register for our teletherapy, telepsychiatry and other online addiction treatment programs
Addiction Center – Resources surrounding COVID-19
The Recovery Village – New resource allows support groups to conveniently host free, anonymous meetings online.
MoneyGeek – Resources for Workers Impacted by Coronavirus Layoffs and Lost Wages.
American Addiction Center – Virtual AA/NA support meetings
American Addiction Center – A guide on how to find state-funded rehab centers
Sober Nation – Staying Sober Through a Global Catastrophe resource guide.
Slumber Yard – Created a “Back to School Sleep Tips During COVID” to help support healthy sleep for students and parents during the pandemic.
All Points North Lodge – An Addiction treatment center that offers two distinct tracks that allow you to make progress in mental and physical health. They also provide a wealth of addiction treatment resources. Stay connected long-term through their APN App, community support, and telehealth.
The Palm Beach Institute – A guide to understanding addiction relapse during COVID-19 and tips for remaining sober.
Art Making Opportunities
National Endowment for the Arts – COVID-19 Resources for Artists and Arts Organizations.
The Inner Loop Lit – 2020 District Fray + The Inner Loop Creative Writing Contest.
Stone Soup – Get your book published by Stone Soup!