Stop by for tea and pastries, bucolic vistas, and a chance to view extensive renovations at Gell Cottage, Gleason Lodge, and our tree house. Hear about opportunities for writing residencies, enrichment […]
In and through literary experiments with word and sound, utterance and song, Vox Humana considers the different ways a body can assert, recount, and proclaim. Born from the polyphonic phenomenon […]
Meet Rachel DeGuzman, inaugural Melissa Dora Benjamin Colbeth Fellow, and hear about the project she undertook during her two-week writing residency. Stay for Q & A, conversation, light refreshments, and […]
Sara Zavacki-Moore’s debut novel Choosing Charity was released in 2022, followed by Tiny House of God (Wild Rose Press, June 21, 2023). Tiny House of God teaser: When an abandoned […]
Join us for a free, collaborative, supportive writing community every Saturday. Facilitated by Jessica L. Pavia, our writing group is focused on encouragement, guidance, generosity, and accountability. Drop in weekly, […]
Do you love theater? Do you have a big imagination? Have you always wished you could see the characters and stories in your head come to life in front of […]
Do you love telling stories? Are you entertained by listening to a good story? Then you probably already are a natural storyteller! In this camp you will practice voice, body […]
Are stories constantly running through your imagination? Get your ideas out of your head and onto paper! In this camp we will learn what makes a story interesting by exploring […]
Calling all quest seekers! What do collaborative role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons and writing have to do with each other? Quite a lot, as you’ll discover. In this camp, […]
Percy Jackson is mighty with his sword; his creator, Rick Riordan, is mighty with his pen. Experiment with the writing methods Riordan uses to weave a siren spell. You will […]
Have you ever wondered what it’s like living in magical worlds, such as those described in the Harry Potter series, Chronicles of Narnia, and The Borrowers? How do we leave […]
Think of this as a book club where, instead of discussing novels, we discuss musicals. From Sondheim to Six, musical theater can be more than just jazz hands and smiles; […]
Using colorful fabrics and creative writing in an open, narrative story space, you will go on an inner journey of self-identity that will in turn help create a more welcoming […]
Rochester’s Neighborhood of the Arts (NOTA) has long been home to expression and creativity. Businesses and organizations that engage with art through painting, photography, food, and language abound. There are […]
Write, write, write! We will spend the first part of this camp producing poems, stories, journal entries, and creative essays through imaginative writing prompts. You will be encouraged to try […]
Attention time travelers! Do you want to learn more about significant events, such as the sinking of the Titanic, Hurricane Katrina, or 9/11? We'll spend the week exploring what makes […]
Join us as we read mysteries and detective stories and get to know problem -solvers from a variety of backgrounds. Over the course of the week, we will learn about […]
Summertime, sunshine, green rolling hills, nature, and you! Spend five days communing with the writer within you at our retreat in the Bristol Hills. Explore with professional writers and naturalists […]
In this exciting collaboration between Writers & Books and the Creative Workshop at the Memorial Art Gallery, you’ll create your own fantastically illustrated and imaginatively written story. You’ll learn how […]
Calling young thespians! We’ll spend the week walking into the world of William Shakespeare, with a special focus on his use of the supernatural in his plays. We’ll explore his […]
Do you enjoy a good mystery? Do you enjoy the creative writing process? Do you want to know whodunnit? If your answer is “yes,” join us for Mystery Writing 101. […]
Journaling is a way to organize, record and reflect on your personal experiences, thoughts, feelings, and ideas. Campers will design and keep a journal that is uniquely their own as […]
Calling all young authors and illustrators with a love for reading and writing! Do you enjoy telling your own stories through pictures or words? We’ll take a journey together through […]
Immerse yourself in the world of Harry Potter when Writers & Books’ three-story building is transformed into Hogwarts! Throughout the week, students will attend Herbology, Transfiguration, Divination, History of Magic, […]
The library will be our resource as we research, explore, and share our findings on our own cultures and cultures that are new to us. With discussion, interviews, and prompts to […]
This collaboration between Writers & Books and the Flower City Arts Center provides a unique opportunity merging visual arts with creative writing. You will work with artists to handbuild a […]
So you want to write a book, but you need a plan. Join our community of writers to learn how to plot a book chapter by chapter, taking your great […]
Why do we write? Because as writers, we have to. This upper-level teen workshop dives into the questions authors ask themselves during the drafting process. Why does this matter? Why […]
Everything seems normal...on first appearance. Your main character seems like just another kid, with the usual hopes and anxieties, off to just another summer day camp, until another kind of […]
Todos tenemos una historia y ahora necesitamos unirnos para contarlas porque cada cuento importa. Durante este programa vamos a ‘tomar espacio, hacer espacio’ por la poesía para contar la historia […]
Flash fiction is a very short form of story writing. Every word is essential. These stories have all the elements of a longer story: character, setting, and plot– but in […]
Do you know how to build a satisfying system of magic in a fantasy world? Do you love books that include dictionaries of their own fictional languages? Do you daydream […]
The word photography means “writing with light.” Using a 35mm film camera (provided) and a pen and notebook, we will explore the uniqueness of the Neighborhood of the Arts (NOTA). […]
Have you ever wondered how your favorite TV show got to the screen? Want to try your hand at writing a script made for TV? In this camp you will […]
Starting with two characters—one with your own personality and a character of your own invention—you will create the kind of stories you like, whether they are superhero adventures, fantasy, sci-fi, […]
Do you know how to create a satisfying system of magic in a fantasy world? Do you love books that include dictionaries of their own fictional languages? Do you daydream about […]
View artworks from Julie Chen’s current collection that inspire and inform her upcoming exhibition Always with Us, which includes Eidolon of A-Ngoh, “I can’t forget, okay?,” The Last Shoe, and […]
Moving through themes of lineage, twinship, femininity and masculinity, reclamation of Indigeneity, dance, gender roles, and longing, Gonzalez's poems are a crescendo on the page. Part ecstatic elegy, part spell, […]
In his 20th book, Sean Thomas Dougherty brings us a memoir-like prose sequence reflecting on disability, chronic illness, addiction, survival, love, and parenthood. Death Prefers the Minor Keys is, most […]
September 23 @ EST 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm & 9:00 pm - 10:00 pm Tickets $25 | 740 University Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607 Join us for the unexpected: five […]
Kathy Johncox−fiction writer, communications professional, world traveler/Army brat, coffee-loving Norwegian daughter, wife, sister, mother−was born in St. Louis MO. She gathered material in two foreign countries and seven states before […]
Reading & Book Signing Divided into four sections and shaped by female-identified embodiment, Danielle Cadena Deulen’s Desire Museum touches on lost love and friendship, climate crisis, lesbian relationships, and the […]
Jaime Mahler, MS, LMHC, is the New York-based psychotherapist and mental health educator behind the popular Recollected Self social media brand. Her therapeutic education on trauma and toxic relationships has […]
An In-Person Master Class with Doug Curry Participants will deepen their knowledge of the literary, aural, and oral legacy of the blues by engaging with Doug Curry’s and other practitioners' […]
An All Genres Workshop at Gell with Anais Salibian Gleason Lodge, Gell: A Creative Finger Lakes Retreat 6581 West Hollow Road, Naples, NY 14512 “Body and land are one flesh,” […]
Thirteen surreal short stories utilize the strange and the bizarre as a backdrop for explorations of loneliness, queer coming-of-age, self-discovery, and loss. Baumann’s tender vignettes of love, anger, grief, and […]
Mingle with fellow book lovers over light hors d’oeuvres, wine, and beverages. Your ticket includes reserved, priority seating at N. K. Jemisin’s keynote. Reception will be held at The Strong […]
Welcome by Annette Jiménez Gleason, Senior Program Officer at Rochester Area Community Foundation; introduction by scholar Dr. Gaya Shakes This is an in-person event held at The Strong National Museum […]
Welcome by NY State Senator Samara G. Brouk Browse indie bookstores and small press publishers’ tables and acquaint yourself with area cultural resources. Enjoy pop-up events, author signings, panels, and […]
Join artist Julie Chen and Artist in Residence co-curator Susan Begy for a conversation on the creation and curation of Always With Us and experience the final stage of the […]
