Writers & Books

Web Logo

Location

740 University Avenue, Rochester NY, 14607

Hours (as of September 2006)

Monday: 5:00PM to 9:00PM

Tuesday-Thursday: 11:00AM to 9:00PM

Friday: 11:00AM to 5:00Pm

Saturday: 9:00AM to 1:00PM

Phone

585 473 2590 Fax: 585 4429333

Accessible

Yes

Email

<wab AT wab DOT org>

Website

http://www.wab.org/

Writers & Books is a Rochester literary center offering writing and poetry classes, workshops, readings, competitions, outreach programs, residency programs, and internships.

Stop by the Poetry Booth (a phone booth dispensing poetry) located in front of the center and shown in the photo to right.

Writers & Books was voted "Best Place To Dig Some Poetry" in City Newspaper's Best Of Awards in 2007.¹

As described on their website;

Founded in 1981, Writers & Books is one of the nation’s oldest and largest community-based literary centers. The organization’s credo is that the creatively written and spoken word is essential to the personal and cultural life of all Americans. Writers & Books’ mission is to promote reading and writing as a vital life-long activity for people of every age and background.


Writers & Books reaches a broad spectrum of people in greater Rochester, a diversified metropolitan area of almost one million. Each year approximately 30,000 people, including 5,000 children, participate in readings, workshops, discussions, literature and writing classes presented by Writers & Books.

As Rochester's preeminent literary center, Writers & Books, has been a pioneer in the creation of community-based adult literary educational opportunities. In most places, these opportunities are limited by traditional academic structures organized to award a college degree. Trade and business schools don’t offer creative learning. Writers & Books programming is designed to provide easy access to diverse learning and cultivate writing as a life-long process.


We understand that adults are motivated to develop writing skills at different stages in their lives and for different reasons. Some desire enhanced self-expression, or to learn how to get published or to improve their status in the job market. Consequently, our programming offers a broad range of learning including classes in fiction, poetry, journalism as well as grammar, business writing and internet literacy, among others. Our students/customers will find the opportunity to improve creatively and advance their careers.


Equally important to the community are the children’s programming that W&B offers. With limited resources in every school district, children gifted with an enthusiasm for writing often have few opportunities to foster their special interest. For over twenty-five years Writers & Books has responded to this need with classes and workshops for children from first through twelfth grade. We offer learning in fiction, drama, poetry, scripting, journaling and the visual arts, to name a few. These opportunities are “family-friendly” being offered during school breaks, weekends and as week-long camps during the summer. Writers & Books even offers “after care” to accommodate difficult or single parent schedules!


All of our educational programming is of the highest quality. Our faculty is primarily composed of working teachers, most with advanced degrees. In much the same way that the private sector solicits successful businesspeople as educators, Writers & Books adheres to the principle that active, published writers make the best teachers for students of the craft. This commitment to professionalism provides our student customers with an unparalleled insight into the art and discipline of writing.

Significantly, this contributes to our local economy as well, by giving experienced teachers additional income and helping to keep experienced artists and educators in the Rochester metropolitan area.

Complimenting Writers & Books’ core mission of educational opportunity is a secondary goal of enhancing the area’s cultural life. We do this through our Literary Arts Events. Every month Writers & Books hosts more than a half dozen unique events. Many of these are designed to nurture, recognize and promote our area’s highly creative talents. These include the long-standing Senior Writing Group at which seniors meet with their peers to share their creativity in a comfortable, supportive environment. We sponsor the acclaimed Genesee Reading Series, now in its twenty-third year, which provides a showcase for local writers and poets. The 25 & Under series celebrates and encourages the writing talents of Rochester’s young authors. The “Wide Open Mic” is the longest running open reading program in the area!

Elizabeth Gilbert speaking at a recent W&B author eventWriters & Books annually presents the celebrated “If All Rochester Read the Same Book” program. Now in its 8th year, “If All…” is an eight week effort to bring the entire community together to read and discuss one selected book. The foundational principle is that people are more likely to participate if they know they are part of a larger group effort. This program typically presents nearly fifty individual events—from book club, library and school discussions to films, readings and media broadcasts—all revolving on the selected book. It is estimated that each “If All…” program garners more than 25,000 participants!

Writers & Books is also the preeminent host of nationally recognized authors to the Greater Rochester area. Every “If All…” author is a NY Times best-seller and is hosted in Rochester for several days, trekking them from audience to audience. In addition, we customarily present at least one other best-selling author for a single night as part of our XYZ Speakers series.

Our participants are drawn from urban, suburban and rural locations, providing participants a truly diverse learning experience. Writers & Books is the only organization of its kind in a ten county surrounding area. We are devoted to providing low-cost, quality programs while enabling participants to receive a high-quality literary experience.


Our classes and workshops provide the community access to develop essential writing skills and become part of a literary network of like-minded individuals, which enriches the entire Rochester community.


Writers & Books makes a vital educational and cultural contribution to our community. Our consumers come from every urban, suburban and rural part of Greater Rochester. They are creative, curious and ambitious people and when they come together they enhance the Writers & Books experience making it a truly diverse learning encounter.


Writers & Books is a unique and valuable cultural partner with Greater Rochester!

Comments:

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2008-07-08 13:11:59   I've stopped by here before, just to check out the items for sale. The people working there aren't the friendliest. In fact, they have made me feel like I am interrupting their conversations by entering the store. Just my two cents. —KimBee