Since 1982, Just Buffalo Literary Center’s Writers in Education programs have successfully connected teachers, administrators, and parents to support academic achievement and active engagement in the literary arts (poetry, fiction, drama, and other creative writing) for learners of all ages. The program’s record of excellence and commitment has been recognized by a New York State Governor's Arts Award and a Buffalo Alliance for Education award.

Writers in Residence Workshops
Just Buffalo’s Literary Teaching Artists specialize in providing intensive Creative Writing instruction to students in grades K-12. During a residency, Just Buffalo’s writers work closely with teachers over a five-week period, engaging students in writing, reading, listening and speaking with step-by-step interaction that leads to the successful creation of their own unique poems, stories, and essays. These works are then eligible for publication in Wordplay, Just Buffalo’s annual anthology of student work. Distributed free of charge to schools, libraries, community centers and individuals throughout Western New York, Wordplay not only is an inspiration for young writers who have yet to be published but also is an opportunity to celebrate the talents of young people and the power of the written word in their lives.

Writing with Light: Combining Creative Writing and Photography
This collaborative project between Just Buffalo and CEPA Gallery offers students a unique learning experience that combines literary art with photography. In “Picturing Poetry” or “Flash Fiction,” a CEPA teaching photographer and a Just Buffalo writer guide students in ten one-hour sessions that lead to a public exhibition of the work. Themes and overall goals are set by teachers, artists, and administrators. Designed to bring parents and community together with teachers and students, the responses have been dramatic. One fourth-grade student commented, “I comprehend now that I am art, a living poem, a breathing painting, a moving music.” A fifth-grader, reflecting on what he had learned, noted, “Inspiration means imagination. This project changed my life.”

A Picture’s Worth—A Thousand Words: Writing at the Art Gallery
This dynamic program for students in grades 3-12 combines the inspiring setting of the art gallery with the literary teaching artistry of Just Buffalo’s Writers Corps. During a ninety-minute session, students and their teachers interact with select works of art and discover new possibilities for their own creative writing. Gallery docents focus student attention on specific details of several works of art and Just Buffalo’s teaching artists engage students in creative writing exercises to stimulate poetic responses to these works.
Community Projects: Reaching Out
A variety of community projects provide opportunities for creative writers of all ages to participate in meaningful literary arts-based programs. These include:

• Spotlight on Youth Coffee House Series, a bi-monthly open mic series for young people 12 to 21
• Buffalo/Williamsville Poetry Music and Dance Celebration, an annual event featuring student composers, poets, and dancers performing with a major American poet
• The Big Read, an annual civic reading initiative developed by the NEA
  

For more information, please call Barbara Cole, Education Director, 716-832-5400.

 

This website is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, celebrating 50 years of building strong, creative communities in New York State’s 62 counties.