Our Response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak

As a precaution to help limit the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and care for our community, Just Buffalo Literary Center has postponed a number of events, and we will follow the guidance of Buffalo Public Schools in terms of Just Buffalo Writing Center programming.

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At Just Buffalo, we believe…

…in the love of reading, the art of writing, and the power of the literary arts to transform individual lives and communities. For fifty years, we’ve brought the world’s greatest writers to Buffalo, hosted poetry events and readings, and supported the development of young writers.

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BABEL: Hernan Diaz, November 20, 2025 at Kleinhans Music Hall. (photo credit: Pat Cray)

Literary Events in Buffalo

Check out upcoming literary events from Just Buffalo's own acclaimed series to other happenings around town.
BABEL Tickets
View the Calendar

The 2025–2026 BABEL Season is HAPPENING!

ON SALE NOW! Don’t miss the incredible authors coming to Kleinhans Music Hall this year—and don’t forget about our local book discussion groups and other BABEL-related community events. (What is BABEL? Read all about it.)

Thursday, March 26, 2026
7:30 pm
Kleinhans Music Hall
Babel - Tara Westover - March 26 2026 - Kleinhans Music Hall - Just Buffalo Literary Center

BABEL: Tara Westover

Tara Westover’s memoir Educated—a #1 New York Times bestseller for over two years—has transfixed readers with its unforgettable story of self-invention. Born to survivalists in rural Idaho, Westover didn’t set foot in a classroom until she was 17 but went on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University and wow the world.

Come be inspired by her story of resilience and the power of learning to rewrite your own script.

3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY 14201

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Saturday, April 4, 2026
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Buffalo AKG Art Museum
akg babel tour credit Tricia Davis

BABEL-Inspired Tours at the AKG: Black In Blues by Imani Perry

In collaboration with Just Buffalo, the AKG is offering sixty-minute, docent-led public tours based on the themes in the acclaimed BABEL author series and the related books. Please note, the authors will not be present at the tours. Public tours based on the themes in the book Black In Blues by Imani Perry. No reservation necessary.

1285 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14222

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Saturday, April 11, 2026
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Buffalo AKG Art Museum
akg babel tour credit Tricia Davis

BABEL-Inspired Tours at the AKG: Black In Blues by Imani Perry

In collaboration with Just Buffalo, the AKG is offering sixty-minute, docent-led public tours based on the themes in the acclaimed BABEL author series and the related books. Please note, the authors will not be present at the tours. Public tours based on the themes in the book Black In Blues by Imani Perry. No reservation necessary.

1285 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14222

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Saturday, April 18, 2026
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Buffalo AKG Art Museum
akg babel tour credit Tricia Davis

BABEL-Inspired Tours at the AKG: Black In Blues by Imani Perry

In collaboration with Just Buffalo, the AKG is offering sixty-minute, docent-led public tours based on the themes in the acclaimed BABEL author series and the related books. Please note, the authors will not be present at the tours. Public tours based on the themes in the book Black In Blues by Imani Perry. No reservation necessary.

1285 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14222

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Thursday, April 23, 2026
7:30 pm
Kleinhans Music Hall
Babel - Imani Perry - April 23 2026 - Kleinhans Music Hall - Just Buffalo Literary Center

BABEL: Imani Perry

MacArthur genius and National Book Award winner Imani Perry unveils her new book, Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People. Blending history, art, and personal reflection, Perry illuminates the forces that have shaped American life and the Black imagination through the color blue—from indigo cloth to blues music.

Join us for a revelatory evening with one of today’s most powerful thinkers and poetic voices.

3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY 14201

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Saturday, April 25, 2026
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Buffalo AKG Art Museum
akg babel tour credit Tricia Davis

BABEL-Inspired Tours at the AKG: Black In Blues by Imani Perry

In collaboration with Just Buffalo, the AKG is offering sixty-minute, docent-led public tours based on the themes in the acclaimed BABEL author series and the related books. Please note, the authors will not be present at the tours. Public tours based on the themes in the book Black In Blues by Imani Perry. No reservation necessary.

1285 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14222

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Toni Morrison BABEL Just Buffalo Literary Center

Become a BABEL Sponsor

Just Buffalo’s BABEL series reaches a dynamic cross-section of our community—breaking social, economic, cultural, and geographic boundaries to bring people of all walks of life together to celebrate the power of the written word.

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We are located at 468 Washington Street in Downtown Buffalo, NY.

JBWC Creative Writing Programs

Check out what’s coming up at the Just Buffalo Writing Center, including writing workshops, book clubs, and more.
View the Calendar
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Just Buffalo Literary Center
Reading & Discussion Group with Luke Daly March 11, 2026

Reading & Discussion: Ross Gay’s Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude With Teaching Artist Luke Daly

Join us at the Just Buffalo Literary Center for an evening dedicated to "serious noticing." As part of our city-wide In Gratitude project, poet and guest facilitator Luke Daly will lead a discussion into Ross Gay’s National Book Critics Circle Award-winning collection, Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude.

468 Washington Street, 2nd Floor, Buffalo, NY 14203

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Saturday, March 21, 2026
11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Just Buffalo Literary Center
In Gratitude Open Hours - Creative Writing Programs - Adult Writing Workshops - Writing Center - March 21, 2026 - Just Buffalo Literary Center

Open Hours: In Gratitude Session

OPEN HOURS is a cafe-style gathering that provides a dedicated time and place to focus on your writing, create new work, and take creative risks. This session is inspired by the "In Gratitude" project—a city-wide initiative rooted in the "serious noticing" of everyday delights.

468 Washington Street, 2nd Floor, Buffalo, NY 14203

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Wednesday, April 8, 2026
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Just Buffalo Literary Center
In Gratitude Open Hours - Creative Writing Programs - Adult Writing Workshops - Writing Center - April 8, 2026 - Just Buffalo Literary Center

Open Hours: In Gratitude Session

OPEN HOURS is a cafe-style gathering that provides a dedicated time and place to focus on your writing, create new work, and take creative risks. This session is inspired by the "In Gratitude" project—a city-wide initiative rooted in the "serious noticing" of everyday delights.

468 Washington Street, 2nd Floor, Buffalo, NY 14203

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No event found!
Writer Residency

In-School Creative Writing Programs & Field Trips

One of Just Buffalo’s greatest strengths is our ability to reach students of all ages and abilities—gifted and talented, at-risk, or special needs—and we’re proud to work with public, private, Catholic, and charter schools, as well as community centers throughout Western New York.

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Zine Making Field Trip 2025 photo credit Noah Falck
comic chapbooks photo credit Noah Falck 500x500
Mullen Elementary students field trip 2024
ikuris-chapbooks-publications
CLRI summer camp Our Story Scholars 2024 photo credit Pat Cray

Experience the literary arts firsthand with a field trip to the Just Buffalo Writing Center.

The JBWC welcomes schools, educators, organizations, and groups for a custom-designed experience that encourages creative expression and strengthens writing skills for learners of all ages & abilities.

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Typewriter-Graphic design by Julian Montague

Just WHAT is the JBWC?

The Just Buffalo Writing Center (JBWC) is a vibrant creative hub where readers & writers of all ages can come together around the love of books & the written word.

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Sidney Clifton speaking at the unveiling of the Spirit of Inspiration sculpture in honor of her mother, Lucille Clifton, in June 2023 at the Central Library Reading Park in Downtown Buffalo, NY.

Support Just Buffalo

At Just Buffalo, we believe that books change lives, reading builds community, and creative writing unlocks the imagination. Your support is critical to Just Buffalo—because words matter.
Ways to Give

Just Buffalo is a registered 501-c-3 non-profit organization, and your donation is tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Brandon Lopez Fred Moten performing at the 06152024 Silo City Reading photo credit Pat Cray 500x500

Become a Monthly Donor!

Because every word counts. All year long, Just Buffalo strives to inspire readers, writers, and critical thinkers of all ages. Stories are shared, voices are lifted, and literature continues to be a force for connection & understanding.

Monthly donors make that work possible! Your generosity provides the steady, sustaining support needed to ensure Just Buffalo remains vibrant & accessible to all. It is one of the simplest and most meaningful ways to give.

Make a Donation
Event Space Rental - Just Buffalo Literary Center

Event Space Rental

Located in the heart of downtown Buffalo, our beautifully renovated space is available for private rental to host writing workshops, author events, poetry readings, professional development retreats, book launches, and more.

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Annette Taylor Daniels performing outside of Just Buffalo Literary Center as part of Words On The Street, October 2018. (Photo by Noah Falck)

The Latest JB News

Stay updated on the latest news from Just Buffalo.
Read the News
The Yearning To Hold a Living Thing Too Close by Luke Daly
Sunday, March 1, 2026
The Yearning To Hold a Living Thing Too Close by Luke Daly
Sparrow is the shape of my palate—
I put her in my mouth. I form my lips
into a holy-oak bivouac, field observatory
Read "The Yearning To Hold a Living Thing Too Close" by Luke Daly
Pantoum In Which It’s Already Too Late by Carol Mikoda
Sunday, February 22, 2026
Pantoum In Which It’s Already Too Late by Carol Mikoda
You try to prepare for when the lake simmers, no wind or waves.
While a rhythmic pounding lurks at the edge of earshot,
the stillness drags you down into lost cities of vinegar and bone,
so you escape in your car and drive past green lakes of fallow fields.
Read "Pantoum In Which It’s Already Too Late" by Carol Mikoda
Reading, Discussion, and Gratitude
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Reading, Discussion, and Gratitude
At Just Buffalo Literary Center, we believe reading is a transformative act. By engaging with the voices of poets like Ross Gay, we learn to look with new eyes, discovering that the habit of reading can sharpen our empathy and spark joy.