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: Imani Perry, April 23, 2026 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.
SILO CITY Tickets
BABEL Tickets
In Gratitude
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The 2026–2027 BABEL Season is coming! And the 2026 SILO CITY READING SERIES is happening!

Don’t miss the incredible authors coming to Kleinhans Music Hall for the 2026–2027 BABEL season, or the transcendent experience of the 2026 SILO CITY READING SERIES this summer.

Wednesday, October 14, 2026
7:30 pm
Kleinhans Music Hall

BABEL 2026-2027 Season Subscriptions

ON SALE THROUGH OCTOBER 14! Join Just Buffalo Literary Center for four evenings of world-famous authors at Kleinhans Music Hall:

  • Sigrid Nunez (Oct 14, 2026)
  • Kaveh Akbar (Nov 19, 2026)
  • Amor Towles (Mar 18, 2027)
  • Tayari Jones (Apr 29, 2027)

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. | Stage Events begin at 7:30 p.m.

3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY 14201

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The In Gratitude Events Calendar

Check out what events are coming up around Buffalo for the In Gratitude project, including creative workshops, book discussion groups, pop-up events, and more.

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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.
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Saturday, July 25, 2026
11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Just Buffalo Literary Center

Open Hours

OPEN HOURS provides a dedicated time and place for you discuss your reading and writing practices with other writers in one of Buffalo’s most beautiful downtown locations.

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

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Tuesday, July 28, 2026
5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Just Buffalo Literary Center
Teachers ARE Writers with Kara Pranikoff July-Aug 2026

Teachers ARE Writers: Nurture your Writing Voice with Kara Pranikoff

Join us and Kara Pranikoff as we settle into the summer weeks and cultivate our writing practice. Across five weeks we will explore the interplay between reading and writing, tune into our powers of observation, and practice the craft moves that make writing come alive.

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

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Tuesday, August 4, 2026
5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Just Buffalo Literary Center
Teachers ARE Writers with Kara Pranikoff July-Aug 2026

Teachers ARE Writers: Nurture your Writing Voice with Kara Pranikoff

Join us and Kara Pranikoff as we settle into the summer weeks and cultivate our writing practice. Across five weeks we will explore the interplay between reading and writing, tune into our powers of observation, and practice the craft moves that make writing come alive.

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

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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.
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Silo City Reading Series: Mary Ruefle and Sasha Debevec-McKenney
Sunday, July 19, 2026
Silo City Reading Series: Mary Ruefle and Sasha Debevec-McKenney
We are still holding onto the echoes of last night’s Silo City Reading Series.
CORAL by Juliana Spahr
Sunday, July 19, 2026
CORAL by Juliana Spahr
To write poetry after Castle Bravo.
Then to write poetry after 1500 feet.
Read CORAL by Juliana Spahr
Three Poems by Mary Ruefle
Sunday, July 12, 2026
Three Poems by Mary Ruefle
The copier grew tired of copying,
made a terrible, sick sound
and died.
Read three poems by Mary Ruefle