Just Buffalo Literary Center’s mission is to create and strengthen communities through the literary arts. And for more than 40 years, Just Buffalo Literary Center has brought the world’s greatest writers to Buffalo, hosted poetry events and readings, and supported the development of young writers.
We believe in the love of reading, the art of writing, and the power of the literary arts to transform individual lives and communities.
You could say that Just Buffalo began with a poem….
Robert Creeley, 2004 (Photo by Gloria Graham)
“Love Comes Quietly”
by Robert Creeley
Love comes quietly,
finally, drops
about me, on me,
in the old ways.
What did I know
thinking myself
able to go
alone all the way.
When Just Buffalo Literary Center’s founder, Debora Ott, first heard this poem as a teenager in New York City, it inspired her to come to the University at Buffalo to study with its author, Robert Creeley. UB’s English Department was legendary, attracting incredible poets and writers to both its faculty and its student body. Born in 1975 out of that intense period of innovation in the literary arts, Just Buffalo created a new niche, inviting writers out of academia and into the heart of the community.
Since then, Just Buffalo Literary Center has accomplished so much for the local reading and writing community, including:
- Brought the world’s greatest writers to Buffalo, most recently with our acclaimed BABEL series
- Supported the development of young writers through the Just Buffalo Writing Center
- Fostered a vibrant cultural scene, becoming an important regional asset and one of the nation’s top literary centers
40 Years of Just Buffalo History
Browse through highlights of noteworthy literary events that Just Buffalo has brought to Western New York, featuring some of the world’s greatest literary talent.
Buffalo Hosts World-Famous Authors
Just Buffalo has been bringing the world's greatest authors to Western New York since 2007. Find out what you've been missing.
Newsletters & Annual Reports
Take a look at our archive of newsletters and annual reports.
