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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JBWC Creative Writing Programs

The Just Buffalo Writing Center (JBWC) opened its doors in April of 2014, creating an entirely new nucleus for all of Just Buffalo’s education programs. Our creative writing programs have served schools throughout Western New York for more than 40 years.

Along with our FREE afterschool creative writing programs for youth (ages 12-18), the JBWC provides adults with space to write, learn, and connect with other writers. The JBWC is also a great resource for encouraging and supporting the teachers and schools in our community.

July 2025
Open Hours at Just Buffalo Literary Center - July 18, 2025

Open Hours

OPEN HOURS provides a dedicated time and place for you to focus on your writing. Create new work and take creative risks. Get inspired by the library at Just Buffalo, and discuss your reading and writing practices with other writers in one of Buffalo's most beautiful downtown locations.
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Just Buffalo Literary Center
468 Washington St., 2nd Floor, Buffalo, NY
  • Just Buffalo Literary Center
Leaps and Turns: Exploring the Creative Essay with Laura Marris July 24, 2025 // 4:00-5:00pm

Teachers Are Writers: Leaps and Turns: Exploring the Creative Essay with Laura Marris

In this workshop, we will explore the unfolding beauty of the essay form and the ways it can capture curiosity on the page. We will focus on how creative nonfiction can invite us to question, develop associations, and listen to the self. We'll also look at developing organic structures for the essay that are designed to reflect each person's unique patterns of thought.
Thursday, July 24, 2025
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Just Buffalo Writing Center
468 Washington Street, 2nd Floor, Buffalo, NY 14203
  • Just Buffalo Literary Center
Visual Narratives with Max Weiss July 31, 2025 / 4:00-5:00pm

Teachers Are Writers: Visual Narratives with Max Weiss

Discover the power of comics as a storytelling medium in this interactive workshop. Learn how the combination of images and text can evoke emotion, engage readers, and foster creativity. Participants will explore the fundamentals of comic storytelling and leave with practical tools to integrate comics into their classroom and creative lives.
Thursday, July 31, 2025
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Just Buffalo Writing Center
468 Washington Street, 2nd Floor, Buffalo, NY 14203
  • Just Buffalo Literary Center
August 2025
How To Write When You Are Working Like a Dog--Part II: Intertextuality with Luke Daly August 14, 2025

Teachers Are Writers: How To Write When You Are Working Like a Dog–Part II: Intertextuality with Luke Daly

This workshop is designed to help busy teachers find one of several proven paths to a satisfying writing practice. Through some simple writing prompts and a bit of theory on “intertextuality,” the concept that all writing comes from other texts, writers will experience some liberating possibilities for getting started, remaining unstuck, and conceptualizing writing in fresh and inspiring ways.
Thursday, August 14, 2025
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Just Buffalo Writing Center
468 Washington Street, 2nd Floor, Buffalo, NY 14203
  • Just Buffalo Literary Center
No event found!

No events currently scheduled. Check back soon for the Fall 2024 JBWC calendar!

Just Buffalo Writing Center JBWC

About the JBWC

The Just Buffalo Writing Center provides access to writing workshops, literary events, and one-on-one assistance with all kinds of creative writing.

Creative Writing Programs for Youth

Our FREE after-school creative writing programs, including all youth writing workshops and other JBWC youth events, are aimed at young writers aged 12–18 and have options to join in-person or virtually.

Wordplay Mural - Just Buffalo Literary Center

Youth Publications

Check out writing by young writers and artists from the JBWC after-school creative writing programs, as well as young writers we work with across Western New York.

Made-To-Order Poems - Just Buffalo Literary Center

Made-to-Order Poems

Order a poem on a topic of your choosing and support Buffalo’s next generation of literary voices. All poems are written by students of the Just Buffalo Writing Center.

Writer Residency

Our Teaching Artists

Just Buffalo’s teaching artists represent the best of Western New York’s literary presence, from poetry and fiction to playwriting, non-fiction, and beyond.

JBWC Youth Fellowship logo - Just Buffalo Literary Center

Youth Fellowship Program

The Just Buffalo Writing Center Youth Fellowship offers 1-2 motivated young writer(s) the opportunity to develop their craft and explore professional avenues within the literary arts.

Youth Ambassadors 2023 in JB library 750x750

Youth Ambassador Program

Youth Ambassadors have the unique opportunity to play an integral role in the development and success of the JBWC’s programs and events.

JBWC Testimonials

Creative Writing Programs for Adults

Our creative writing programs for adults (ages 19 and up) are designed for any level of writer, from beginner to advanced. Taught by established writers, you can hone your craft in a relaxed, nonjudgmental atmosphere.

Creative Writing Programs for Teachers

We at the JBWC believe that teachers are the most passionate, dedicated, and creative people on the planet, and we want to support their creativity. That’s why our creative writing programs offer professional development opportunities just for them.

In-School Programming & 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.

Become a Teaching Artist

Are you interested in becoming a Just Buffalo teaching artist? Find out what it takes to get involved in our creative writing workshops.

Volunteer

Want to help guide young writers? Sign up to work with teens 12–18 on writing and more during open hours at the JBWC.

Donate

We believe in the power of the literary arts to change individual lives and communities. Help us put that vision into action.

Where?

Just Buffalo Writing Center
468 Washington Street, 2nd Floor
Buffalo, NY 14203
(Look for the typewriter mural!)
OR
Virtual via Zoom (for some events)

When?

See JBWC events for times

How Do I Get There?

Train: Lafayette Square Station
Bus: 6, 14, 16, 24, 42, 74, 76
Parking: Free street parking after 5:00 p.m. and on weekends