The Community Arts Partnership is proud to present our 17th Annual Spring Writes Literary Festival featuring over 100 local and regional writers in over 40 literary themed live and Zoom events (panels, reading workshops, performances, and happenings).

Schedule of Events:

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Poetry Reading featuring Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts Residency Alumni

Saltonstall presents four exceptional poet alums nicole v. basta ('24), Clare Jones ('22), Liza Flum ('17), and Sarah Giragosian ('21)

Thursday, May 8, 2025

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Reading by LACS Students: Voices: Identity and Resistance

Teen writers from Lehman Alternatives Community School will share poetry and prose.

Friday, May 9, 2025

5:30 pm - 6:20 pm: Panel: What to Expect - When You're Expecting (a Debut Novel)

4 debut novelists: K.E. Semmel, Aggeliki Pelikidis, Jennifer Savran Kelly, and Roohi Choudhry will discuss their publishing experiences.

6:30 pm - 7:30 pm: Reading: By Water Near and Far: Seven poets reading from original work

Evan D. Willi ams, David Weiss, Howard Nelson, Roger Hecht, Mary Gilliland, Cory Brown, and Jerry Mirskin

Saturday, May 10, 2025

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Panel: But Make it Gay

Queer fiction authors for adults and teens discuss all things writing and publishing. M. Stevenson, Isabel Sterling,  amber Smith, Erica Rose Eberhart, and S am Geller

12:00 pm - 1:15 pm Workshop for Teens: Writing Fantasy and Sci Fi

Katharyn Howd Machan will lead teens in exercises with an emphasis on world building and character develo pment.

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Group Reading: Five Writers Read Poems and Fiction

Shahirah Ali, Bailey Br amer, Carolyn Clark, Augusto Luiz Barbosa Facchini, and Yessica Martinez.

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Workshop: Experiments with Genre-Bending Fiction

Raul Palma, a generative course, with discussion and creative writing exercises.

2:00 pm - 3:15 pm For 3rd to 6th Graders: Children's Collaborative Poetry Workshop Tompkins County Public Library, Borg Warner Room Aidan Cobb empowers young students to explore connectio

Aidan Cobb empowers young students to explore connection between poetry visual art, and self - expression in a fun way!

3:15 pm - 4:15 pm: Group Reading: Poems, Historical Fiction, a Play and Essay

Jada Simone, Denice Peter Kar amardian, Jon Raimon, Elizabeth Stuelke, David Guaspari, and Hana Hope Widerman

3:15 pm - 4:15 pm: Workshop: Inspiration Will Fail You!

Elisabeth Nonas will help you plow ahead when the writing gets tough.

4:30 pm - 5:30 pm: Writers Block Party

with Claire Jones. Come to the quietest writing party EVER.

4:30 pm - 5:30 pm: Reading and QandA: Women's Journeys: ThreeMemoirs

 amanda Jaros Ch ampion, Susan Currie, and Anne Mazer

4:30 pm - 5:30 pm: Workshop: Words with Wings

Story teller Regi Carpenter teaches how to read your pieces in an engaging and impactful way that will bring your work to life using your voice, phrasing, tone, and gesture.

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm: Performances: Seven minutes in Heaven: A Spin- the-Bottle of the Arts

7 readers, 7 writers, 7 musicians come together with the spin of the bottle!

Sunday, May 11, 2025

11:00 am - 5:00 pm: Ithaca Book and Zine Fair

Independent publishers, zine-makers, artists, DIYers, and writers show and sell their wares.

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm: Six Writers Read Poems, Fiction, a Play, Memoir, and Ethnography

Gordon Paul Bonnet, Jennilie Brewster, Jack Wang, Judy Malloy, Alida Dean, and J amie Davidson

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Performance: Play It Again Senior Theatre Troupe: "Mistakes"

Eight senior writers read original memoirs on the theme of mistakes.

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Mother's Day Lyric Writing Workshop

Join powerful soul singer SingtTrece and create a meaningful song tribute - whether as a gift, a song for a loved one, or simply as artistic expression.

3:15 pm - 4:15 pm: Workshop: Water as Poetic Partner

A poetry workshop with Imogen Osbourne. Draw inspiration fromIthaca's abundant waterways!

3:15 pm - 4:15 pm: Workshop: Bite-sized Speculative Fiction

with D.A. Xiaolin Spires. Craft a speculative fiction story in 300 words or less!

4:30 pm - 5:30 pm: Writers' Block Party

with Claire Jones. Come tothequietest writing party EVER.

4:30 pm - 6:00 pm: Text in Play (a performance panoply)

Theatre Incognita curates stagedreadings or texts from local writers.

Date:
May 7 - 11, 2025

Location:
Various Venues in Ithaca, NY

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