The Hudson Valley Writers Center brings writers and readers together to celebrate the essential art of the written and spoken word. The Center fosters a vibrant and diverse literary arts community that supports and empowers writers and readers of diverse ages, talents and backgrounds at every stage of their creative development.

Hudson Valley Writers Center Programs:

WORKSHOPS
We host writing workshops year-round, weekdays, evenings and weekends. Workshops typically run in four to six week sessions or as one-day intensives. Our instructors are highly-credentialed experienced teachers and published authors.

PUBLICATIONS
Slapering Hol Press, named after the Dutch for Sleepy Hollow, is our small press imprint committed to publishing small poetry books called chapbooks. The press has operated under the HVWC umbrella through the efforts of its editors and volunteers. We’ve published 40 chapbook titles since 1990, which you can buy in our Bookstore.

EVENTS
The Center hosts annually over 40 readings by poets, fiction and non-fiction authors, and playwrights. Our roster of incredible readers who have graced this space is so extensive, we’re working on a Wikipedia entry. Our Open Mic attracts such a good crowd of regulars and newcomers, we expanded to have Bill Buschel host one more each month. Other new recurring events building community are Open Write and Submission Sundays. We collaborate with other local arts organizations to bring you special events (sometime off-site like the annual Westchester Poetry Festival at the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry) and some on-site like our regular partnership with Pros(e) of Pie storytelling. And of course our biggest special event of the year is our annual fundraising gala, held each fall to celebrate and raise support for our programming.
View all of the Hudson Valley Writers Center Events

COMMUNITY
Our literary outreach has always been essential to our mission. Our instructors teach free creative writing classes to youth and seniors at a number of community centers throughout the region. We also have special projects to share with you, such as a partnership with the Village of Sleepy Hollow producing Poetry in the Pavement (stamped on sidewalks just north of the Center!), and a puppet/playwriting course recently offered at Washington Irving Elementary School. Finally, we couldn’t do any of this without you — our community partners of students, members, audience, readers, donors and sponsors. Thank you!