Hudson Valley Writers Center

Please join us for our warm and welcoming Open Write Nights, recurring monthly on the&nbsp;Second Saturday&nbsp;of each month.
This group will take place in HYBRID FORM, meaning that there will participants in person at HVWC as well as joining on the big screen via Zoom.

Your hosts Cassie Cartaginese and Cassie Valencia will facilitate an evening of generative writing, story swapping and community building.

Open Write is $10 or FREE to members. If you are a member you should have received a coupon code you can apply at checkout so this event cost will deduct to zero. Don’t have a membership? Sign up&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.writerscenter.org/pricing-plans/list" rel="nofollow noopener">here</a>.

Local Event: Open Write (Hybrid)

Westchester County

Tarrytown-Sleepy Hollow

New York

Open Write (Hybrid)

Please join us for our warm and welcoming Open Write Nights, recurring monthly on the Second Saturday of each month.
This group...

Please join us at 2:00 p.m. on October 11 for an afternoon of new poetry from Kathy Fagan, Erika Meitner, and Elaine Sexton! (In-Person at HVWC)
BIOSKathy Fagan’s newest collection is The Unbecoming (W.W. Norton, September 2026). Her sixth book, winner of PSA’s William Carlos Williams Poetry Prize, is Bad Hobby (Milkweed Editions, 2022), available in print and audio. Sycamore (Milkweed, 2017) was a finalist for the 2018 Kingsley Tufts Award. A 2023 Guggenheim Fellow, she is Professor Emerita of The Ohio State University, where she co-founded and directed the MFA Program in Creative Writing.

Erika Meitner is the author of six books of poems, including Ideal Cities&nbsp;(Harper Perennial, 2010)—a 2009 National Poetry Series winner; Holy Moly Carry Me&nbsp;(BOA Editions, 2018), winner of the 2018 National Jewish Book Award and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in poetry; and Useful Junk (BOA Editions, 2022).&nbsp;Her poems have been published most recently in The New Yorker, Electric Literature, Virginia Quarterly Review, Oxford American, The New Republic, Orion, and elsewhere. Her seventh book, Assembled Audience, is due out from Milkweed Editions in September 2026. Meitner is currently a professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she also directs the Creative Writing Program.

Elaine Sexton is a poet, critic, bookmaker, educator, and librettist. She is the author of the forthcoming opera, The Post Office, written in collaboration with composer Laura Kaminsky, premiering in the spring (2026) at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Spruce Peak Arts. This chamber opera in poems will also appear in book form with Grid Books (May, 2026). Her most recent collection of poetry is Site Specific: New &amp; Selected Poems (Grid, 2025). Her four previous books of poetry are: Sleuth&nbsp;(New Issues, 2003), Causeway&nbsp;(New Issues, 2008), and Prospect/Refuge&nbsp;(Sheep Meadow Press, 2015), and Drive&nbsp;(Grid Books, 2022).

Local Event: An Afternoon of Poetry with Kathy Fagan, Erika Meitner, and Elaine Sexton

An Afternoon of Poetry with Kathy Fagan, Erika...

Please join us at 2:00 p.m. on October 11 for an afternoon of new poetry from Kathy Fagan, Erika Meitner, and Elaine Sexton!...

An Afternoon of Poetry with Kathy Fagan, Erika Meitner, and Elaine Sexton

We are excited to hold Open Mic Night in hybrid form, both in-person at HVWC and virtually!

Physical and virtual doors open at 7:20 pm for event starting at 7:30 pm. Due to popular demand to participate, we’ve had to limit the amount of readers to 20.

All performers, whether “in person” or on Zoom, will be given a 5 minute spot. The “in person” performers at HVWC will perform. The online, virtual performers will also take their turns. Due to the new zoom technology installed at HVWC both groups will be able to see each other perform. Both groups will have 10 “performer” spots available to them.

We will have a virtual audience as well as a live audience!&nbsp;Virtual audience seats&nbsp;are free and unlimited, as long as you pre-register below. The Zoom link will be sent the day of the event.&nbsp;A limited number of free&nbsp;“in person” audience seats&nbsp;will be available to those who pre-register. There will be no seats available on the night of the Open Mic. You MUST pre-register.

All genres welcome&nbsp;—&nbsp;fiction, non-fiction, poetry, music, comedy, storytelling, other. Open Mic will give you an opportunity to share your talents in a nurturing, comfortable space with some great people.&nbsp;Your<a target="_blank" href="https://writerscenter.kindful.com/" rel="nofollow noopener">&nbsp;donations are welcome</a>!

Local Event: Open Mic (Hybrid)

Open Mic (Hybrid)

We are excited to hold Open Mic Night in hybrid form, both in-person at HVWC and virtually!

Physical and virtual doors open at...

When you read your poetry to an audience, your poems deserve the very best reader they can get. This class will help you to become that reader.

In our 2-hour intensive, we will start by focusing on technical matters such as determining the acoustical quality of the room, using available enhanced amplification such as microphones, and, in particular, improving your own vocal projection and your diction as a reader—while keeping your tone natural and, when appropriate, conversational. Then we will investigate interpretive matters such as defining the speaker of your poem and finding ways to embody that speaker and his or her relationship to the audience, and engagement with the situation and feelings developed in the poem. When you come to the class, you will bring in several poems you have written and read them to us all. We will then discuss your reading, noting where you were most successful and offering constructive suggestions for improving your reading.&nbsp;

BIO
Diane Tasca founded the Pear Theatre in California, serving as Artistic Director for 15 years. She has written a half dozen full-length plays, along with numerous short plays, and has given dramaturgical support to many playwrights at the Pear Theatre. She holds a doctorate in literature.

Local Event: How to Shine at Your Poetry Reading with Diane Tasca

How to Shine at Your Poetry Reading with Diane...

When you read your poetry to an audience, your poems deserve the very best reader they can get. This class will help you to...

How to Shine at Your Poetry Reading with Diane Tasca

This time with a EULOGY theme, the weird and wonderful series of neighbors+strangers sharing objects+stories, returns to the cozy Hudson Valley Writers Center for Round 5.&nbsp;

Oct. 22, 2026, 7 pm. Many of us have&nbsp;written or listened to eulogies of our dearest/queerest loved ones. You can bring segments or a summary of a eulogy you once shared at a funeral (along with an object that celebrates that person), or you needn't be so literal. Eulogize your pet cat of 18 years, your child departing for college and empty-nesting you in bittersweet ways, a portion of your misguided youth you want to say good riddance&nbsp;to, a series of bad ex-boyfriends... Anything goes but we love a theme and encourage you to have fun with it. And please don't forget the actual object--the SHOW part of your tell is just as important. If sharing a eulogy, no need to go verbatim…

How this works generally no matter the theme: Save the date, rifle your curio cabinet for the certain something that most resonates. Come armed with said object (spectacular, strange, spooky, sentimental), and share a 5 minute story, open mic-style, with your friends and neighbors in an intimate setting at the historic Hudson Valley Writers Center of Sleepy Hollow.

First-come, first-dibs for 15 folks to tell a tale--so reserve your spot now.

Tickets are only $10 for audience and participants. Bring some cash or your Venmo app for books and misc. fun artisanal stuff for sale in the slightly thematic Show &amp; Tell pop up shop that will be sitting outside in the Shadowbox truck.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Local Event: Sleepy Hollow Show & Tell

Sleepy Hollow Show & Tell

This time with a EULOGY theme, the weird and wonderful series of neighbors+strangers sharing objects+stories, returns to the...

Join us in-person at the Hudson Valley Writers Center for an afternoon of terrific poetry from Ellen Goldsmith, Richard Parisio, Avia Tadmor, and Zoë Ryder White. Hosted by the editors of Slapering Hol Press (SHP).
BIOS

Ellen Goldsmith’s first full length collection, Are We There Yet? (Kelsay Books) follows four chapbooks.&nbsp;Her first, No Pine Tree in This Forest Is Perfect, won the 1997 Slapering Hol Press Chapbook Competition&nbsp;and was described by Dennis Nurkse as “an incandescent collection.” Goldsmith’s poems have been&nbsp;published in numerous journals and anthologies. She holds an Ed.D. from Teachers College, Columbia&nbsp;University, and is professor emerita of The City University of New York. She lives in Cushing, Maine.

Richard Parisio lives and writes in the Hudson Valley, where he has worked as a naturalist and educator for over four decades. His chapbook, The Owl Invites Your Silence, won the 2013 Slapering Hol Press Poetry Chapbook Award, and he holds an MFA from Cedar Crest College. His full poetry collection, Trailside Register, was published by Bushwack Books in 2025.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Avia Tadmor is the author of&nbsp;Song in Tammuz&nbsp;(Tupelo Press, 2026), winner of the Berkshire International Prize. Her poetry appears in The Academy of American Poets' Poem-a-Day, The New Republic, Best New Poets, New England Review, and elsewhere. Avia received fellowships and awards from Yaddo, the Rona Jaffe Foundation, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Vermont Studio Center, Poets &amp; Writers, and was named a Gregory Djanikian Scholar by the Adroit Journal.&nbsp;Previously, Avia taught writing at Columbia University, where she directed the Columbia Artist/Teachers Program, promoting no-cost arts education in schools and community organizations in NYC. Avia is a graduate of the United World College program, educating for constructive dialogue, peace, and a sustainable future. Currently, she is a Clinical Associate Professor at New York University.&nbsp;Born in Jerusalem, she lives in New York.&nbsp;Find more at: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.aviatadmor.com/" rel="nofollow noopener">www.aviatadmor.com</a>.&nbsp;

Zoë Ryder White’s first full-length collection,&nbsp;The Visible Field,&nbsp;was published by River River Books in February, 2026. A chapbook,&nbsp;Via Post,&nbsp;was a finalist for Tupelo Press’ Snowbound Chapbook award and won the Sixth Finch chapbook contest in 2022.&nbsp;HYPERSPACE&nbsp;was the editors’ choice pick for the Verse&nbsp;Tomaž Šalamun Prize in 2020&nbsp;and is available from Factory Hollow Press. She co-authored&nbsp;A Study in Spring&nbsp;(Rabbit Catastrophe Press, 2015) and&nbsp;Elsewhere&nbsp;(Sixth Finch Press, 2020) with Nicole Callihan. Her poems have appeared in Tupelo Quarterly, Iterant, Plume, and Threepenny Review, among others. A former elementary school teacher, she edits books for educators about the craft of teaching. She lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with her family.

Local Event: Slapering Hol Press Presents the Debut Poets Reading

Slapering Hol Press Presents the Debut Poets...

Join us in-person at the Hudson Valley Writers Center for an afternoon of terrific poetry from Ellen Goldsmith, Richard...

Slapering Hol Press Presents the Debut Poets Reading

Kira Gleit

New York City Metropolitan Area

Rockland County

Nyack-Piermont

Jeff Edwards

Pleasantville-Briarcliff Manor

Rivertowns

White Plains

Scarsdale

Nanuet

Pearl River

Ossining-Croton-On-Hudson

Harrison

New City

A " Do Not Miss" family fun day at the Nyack Famous Street Fair on Sunday, October 11, downtown on Main, Broadway, and Cedar Streets from 10 to 5. A perfect way to spend a fall day in historic Nyack located on the Hudson River. This promises to be the ultimate shopping opportunity to start on your holiday shopping list or for that special item for you. The fair highlights over three hundred exhibitors, from four states, with a diverse array of arts &amp; crafts, new retail items, home decor &amp; unique gifts lining downtown. In addition to the exciting items on display attendees can indulge in a variety of all kinds of food &amp; drinks ranging from Cousins Lobster truck, Thai, empanadas, sausage &amp; peppers, fried fish, Jamaican &amp; Greek foods. Also French, American and the popular NY Soda Jerks truck with old fashion egg creams &amp; more will be there. Nyack's outdoor cafes will be offering event specials. Music will be playing at the Gazebo. Do not forget to stop by Nyack’s great shops and interesting boutiques.
This is an exciting shopping, family fun, and dining event you do not want to miss. Spend the day at this exciting event held in historic Nyack located on the Hudson River. The fair is sponsored by ACADA of Nyack for over 50 years. Held rain or shine. No Pets Please. The fair is organized by P.J.'s Promotions and for more information go to <a href="https://www.pjspromotions.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">www.pjspromotions.com</a>

Local Event: Nyack Famous Street Fair, Sun. Oct. 11, Over 300 Exhibitors, Downtown, Nyack, NY 

Nyack Famous Street Fair, Sun. Oct. 11, Over...

A " Do Not Miss" family fun day at the Nyack Famous Street Fair on Sunday, October 11, downtown on Main, Broadway, and Cedar...

Nyack Famous Street Fair, Sun. Oct. 11, Over 300 Exhibitors, Downtown, Nyack, NY 

Mount Pleasant Public Library

| <a href="https://url1005.email.actionnetwork.org/ss/c/u001.XaF8mXqsA6b2dSPmhsleMRn4bEDrVolvcV8XbCw64ynqRVjLDcwDVOqRoUl3DaqlZelm1QuGudX4gagHCmCuTnnFL-g70hEG5-6l29sduP9ogp5kLCtsxzwp6lq-YdoPR7LlkLbRPaYy_IZuDLjzHBG2vqqxpq60H6QBYsSu6YdQ6ff8D_Vf9xNwWWBg9QpCenRpmUkFQPi9v56QpQFM57iUnseCPQa5oc-o5_CRUrclPIgNlmNxRXcwjBv6AQvphCqvGS-0iRa4O0VSioTaQHbO3czjymlDI-WjVoPKdyDZ-sOiNsTI_0YI_2hMBfUsDAtuS9aagK643DManwbvAinJD0UxuywDxzvujuPmXhXEYA-XilKGXuSNLLmP1TMEXoD-6e7vYhyI3PePXoo_QWzS9i2Dj9kbt3mbCmgQUEBY3VYTv2WCwFgwSYew6ZOTqTwYKif-QJHB_oD9LRFUxEKYsVqsHLy5Ntz-i29kTgb2WGJKBsLl1D1n1cHWMVsff_zO-Qldw7YIriqySbl2fb2yo8q81wr_8_KfVO8OpQV1Ml3QAvseALW29kS_6LBdS-1rF2S5FNKn2Gc8wreEMJUPMWjfOxHnzuHl4b7e6ya-k-yyAz5YbeDUOE5gBa-E2ybvCCJ6ttaybC1MaflxiQ/4up/oca0vcUNT76wxcT3qWPmPw/h0/h001.MhTm86aUhzOmKXSephE4AgNnp_fvrc3t5VDqXDv6oCo" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Join the CD17 Community Coalition Healthcare group</a> at the Mount Pleasant Public Library on Sunday, October 11, 2026, for an important community conversation about the future of healthcare. Come hear what’s changing, get your questions answered, and learn what to expect as 2027 open enrollment approaches. Bring your questions, bring a neighbor, and <a href="https://url1005.email.actionnetwork.org/ss/c/u001.SNYHID0cgDJeR88MOfSMucu6CXOSm6SOAbAkBRsdh5Ps9qVdK-Cf2pGevhPfDhNpHn3g-AWUqZ6Ytedyh8rlFUuLWOAW4skls0Ch4zcZmQq7Q-yJXIinZMYYcFBURSpRxy2oeNhEmPqrv2VjTREoM_woELo8vzTKC2TucNk9Mp1PkZCEh47QxPj-MUPIMKGDrWLeNnQ43VDDL_D9GzAfrUmfkPtLv7tng2A6NAKRIfob_BIUEQrIQn1tSwlu1ngBMuEe6A12G1akcTf0j_GWQ4n0u5yxsFgfETJA9G7vBI0JdtCpC2vLdNOAyMrc0rCUC9hUbbsQQbrwi3yP0etJss5pStGAtWGDB1SkhLdMmwl4BFDN8R7gthU-4BX9K8zu8BsgOdCFKnaHkHqoauh9YJQ48yd1U0e8ZKU4vu5Pn3QK4sGNtUBRnKIA9YBNG9G_i7nwGkZYBikijxOGz8laDtOHoz0N3y3OCu114XVjQHyXT4Gx910Y5nwn5b-FlnV3BE24nj21gxzpbqMlbv8hxcMglua-kth6eh-1TJsphmze8YfoMFrQe8Non9FsK2s3ELWlFrPBnJ-8bUCRrNVx2rUwoZ-intd0q1Zd5oEsm1MRb09rWkOfuQCumi2csuPg/4up/oca0vcUNT76wxcT3qWPmPw/h1/h001.jL9b23CRztEbC_-axl2kuYpKmriN-wsAn3s8Zytoh0o" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">RSVP today</a>!

Local Event: Sick From the State of Your Healthcare? THIS SUNDAY: Community Healthcare Forum at the Library

Sick From the State of Your Healthcare? THIS...

| Join the CD17 Community Coalition Healthcare group at the Mount Pleasant Public Library on Sunday, October 11, 2026, for an...

Sick From the State of Your Healthcare? THIS SUNDAY: Community Healthcare Forum at the Library

Hospital for Special Surgery Main Hospital

Movement and nutrition are important parts of a healthy lifestyle. In this three-part workshop, you’ll learn how to use nutrition to support bone and muscle health. Each session includes educational lectures, as well as a variety of activities and discussion, to help you apply the information you learn and develop a personalized nutrition plan of your own. Join us and learn how nutrition can help you move with confidence!
Speaker: Lauren Roper (MS, RD, CDN), Registered DietitianDates: &nbsp;October 12, 19, 26&nbsp;Time: 10:00 am - 11:00 amCost: $75/3 Classes
This series will be held in person at Hospital for Special Surgery, 535 E 70th Street. Registration for all three sessions is required.
This program is designed to give general information and does not provide individual medical advice.


Register today to reserve your spot.
Register Here: <a href="https://communityed.hss.edu/en/custom-registration-from?utm_campaign=Patch_Webinars" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Community Education &amp; Outreach at HSS</a>
Please contact <a href="mailto:communityed@hss.edu">communityed@hss.edu</a> with any questions.

Local Event: Move with Confidence: The Nutrition Connection (In Person Class)

New York County

Upper East Side

Move with Confidence: The Nutrition Connection...

Movement and nutrition are important parts of a healthy lifestyle. In this three-part workshop, you’ll learn how to use...

Move with Confidence: The Nutrition Connection (In Person Class)

The Performing Arts Center, Purchase College

The Sum of All ThingsSunday, October 18, 3:00 pm


<a href="https://www.benjaminhochman.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Benjamin Hochman</a>, piano and conductorMusic of Beethoven, Brahms, Arvo Pärt, and MozartRenowned pianist Benjamin Hochman plays and leads the orchestra with four pieces of music that add up to the totality of the human spirit. Beethoven's joy and playfulness (yes,&nbsp;that Beethoven). Brahms' pure mastery of sound, shape and emotion. Arvo Pärt summarizing the nature of the universe in five minutes with 22 string players. And Chef Amadeus cooking up a three course repast to thoroughly thrill all your senses.

Local Event: Westchester Philharmonic Presents "The Sum of All Things"

Westchester Philharmonic Presents "The Sum of...

The Sum of All ThingsSunday, October 18, 3:00 pm


Benjamin Hochman, piano and conductorMusic of Beethoven, Brahms, Arvo Pärt,...

Nearby Communities

State Edition

National Edition

Kira Gleit, Community Contributor

Posting Activity

Open Write (Hybrid)

OCT

10

7:30 PM

Hudson Valley Writers Center, 300 Riverside Dr, Sleepy Hollow, NY

An Afternoon of Poetry with Kathy Fagan, Erika Meitner, and Elaine Sexton

OCT

11

2:00 PM

Hudson Valley Writers Center, 300 Riverside Dr, Sleepy Hollow, NY

Open Mic (Hybrid)

OCT

16

7:30 PM

Hudson Valley Writers Center, 300 Riverside Dr, Sleepy Hollow, NY

How to Shine at Your Poetry Reading with Diane Tasca

OCT

18

12:00 PM

Hudson Valley Writers Center, 300 Riverside Dr, Sleepy Hollow, NY

Sleepy Hollow Show & Tell

OCT

22

7:00 PM

Hudson Valley Writers Center, 300 Riverside Dr, Sleepy Hollow, NY

Slapering Hol Press Presents the Debut Poets Reading

OCT

25

4:00 PM

Hudson Valley Writers Center, 300 Riverside Dr, Sleepy Hollow, NY

Nyack Famous Street Fair, Sun. Oct. 11, Over 300 Exhibitors, Downtown, Nyack, NY

Sick From the State of Your Healthcare? THIS SUNDAY: Community Healthcare Forum at the Library

Move with Confidence: The Nutrition Connection (In Person Class)

Westchester Philharmonic Presents "The Sum of All Things"