Hudson Valley Writers Center

Join the editors, writers and artists of tarry to launch our second issue! We'll have light refreshments, some programming, but most importantly, a chance to connect with each other to celebrate the&nbsp;creativity of our wonderful community.&nbsp;


Please note that the "ticket" is a way to register for the event so we can monitor our building capacity. PLEASE make every effort to pre-register so we have enough seating for everyone. 

Attendees do not have to pay to attend--they can write "0" into the ticket price--but a donation to the Hudson Valley Writers Center is always welcome and appreciated so we can continue to host many more community events in the future!

More about tarry:

tarry is an annual literary magazine of original short fiction, poetry, art and other creative works inspired by the people, history, and geography of the Tarrytowns. At the turn of the 19th century, this area inspired Washington Irving to write some of our nation’s most enduring stories, giving a voice to Americana and forever shaping our country’s folklore. tarry builds on that legacy to entertain, delight, and inspire—and to tell some good stories.

Local Event: TARRY: A Launch for Issue 2 and a Contributor Reading

Westchester County

Tarrytown-Sleepy Hollow

New York

TARRY: A Launch for Issue 2 and a Contributor...

Join the editors, writers and artists of tarry to launch our second issue! We'll have light refreshments, some programming, but...

TARRY: A Launch for Issue 2 and a Contributor Reading

Come to the mic exactly as you are.

The People’s Mic is more than an open mic; it’s a community gathering rooted in care, creativity, and connection, hosted by Westchester Poet Laureate Phylisha Villanueva. Join us for an evening where poets, storytellers, and musicians share space and truth. Whether you have a poem in your notes app, a song in your chest, or want to listen and be nourished by community, this space is for you. No experience required. No perfection expected, just presence.&nbsp;Centered on respect, expression, and collective care. Come to perform or witness from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. once a month. 

Details: 
Doors open at 6:30 pm for event starting at 7:00 pm. Register online through this ticket link to secure your performer or audience spot. We will admit folks at the door until we reach capacity, but online registration ensures your admission. 

Admission is $5.00 for everyone--no matter whether you are an audience member or a performer. 
There are 10 performance slots available in advance--through this online registration ticket. There will be a few in-person spots available as well--first-come, first-served. Each performer must respect the time limit: 3-5 minutes per person. If you have any questions about this event, please email HVWC's Program Director, Dominika Wrozynski: <a target="_blank" href="mailto:dominika@writerscenter.org">dominika@writerscenter.org</a>.

Let’s gather, listen, and remind each other that our stories matter.

Local Event: The People's Mic with Phylisha Villanueva

The People's Mic with Phylisha Villanueva

Come to the mic exactly as you are.

The People’s Mic is more than an open mic; it’s a community gathering rooted in care,...

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)

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

Center for Spiritual Development

SPIRIT IN THE GARDEN
An Afternoon of Mystical Connections
Second Annual Fundraiser
Join gifted Psychics, Mediums and Spiritual Healers as they share messages, guidance, healing and inspiration for the heart, mind and soul. 
Sunday, September 20th, 2026, 1:00- 4:00PM
Center for Spiritual Development
293 Sound Beach Ave - Old Greenwich, CT 
Choose one event or immerse yourself in a full afternoon of mystical connections.

Local Event: Psychic Fair - Reiki Fundraiser

Fairfield County

Old Greenwich

Connecticut

Psychic Fair - Reiki Fundraiser

SPIRIT IN THE GARDEN
An Afternoon of Mystical Connections
Second Annual Fundraiser
Join gifted Psychics, Mediums and Spiritual...

Falls are a leading cause of injury among adults, and certain prescription and over-the-counter medications can increase the risk by affecting balance, coordination, and alertness. Join us for a free educational Zoom webinar or come in-person&nbsp;to learn how medications and drug interactions may impact your safety and what steps you can take to help reduce your fall risk and maintain your independence.Participants will learn about:<ul><li>How prescription and over-the-counter drugs can affect balance, coordination, and alertness</li><li>The role of medication interactions in increasing fall risk</li><li>Practical strategies to help reduce falls and support safe, independent living</li></ul>

Speaker: 
Eric Greenberg, PharmD, BCGP, BCPS, BCIDP HSS Clinical Pharmacist
This program is offered virtually (Zoom) and in person.
Register today: <a href="https://communityed.hss.edu/en/custom-registration-from?utm_campaign=Patch_Webinars" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">https://communityed.hss.edu/en/custom-registration-from?utm_campaign=Patch_Webinars</a>
This program is designed to provide general health information and does not offer individual medical advice.
<a href="https://communityed.hss.edu/en/custom-registration-from?utm_campaign=Patch_Webinars" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"></a>
Please contact <a href="mailto:communityed@hss.edu">communityed@hss.edu</a> with any questions.

Local Event: Protecting Your Health: Medications & Fall Risk: Free HSS Program!

New York County

Upper East Side

Protecting Your Health: Medications & Fall...

Falls are a leading cause of injury among adults, and certain prescription and over-the-counter medications can increase the...

Protecting Your Health: Medications & Fall Risk: Free HSS Program!

Shames JCC on the Hudson

Kick off Spooky Season with real life ghost stories from paranormal expert Amy Bruni!
Pass the popcorn and join renowned paranormal researcher, TV host and author, Amy Bruni, as she guides audiences behind the screams and into chilling real-life hauntings that inspired the world's most terrifying horror films. In this spooky season live show, Amy breaks down every case historically, from firsthand eyewitness accounts to actual paranormal evidence collected in these locations.

Local Event: Walking with Ghosts: Real Life Hauntings with Amy Bruni

Walking with Ghosts: Real Life Hauntings with...

Kick off Spooky Season with real life ghost stories from paranormal expert Amy Bruni!
Pass the popcorn and join renowned...

Walking with Ghosts: Real Life Hauntings with Amy Bruni

Silver Pro Music

A fundraiser benefitting Rivertown Dance Academy, a 501(c)3 profit organization.
Gather with us on September 27 to celebrate dance and support RDA’s financial aid program at Silver Fest!
Held at Silver Pro Music, a glitsy recording studio and event venue in Hartsdale, the evening includes a professional performance, a cocktail hour and fine spirit tasting, mystic readings, prizes and a tasting menu of Peruvian Latin fusion cuisine. The night wraps up with a DJ’d dance party below the disco lights. 
VIPs enjoy early entrance with a private reception in the lounge, a behind the scenes look at tech rehearsal, specialty food and drink, and reserved seating for the night.
This year, for the first time, kids party, too! A pizza party at Clubhouse Central, a private play space located next door to the main event, offers parents an affordable childcare option.
Join us! And be a part of the magic.
Get your tickets now, because prices go up September 21.
<a href="https://www.RivertownDanceAcademy.org/silverfest" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">RivertownDanceAcademy.org/silverfest</a>

Local Event: Silver Fest

Silver Fest

A fundraiser benefitting Rivertown Dance Academy, a 501(c)3 profit organization.
Gather with us on September 27 to celebrate...

Nearby Communities

State Edition

National Edition

Posting Activity

TARRY: A Launch for Issue 2 and a Contributor Reading

SEP

24

7:00 PM

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

The People's Mic with Phylisha Villanueva

SEP

25

7:00 PM

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

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

Psychic Fair - Reiki Fundraiser

Protecting Your Health: Medications & Fall Risk: Free HSS Program!

Walking with Ghosts: Real Life Hauntings with Amy Bruni

Silver Fest