.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
Horseman Family Saturdays at the Tarrytown Schools
Once a month during the school year, the public schools of the Tarrytowns hosts Horseman Family Saturdays at Sleepy Hollow High School. The goal is for families of all backgrounds to break bread together over a meal, and be in community through family-friendly games, enrichment activities and community connections. As a community partner, the Hudson Valley Writers Center facilitates activities for young children that foster a love of creativity and self-expression.
HVWC
Outreach
The Hudson Valley Writers Center partners with several outstanding organizations throughout our community to bring language and the literary arts to many who have not had access in the past.
Writers Express Afterschool Program in Partnership with the White Plains Middle School
The Writers Express Afterschool Program is a new outreach initiative designed to bring tuition-free literary programming to youth in Westchester County. Pairs of Teaching Artist Interns from SUNY Purchase College will lead weekly 1 hour creative writing after school sessions for middle school students at the White Plains Middle School. This paid professional development opportunity will aid interns in generating income in the arts post-graduation by offering interactive, in-person experience facilitating a youth program and sufficient experience to submit proposals to nonprofits nationwide.
This LitNYS project is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with
the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Rehabilitation through the Arts
RTA is one of our new partners which shares our belief in the transformative power of the arts. We are working with RTA on two projects:
1) As part of RTA’s Reimagining Myself project, we are pairing professional playwrights (who teach or volunteer at HVWC) with formerly incarcerated women who are writing plays about various aspects of re entry into society. The plays will be performed at various NY State prisons to help men and women prepare for the challenges they will face when they return to their families and community. Many of the plays will be filmed as well to allow broader distribution throughout the RTA system.
2) We will also be teaching memoir and creative writing in various prisons in Westchester and other New York counties. Several HVWC board members will be part of the teacher volunteer group.
RTA helps people in prison develop critical life skills through the arts, modelling an approach to the justice system based on human dignity rather than punishment.
Children’s Village
Since before the pandemic, our founder Margo Stever developed both one on one and group writing courses for residents of The Children’s Village, concentrating on poetry, memoir and other creative outlets. Poetry students recited their work at our annual benefit gala held at the Writers Center. In the coming year, HVWC volunteers plan to provide specialized tutoring in homework help to The Children’s Village high school students. We also plan to reinstate our group creative writing offerings.
The Children’s Village (CV) is committed to the wellbeing of children, teens, and families by advocating for, strengthening, and reuniting families; building community partnerships; creating innovative programs; and connecting people to resources that focus on equity, basic needs, and human rights.
RSHM Life Center
Like The Children’s Village, the Life Center in Sleepy Hollow has been our partner for many years. After a hiatus during the pandemic, we will be teaching creative writing to grade schoolers and planning a presentation seminar series for parents at The Life Center in the coming year.
The Life Center delivers a wide variety of programs to the immigrant community and beyond, serving toddlers to seniors. Their goal continues to be to empower and inspire all who come through their doors.
HVWC
Community Partners
The Board and Staff of HVWC are grateful to partner with the following organizations.
The Village Bookstore is an independent, family-owned store featuring hand-selected books, cards, journals and gifts. The store is conveniently located in downtown Pleasantville, NY just minutes away from the Saw Mill and Taconic Parkways across from the Jacob Burns Film Center.
Once home to the Rockefeller family, The Pocantico Center’s verdant campus in the scenic hills of the Hudson Valley has been host to some of the most influential leaders, thinkers, and creative minds of the last century. Today, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund continues to bring together people at Pocantico through a robust slate of conferences, artist residencies, tours, performances, exhibitions, and educational programs.
Tarrytown Arts Camp offers summer Multi-Arts Camps featuring music, art, dance, theater, creative writing, and culture.
The Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow Farmers Market – The TaSH – is a destination in Westchester County. Farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, artisanal breads and baked goods, meats, poultry, fish, craft spirits, farmhouse cheeses – it’s all here. But that’s just where it starts. The TaSH is set in historic Patriots Park on NY State Route 9, straddling the scenic Hudson River villages of Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow. Each Saturday, May through November, 50+ vendor stalls hug a sun-dappled, grassy lawn, where the best area musicians entertain. Kids dance and play, friends and families socialize, and everyone eats!
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), a 501c3 nonprofit, is the preeminent membership organization for children’s book creators. We are a global community of writers, illustrators, translators, publishers, librarians, advocates, and other industry professionals working to establish a more imaginative and inclusive world through the power of children’s literature. Our mission is to support the creation of an abundance of quality children’s books, so that young people everywhere have the books they need and deserve.
The Sleepy Hollow Arts Collective is dedicated to building community through artistic collaboration and education in the performing and visual arts.
The Children’s Village (CV) is committed to the wellbeing of children, teens, and families by advocating for, strengthening, and reuniting families; building community partnerships; creating innovative programs; and connecting people to resources that focus on basic needs and human rights.
The Masters School celebrates active participation, deep understanding, and meaningful connection. A community of diverse individuals, we gather to learn, to strive, to dare, to do — to be a power for good in the world.
Founded in 1970, Poets & Writers is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization serving creative writers. Our mission is to foster the professional development of poets and writers, to promote communication throughout the literary community, and to help create an environment in which literature can be appreciated by the widest possible public.
The Poetry Society of New York is a nonprofit dedicated to promoting poetry within our culture. We envision a world where poetry is not just celebrated, but vital and accessible to all: breaking down barriers, inspiring joy, and uplifting diverse voices. Rooted in the belief that poetry belongs to us all, our mission is to create experiences of poetry where people from all walks of life can explore, express, play, and find a sense of belonging. By prioritizing accessibility, experimentation, collaboration, and undeniable fun, we aim to foster community and innovation in the often stale and isolating literary sphere. Each of our programs offers an invitation into a vibrant poetry world specifically designed to stimulate discovery, wonder, and life-long friendships between artists.