NYWC is one of the largest community writing organizations in the country. NYWC creates opportunities for formerly voiceless members of society to be heard through the art of writing. We provide free, unique and powerful creative writing workshops throughout New York City for people from groups that have been historically deprived of voice in our society, including at-risk and disconnected youth, the homeless and formerly homeless, the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated, war veterans, people with disabilities, cancer and major illness, immigrants, seniors and others.  Since emerging in 2002, NYWC has won awards from the Union Square Awards and Petra Foundation, and received program grants from local and national funders including Time Warner, the Pinkerton Foundation, Independence Community Foundation, Hot Topic Foundation, the Kalliopeia Foundation, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, the NY State Council on the Arts and others. Our workshop participants have been featured on The New York Times Blog, WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show and The Huffington Post, in stories about NYWC.

NYWC’s Red & Black Party
Monday, February 8, 2010
6-8 pm

Stacy Abramson, Amanda Bernard, Jennifer Belle, Kara Gilmour, Frank Haberle, Shaina Feinberg, Julia Morris and Sarah Peterson invite you to join us at NY Writers Coalition’s fourth annual Red & Black Party at the beautiful Soho home of Deborah Clearman.

Come celebrate love’s two-faced heart!

You will:

• Hear lusty and heartbreaking tales from writer/performer Kevin Townley
• Sip on a Red & Black cocktail, made of three parts passion, one drop regret
• Spread the love — by supporting NYWC’s unique and powerful creative writing workshops!

Cocktails and hors d’ouevres!
Festive red and/or black attire optional.

To RSVP, print and return this form with your check,
or click the button below and select a price from the drop down menu to purchase a ticket via credit card or PayPal.

You may also choose the homebody offer and support NYWC from the comfort of your home with a $100 donation!

Most of the cost of your ticket is tax-deductible!
Address/directions will be sent upon ticket purchase.

Red and Black Party Tickets!

Romeo/Juliet $75.00 Lorena Bobbitt $100.00 Marquis De Sade $200.00 Casanova $500.00 Tiger Woods $1,000.00 Emily Dickinson (Homebody) $100.00

All tickets from donors at the $500 level or higher will be matched by our secret valentine. So open your hearts.

A great way to become involved with NYWC is to lead creative writing workshops with us!  We are seeking a bilingual (Spanish) workshop leader for a specific workshop site, and those with day time availability, but all are welcome to apply.   Six people will be selected to participate in our training.

NYWC trains volunteers to lead creative writing workshops that provide a safe, supportive environment in which writers can find and expand their voices, take risks in writing and be part of a non-competitive writing community. Once trained, volunteer workshop leaders participate fully in all workshops they lead: writing, reading aloud and providing supportive feedback to workshop participants. Workshop leaders gain leadership skills while being part of a rewarding process of personal and interpersonal discovery.

If you are interested in becoming a NYWC volunteer creative writing workshop leader, download our volunteer application (msword)  (pdf)  . Workshop leaders undergo 20 hours of training. Our next training session will be on the following dates:  Friday, April 30, 2010, from 7 to 9 PM; Saturday and Sunday May 1 and 2, from 10 to 6 and Thursday, May 6 from 7 to 9. Trainings take place at NYWC’s offices in Fort Greene Brooklyn.  Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, so the earlier you submit, the better.  The deadline to apply for the Spring 2010 training is February 19, and those selected for interviews will be notified by February 23.  Interviews will take place on Thursday, March 4 and Friday, March 12.