Community Calendar

Join award-winning singer-songwriter Eric Gnezda for a conversation with his good friend and fellow musician Sally Fingerett about his new book, Stories at the Center, as well as live performances of Eric's original songs with virtuoso violinist Arkadiy Gips! Highlighting Eric as a songwriter and author, this evening will also feature readings by Eric, an audience Q&A, and a book signing.

Eric and Sally will discuss Eric's latest book, Stories at the Center, a memoir chronicling his unconventional path in the entertainment business, including creating and hosting the popular PBS original program, Songs at the Center, a nationally syndicated series that showcases the works of brilliant talents in the contemporary singer-songwriting field.

Eric Gnezda is an award-winning singer-songwriter and the creator and host of Songs at the Center, a TV series that airs on over 400 PBS stations across the U.S. He pens and performs a wide range of songs, both serious and humorous—from inspirational anthems and love songs that touch the heart and soul to country tearjerkers and comedic/satirical numbers.

You will have the opportunity to ask the speakers questions after the event, purchase books, and get your books signed.

It’s time for the fall season of Pen and Tell It! Jump into the season with our new classes that have a little bit for everyone. These stand-alone sessions allow you to try new ideas, writing skills, fascinating prompts, and more!

NOVEMBER 15 CLASSES

Make it Pop!
2nd and 3rd grade // 1-2:30 pm // $20
Who doesn't love a pop-up book? Now you get to try making your own. Bring your imagination and we'll show you how to bring it to life with pull-tabs, pop-up pictures, moving mechanisms, and more in this class. You'll have plenty of cool tools and stories to take home!

Time Traveling Tales
4th and 5th grade // 1-3 pm // $25
While we don’t have a flux capacitor to take us back in time, you’ll fire up your imagination to do the work. What challenges or changes will your character face in a different time period? Do they mess up the space time continuum? In this workshop, we will look at history and make it fun using our imaginations!

Poetry Palooza
6th, 7th, and 8th grade // 1-3 pm // $25
There are a million types of poetry (give or take a few) and you're going to jump into narrative poetry to create your own poetry-based stories. But wait, there's more! We'll break out our art supplies for you to craft a journal for your new stories.

In our lives, we are both always experts and novices. Personal essay and book-length memoirs allow writers to explore compelling, central moments, experiences, and material from their lives to communicate meaning, universal themes, and takeaways to readers, transforming experience into narrative art. What are the ethics of writing about others? We will explore conventions of the form, such as self-disclosure and deep examination, creating tension, character arc, using scenes and dialogue, distilling the “one big thing” your piece is about, and the blurry boundaries of fact and imagination in creative nonfiction—the only writing form defined by what it is not. Discussion questions may include: how do you maximize self-inquiry while avoiding "navel gazing"? What elements make stories engaging to readers? How do you craft a persona on the page?

By the end of the session, you will possess an understanding of personal essay and memoir writing fundamentals: honesty, self-reflection, tension, balancing scenes and exposition, distilling your memoir or essay's "about-ness" (i.e., theme), and what to include versus what to omit. Toward the end of our time together, we will discuss the process of submitting your essays for publication so readers can experience them.

It’s time for the fall season of Pen and Tell It! Jump into the season with our new classes that have a little bit for everyone. These stand-alone sessions allow you to try new ideas, writing skills, fascinating prompts, and more!

NOVEMBER 22 CLASSES

Who Would Win Your Story?
2nd and 3rd grade // 1-2:30 pm // $20
Dive into the fun world of the “Who Would Win?” book series! In class, we’ll briefly talk about the books and then it’s up to you. You’ll decide the competitors you want to use and then plan, write, and illustrate your own story. Who will win? As the author, you have all the power! (You do not have to know the book series to participate.)

Shhh! Creating a Secret Society
4th and 5th grade // 1-3 pm // $25
TOP SECRET: We'll practice collaborative storytelling as we work together to form our own Secret Society, invent new gadgets, and send Secret Agents on top secret missions! This message will self-destruct in 3...2...1... BOOM!

How to Get Away with (Writing) Murder
6th, 7th, and 8th grade // 1-3 pm // $25
Have you ever wanted to write The Perfect Crime? You'll learn how to get away with (writing) murder, heists, detective stories, and more (and what is up with red herrings?). See if you can stump your friends and family with your perfect crime stories!