Invitation to Barnes & Noble Reading

Read more!

Non Profit Status Update

Exciting news: Writopia Lab received its official approval from NY State, certifying our status as a NY State nonprofit organization. We are now only months away from obtaining our federal approval, and from our long-awaited 501c3 tax exemption status.

Why is this such great news?
1) As a NY State registered non-profit we can receive grant money awarded by the state.
2) Once we receive our 501c3 status, corporations, foundations, and private individuals will be able to claim their donations (i.e. computers and supplies or dollars) on their tax forms. (Few people donate without the benefit of this reward.)

Why am I telling you this? How will this status, these grants, or donations benefit Writopia Lab's writers or the community at large?
Within a year, Writopia Lab will likely be able to provide even more families with discounted rates, will be able to plan more exciting public events that feature our writers, and may ultimately grow as a community and be able to move into a larger space.

Basically, WritopiaLab is one major step closer to becoming the sustainable community that we dreamed of when we first opened--a place where dozens of writers will be able to go any day of the week after school or on the weekend to work on creative, extracurricular projects or to just hang out.

So that's the great news. You'll be hearing more about it at the Barnes & Noble reading I'm sure...

~~Rebecca WS~~ Read more!

Fall Update

Hi everyone, here's some quick news:

Barnes & Noble Reading: Writopia Lab's award-winning writers and rising stars will be reading at Barnes & Noble on November 12th (Veteran's Day) from 2:00pm-6:00pm!! READERS, Time Yourselves: Please read your prose out loud slowly to see how much time you will need, and email me the results by MONDAY, OCTOBER 29th! I will do the math and see if it's possible that each of you reads through an entire piece. If not, I recommend that you read the first few pages and the last few pages of your story, filling in the audience with what happened in between. ALSO: Feel free to invite everyone you know to this event. The room is large!

NEWSLETTER: Writopia Lab will be publishing a monthly newsletter beginning November 16th that celebrates all of our writers' accomplishments (literary, artistic, theatrical, academic, athletic etc..) and that lists our upcoming events along with broader literary/educational events in New York City. Please email us.. letting us know about your proudest moments of September and October 2007! Also, email us any suggested events to be listed.

DAN UPDATE: Our fabulous playwriting and screenwriting teacher, Dan Kitrosser, will be reading his original Halloween stories for kids ages 3-10 in Central Park at The Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, inside the park at 110th street, between 5th and Lenox Avenues, on Saturday, October 27th, 4:00pm-6:00pm. (Followed by Pumpkin carvings, paintings, etc.)

Workshops: The fall workshops are buzzing with writers polishing their pieces for the B & N reading and for the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards contest. (The deadline is in mid-January.) Email or call the Lab (212-706-1239) if you haven't gotten involved yet this fall and want to share your stories, memoir, or poetry with Rebecca, your plays with Dan, or any of your creative writing with a group of peers before either of these two events.

New Participants: About two new writers have been joining Writopia Lab's Sunday and Tuesday workshops each week. If you are thinking about checking out the workshops, email or call to discuss the various options.

I think that's it for now...

~~Rebecca (Wallace-Segall) Read more!