Michael Solis, Executive Director of Writers and Books, makes the case that reading and writing are not school assignments to survive but lifelong creative practices that build confidence, community and civic connection in a city that badly needs all three.

Discover how Writers and Books has served Rochester since 1981 through programming that spans every age group, from eight year olds writing their first stories at Summer Write camps to seniors capturing a lifetime of memories through the Legacy Writing program. Learn how summer camps built around topics like magic, Percy Jackson, Dungeons and Dragons and graphic novels are turning kids who tune out in school into passionate storytellers who share their work in front of live audiences.

Hear Michael's honest take on artificial intelligence and what it means for human creativity, why he believes the shrinking of our attention spans is one of the most urgent challenges facing readers and writers today, and how Rochester Reads is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year with two remarkable authors whose work speaks directly to the tensions defining our current moment.

Learn about the many ways to engage for free, including the Community Writing Group every Saturday at 1pm, a Friday poetry group at noon and free summer programming at six partner libraries. Scholarships are available for any paid programming, and a gift economy model means no one is ever turned away.

If you want to support 45 more years of human creativity in Rochester, visit wab.org to explore programs, donate or simply stop by the building with the giant pencil on University Ave during open hours Wednesday through Saturday.

Learn more at: https://wab.org/