Neighborhood Voices is a city-wide writing project inviting Clevelanders from every corner of The Land to pen stories, essays, and poems about their neighborhood for inclusion in an anthology that will become part of the Cleveland Public Library's permanent collection. As part of this program, Literary Cleveland and the Cleveland Public Library hosted free virtual writing workshops throughout the city in June and July, allowing residents to connect with neighbors, share stories of their community, and draft new writing about what makes their neighborhood unique. This writing was then collected into a print and online anthology.
The Neighborhood Voices Anthology is published in print and online. Visit the free virtual anthology website today and learn more about the print book here.
This program is presented with support by the Cleveland Public Library.
Do you live or have ties to Westpark, Jefferson, Kamm’s Corners, or Bellaire-Puritas? Join us for this free online writing workshop! This workshop will focus on place-based writing that tells the story of your neighborhood. What is challenging about living in your neighborhood? What gives you hope? What have you learned that others might not know about your neighborhood? Workshop participants will complete at least one story, poem, or essay focused on an aspect of your community. Each workshop meets remotely online through Zoom video conferencing for two 90-minute sessions. Residents have the choice of attending a weeknight workshop or a weekend workshop.
Tues. June 16 and 23, 7-8:30 PM
Sat. June 20 and 27, 9-10:30 AM
Do you live or have ties to Collinwood/Nottingham, Northshore, Bratenahl, Waterloo, Euclid-Green? Join us for this free online writing workshop! This workshop will focus on place-based writing that tells the story of your neighborhood. What is challenging about living in your neighborhood? What gives you hope? What have you learned that others might not know about your neighborhood? Workshop participants will complete at least one story, poem, or essay focused on an aspect of your community. Each workshop meets remotely online through Zoom video conferencing for two 90-minute sessions. Residents have the choice of attending a weeknight workshop or a weekend workshop.
Tues. June 23 and 30, 7-8:30 PM
Sat. June 20 and 27, 10:30 AM - Noon
Do you live or have ties to Union-Mills Park, Corlett, or Lee-Miles? Join us for this free online writing workshop! This workshop will focus on place-based writing that tells the story of your neighborhood. What is challenging about living in your neighborhood? What gives you hope? What have you learned that others might not know about your neighborhood? Workshop participants will complete at least one story, poem, or essay focused on an aspect of your community. Each workshop meets remotely online through Zoom video conferencing for two 90-minute sessions. Residents have the choice of attending a weeknight workshop or a weekend workshop.
Wed. July 1 and 8, 7-8:30 PM
Sun. June 28 and July 5, 2-3:30 PM
Do you live or have ties to Mt. Pleasant, Woodland Hills, Buckeye-Shaker, Kinsman, Woodhill Homes, Fairfax, or Central? Join us for this free online writing workshop! This workshop will focus on place-based writing that tells the story of your neighborhood. What is challenging about living in your neighborhood? What gives you hope? What have you learned that others might not know about your neighborhood? Workshop participants will complete at least one story, poem, or essay focused on an aspect of your community. Each workshop meets remotely online through Zoom video conferencing for two 90-minute sessions. Residents have the choice of attending a weeknight workshop or a weekend workshop.
Mon. July 6 and 13, 7-8:30 PM
Sun. July 5 and 12, 2-3:30 PM
Do you live or have ties to Glenville, Hough, Goodrich-Kirtland Park, Asiatown, St. Clair-Superior, or University Circle? Join us for this free online writing workshop! This workshop will focus on place-based writing that tells the story of your neighborhood. What is challenging about living in your neighborhood? What gives you hope? What have you learned that others might not know about your neighborhood? Workshop participants will complete at least one story, poem, or essay focused on an aspect of your community. Each workshop meets remotely online through Zoom video conferencing for two 90-minute sessions. Residents have the choice of attending a weeknight workshop or a weekend workshop.
Tues. July 7 and 14, 7-8:30 PM
Sun. July 12 and 19. 2-3:30 PM
Do you live or have ties to Downtown, Ohio City, Tremont, Clark-Fulton, Detroit Shoreway, Edgewater, Cudell, or Stockyards? Join us for this free online writing workshop! This workshop will focus on place-based writing that tells the story of your neighborhood. What is challenging about living in your neighborhood? What gives you hope? What have you learned that others might not know about your neighborhood? Workshop participants will complete at least one story, poem, or essay focused on an aspect of your community. Each workshop meets remotely online through Zoom video conferencing for two 90-minute sessions. Residents have the choice of attending a weeknight workshop or a weekend workshop.
Tues. July 14 and 21, 7-8:30 PM
Sat. July 18 and 25, 10:30-Noon
Neighborhood Voices is a city-wide writing project inviting Clevelanders from every corner of The Land to pen stories, essays, and poems about their neighborhood for inclusion in an anthology that will become part of the Cleveland Public Library's permanent collection. As part of this program, Literary Cleveland and the Cleveland Public Library hosted free virtual writing workshops throughout the city in June and July, allowing residents to connect with neighbors, share stories of their community, and draft new writing about what makes their neighborhood unique. This writing was then collected into a print and online anthology.
The Neighborhood Voices Anthology is published in print and online. Visit the free virtual anthology website today and learn more about the print book here.
This program is presented with support by the Cleveland Public Library.
Jason Harris is a Black American writer. He currently serves as an editor for Gordon Square Review. He has received fellowships from The Watering Hole and Twelve Literary Arts. To read more of his work, you may visit his website: https://jasonharriswriter.com/. His Twitter handle is @ecopoems
Philip Metres has written ten books, including Shrapnel Maps (Copper Canyon 2020), Sand Opera, and The Sound of Listening. Awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Lannan Fellowship, three Arab American Book Awards, and two NEAs, he is professor of English and director of the Peace, Justice, and Human Rights program at John Carroll University.
Darlene Montonaro is the former Executive Director of the Poets and Writers League/The Lit, and a writing teacher with over 30 years of experience. Her poetry has appeared in Calyx, Slipstream, The Raven Review, Earth’s Daughters, Blueline, The Comstock Review, and The Buddhist Poetry Review among other journals.
Vince Robinson is a multi-genre artist, having given time to evolving in music, the visual imagery of photography and the magic of words in poem and song. In addition to poetry, Vince has written for several publications beginning with The Spectrum at KSU to Eschelon Magazine and Crusader Arts and Entertainment. He is currently a writer for the East Side Daily News in Cleveland, Ohio and is a contributor to CAN Journal.
D.L. Ware is a community based poet, literacy advocate, and literary artist in Southeast Cleveland’s Buckeye, Woodland Hills, and Mt. Pleasant neighborhoods. Since 2010, D.L. Ware has used his love for the literary arts as means to bring communities together. He has a Masters of English with a concentration in poetry from CSU. Husband and father of 3 boys, D.L. finds the act of writing to be healthy and therapeutic and makes time to write daily.
Stephanie Ginese is a writer from South Lorain, Ohio. Her forthcoming poetry collection, Unto Dogs, is due for release July 23 via GRIEVELAND. She currently lives by the lake with her two children. You can connect with her digitally on IG @st.ginese or on Twitter @StGinese.
