Just Buffalo Literary Center

Just Buffalo Literary Center (JBLC) is a not-for-profit literary organization centered in Buffalo, NY which serves the greater Western New York region as a prominent literary curator. The organization produces and promotes community-based literary events including poetry and fiction readings, literary lectures, and open mics, which endeavor to positively affect the greater Buffalo community through the literary arts. Just Buffalo has a history of collaborating with other cultural organizations and academic institutions in the Buffalo area, including Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, CEPA Gallery, Big Orbit Gallery, and the University at Buffalo.

Just Buffalo is also involved with literary education within the city of Buffalo. Just Buffalo’s Writers in Education Program engages students in creative writing through bringing accomplished writers into schools for 5- and 10-day residencies conducted in partnership with classroom teachers. Additional programs include Bookmaking, Writing with Light poetry and photography projects in collaboration with CEPA Gallery, and after-school workshops.

Just Buffalo's business office is currently located in the Market Arcade Building in downtown Buffalo. Its Program Office resides above the Western New York Book Arts Center on Washington Street.

History

Inception

Just Buffalo began in 1975 when founder Debora Ott hosted a reading featuring Diane di Prima at the Allentown Community Center. In the following years, notable authors and poets such as Robert Creeley, Ed Dorn, Alice Notley, Maureen Owen, and Ted Berrigan came to Buffalo to participate in readings offered by what had by then become "Just Buffalo". The organization proceeded to host writing workshops for writers of all-ages, and published a literary magazine. It also had a radio show.

Continued growth

In 1982, Just Buffalo established its renowned Writers in Education program, providing in-school creative writing programs for young people. These programs currently serve approximately 2,000-4,000 students per year. After more than two decades of stewarding community-based literary programs and establishing Just Buffalo as a national presence on the literary scene, Debora left the organization in 1998. She hired Michael Kelleher as Artistic Director in the months before she left. Ed Taylor served as Executive Director from 1998-2001.

2002-present

Laurie Dean Torrell took over as Executive Director in 2002, ushering in a new era in Just Buffalo’s history. In her ten years at the helm, Just Buffalo experienced an extraordinary expansion. It moved from the Tri-Main Center to the Market Arcade Building in 2005, a change which marked the beginning of a groundbreaking administrative collaboration with CEPA and Big Orbit Galleries. All three organizations have benefited from this long term effort that involves shared resources and staff as well as a joint education effort, Writing With Light.

Just Buffalo's program office staff currently consists of Laurie Dean Torrell, Executive Director; Barbara Cole, Artistic Director; Noah Falck, Education Director.

Programs

Babel

Babel is an international literary lecture series that brings notable authors to Buffalo to speak four times per year. It is cosponsored by Hallwalls. It was conceived of in 2006 by Michael Kelleher, who was at the time Just Buffalo's Artistic Director.^[1] The series was launched in 2007. Past authors have included Nobel Prize winners Orhan Pamuk, Derek Walcott and V.S. Naipaul, as well as global literary icons Isabel Allende, Amos Oz, Salman Rushdie, A.S. Byatt, Chinua Achebe and many others.

Babel was initially hosted in folk-musician Ani Difranco's recording space, "Babeville", in the old Asbury Delaware United Methodist Church, until it outgrew the space late in its second season and moved to Kleinhans Music Hall.

In 2009, Babel was awarded "Most Innovative Arts Programming (any artform)" by Buffalo Spree Magazine. ^[2]

The Babel series has been hailed by the Buffalo News as:

...one of the most exciting literary series Buffalo has ever seen. ^[3]

In describing Babel in its first year, Kelleher states:

The idea of the series is really to bring global perspective to the literary discussion in Buffalo.^[4]

From Just Buffalo's official website:

Babel lectures give the audience direct access to different parts of the world as seen through the eyes of some of the world’s most important writers. Each lecture is as unique as the writer who delivers it. ^[5]

Babel is currently in its seventh year.

Big Night

Big Night is a multi-disciplinary poetry series featuring poets from around the country alongside local artists in other media such as music, film, video, and visual art. It is hosted at the Western New York Book Arts Center in downtown Buffalo.

Writing With Light

Writing with Light is the name for Just Buffalo's joint educational programs. In partnership with CEPA Gallery, Writing With Light offers multidisciplinary school programs such as “Picturing Poetry,” which takes a school-based, multidisciplinary approach in order to combine creative writing with photography and other art forms.

Spotlight On Youth

Spotlight on Youth is an open mic series open to artists aged 12-21 that meets at the Smith Theatre in Shea's Performing Arts Center six times per year.

External links

• Official website

References