You have a long relationship with the Syracuse Writer’s Center.
In 1981, the YMCA of Central New York was getting its arts and education branch off the ground and founded the Downtown Writers Center. Jason Shinder, Founding Director of the YMCA’s Writer’s Voice, a national network of literary arts centers believed that “Arts is an important part of wellness.” We opened the Downtown Writers Center as one of 38 Writers Voice Centers around the country, based in local YMCAs. Now, ours is one of the remaining two Writers Voice centers.
In 2012, a local couple gave us a grant so that less privileged students in the city school district could have access to arts lessons, dance, music, and writing. That started the Young Authors Academy, and we piloted the program with six teenagers. At my book launch, my niece, nephew, and Phil Memmer (Executive Director) announced The Georgia Popoff Writers Voice Scholarship Fund to fund the Young Authors Academy and other poetry programming.
