A month ago, I flew to Buffalo, NY, to participate in my first writing retreat. Nine authors stoking creative fires in an otherwise scarcely inhabited summer resort enclave/cultural arts community called the Chautauqua Institution.
On 6/28/25, I returned by car—a six-hour drive—upon the invite of Kwame Alexander. Since I was last here, summer season started, and now the idyllic grounds are buzzing with residents, students, and arts aficionados.
This time I'm here to give a talk and run a three-day writing workshop I call "Dig If You Will a Picture...Book" [h/t Prince].
It's part of a sprawling summer-long literary arts program that is itself part of an even larger summer-long arts program that includes lectures, musical performances [from folk to opera], dance performances, plays, screenings, comedy shows, panel discussions, and more. Multiple times a day, all day, a program is in progress, and well-attended.
The talent here is towering and I am honored to be among them.
The talent here is towering and I am honored to be among them.
Though I love big groups, all literary arts classes here are capped at 12 to foster an intimate atmosphere. My students are college-aged to AARP. Some are published authors, some are aspiring authors, some are teachers, and some are fans of the art form. All are women.
I first visited Niagara Falls as a teen and, since it's only two hours from here, went again on my down time. It was a drizzly evening, which meant better light for photos [though mist over the falls]. I stood in the spot where Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder did when filming Superman II in 1979.
Many folks are institutions themselves at Chautauqua. Some have returned annually since their childhoods. I am hoping to become a regular myself.
St. Elmo condominum, which inspired the name and
some of the references in the 1985 film St. Elmo's Fire
my books in the surprisingly large bookstore
Everett Jewish Life Center
Americana summerama
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