Writing the Words They Erased with Writers and Books

About this event

Room #115. Join IPL and Writers and Books for a generative writing workshop against censorship. This workshop is presented as part of our Rochester Reads 25th Anniversary programming. Participants in this workshop will read excerpts on the subject of censorship from one of our 2026 Rochester Reads selections, Omar El Akkad’s One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. What is the role of the writer in an era of increased censorship, where the chilling of speech is a central tactic to suppress dissent, freedom, and social justice? Inspired by BELONG by Gianna Stewart, this accessible, generative writing workshop invites you to "take back" one or more words on PEN America's "Banned Word List" and say exactly what it means to you. Whether in poetry or prose, you'll explore the associations, images, and personal definitions you have for words the powerful want to erase. Led by Tyler Barton, the workshop will include short readings of powerful works of literature that reclaim language, as well as prompts to get you thinking and your pen moving. Tyler Barton is the Artistic Director of Writers & Books and the author of Eternal Night at the Nature Museum and The Quiet Part Loud. He has taught writing to children, high schoolers, college kids, library patrons, incarcerated individuals, nursing home residents, and new immigrants. He directs the Joe Flaherty Legacy Writing Workshops for Writers & Books and is the co-founder of Fear No Lit. Registration required. The Irondequoit Public Library is committed to creating inclusive and accessible events. To request a reasonable accommodation or discuss your needs, please contact one of our Inclusion Coordinators or call the library at 585-336-6060.

Description from irondequoitlibrary.libcal.com