For the past nine years, spring in Ithaca hasn’t just meant the return of warmer weather. In early May, downtown comes alive thanks to the Spring Writes Literary Festival, with dozens of literary-themed panels and workshops, as well as readings, performances, play readings, and performances by local writers.
This year’s event will take place from May 2-May 5 at several different walkable downtown locations, and is sponsored in part by Ithaca College. Additionally, more than a dozen IC faculty and students are among the 125 local and regional writers who will be taking part. Several events are specifically geared towards children, and several open mic events are open to individuals of all ages. All events are open to the public, and most of them are free.
The first event of the festival—a reading from Poet Sally Wen Mao—takes place at Buffalo Street Books on 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 2. The festival concludes with authors Emily Fridlund and Raul Palma reading on the theme of "Home" at 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 5 at the Argos Inn Warehouse.
Spring Writes is a program of the Community Arts Partnership and was started in 2009 at the request of New York State Council on the Arts. Its mission is to celebrate and showcase local (Finger Lakes Region) writers and to introduce them to new audiences.