New York State Writers Institute

Description

The center for the literary arts in the state of New York the Writers Institute was founded in 1984 by novelist William Kennedy. Mandated by New York’s governor and legislature to provide “a milieu for established and aspiring writers to work together. . .to increase the freedom of the artistic imagination,” the Institute is the fruition of Kennedy’s vision for a literary crossroads in Albany. Today the Writers Institute is one of America’s premiere sites for celebrating the art of the written word. Numerous and diverse programs meet the challenge of the original mandate by providing the broadest possible educational base for students of writing, access to some of our greatest living authors for serious readers of literature, enthusiastic audiences in excellent venues for visiting writers and important cultural initiatives for the general public. As it continues to grow, the Institute’s central aim is to celebrate literature and to enhance the role of writers as a community within the larger community.