New York City is a great place to be a writer.  OK, I was born and raised in Manhattan so I’ll admit that I’m a little bit biased.  Setting that aside, this city has some wonderful things going on for writers.  Here are some of my favorites.

Readings and Events
Conferences are loads of fun, but they can also get expensive and exhausting.  If you’re in the NYC area, though, and you’re craving some writerly fun that’s easy on your wallet and schedule, there are a few great options.

• Teen Author Festival (NYPL Jefferson Market Branch on 6th Ave and W. 10th Street)  This is a fantastic monthly reading event.  For more info and a schedule, check out the Teen Author Festival group on Facebook.
• Brooklyn Book Festival (Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon St.)  The next Brooklyn Book Festival will be on Sunday, Sept. 18th, 2011.

Favorite Places to Caffeinate and Write
Grab that notebook and pen, and treat yourself to a writing date.  Places I love:

• s’Nice  (Manhattan–45 8th Ave, btwn Jane St. and West 4th; Brooklyn–315 5th Ave, btwn 2nd and 3rd St)  Yummy vegetarian food and their coffee drinks are delish.  Also, while the do have rules about laptops–communal tables only–the staff is really cool about letting people sit for a while.
• Lincoln Center Atrium (Broadway btwn 62nd and 63rd Street)  The Atrium has got to be one of New York’s best-kept secrets.  It’s got ample seating and it’s an open public space so you can sit there all day.  Sometimes they close the space for private events, but they’re really good about giving advanced notice.  Also, there are free concerts there weekly.
• Aroma (72nd Street btwn Columbus and Amsterdam Ave.)  OK, this place seriously makes the best cappuccinos EVER.  And the outdoor patio upstairs and in the back is one of the best places I’ve found for summer writing.

Other Awesome Stuff

• NYPL (Main Branch on 42nd Street)  They have all sorts of amazing items in their collection, including the original Winnie the Pooh toys.
• 826NYC An affiliate of 826 Valencia, this Brooklyn-based organization is a great way for writers give back to the community by working with kids on their writing.  This is an amazing place where writers interested in teaching can gain valuable experience.  It’s also a great way for writers to meet and connect with other writers–I know I’ve made some great writing friends through 826.  For more information about the program or to volunteer check out 826NYC.org Oh, and did I mention that the center is located behind the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company?  How cool is that!

SCBWI Conference NYC

I can’t believe it’s almost Friday already and I’m heading to another writing conference.  Not like that’s a bad thing, but I feel like I haven’t fully digested the last one yet.  I haven’t posted all the recaps I wanted for the last conference and now here I am about to go to another.  But fear not, friends.  I have a couple more WDC recaps lined up for this weekend (set to post while I’m busy conferencing), and then next week I’ll share all the inspiring and exciting things I learn at SCBWI.

Also, I have tons to say about the James Scott Bell session on Revision from the Writer’s Digest Conference, but I want to try out what I learned on my own manuscript before I post about it.  After all, it’s one thing to summarize what a speaker says at a conference, but it’s a whole other story to put the method to work on your own writing.  Stay tuned because I’ll have more on Revision soon.

Finally, remember that sooper-seekrit project I mentioned?  It’s been making good progress and I’ll be unveiling it soon.  In the meantime, I can tell you that I’ll be collaborating with Ghenet from All About Them Words and we’re really excited for this project.  Stay tuned… things are happening!