Name: Writing Motherhood: A Rochester Reads Master Class
Start: 2026-10-14
End: 2026-10-14

Rochester, NY, is the third-largest metropolitan area in New York State, nestled along the southern shore of Lake Ontario. With a proud sports tradition, Rochester is home to iconic teams like the Rochester Red Wings (MiLB), Rochester Americans (AHL), Rochester Knighthawks (NLL), and Flower City Union (NPSL). Our vibrant sports culture thrives across all levels, from youth clubs and high schools to elite collegiate programs, creating a strong, year-round foundation for athletic excellence.

The Rochester NY Sports Commission champions Monroe County through the power of sports tourism. By attracting championships, invitationals, and tournaments across a wide range of disciplines, we help fuel the region’s economy and enhance the quality of life for residents and visitors alike. Each year, Rochester welcomes a growing roster of sporting events, showcasing our top-tier facilities, supportive community, and dedication to teamwork on and off the field.

We invite event organizers, rights holders, and sports professionals to discover why Rochester and Monroe County are ideal destinations for your next competition or tournament. Let’s play in Rochester!

Visit Rochester

**a one-session master class with *Sally Bittner Bonn***

Mothering is complex: exhausting, exhilarating, lonely, hysterically funny, ambivalent, ripe with loss, maddening, bursting with love. Telling our stories is how we make sense of our lives, how we hold memories, how we celebrate, how we grieve, how we wrestle with what we don’t understand. This generative workshop will offer several exercises to access mothering memories from different angles. Excerpts from Robin Wall Kimmerer’s *Braiding Sweetgrass* we will spark inspiration and create entry points for new writing. Participants will leave with drafts or beginnings of at least three new pieces.

All mothers are welcome—adoptive mothers, biological mothers, mothers of young kids, mothers of adult children, mothers who have experienced loss, step-mothers, foster mothers—all the mothers!

This program is associated with the 25th Anniversary of [Rochester Reads](https://writersandbooks.org/rochester-reads/). Robin Wall Kimmerer’s memoir *Braiding Sweetgrass* was the 2021 Rochester Reads selection.

**Sally Bittner Bon**n is a writer, teaching artist, and mother, and was a student in the very first SummerWrite camp. She is delighted to have come full circle as Director of Youth Education (since 2009), and loves creating spaces for youth to find and use their voices. Sally is a graduate of the Lighthouse Writers Workshop Book Project (2023-25 cohort) under the mentorship of Anna Qu. She is at work on a memoir about parenting, disability, and gratitude. Sally lives with her husband and son and spends her rare spare moments baking bread, taking long walks, and watching the clouds.

Writing Motherhood: A Rochester Reads Master Class

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The Strathallan Rochester Hotel & Spa - a DoubleTree by Hilton

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Courtyard by Marriott Rochester Downtown

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The Inn On Broadway

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Hilton Garden Inn Rochester Downtown

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Hyatt Regency Rochester

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Hotel on Monroe, BW Signature Collection

Find us in College Town, less than a mile from the University of Rochester and next to Strong Memorial Hospital. Greater Rochester International airport is 10 minutes away via free shuttle – also covering the university and medical center. Our restaurant offers all-day dining, and we have an indoor pool and fitness center. 

Hilton Garden Inn Rochester/University and Medical Center

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Hampton Inn Rochester-Irondequoit

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Writing Motherhood: A Rochester Reads Master Class

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