Name: Writing from Photographs with Sonja Livingston | Gates Library
Start: 2026-10-12
End: 2026-10-12

Stop by Flight Downtown and meet the new owner, see the beautiful changes and follow us on social media for entertaining events. Flight Downtown offers wines, beers, ciders and small plates. We will always have something new to try. During the nice weather, enjoy our delightful covered patio. Reach out to us for information on private events and fundraising. Cheers!

Flight Wine Bar Downtown

Every Monday, Flight gives 10% off your final bill.  Reservations are always encouraged.

Be transported around the world as you come face to face with Masai giraffes, red pandas, African elephants, a southern white rhino, California sea lions, and much more. Enjoy the brand new Animals of the Savanna, feed the giraffes, play in the Tropics Adventure Zone and enjoy the tram, which transports you from the front of the Zoo to the back. Your visit directly helps save animals from extinction, as you support the efforts of Seneca Park Zoo, a national leader in species survival and conservation action. Seneca Park Zoo is involved in conservation efforts locally and globally, including reintroducing lake sturgeon to the Genesee River, supporting reforestation in Madagascar, and more.

Seneca Park Zoo

Don't miss out on an unforgettable animal adventure! Get $2 off your admission to the Seneca Park Zoo and embark on a wild journey through our lush, animal-filled habitats.

The Strong National Museum of Play is the ultimate play destination for all ages! Explore upstate New York’s largest year-round cultural attraction and experience two floors—more than a city block long—of hands-on, dynamic, interactive exhibit spaces. Discover the world's largest collection of toys, dolls, and games. Play your way through video game and pinball history, leap into the world of American comic book superheroes, and move like a playing piece on a giant game board. Enjoy a 1918 carousel; indoor, tropical butterfly garden; food court; diner; and more. Meet history’s playful side in The Strong’s three halls of fame. Go hands-on with the toys beloved by generations in the National Toy Hall of Fame; learn about toy industry luminaries such as Milton Bradley, Walt Disney, Jim Henson, and George Lucas of the Toy Industry Hall of Fame; and see how electronic games are changing the way people play, learn, and connect with each other in the World Video Game Hall of Fame. The Strong is open 362 days a year and is centrally located in Rochester, New York. Visit museumofplay.org or download The Strong Museum Guide mobile app to plan your visit today. Parking is available in the museum's garage for $5. ATM on site.

The Strong Museum

Save $5 with code ROCSPORTS

Strong National Museum of Play - Rochester’s ultimate destination for hands-on fun and adventure for all ages

Go-karts, mini-golf, arcade, café , birthday parties, corporate parties, family reunions, church groups, a great place for family fun & games! Clubhouse fun center is...intense fun for everyone!

Clubhouse Fun Center

More fun for less! Click the link to receive coupons for various activities and food options.

Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is a 111-store supermarket chain with stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts, and North Carolina. The family company, recognized as an industry leader and innovator, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2016. Wegmans has been named one of the ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ by FORTUNE magazine for 25 consecutive years, ranking #3 in 2022. The company also ranked #1 on PEOPLE’s 2021 ‘Companies That Care’ list.

Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.

Greece Ridge is a premier shopping, dining, and entertainment destination just seconds off Route 390. Anchored by popular retailers including JCPenney, Target, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Boscov’s, Barnes & Noble, Marshalls, Burlington, and Goodwill, the property offers a diverse national retail mix. Guests can relax and enjoy sit-down dining options including BTB Wood Fired Pizza Bar & Grill, Red Robin, Taichi Iron BBQ Grill & Bar, Sogo Sushi & Hibachi, Hot Pot 585, or a quick bite in the Food Court. For family entertainment, Apple Cinemas provides a modern movie experience with luxurious seating and state-of-the-art screens.

The Mall at Greece Ridge Center

Special Touch Bakery is a non-profit organization whose primary mission is to provide training and employment in the community to people of all abilities. Proceeds from Special Touch Bakery benefit Holy Childhood, a non-profit, non-denominational agency. Both organizations inspire the lifelong success of people with intellectual and development disabilities.

Special Touch Bakery

The Museum building was originally the Spencerport Trolley Depot which serviced Spencerport as a stop on the Rochester, Lockport and Buffalo interurban trolley line from 1908 to 1931. After serving as a family home for 60 years, a massive restoration took place in the mid-2000s restoring it, moving it and transforming it into the Spencerport Depot and Canal Museum. The Museum has been open since 2007 and opens seasonally during the Erie Canal season. The museum displays history about the Erie Canal as well as telecommunication, transportation and local history. It sits alongside the Erie Canal in the center of Spencerport and doubles as a welcome center and boater’s facility.

Spencerport Depot & Canal Museum

Wilmorite is a leading commercial real estate development and management company. With more than five decades of experience the company has also gained a reputation as one of America's top builders and construction managers.

Wilmorite Management Group

The Texas Bar-B-Q Joint (TBJ), prides itself on being the best BBQ Restaurant and catering in the Rochester, NY area. Our Mesquite smoked BBQ, includes Ribs, Brisket, Pulled Pork and more. Our homemade sides are mouthwatering and definitely will be the talk of your party. We have been catering since 2004 and the restaurant in Spencerport was established in 2007 and Outlaw Potato Shack in 2014.. TBJ is family owned and operated.

Texas Bar-B-Q Joint

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

What can photographs tell us about our lives today, the traditions of our past, and the world we want to create? Which stories, emotions, details, secrets, and meanings lie just outside frame of the photograph?

Whether you’re creating memoir, poetry, family history, or a scrapbook—using photographs to inspire or accompany your work can add much-needed texture, focus, and intimacy. This session will offer tips and writing prompts to help get you started. You’ll have time to discuss your work in a supportive environment and come away with fresh ideas and drafts to refine or expand into longer projects. Bring 3-5 photographs (phone or hard copy) that intrigue, inspire, or hold great meaning for you.

This workshop is presented as part of our [Rochester Reads 25th Anniversary](https://writersandbooks.org/rochester-reads/) programming. Participants in this workshop will learn from Sonja Livingston, author of our 2026 Rochester Reads selection, *Ghostbread*.

**Sonja Livingston** is the author of four books of creative nonfiction, including the award- winning memoir Ghostbread, which has been adopted for classroom use around the country. Her work appears in The Kenyon Review, Ploughshares, Salon, and elsewhere. Honors include a NYFA Fellowship, an Iowa Review Award, an Arts & Letters Prize, a VanderMey Nonfiction Prize, and an AWP Book Prize. Sonja is an associate professor in the MFA Program at Virginia Commonwealth University and teaches in the Postgraduate Program at Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Writing from Photographs with Sonja Livingston | Gates Library

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