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

Carbone's Pizzeria is a family-owned business with locations in Greece, North Greece and Hilton. It all began when a family relative, Domenic Carbone, who opened the very first Carbone's in Buffalo in 1978, suggested our family go into the pizza business. After careful thought and consideration, we opened our first location on Dewey Avenue in 1984. We were the first to bring to our area the popular pizza and wing combinations we call PAKS and are also the original home of Pizza Nite specials! Carbone's uses only the finest ingredients for our brick oven baked pizzas, mouthwatering subs, and original buffalo style chicken wings. Our dough and sauce are made fresh daily on the premises and our wings are always fresh, never frozen. Call Carbone's today, it's worth the trip!

Carbone's Pizzeria North Greece

Ludwig’s Center Stage Cafe offers fresh, homemade food for both breakfast and lunch. We also provide a variety of catering options to make your next event easy and delicious. Delivery and setup are available with 24 hours’ notice. To place an order, call us at (585) 454-4440, or visit us online at http://ludwigscenterstagecafe.com.

Ludwig's Center Stage Cafe

Strangebird is a craft brewery and restaurant close to the heart of Rochester, NY, that hopes to be a place to bring folks of all feathers together in a modern, approachable, comfortable, and accepting environment. A place where you can drink hand-crafted beers and eat made-from-scratch food. Strangebird has 24 rotating taps featuring our high-quality, award-winning beer, that spans all styles. We also offer a curated list of wine, cocktails, and non-alcoholic selections. Our kitchen focuses on made-from scratch, locally-sourced, and seasonal food. Strangebird's experienced team includes Brewer, Micah Krichinsky, a graduate of the Master Brewer's program at U.C. Davis who previously brewed at Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware; Director of Wood-Aged Beers, Eric Salazar, who worked at New Belgian Brewing Company for 24 years; Food and Beverage Director, Jeff Ching, who has 14 years' experience in the restaurant industry, opening The Owl House, Playhouse//Swillburger, and Pizza Wizard in Rochester; and Head Chef, Nate Stahl, who has 12 years experience working at restaurants throughout Rochester, including The Owl House, Amore, and Next Door by Wegmans. We operate on a first come, first served basis. You seat yourself wherever there’s an open seat! We have a private room that seats up to 12 available to reserve.

Strangebird

In a sophisticated setting overlooking the University of Rochester's Eastman Theater, Chef/Owner Tony Gullace prepares sumptuous treats for a discerning dining public. Extensive wine list and full service bar. Lunch: Mon-Fri, Dinner: Mon-Sat. Private rooms available for special events.

Max of Eastman Place

Founded in 1921 as the first professional school of the University of Rochester, the Eastman School of Music is celebrating its centennial in 2021-2022! For one hundred years, Eastman has been one of the world’s major centers for the study of music and for the training of professional musicians and music teachers. Famous alumni include jazz greats Chuck Mangione, Maria Schneider, and Ron Carter, award-winning composers Charles Strouse, George Walker, and Kevin Puts, and Metropolitan Opera sopranos Renée Fleming and Erin Morley. Eastman offers more than 800 concerts and other performances, many of them free, during the year, from chamber music to wind ensembles, from jazz to opera.

Eastman School of Music

Family-owned NY style pizzeria serving up slices, wings, subs and other delicious items all day and night! At 3 Daughters Pizzeria, we pour our passion into crafting the city's best handmade dough and fresh tomato sauce made daily so you can enjoy your favorite classic pizzas. We also serve up bold, creative specialty pies like our beloved Steak and Cheese and BLT pizza. All of this is made to bring friends and family together in Rochester. We're dedicated to delivering an authentic, unforgettable pizza experience that keeps you coming back for more. We are open every day with late-night hours on weekends, making it easy to grab food when you need it. Pick up in-store, dine in, or get delivery straight to your door in Rochester. Our website online ordering is built to save time and keep things easy, so you can enjoy fresh food without the hassle of calling or waiting in line.

3 Daughters Pizzeria

Enter the lush rain-forest environment and walk among hundreds of brilliantly colored, free-flying tropical and native butterflies that flutter about—and may even land on you! Be sure to visit the chrysalis case and see emerging butterflies. A paved path leads guests through tropical foliage, a turtle pond, and a cascading waterfall. Take a peek at Watson, the garden’s resident panther chameleon, and watch his colorful scales change color as he adapts to the environment. Look closely and you will also notice several four-footed and fine-feathered friends, including Socrates, the garden's brightly plumaged green aracari toucan, and families of Button Quail. The butterfly population is funded in perpetuity through the generous support of Louise Woerner and Don Kollmorgen. The plants in Dancing Wings Butterfly Garden were made possible by Allyn’s Creek Garden Club.

The Strong Museum Discovery Garden

Focusing on flavor and culinary imagination, The Owl House specializes in fresh, made-from-scratch New American food and inventive craft cocktails for dinner, lunch, and weekend brunch. The Owl House menu includes a large selection of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes (such as the beloved BVE burger with a choice of beef or house-made chickpea patty). Located in a lovely old house, enjoy your meal in the charming dining room or, weather permitting, on the backyard patio. The Owl House also offers drop off, pick up, and full service catering options. From catered working lunches to corporate events, weddings, and showers, The Owl House's focus on flavor and culinary imagination is the perfect addition to any occasion.

The Owl House

We create dialogue & build community through contemporary art. Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo) is a venue for the exchange of ideas and a not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) that was founded in 1977. As a center for thoughtful contemporary art, RoCo provides unique encounters for audiences and extraordinary opportunities for artists.

Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo)

Marshall Street Bar and Grill is committed to becoming a positive community partner. We feature a friendly, neighborhood atmosphere with great drink specials and a full menu of delicious food! Our spacious dining area with a mix of tables, booths and nooks are perfect for your next event or meeting. We are also able to reserve space for birthday parties, retirement celebrations, and other special events. Outside catering available. Stop in today and have a drink with us! Our bar and kitchen are both open everyday until 2:00 am.

Marshall Street Bar & Grill

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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