Downtown Syracuse
Calendar of Events

DWC Author Readings-Poet Destiny O. Birdsong

Destiny O. Birdsong is a Louisiana-born poet, essayist, and fiction writer who lives and writes in Nashville, Tennessee. Her work has either appeared or is forthcoming in The Paris Review, Catapult, The BreakBeat Poets Presents: Black Girl Magic, and elsewhere. Destiny has won the Academy of American Poets Prize, Meridian’s 2017 “Borders” Contest in Poetry, and the Richard G. Peterson Poetry Prize from Crab Orchard Review (2019). She has received support from Cave Canem, Callaloo, Jack Jones Literary Arts, MacDowell, The Ragdale Foundation, and Tin House, where she was a 2018 Summer Workshop Scholar. Her debut poetry collection, Negotiations, was published by Tin House Books in October 2020, and her debut novel is forthcoming from Grand Central in 2022.

DWC Author Readings-Poet Destiny O. Birdsong

Destiny O. Birdsong is a Louisiana-born poet, essayist, and fiction writer who lives and writes in Nashville, Tennessee. Her work has either appeared or is forthcoming in The Paris Review, Catapult, The BreakBeat Poets Presents: Black Girl Magic, and elsewhere. Destiny has won the Academy of American Poets Prize, Meridian’s 2017 “Borders” Contest in Poetry, and the Richard G. Peterson Poetry Prize from Crab Orchard Review (2019). She has received support from Cave Canem, Callaloo, Jack Jones Literary Arts, MacDowell, The Ragdale Foundation, and Tin House, where she was a 2018 Summer Workshop Scholar. Her debut poetry collection, Negotiations, was published by Tin House Books in October 2020, and her debut novel is forthcoming from Grand Central in 2022.

Raised Bed Gardening: Locktender's Gardening Series

Learn how to plan and get the most from small space gardens with raised beds like we do at the Erie Canal Museum, as Pat Jokajtys from the Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners Program leads this virtual program, part of our effort to revitalize its Locktender's Garden area and encourage people along the Canal to take up gardening in order to create a more beautiful and sustainable Canal Corridor.

This effort, done in cooperation with the Onondaga County Master Gardener Program, will include a number of virtual speaking events as well as in person workshops in the Locktender's Garden throughout the year. Thanks to the generous support of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, all programs in the Locktender's Gardening Series will be free to the public as part of our Erie Eats: Erie Canal Foodways Project.

You can join us for this program on Facebook Live or register to join our free Zoom webinar session here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YRPS6sRmRhaV5CSFZsC23w

Raised Bed Gardening: Locktender's Gardening Series

Learn how to plan and get the most from small space gardens with raised beds like we do at the Erie Canal Museum, as Pat Jokajtys from the Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners Program leads this virtual program, part of our effort to revitalize its Locktender's Garden area and encourage people along the Canal to take up gardening in order to create a more beautiful and sustainable Canal Corridor.

This effort, done in cooperation with the Onondaga County Master Gardener Program, will include a number of virtual speaking events as well as in person workshops in the Locktender's Garden throughout the year. Thanks to the generous support of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, all programs in the Locktender's Gardening Series will be free to the public as part of our Erie Eats: Erie Canal Foodways Project.

You can join us for this program on Facebook Live or register to join our free Zoom webinar session here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YRPS6sRmRhaV5CSFZsC23w

Beer and Spirits in Upstate NY

As part of the Erie Canal Museum‘s ongoing Erie Eats: Erie Canal Foodways Project, the Museum will host a lecture by author Don Cazentre covering the historic changes and modern trends in beer, wine, spirits, and other alcoholic beverages across the Erie Canal corridor.

Don is a writer for Syracuse.com, The Post-Standard and NYUP.com. He has covered the trends and changes in beer, wine, and spirits across Upstate New York since the mid-1990s. He is the author of New York Breweries, 2nd ed. (Stackpole; 2014) and Spirits & Cocktails of Upstate New York (The History Press; 2017). He is currently part of a team working on a complete history of beer and brewing in New York state for the SUNY Press.

To register for this event, please visit https://eriecanalmuseum.org/store/product/beer-and-spirits-in-upstate-ny/

All COVID-19 protocols including social distancing and mask wearing will be enforced.

Funded in part through the generous support of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and William G. Pomeroy Foundation.

Where the Canal Turns West: Immigration and Changing Food Ways in Early 19th Century Schenectady

As part of the Erie Canal Museum‘s ongoing Erie Eats: Erie Canal Foodways Project, June’s Lunchtime Lecture features Chris Leonard City Historian of Schenectady, Thursday, June 17 at 12 PM EDT. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the program will be streamed live on the Museum’s Facebook page. Please consider making a $5 donation, as is typical of all Lunchtime Lectures. Everyone who donates will receive a personal link to watch the lecture live on Zoom and participate in a Q&A session. Donations may be made through the Shop page of our website: eriecanalmuseum.org

Chris Leonard was appointed City Historian of Schenectady in February 2018. He was born in Hamden, CT, but has spent more than half his life in New York’s Capital District; including the last 17 years in Schenectady. He attended SUNY-Albany graduating with BAs in English and History. Chris returned to SUNYA where he received an MA in English with a writing concentration. He is the Owner/Principal of Wordsmith Promotions, a marketing firm that supports small businesses and nonprofits in the Capital District. He is the author of Schenectady’s General Electric Realty Plot and the series editor for Schenectady Genesis Volumes I & 2. Chris hopes to publish A History of Schenectady in 25 Crimes in 2022.

Funded in part through the generous support of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and William G. Pomeroy Foundation.

Rock the Boat

Join us at the Erie Canal Museum for a free, all-day event in the museum garden with historic interpreter Dennis Heaphy! In addition to repairing the boat Nathan Roberts, Heaphy will give an interactive performance at the top of each hour. Along with live music and food from the Cluck N’ Burger food truck, guests can enjoy free tours of the museum, offered every hour, and free walking tours. All COVID-19 protocols will be enforced including social distancing and mask wearing.

This event is sponsored in part by the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and NYS Canal Corporation

Rock the Boat

Join us at the Erie Canal Museum for a free, all-day event in the museum garden with historic interpreter Dennis Heaphy! In addition to repairing the boat Nathan Roberts, Heaphy will give an interactive performance at the top of each hour. Along with live music and food from the Cluck N’ Burger food truck, guests can enjoy free tours of the museum, offered every hour, and free walking tours. All COVID-19 protocols will be enforced including social distancing and mask wearing.

This event is sponsored in part by the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and NYS Canal Corporation

CNY Book Awards

Each year, the YMCA’s Downtown Writers Center salutes the best books written by the authors who call CNY home. Awards are given in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books. The winners receive a cash prize, and all books receive some well-deserved notice in the public eye.

This year’s CNYBAs will be held online, as we still are not able to gather together for a sizeable reception. But the good news is that as a result, ticket prices are significantly lower! There are two ways you can join us to hear the Awards announced live:

Purchase a General Admission ticket for $25 (a fully tax-deductible contribution).Or join us as a Patron for $100, and receive a copy of the winning books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction! (We estimate the tax deductible portion of these tickets at $50.)Special thanks to this year’s sponsors!
Anonymous • Vita DeMarchi • Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital • Nine Mile Books & Literary Magazine

CNY Book Awards

Each year, the YMCA’s Downtown Writers Center salutes the best books written by the authors who call CNY home. Awards are given in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books. The winners receive a cash prize, and all books receive some well-deserved notice in the public eye.

This year’s CNYBAs will be held online, as we still are not able to gather together for a sizeable reception. But the good news is that as a result, ticket prices are significantly lower! There are two ways you can join us to hear the Awards announced live:

Purchase a General Admission ticket for $25 (a fully tax-deductible contribution).Or join us as a Patron for $100, and receive a copy of the winning books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction! (We estimate the tax deductible portion of these tickets at $50.)Special thanks to this year’s sponsors!
Anonymous • Vita DeMarchi • Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital • Nine Mile Books & Literary Magazine

Make Music Day Syracuse

Make Music Day is a free celebration of music around the world on June 21st.

Launched in 1982 in France as the Fête de la Musique, it is now held on the same day in more than 1,000 cities in 120 countries.

Completely different from a typical music festival, Make Music Day is open to anyone who wants to take part. Every kind of musician — young and old, amateur and professional, of every musical persuasion — pours onto streets, parks, plazas, and porches to share their music with friends, neighbors, and strangers. All of it is free and open to the public.

Interested in performing in a city park or along the Creekwalk? Hit us up: makemusicdaysyracuse@gmail.com

Sponsored by Society for New Music, Symphoria, and CNY Arts

Make Music Day Syracuse

Make Music Day is a free celebration of music around the world on June 21st.

Launched in 1982 in France as the Fête de la Musique, it is now held on the same day in more than 1,000 cities in 120 countries.

Completely different from a typical music festival, Make Music Day is open to anyone who wants to take part. Every kind of musician — young and old, amateur and professional, of every musical persuasion — pours onto streets, parks, plazas, and porches to share their music with friends, neighbors, and strangers. All of it is free and open to the public.

Interested in performing in a city park or along the Creekwalk? Hit us up: makemusicdaysyracuse@gmail.com

Sponsored by Society for New Music, Symphoria, and CNY Arts