By Chris S. Cornell
This spring marks a transformative moment at the Hudson Valley Writers Center (HVWC), the renowned literary nonprofit founded by poet Margot Taft Stever over four decades ago. With new leadership, expanded programming, and a renewed emphasis on community, HVWC is poised for a renaissance—one that builds on its rich legacy while embracing fresh opportunities.
Stever, who was recently reinstated—alongside Susana H. Case and Mervyn Taylor—as an editor of Slapering Hol Press, was also unanimously appointed to the board of HVWC. She expressed her enthusiasm for helping guide the Center into its next phase. “I am going to plan to help with the revitalization of the community and regional in-person programming,” she said, “so that the Center’s home—the historic Philipse Manor Railroad Station in Sleepy Hollow—is once again brimming with activity.”
She’s joined by some new board leadership that includes co-chairs Michael Quattrone and Ann Bookman, and treasurer Brendon Condon. “We are in a time of some transition,” Quattrone explained, “but it’s a transition that is full of potential and great opportunity.”
“A Lifeline During a Scary Time”
Quattrone first came to the Writers Center not as a board member, but as a student. “I live locally in Tarrytown,” he said, “and had been aware for some time of the Hudson Valley Writers Center. I got my MFA in poetry from The New School, and my personal writing practice had lapsed a little bit over the years of raising three kids.”
In January 2020, he enrolled in a poetry workshop at the Center—just before the pandemic hit. “By that March, we were all locked down, isolated in our homes, and the Writers Center did an amazing job of pivoting quickly to Zoom and maintaining its classes.”
Those virtual classes, he said, became “a vital source of creative and social community, as well as artistic inspiration with the very helpful accountability and deadlines that writers sometimes need to stick with it.”
Over the next three years, Quattrone participated in continuous Zoom workshops and ultimately assembled a full-length manuscript. “It’s a book that simply wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the Writers Center and the support of teachers and colleagues I found there.”
A Renewed Emphasis on In-Person Connection
While HVWC’s virtual programming opened new doors and expanded its reach nationwide, the current leadership sees in-person engagement as essential. “We are aiming to expand our in-person programming without losing that larger online community,” Quattrone said. “We want our teachers, writers, and students to take the fullest advantage of the beautiful, historic Philipse Manor train station that we call home.”
“There’s something essential about being in the room at a reading or sitting across the table from a colleague who’s sharing work,” he added, “that you don’t necessarily get online.”
As the Center approaches its 40th anniversary in 2028, its leaders are focused on strengthening both the human and physical infrastructure. “We have an excellent and dedicated board and staff,” Quattrone said. “We are welcoming our new program director, Dr. Dominika Wrozynski, in time for National Poetry Month.”
Wrozynski, who will also read alongside Stever and Quattrone at the April 8 event, brings decades of teaching and curatorial experience. She was previously associate professor of English at Manhattan College.
“A Sanctuary for Everyone”
When asked about the broader purpose of HVWC during times of national change, Quattrone didn’t hesitate. “Nonprofit arts organizations—and maybe in particular literary arts organizations—are always struggling to make ends meet, all the more so now that there have been draconian cuts to federal funding,” he said.
“Truth is being attacked. Art is being attacked. The plurality that in many ways defines our country—and certainly the local and regional communities of the Writers Center—is being attacked. And so having a place where language is celebrated, is ever more important.”
“I believe the Writers Center can be a sanctuary for everyone who is despairing at the state of the larger world.”
To bring these plans fully to life—and ensure that the Hudson Valley Writers Center thrives into its fifth decade—the board and staff have launched a focused fundraising effort: $75,000 annually for the next three years.
“We hope that you will join us in making a donation,” wrote Stever, “so that we can ensure the continuation of the Hudson Valley Writers Center and Slapering Hol Press, two organizations that mean a great deal to the community.”
The stakes are clear: at a time when truth, language, and artistic spaces face real threats, the Writers Center offers something rare and essential—a place of learning, expression, and connection for people of all ages and backgrounds.
As Quattrone put it, “I think our local audiences will play a special role in advancing our work and preserving our historic building.” The support of readers, writers, and community members will determine just how far this next chapter can reach.
To learn more or make a donation, visit writerscenter.org.
