MY NEW YORK CITY

Photograph (c) by SM Gray

Now in its fourth season, MY NEW YORK CITY is an online creative writing workshop brought to you from Parachute Literary Arts and conducted by Brooklyn poet/filmmaker SM Gray, in which participants explore, reflect, and write about their NYC borough, neighborhood, or other meaningful city locations, through memory and personal stories.

MY NEW YORK CITY Course Description:

What does it mean to really "know" a neighborhood, city, or street? What do you know that others don't? Poetry and prose about NYC will be introduced for inspiration, exploring themes such as gentrification, neighborhoods and "vanishing" NYC.  Writing prompts will be given to encourage drawing out hidden or lesser seen stories, and participants may go out into their neighborhoods to write about and get inspired by nearby locations. Participants’ new writings will be shared weekly with classmates and instructor for feedback.

This series is offered with Closed Captioning and recommended for adults and teens. Open to writers of all experience levels!


Stay tuned for details about our summer 2023 workshops




Here are some selections from writer, Joe Brainard’s I Remember


“ I remember awkward elevator “moments.”

“I remember the way a baby’s hand has of
folding itself around your finger, as though
forever.”

“I remember making designs in the dark with
a fast-moving lit cigarette.”

“I remember how silly it all seems in the
morning (again).”



This workshop is for you.
You can keep a journal and get inspired by the weekly prompts.
Sharing is completely optional.

If you would like to share some of your lines with us and connect with others, you can:


SM Gray is a poet/filmmaker/photographer and author of seven poetry collections, most recently, Words Are What You Get/You Do It For Real (above ground press, 2019). A recent “poem-film”, 63 Acres: Dear Danny Lyon, about the disappeared lower-Manhattan "63 acres" per legendary photographer Lyon that were demolished with no public outcry in the 1960s, screened internationally, including at Antimatter, Engauge, Cadence, and Mono No Aware film festivals.

Parachute Literary Arts is a community arts non-profit in Coney Island founded by Amanda Deutch in 2009 and incorporated in 2018. We celebrate and honor Coney Island’s literary history and presence through site specific events, festivals, writing workshops, and poetry libraries. We believe in the arts as a catalyst for empowerment and change. Visit our website at: www.ParachuteArts.org. Follow us on twitter @ParachuteArts

MY NEW YORK CITY FAQs:


Can I still join? 
We’ll email you weekly prompts through the third week of August.

You can sign up for the virtual class through Brooklyn Public Library

Here are the registration links:

July 18
July 25
August 1
August 8
August 15

Registration is limited to 12 participants.
Once you register, you will receive a link to the event.
Note: You must register for each of the six sessions separately.

I didn’t get a prompt in my inbox. Can you help?
To keep emails from landing in spam and promotions folders, please add parachutefestival@gmail.com
to your contact list. 

How do I share my writing?
If you care to share your work, you can do so:
→ Via Twitter using the hashtag #MyNewYorkCity and tagging @ParachuteArts.
→ Or, by sending it with your name and My New York City in the subject line to: parachutefestival@gmail.com