Anthologies
Every anthology is filled with essays, poems, comics and stories from the young writers and artists of upper Manhattan. Purchase them online from Word Up Community Bookshop, or in person at Buunni Coffee, and Dutch Baby Bakery.
Guaranteed to give you all the feels, every book sold supports our Pay-What-You-Can Tuition Policy, helping Uptown Stories provide space for all children from our economically diverse neighborhood.

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Ready to Join a Workshop?
Welcome to Zine Machine! We’re a self-publishing group of rebels spreading the word on things we think you should know. Obscure cat breeds? Survival tips for a zombie apocalypse? Favorite board games? All must-read zines.
In this workshop, we only have one rule: we’re all analog all the time. Think collage, hand-drawn images, markers, and glue. Once you lay out your first edition, we’ll use the time-honored way of mass-producing your Zine: the photocopier. Zines may sound like a simple idea, but they have started revolutions and educated the masses. Be loud, be crafty, and tell the world what it needs to know!
For many of us, picture books are what first sparked a lifelong joy for reading and crafting stories. From Max's wild rumpus to Sam-I-am's obsession with green eggs and ham, these books stay in our hearts long after the last page has been read. In this bilingual workshop, we'll revisit our favorite children's books through the eyes of a writer and illustrator, getting to the bottom of what makes some books so memorable. Then we'll develop and write our own books - mapping out characters, plot and narration. We'll consider pacing, illustrations, and what special details we can add to keep readers coming back again and again.
You can create a story from scratch, explore a cultural children's story that has been shared with you, or dive into a timeless fairy tale, transforming it into a fascinating page-turner that's all your own.
Do you have something you care way too much about? Or an unforgettable story you love telling people? A moment that went a little (or very) wrong? Maybe it’s how you got that scar on your shoulder, or a weird adventure that began when you got lost at a concert, or how you first fell in love with anime. This workshop is about turning those moments into personal essays that readers can’t put down.
Personal essays are rooted in real life — your obsessions, your accidents, your “why did I do that?” stories. In this workshop, we’ll learn how to take a real experience or passion and shape it into a compelling narrative with a clear voice, strong structure, and a clear sense of meaning. Essays can be funny, uncomfortable, emotional, or all three, but the goal is always the same: tell a true story that takes the reader somewhere and leaves them thinking.
Kayla
Student
Tallulah
Student
Gerry
Parent
José
Student
Anna
Student
Graydon
Alumnus
HK
Parent
Kimberly
Parent
