Dog Ears Bookstore plans special poetry event on May 12

The 4th Friday Poetry Series at Dog Ears Bookstore & Café, hosted by Tim Joyce, will feature special guest Colleen Michaels from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 12. The community bookstore is located at 688 Abbott Road in South Buffalo.

Michaels is a poet and educator who directs the Writing Studio at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Mass. She also serves as host of the Improbable Places Poetry Tour, bringing poetry to unlikely places like tattoo parlors, laundromats and public swimming pools. Her poems have been published and commissioned as installations for the Massachusetts Poetry Festival, Peabody Essex Museum and the Trustees of Reservations. Additionally, Michaels is the author of Prize Wheel (Small Bites Press, 2023). 

“It’s an honor to have this rising star of the national poetry scene here in Buffalo, exclusively at Dog Ears Bookstore,” said Joyce. Like all regular 4th Friday Poetry events, there will be at least 10 open reader slots, with a $5 admission donation to the nonprofit bookstore.

For more information on Colleen Michaels, please visit her website at colleenmichaels.com. And for information on Dog Ears Bookstore, visit dogearsbookstore.org.

Dog Ears to offer new Puppy Tales series beginning April 21

A new six-week Puppy Tales series at Dog Ears Bookstore & Café, located at 688 Abbott Road in South Buffalo, will kick off at 10 a.m. Friday, April 21.

Open to children ages 2 to 4 accompanied by a parent or guardian, Puppy Tales runs on six consecutive Friday mornings and each session includes three stories, a craft and healthy snacks. Sessions are skill- and book-based and the cost is $30 per child. Puppy Tales is limited to 20 children.

Puppy Tales is a great way to prepare students for Pre-K. To register for Puppy Tales, please visit the bookstore or call 823-2665.

Dog Ears Bookstore to host six-week Writers’ Workshop

A new six-week session of the Writers’ Workshop for adults is slated at Dog Ears Bookstore & Café, 688 Abbott Road, Buffalo. Classes will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. beginning Thursday, April 20. 

All participants will present current writing efforts that will be gently critiqued. Light refreshments are included, and the cost is $75 for all six meetings.                             

To register for the Writers’ Workshop, which continues on April 27, and May 4, 11, 18 and 25, please call the bookstore at 823-2665 or email John Schreier at jmarkschrei@aol.com. For more information on Dog Ears Bookstore, please visit http://dogearsbookstore.org. You can also follow Dog Ears Bookstore on Facebook for frequent updates.

Dog Ears Bookstore to host local author Bernard McCann

Bernard McCann, author of Visitors To My Street, will visit Dog Ears Bookstore & Café for a book-signing event from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 6. A nonprofit community bookstore, Dog Ears is located at 688 Abbott Road, Buffalo.

Bernard McCann, author of Visitors To My Street, will visit Dog Ears Bookstore & Café for a book-signing event from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 6.

Bernard McCann, author of Visitors To My Street, will visit Dog Ears Bookstore & Café for a book-signing event from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 6.

“The book sets forth stories of my early life in Lackawanna in the 1940s and 1950s,” said McCann. “The world was a very different place during that period. Many services, such as milk, eggs, bread and coal, were delivered right to your home. The number of young children on my street exploded as the Baby Boom was well underway. Life for kids was outside and they interacted with other kids. Games were plentiful and varied. Those of us from that era were the first to experience television and the last to enjoy radio programming. We were the first to fall under the spell of Rock and Roll and the last to still appreciate the Big Band sound. Take a step back in time as I share who and what visited my street, creating the rhythm of daily life in the immediate postwar period.”

A native of Lackawanna, McCann graduated cum laude from Niagara University in 1965 with a bachelor’s degree in history, and from Albany Law School with a J.D. in 1968. He served as a captain in the U.S. Army and later received a master’s degree in education from SUNY Albany in 1996. McCann practiced law for 28 years before beginning a 19-year career as a high school social studies teacher, and served one year as interim superintendent of schools. He was also an adjunct professor at both Canisius College and SUNY Plattsburgh. In addition to teaching, McCann served as a high school coach in multiple sports for over 30 years.

For more information on Dog Ears Bookstore, please visit dogearsbookstore.org or follow on Facebook for frequent updates.

 

Dog Ears Bookstore to offer free after school youth programs

Dog Ears Bookstore & Café will once again offer a free after school youth program for students in grades 3-8 beginning Feb. 28. Three different days of programming will be offered by grade group. Tuesdays will feature programs for students in grades 3 and 4, Wednesdays will be targeted towards students in grades 5 and 6, and Thursdays will be reserved for students in grades 7 and 8. 

All sessions will be held from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. and are limited to 20 students per day. The after school program will run through June 1. All sessions will be taught by literacy specialists and New York State Certified English Language Arts teachers. All class materials will be provided, along with a small snack.

A nonprofit community bookstore, Dog Ears is located at 688 Abbott Road, Buffalo, near Mercy Hospital. Sessions will be held upstairs of the bookstore (enter through the front entrance). Adults do not need to attend with their child but must be mindful of drop off and pick up times. Parents are welcome to wait for their children in the café, which will be open for food and beverage purchases.

Pre-registration is required and youth are expected to attend each week. Parents can sign up their children by calling the bookstore at 823-2665. When signing up, please make sure to indicate which day your child will be attending.

The free after school program is made possible through funding by the Erie County Youth Bureau.

Thank you, Erie County!

We would like to thank Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz and Erie County for their ongoing support of the arts in WNY, including programs offered here at Dog Ears Bookstore. Please know that your support is greatly appreciated!

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