Uptown Writers are calling on the brave and bold for an adventure!

     This spring you’ll be writing stories that have multiple choices for the reader: Different storylines lead them down alternative paths or to alternative endings. You’ll take inspiration from a few examples like Jason Shiga’s Meanwhile and Ryan North’s To be or not to be, then you’ll build worlds of our own.

     You’ll dig into key writing techniques and learn some new approaches while you forge our yown way, whether it be fiction or nonfiction, the choice is yours.   

     For ages 10 to 14.

     Pay what you can. Monday afternoons from 4 to 6 at the Cornerstone Center in Hudson Heights on Bennett Avenue at 179th Street. Through May 19.

     Look, listen, sing, and have fun with storytime at the Met cloisters. The museum and Literacy INC shares tales through picture-book readings in English and Spanish connected to objects in the  Cloisters’ collection.

     Recommended for families with children ages 18 months to 6 years. Participants will receive a free book with onsite registration.

     Space is limited; first come, first served.
     Free with Museum admission; admission is pay as you wish for New York state residents, and free for children under 12 with an adult. Tuesday mornings at 11:30 at the museum in Fort Tryon Park.

     There’s always more to learn for a fiction writer.

     If you’re one, come build on the skills you’ve already got, and dig deeper into the qualities that give all the best stories that extra pop. Any genre of fiction you prefer (historical, fantasy, realistic, you name it) is welcome.

     You’ll focus on the fine details that will take your writing from good to great: Natural, character-driven dialogue; proper pacing; inciting incidents; raising the stakes; plot-twists; and, of course, the art of the satisfying ending.

     This workshop is for students ages 14 to 18 who are familiar with the basics of fiction writing, and who would like to grow as writers.

     Pay what you can. Tuesday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Cornerstone Center in Hudson Heights on Bennett Avenue at 179th Street. Through May 20.

     The NYPL’s bookmobile provides access to the library’s riches.

     You can sign up for a library card, browse a small collection of books for people of all ages, speak with a librarian to get reading recommendations, reference services, and return and renew books.

     What’s more, the bookmobile is proof that reading takes you places!

     Wednesdays from 11 to 3 near the Moriah Center in Hudson Heights at 90 Bennett Avenue.

     Take your young ones to story time for kids with books, music, and movement.

     The weekly sessions take place in the Riverside-Inwood Neighborhood Garden, where families can enjoy the flowers, fish, and other outdoor life. 

     Free. Thursday mornings at 11 at the RING garden in Inwood at the conflunce of Broadway, Dyckman Street, and Riverside Drive. Through October.

    Do you want to be wild and break out of the limitations that are always being set? Poetry is the answer.

     Strap on your shoes, grab your pen, and meet in the Hudson Cliffs school yard to go on a poet’s adventure.

     Poetry is a way of seeing things outside the boxes they are always being put in. You'll be rejuvenated by the nature of Fort Tryon park and emboldened by our resilient neighborhood.     

     For ages 8 to 13.

     Pay what you can. Friday afternoons from 4:30 to 6:30 in the P.S. 187 school yard and the outdoors. Through May 25.

     Explore the Cloisters’ gardens to explore how medieval people utilized plants for sustenance, both earthly and spiritual, with a curator.

    In just thirty minutes, you’ll take a deep dive into a selection of objects in the galleries, hear new insights and surprising stories about the art.

     Free with museum admission. Friday afternoons in May at 3 at the Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park.

     Get together with your family and friends to a special series of paint nights in May. 

     You’ll create colorful artwork inspired by the unique painting style of Eric Carle. It’s a great way for everyone to be creative. 

     All ages are welcome in the two-hour activities.

     Free. Friday evening at 6 at the Highbridge Recreaction Center in Lower WaHi near Amsterdam Avenue and 173rd Street. Also on May 9 and 16.

     Welcome to Snobby Poetry, should you be up for the challenge.

     It’s a self-motivated, uber-supportive band of misfits who read, write, and share poems. The type who love words, rhyme (only when used sparely, thank you), observation, and Walt Whitman (obviously).

     Poetry is an illogical measuring device, filled with seemingly impossible comparisons and instructions; that is why we are called to write it. Poets are the liars who tell the truth.

     For ages 13 to 18.

     Pay what you can. Saturday afternoons at 1 at the Cornerstone Center in Hudson Heights on Bennett Avenue at 179th Street. Through May 31.

     Help your kids understand our cultural heritage at a special event for families.

     You’ll share ideas and enjoy hands-on gallery activities that bring medieval works of art to life in this one-hour activity. Recommended for families with children ages 3 to 11 years.

     Free with museum admission. Saturday afternoon at 2 at the Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park. Also on June 7.

     Like all New Yorkers, wildlife in the city loves to explore the parks, like this peregrine falcon near the Hudson River.

     Use the city’s wildlife calendar to learn about what’s happening with Uptown wildlife neighbors each month, and find parks where you might be able to better see them in action.

     Most of New York’s wildlife is not dangerous; however, maintaining a safe distance is the best way to protect your safety and the safety of your wild neighbors. If you see an injured animal, leave the animal where it is, give it some distance, and call 311.

     Can you find the flora and fauna in an Uptown park?

     The next time you’re exploring Isham Park, head to Bruce’s Garden. Then, click this link on your cell phone for clues to find the treasures in this prized patch of greenery.

      Isham Park is in Inwood, at 213 Park Terrace East (not West!) and is open every day.

     Where are you going?

     Use a compass rose to help you get there. A video from the Hispanic Society will show you how to make one with a potato, some paint and a few more household objects.

     You’ll also learn a bit about maps through the centuries and how explorers used them to travel to places they’d never seen.

     Here’s a way to make your next outing with the kids a little different.

     Print out a family scavenger hunt booklet and take a walk through Fort Tryon Park’s historic estate remnants.

     Find, draw, and map natural marvels and constructed treasures while you explore the path network that leads from Billings Lawn to the Palisades Overlook.

     The booklet is provided by the Fort Tryon Park Trust.

     Need something new for the kids to do?

     The Hispanic Society of America offers several coloring pages, each based on one of the most famous paintings in the museum’s collection. Recognize the Duchess of Alba? Download the pdf below.

      For adults, the society has posted several lectures here.

¿Necesita algo nuevo para que hagan los niños?
      La Hispanic Society of America ofrece varias páginas para colorear, cada una basada en una de las pinturas más famosas de la colección del museo. ¿Reconoces a la duquesa de Alba? Descargue el pdf a continuación.
       Para los adultos, la sociedad ha publicado varias conferencias aquí.

    Do some digging, then get in some riding with your BMX buds and ride the most progressive urban bike park in America, with the help of the New York City Mountain Bike Association.

     There will be light trail maintenance tasks for all ages in the morning. Every volunteer receives a free 20-minute clinic and, in the afternoon, a guided ride throughout the trails from 12:30 to 3. Even better, bikes and helmets are provided, so you don’t need your own.  

     Uptown is the home of the city's first mountain biking course, 3 miles of trails of varying difficulty and a free-ride trail that includes drops, steeps, and berms. The park also features a dirt jump park and pump track, making it a good place to develop different skills at all levels.

     Free. Saturday morning, May 10, from 10 to 3 in Fort George at the BMX trailhead in Highbridge Park, on Fort George Avenue, just northwest of the Buczek Ballfield. Monthly on the second Saturday.

     Let your kids explore life in colonial New York at Manhattan’s oldest remaining house, where the Morris-Jumel Mansion offers family-day programming with a fun, hands-on activity for children and their care-givers.

      This month, create your own faux stained glass suncatcher. A stunning feature of the mansion, stained glass has adorned windows and homes for hundreds of years, symbolizing beauty and craftsmanship. Design your own and invites the beauty of the sun into your home.

     All materials will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Masks are not required outdoors; masks are optional inside the Museum.

     Free. Saturday afternoon, May 10, from 1 to 3 at the mansion on Jumel Terrace in Lower WaHi. On the second Saturday of the month.

     Discover tales of brave knights, courageous princesses, and the legend of the unicorn while exploring medieval art and architecture at the Met Cloisters.

     In Modern-Medieval Mythmaking, kids ages 5 to 8 will listen, learn, and get creative during interactive programs in the medieval galleries. The drop-off workshop is limited to 21 children and registration is required.

     $375 for members; non-members, $430. Saturday afternoons from 2 to 4 through June 21 at the Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park. No class on May 3, 17, 24, or 31.

     Get your hands dirty with the Urban Park Rangers as they replant the Native American polyculture garden in Inwood Hill Park.

     You’ll also learn about the indigenous people who used to inhabit this land. A good outing for kids.

     Free. Sunday afternoon, May 11, at 1 in the park; meet at 218th Street and Indian Road.

     Peek at technique and learn—through handling tools and materials—how works of art were created. 

     Stop by for a hands-on demonstration about creating perfumes. You’ll learn about the process from educators and conservators, though the admixture may not really include what’s in the vial on the right. The demonstration repeats every 30 minutes. For visitors of all ages. 

     Free with admission. Sunday afternoon, May 18, from 1 to 4 at the Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park. 

     Uptown Stories, the group that provides a series of writing workshops for kids and teens year-round, is hosting a Wonderland party.

     Your support helps cover tuition for the students in need of financial assistance. The evening is open to all ages.

    Donate what you can. Monday afternoon, May 18, from 2 to 5 at the Cornerstone Center in Hudson Heights on Bennett Avenue at 189th Street.

     Have some fun on wheels at a skate event for the whole family.

     Join NYC Parks to dance and enjoy an outdoor roller-skating sessions with music, jumbo games, and much more.

      Free. Friday afternoon, May 23, from 4 to 5:30 for everyone, and from 6 to 7 for adults. At the Anne Loftus Playground in Inwood at the confluence of Broadway, Riverside Drive and Dyckman Street.

     Sketch from works of art in The Met Cloisters galleries and experiment with different drawing approaches. Build your skills with a teaching artist and share your works of art with other teens.

     Thinking of applying to an art high school or college? These classes are a great way to build a portfolio. For ages 12 to 18.

     Museum admission is free, with registration, for teens as part of this program. All experience levels welcome; all materials provided.

     Free with registration. Saturday afternoon, May 31, at 1 in Fort Tryon Park. On the last Saturday of the month.

     The potato crop is fine and everything is coming up spuds. Life is perfect on Potato Bug Ranch until a new neighbor moves in next door who does things a bit differently.

     Can the farmers find common ground and save the ranch for the next generation? Come to the ranch to find out.

      The Pied Piper’s production of Potato Bug Ranch features kids from Uptown neighborhoods.

     Saturday and Sunday, May 31 and June 1, at times and a place to be announced sooner rather than later.

     The annual Drums Along the Hudson began in 2002 as a traditional Pow Wow to celebrate Native American heritage and culture, and also to commemorate the Lenape people who first inhabited Inwood Hill Park, or Shorakkopoch (“edge of the water”).

     This year’s celebration features the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers, Kalpulli Huehuethlatholi Aztec Dancers, drummers from around the world, international food, and crafts.
     Free. Sunday, June 1, from 11 to 6 in Inwood Hill Park at Indian Road and 218th Street.

     Get your friends together for a game night marathon! 

     For three Fridays in June you can take part in jumbo games, corn hole, Jenga, table tennis, and much more for you and your family to enjoy. Groups who participate in all the games will receive a special prize to take home. 

     Free. Friday evening, June 6, from 5:30 to 8 at the Highbridge Recreation Center in Lower WaHi on Amsterdam Avenue near 173rd Street. Also on June 13 and 20.

     Wade into the Hudson River for World Fish Migration Day. 

     You’ll help scientists around the work monitor the movements of all the fish in the sea — and in the Hudson. Volunteers will help collect and count species of fish in partnership with Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater.

     Free. Saturday morning, June 7, from 10 to noon at the 172nd Street Beachm near the Sisyphus Stones, in Fort Washington Park. From Hudson Heights, enter the park at Plaza Lafayetter; from other locations, find the directions here.

     You live on an island, so how about getting in the water?

     Educators from Hudson River Sloop Clearwater lead an interactive seining event as part of City of Water Day. You’ll learn about our watery neighbors and the health of the Hudson River estuary.

     Wear clothes to get wet in, and take a towel.

     Free. Saturday afternoon, July 12, from 12:30 to 3 at the 172nd Street Beach near the Sisyphus Stones, in Fort Washington Park. From Hudson Heights, enter the park at Plaza Lafayetter; from other locations, find the directions here.

     Embark on a poetic journey and let nature become your muse.

     In this Uptown Stories’ workshop, you’ll join a vibrant group of young poets to venture into Uptown’s flourishing summer landscapes and find poetry in the world around you.

     As you write and read poetic verse you’ll discover what’s beneath every rock, leaf, and flower, open yourself to all of your senses, and use what you find to create drawings, fairy dwellings, pocket pals, and whatever calls your imaginations.

     For ages 8 through 12.

     Pay what you can. Monday through Friday, July 21–25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., meeting in the schoolyard of Hudson Cliffs P.S. 187 in Hudson Heights on Cabrini Boulevard just about 181st Street.

     If you can’t wait to turn the page, the writer  succeeded in telling you a great story.

     What does it take to develop characters, settings, dialogue, and plot elements that have you on the edge of your seat?

     In this Uptown Stories’ workshop you’ll discover the elements of fiction when you break down the parts of creative writing and test what you’ve learned with some on-the-spot stories.

     For ages 8 to 12.

     Pay what you can. Monday through Friday, July 28–August 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Cornerstone Center in Hudson Heights on Bennett Avenue at 189th Street.

     Little Lions Camp is a kid-centered, fun-based day camp with a focus on keeping kids physically and creatively active.

     Kid-centered programming means our camp staff keeps campers buty with their likes and dislikes in mind, so daily schedules might change based on the counselors' overview of the day. The activities feature an ever-changing combination of classic PE games, backyard favorites, sports, and special surprises to keep kids happy, active, and engaged.

     A highly trained, eclectic staff of teachers, athletes, camp veterans, creative types and child care specialists ensure that the games are always changing and that counselors can tailor programming to fit children’s needs and likes.

     Register here. Discounts are available for families with more than one child enrolled, or any child enrolled for both weeks.

     $525 per week (after April 26, $545). August 4 through 8 and August 11 through 15 at the Baker Athletic Complex in Inwood at 533 West 218th Street.

     There’s always more to learn for a fiction writer.

     If you’re one, come build on the skills you’ve already got, and dig deeper into the qualities that give all the best stories that extra pop. Any genre of fiction you prefer (historical, fantasy, realistic, you name it) is welcome.

     You’ll focus on the fine details that will take your writing from good to great: Natural, character-driven dialogue; proper pacing; inciting incidents; raising the stakes; plot-twists; and, of course, the art of the satisfying ending.

     This workshop from Uptown Stories is for students ages 12 to 17 who are familiar with the basics of fiction writing, and who would like to grow as writers.

     Pay what you can. Monday through Friday, August 4 through 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Cornerstone Center in Hudson Heights on Bennett Avenue at 179th Street. No class on April 15, Through May 20.

     You know it, love it, you can’t get enough of it — and when it comes to anime, neither can Uptown Stories. 

     Whether it’s Speed Racer or Dragon Ball, Naruto or My Hero Academia, we are obsessed. The only thing better than watching anime the entire week of spring break would be drawing our own anime characters and adventures. Grab your pens, and let’s ikō!

     For ages 10 to 14.

     Pay what you can. Monday through Friday, August 11–15, from 11 to 3 at the Cornerstone Center in Hudson Heights on Bennett Avenue at 189th Street.

     It’s time for you to be the master of your universe.

     Join new friends to explore worlds of your own creation, inhabited by beings that only you can imagine. In this workshop from Uptown Stories, you’ll work together to bring your ideas to life, whether they lie in fantasy, science fiction, magical realism, or dystopia. 

     You’ll map out stories rich in symbolism, unleash your hidden storytelling skills, and be each other’s sounding boards along the way.

     For ages 8 to 11.

     Pay what you can. Monday through Friday, August 18–22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Cornerstone Center in Hudson Heights on Bennett Avenue at 189th Street.

     The internet is a crazy place, but it gives us powerful tools to tell our stories. 

     A new workshop from Uptown Writers will help you figure it out. Scoop, There It Is! is all about using the digital world to your advantage.

     Through writing, video, and audio, you’ll learn the fundamentals of storytelling, reporting, and online journalism in unconventional ways. You’ll investigate questions like: What makes a compelling news story? How do we verify facts? And how can content like TikTok videos and mini podcasts be used to inform our audiences? 

     By the end of this workshop you’ll be a certified a young journalist, creating your own captivating multimedia projects for the world to see.

     For ages 10 to 14.

     Pay what you can. Monday through Friday, August 25–29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Cornerstone Center in Hudson Heights on Bennett Avenue at 189th Street.

     Is your teen interested in the sciences? Maybe she’s thinking about a career in medicine?

     If so, consider the Lang Youth Medical Program at the Columbia Medical Center. It’s a free opportunity to expose high school students to the science of medicine and aims to inspire teens to achieve their college aspirations through hands-on learning and mentorship.

     It’s open only to students in WaHi who attend a Community School District 6 school at meets on seventeen Saturdays through the year and during the entire month of July. Find out more here.

     The deadline for the next session is in March.