Everybody uses words. You can’t have a thought without words. You can’t share who you are without words. Or remember your past, or dream about your future.

That’s why at Gemini Ink, we nurture readers and writers and keepers of oral traditions — everyone from elementary school kids to at-risk teens, from the polished professional to the elder who has always wanted to tell her family stories.

We all have a stake in words and how best to use them. And the better we choose and use our words, the more our community prospers. So for more than a decade we’ve supported you and your words through our four programs:

WRITERS IN COMMUNITIES (WIC) sends professional writers into diverse community settings to work alongside students of all ages, needs, interests, and abilities in free workshops based in oral traditions, readings, and creative writing.

THE AUTOGRAPH SERIES presents writers of national and international stature -- many of them recipients of major prizes such as the Pulitzer or National Book Award -- in free public performances each fall and spring.

THE UNIVERSITY WITHOUT WALLS (UWW) offers three semesters of fee-based reading groups and workshops and also many free literary events, all led by professional writers, scholars, and interdisciplinary artists.

DRAMATIC READERS THEATER (DRT) features professional actors interpreting literary works in free performances, often accompanies by original music.