WORK_SPACE

<h3>A Community Storytelling Lab</h3>
Explore the stories that shaped you—and help preserve them for generations to come.
As a companion to the Roots Run Deep art exhibit, WORK_SPACE invites you to explore your ancestry, cultural identity, resilience, and belonging through a creative storytelling lab led by Manchester Poet Laureate Nadia Sims and WORK_SPACE Manager Dr. Stacey Zackin.
Whether your story spans generations or begins with a single memory, you'll develop an original work through writing, spoken word, poetry, music, movement, or performance. No writing or public speaking experience is required—just curiosity and a willingness to explore your story.
Participants are encouraged to attend both workshops, at least one coaching session, and the community performance (sharing your work is optional). By the end of the program, you'll have a polished creative piece, new storytelling tools, and the opportunity to submit your work for inclusion in a published community anthology celebrating stories of heritage, resilience, and belonging. Selected performances may also be recorded and shared digitally.
<h4>Program Schedule</h4>
Storytelling Workshops (Required):
Wednesday, September 30 | 5:30–8:00 PM Wednesday, October 7 | 5:30–8:00 PM
Virtual Coaching: Two group coaching sessions will be scheduled on Zoom. You are encouraged to schedule at least one. September 30 – October 9 (Attend at least one.)
Optional Community Writing Sessions:
Saturday, October 10
<ul><li>Poet-Tea: 10:00–11:30 AM</li><li>Writer's Playground: 12:00–1:30 PM</li></ul>
Community Performance:
Saturday, October 10 | 3:00–4:30 PM Participants are invited to share a 3–5 minute excerpt of their work.
Registration$50 per participant Scholarships are available.

Local Event: Roots Run Deep: Stories of Heritage, Resilience & Belonging

Hartford County

Manchester

Connecticut

Roots Run Deep: Stories of Heritage, Resilience...

A Community Storytelling Lab
Explore the stories that shaped you—and help preserve them for generations to come.
As a companion...

Roots Run Deep: Stories of Heritage, Resilience & Belonging

A photograph captures a moment; a poem captures mood and meaning. Together, these two creative practices can build inspiring, dynamic conversations between artists and viewers.&nbsp;Picture This&nbsp;is a collaborative exhibit that brings photographers and poets together to do just that.
We invite photographers to submit original images featuring people, places, things—or anything in between. &nbsp;After photographs are selected, they will be shared with poets, who will create original poems inspired by the images.
The resulting exhibit will pair photographs with original ekphrastic poetry—poems written in response to visual art—creating a dialogue between image and word, artist and writer, observation and interpretation. Come share the images that inspire you—and discover the stories, memories, and meanings they inspire in others.
Photographers and poets of all experience levels are encouraged to participate.
Link to Submit: <a href="https://bit.ly/PictureThisExhibit2026" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">bit.ly/PictureThisExhibit2026</a>
Photography Submission Deadline:&nbsp;October 1, 2026
Photographs Posted for Poets:&nbsp;October 2, 2026
Poetry Submission Deadline:&nbsp;October 15, 2026
Artwork Drop-Off: Monday, October 19th – Monday, October 26, 2026
Second Saturday Poetry Reading &amp; Reception:&nbsp;November 14, 2026

Local Event: Picture This: A Poetry & Photography Exhibit

Picture This: A Poetry & Photography Exhibit

A photograph captures a moment; a poem captures mood and meaning. Together, these two creative practices can build inspiring,...

Audacity British Style Pub

Choose from a variety of glasses and designs, leave with two one-of-a-kind works of art!
Looking for something different to do on a Thursday night?
Join us at Audacity British Style Pub for DateNight Downtown: Glass Painting—a relaxed, creative night out with someone you enjoy spending time with!
Bring your spouse, partner, best friend, sibling, parent, adult child, coworker—or come on your own. No artistic experience needed! You'll choose from a variety of glasses and designs (or create something completely your own), and we'll provide everything you need to paint two unique glasses to take home.
Your ticket also includes a complimentary non-alcoholic beverage from Audacity.
Thursday, October 8 • 6:15–7:45 PM Audacity British Style Pub 829 Main Street, Manchester
Tickets: $25 per person | $45 for two
Facilitator: Pammy of <a href="https://www.paintwithpammy.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Paint With Pammy</a>
Space is limited, so grab your tickets and make plans for a night that's a little more creative than dinner on the couch.
Create something. Share a meal. Make a memory. Because 2nd Thursdays are a thing!
Free parking is available on Main Street and in the lot behind the building.
Questions? Email info@workspacemanchester.com.

Local Event: Date Night Downtown Glass Painting

Date Night Downtown Glass Painting

Choose from a variety of glasses and designs, leave with two one-of-a-kind works of art!
Looking for something different to do...

For more than 200 years, the Wangunk have been referred to as Connecticut’s “lost tribe.” But what if they were never lost?
Their ancestors lived in the Connecticut River Valley for thousands of years. Their descendants are still here.
Join Gary “Red Oak” O’Neil, Wangunk descendant, artist, historian, and master storyteller, for a fascinating evening of stories, history, art, and conversation about the Wangunk people—and the remarkable story of how his family survived.
Red Oak is part of the Jonathan Palmer family line, the only surviving Wangunk line that remained in the area. He’ll share stories of a people whose history in the Connecticut River Valley reaches back some 10,000 years, and how generations of his family survived and maintained their identity, in part by living quietly and staying “under the radar.”
But this isn’t only a story about the past.
Red Oak is also one of the artists represented in Roots Run Deep: The Art of Indigenous Heritage, along with other Wangunk artists. Surrounded by their work in the WORK_SPACE Gallery, we’ll have the rare opportunity to hear directly from an artist about the ways Indigenous heritage, identity, traditions, and stories can be preserved and expressed not only through the stories we tell, but through the art we create.

Local Event: NOT A LOST TRIBE: The Wangunk Story with Gary "Red Oak" O'Neil

NOT A LOST TRIBE: The Wangunk Story with Gary...

For more than 200 years, the Wangunk have been referred to as Connecticut’s “lost tribe.” But what if they were never...

NOT A LOST TRIBE: The Wangunk Story with Gary "Red Oak" O'Neil

OPENING&nbsp;RECEPTION: Thursday, October 29th 5:30-7pmA photograph captures a moment; a poem captures mood and meaning. Together, these two creative practices can build inspiring, dynamic conversations between artists and viewers. Picture This is a collaborative exhibit that brings photographers and poets together to do just that. We invite photographers to submit original images featuring people, places, things—or anything in between. &nbsp;After photographs are selected, they will be shared with poets, who will create original poems inspired by the images. From portraits and landscapes to architecture, nature, street photography, still life, and everyday moments, we welcome photographs that spark curiosity, emotion, memory, or imagination. Whether it’s a bird in flight, a sleeping dog, a bustling city street, a weathered building, or a quiet moment that caught your attention, every image has a story to tell. The exhibit will pair photographs with original ekphrastic poetry—poems written in response to visual art—creating a dialogue between image and word, artist and writer, observation and interpretation.

OPENING RECEPTION: Thursday, October 29th 5:30-7pmA photograph captures a moment; a poem captures mood and meaning. Together,...

Opening Reception Friday, December 11th, 2026 5:30-7pmFantasy has always provided important lessons and comfort through difficult times; it allows us to create imagined possibilities from which real change can spring, or to process experiences through metaphor and symbolism. Whatever its purpose may be, the fantasy genre is known for its rich imagery of characters, creatures, and environments in a wide variety of styles. This show aims to explore the vast spectrum of the “unreal”—from high-fantasy landscapes and mythological re-tellings to surrealist dreams and speculative futures. We want to see how you interpret the unseen and the imagined!

Local Event: Perspectives of Fantasy and Imagination 

Perspectives of Fantasy and Imagination 

Opening Reception Friday, December 11th, 2026 5:30-7pmFantasy has always provided important lessons and comfort through...

Stacey Zackin

Chris Dehnel

Hartford Metropolitan Area

Jay Kenney

South Windsor

Tolland County

Vernon

Glastonbury

Michael Lemanski

Greater Hartford

Rich Kirby

Wethersfield

Windsor Locks-East Windsor

Windsor

Rocky Hill

Tolland

West Hartford

Buttonball Elementary School

🎉 WEDNESDAY NIGHT IS SQUARE DANCE NIGHT! 🎉
Come try a FREE introductory square dance lesson and discover why square dancing is so much fun!
Square dancing is:
❤️ A great way to meet new people 👟 Fun exercise that gets you moving 🧠 Great for keeping your brain active and sharp 😊 A wonderful stress reliever—you’re having so much fun following the calls, you can’t think about anything else! 📵 A chance to put down the screens and enjoy real laughter and connection
No partner needed. No experience needed. All ages are welcome!
Join us Wednesday night and see why people have been enjoying square dancing in Glastonbury for more than 60 years. Come for the exercise—stay for the friendships and fun! 2 free nights&nbsp; September 30th &amp; October 14, 2026&nbsp;

Local Event: Free Intro to Square dance Lessons 

Free Intro to Square dance Lessons 

🎉 WEDNESDAY NIGHT IS SQUARE DANCE NIGHT! 🎉
Come try a FREE introductory square dance lesson and discover why square dancing is...

SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, 10/3/26 9a
9am-5pm
Delicious fun for everyone!
It is time once again for South Windsor’s annual free Apple Fest. It is a family event. Enjoy more than 100 vendors and a variety of food trucks, our signature apple pie and apple cider, craft beer and cocktails, live music and dance performances. Kids' activities include train rides ($5.00), pony rides from 10am to 1pm ($5.00 each), inflatable obstacle course ($5.00), free bounce houses, and the rockin’ rodeo for the little ones. Make sure you take a chance on the gift basket raffle!
FREE parking and admission at the John J. Mitchell Fairgrounds, 75 Brookfield Street, South Windsor, CT. 06074. ATM available. Flat ground and easy access. Please bring a non-perishable donation for the South Windsor Food Bank. For more information: https.www.swapplefest.com 
Leashed and well-behaved dogs are welcome. More information at <a href="https://www.swapplefest.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.swapplefest.com</a> Facebook&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/SWAppleFest" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">(20+) Facebook</a>

Local Event: South Windsor Apple Fest 2026

South Windsor Apple Fest 2026

SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, 10/3/26 9a
9am-5pm
Delicious fun for everyone!
It is time once again for South Windsor’s annual free...

Nearby Communities

State Edition

National Edition

Stacey Zackin, Neighbor

Posting Activity

Roots Run Deep: Stories of Heritage, Resilience & Belonging

SEP

30

5:30 PM

WORK_SPACE, 903 Main St, Manchester, CT

Picture This: A Poetry & Photography Exhibit

OCT

1

10:00 AM

903 Main St, Manchester, CT

Date Night Downtown Glass Painting

OCT

8

6:15 PM

Audacity British Style Pub, 829 Main St, Manchester, CT

NOT A LOST TRIBE: The Wangunk Story with Gary "Red Oak" O'Neil

OCT

14

6:30 PM

WORK_SPACE, 903 Main St, Manchester, CT

Picture This: A Poetry & Photography Exhibit

OCT

29

5:30 PM

WORK_SPACE, 903 Main St, Manchester, CT

Perspectives of Fantasy and Imagination

DEC

11

5:03 PM

WORK_SPACE, 903 Main St, Manchester, CT

Free Intro to Square dance Lessons

South Windsor Apple Fest 2026