Founded in 2008, Visible Ink is the largest writing program of its kind, serving Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) patients of all ages and backgrounds: during treatment, after treatment, and throughout long-term survivorship. The program is free of charge, and it is also open to MSK staff, caregivers, and those healing from loss. Visible Ink now welcomes participants from the New York City Hospitals (Coler, Queens Cancer Center, and Kings County Hospital).
Research has shown that expressive writing can reduce stress, nurture confidence and creativity, and enhance overall well-being. Visible Ink mentors help participants advance their creative horizons in any form they choose, from fiction, poetry, essay, drama, memoir, and beyond.
More than 2,400 participants have enrolled since the program began, producing more than 75,000 pages of writing, and more than 250 mentors have shared their expertise, including bestselling novelists, Tony and Emmy Award winners, poets, journalists, teachers, and editors for major print and online publications.
Each year Visible Ink publishes an anthology, and stages a performance of works by participants that features stars from Broadway, film and TV. Recent performers include Tony and Emmy Award-winning actors David Hyde Pierce, Debra Monk, Susan Lucci, and Hamilton star Marc delaCruz.
As part of the OPEN DOORS arts and justice initiative, the Reality Poets are men who have been harmed by gun violence using storytelling, hip-hop, and the spoken word, challenging their audiences to combat the injustice that breeds violence in New York City neighborhoods.
This is a story about two people who have chosen to see their cancer diagnosis as a gift. Despite the physical and mental battle of coping with treatment and the side effects of chemo, Shirley and Tato have decided to use this time to ‘live’ with cancer instead of ‘dying’ from it.
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