Event Program
All Write!
ALL WRITE!
FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2025 | 11AM
EVERYONE HAS A STORY TO TELL
Hosted by Madeline Cohen
STORIES BY STUDENTS FROM COMMUNITY-BASED LITERACY PROGRAMS
READINGS BY
Crystal Dickinson, Philip Estrera, Khris Lewin, and Sonia Manzano
PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS
Brooklyn Public Library
Bedford Adult Learning Center
Eastern Parkway Adult Learning Center
Flatbush Adult Learning Center
New Lots Avenue Adult Learning Center
Pacific Avenue Adult Learning Center
CommonPoint - The Hub
City University of New York
Borough of Manhattan Community College Center for Continuing Education and Workforce Development
Bronx Community College CLIP (CUNY Language Immersion Program)
Bronx Community College Adult Education and Training Program
Brooklyn College Adult Literacy Program
Hunter College SPELL Program
LaGuardia Community College Center for Immigrant Education and Training
Lehman College Adult Learning Center
New York City College of Technology
Family Health Centers and NYU Langone
Family Support Center
Project Reach Youth
Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement
New York City Department of Education Office of Adult and Continuing Education
Mid-Manhattan Adult Learning Center
Queens Adult Learning Center
New York Public Library
Washington Heights Adult Learning Center
Queens Public Library
Elmhurst Adult Learning Center
Peninsula Adult Learning Center
Shorefront YM-YWHA
SUNY Syracuse Economic Opportunity Center
Union College of Union County Foreign Student Voice
THE READINGS
I Am From…. by Martha Tapia
Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement House
Performed by Sonia Manzano
Our Advice to New New Yorkers by Almoustapha Diop, Nadouba Kourouma, Gagny Niakate,
Gemima Nsanga, Creuth Bertold Obaliko Isse, and Deccy Rodriguez
New York City Department of Education Mid-Manhattan Adult Learning Center
Performed by The Company
Don’t be Shy to Leave the Cage by Domenico Mariniello
New York City Department of Education Queens Adult Learning Center
Performed by Philip Estrera
My Imagination by Adama Soukouna
Bronx Community College Adult Basic Education and Training Program
Performed by Crystal Dickinson
How to Carry Food by Fatoumata Doukoure
New York City Department of Education Mid-Manhattan Adult Learning Center
Performed by Crystal Dickinson and Sonia Manzano
Job at the Store by Maria Garza
Family Health Centers at NYU Langone, Project Reach Youth
Performed by Sonia Manzano
When No One is Home by Yanlin Liu
Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement House
Performed by Crystal Dickinson
Monroe the Cat by SherryAnn Rodd
Brooklyn Public Library Flatbush Learning Center
Performed by Philip Estrera
Water Stone by Londyin Gonzalez
Lehman College Adult Learning Center
Performed by Khris Lewin
My Day Before…. by Maryna Dovenko
Family Health Centers at NYU Langone, Family Support Center
Performed by Crystal Dickinson
Still Breathing by Olena Rosovska
Brooklyn College Adult Literacy Program
Performed by Philip Estrera
Longing for Hope by Olena Osmolovska
Shorefront YM-YWHA
Performed by Sonia Manzano
Canvas by Liping Chen
Family Health Centers at NYU Langone, Family Support Center
Performed by Khris Lewin
Dear Planet Earth, by Kiya Johnson
Family Health Centers at NYU Langone, Project Reach Youth
Performed by Crystal Dickinson
A Wonderful Flower by Dzhamshet Bakhronov
Family Health Centers at NYU Langone, Family Support Center
Performed by Philip Estrera
Voice of a Room by Mirianna Acevedo
Borough of Manhattan Community College
Performed by Khris Lewin
In My Room by Tanisha Bush
Borough of Manhattan Community College
Performed by The Company
He Was by Kristine Steinert
CommonPoint - The Hub
Performed by Sonia Manzano
What I Cannot Say, I’ll Say Here by Genesia Williams
CommonPoint - The Hub
Performed by Crystal Dickinson
I’m Rabel by Rabel Tejada
Bronx Community College Adult Basic Education and Training Program
Performed by Sonia Manzano
The Umbrella by Tetiana Davydenko
Shorefront YM-YWHA
Performed by Crystal Dickinson
Childhood by Tiesheng Li
Family Health Centers at NYU Langone, Family Support Center
Performed by Philip Estrera
Where I’m From by Jose Valdez
Borough of Manhattan Community College
Performed by Khris Lewin
Real Art by Kamilla Ananeva
New York City Department of Education Queens Adult Learning Center
Performed by Philip Estrera
A Freaky Friday Night by Cristal Alcántara
Queens Public Library Peninsula Adult Learning Center
Performed by Crystal Dickinson
Embracing Change with My Teenage Daughter by Ngoc (Ruby) Pham Bich
Queens Public Library Elmhurst Adult Learning Center
Performed by Sonia Manzano
Where I’m From by Nidhar Abdulkhalik
Borough of Manhattan Community College
Performed by Crystal Dickinson
Down Time by Diariou Barry
New York City Department of Education Mid-Manhattan Adult Learning Center
Performed by Sonia Manzano
My Home by Deccy Rodriguez
New York City Department of Education Mid-Manhattan Adult Learning Center
Performed by Crystal Dickinson
Tristeza in the Classroom by Susana Ortega
Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement House
Performed by Khris Lewin
Verbally Hyper by Amadou Ndiaye
New York City Department of Education Mid-Manhattan Adult Learning Center
Performed by Philip Estrera
Flying without wings by Leticia Soberanes
New York City Department of Education Queens Adult Learning Center
Performed by Khris Lewin
“I AM” Poem by Elionor Gina
Queens Public Library Peninsula Adult Learning Center
Performed by Crystal Dickinson
A Collection of Stones by Svetlana Davydova
Queens Public Library Elmhurst Adult Learning Center
Performed by Sonia Manzano
Speaking English: A terrible experience by Aurelia Reino
New York City Department of Education Queens Adult Learning Center
Performed by Khris Lewin
Interview by Alusine Jalloh
New York City Department of Education Mid-Manhattan Adult Learning Center
Performed by Philip Estrera
My Fear by Sanaa Moudrik
New York City Department of Education Queens Adult Learning Center
Performed by Crystal Dickinson
The Performers (in alphabetical order)
Crystal Dickinson
Crystal Dickinson recently starred in The Blood Quilt and Broke-ology at Lincoln Center. She won the Theatre World Award for her Broadway debut in the 2012 production of Clybourne Park and subsequently appeared in You Can’t Take It With You on Broadway in 2014. Her additional theater credits include A Raisin in the Sun, Seven Guitars, Wine in the Wilderness, and Gem of the Ocean at Two River Theater, Lessons in Survival at the Vineyard, The Low Road and Cullud Wattah at The Public, Covenant at the Roundabout, The Trees at Playwright’s Horizons, and Blues for an Alabama Sky at the McCarter. Her film and television credits include The Accidental Wolf, I Origins, The Good Wife, Feed the Beast, New Amsterdam, and recurring roles on The CHI and For Life. Dickinson has taught at Stella Adler Studio, Spelman College, Pace University, Princeton University, the Juilliard School, NYU, University of Illinois, and Seton Hall.
Crystal Dickinson recently starred in The Blood Quilt and Broke-ology at Lincoln Center. She won the Theatre World Award for her Broadway debut in the 2012 production of Clybourne Park and subsequently appeared in You Can’t Take It With You on Broadway in 2014. Her additional theater credits include A Raisin in the Sun, Seven Guitars, Wine in the Wilderness, and Gem of the Ocean at Two River Theater, Lessons in Survival at the Vineyard, The Low Road and Cullud Wattah at The Public, Covenant at the Roundabout, The Trees at Playwright’s Horizons, and Blues for an Alabama Sky at the McCarter. Her film and television credits include The Accidental Wolf, I Origins, The Good Wife, Feed the Beast, New Amsterdam, and recurring roles on The CHI and For Life. Dickinson has taught at Stella Adler Studio, Spelman College, Pace University, Princeton University, the Juilliard School, NYU, University of Illinois, and Seton Hall.
Philip Estrera
Philip Estrera is a NYC-based actor whose theater credits include Orphan of Zhao at La Jolla Playhouse and Monstress at the American Conservatory Theater. He appeared in the Sesame Street Thanksgiving special as Anton the bus driver, which introduced the first Asian American puppet to the series. He can be seen in episodes of Blue Bloods and New Amsterdam, and is active in the New York indie film community. Estrera is a graduate of the American Conservatory Theater’s MFA program.
Philip Estrera is a NYC-based actor whose theater credits include Orphan of Zhao at La Jolla Playhouse and Monstress at the American Conservatory Theater. He appeared in the Sesame Street Thanksgiving special as Anton the bus driver, which introduced the first Asian American puppet to the series. He can be seen in episodes of Blue Bloods and New Amsterdam, and is active in the New York indie film community. Estrera is a graduate of the American Conservatory Theater’s MFA program.
Khris Lewin
Khris Lewin is thrilled to return to Symphony Space, where he has enjoyed performing in Selected Shorts and as part of many Bloomsday celebrations. NYC theatre credits include Richard II with Fight or Flight Theatre Company, Extreme Whether at La Mama ETC, Personnel Best at the Secret Theatre, Horatio in the world premiere of Boris Akunin’s Hamlet. A Version, Oliver! at Harbor Lights, Fêtes de la Nuit at the Ohio Theatre, and a new translation of Brecht's Private Life of the Master Race at Walkerspace.
Khris Lewin is thrilled to return to Symphony Space, where he has enjoyed performing in Selected Shorts and as part of many Bloomsday celebrations. NYC theatre credits include Richard II with Fight or Flight Theatre Company, Extreme Whether at La Mama ETC, Personnel Best at the Secret Theatre, Horatio in the world premiere of Boris Akunin’s Hamlet. A Version, Oliver! at Harbor Lights, Fêtes de la Nuit at the Ohio Theatre, and a new translation of Brecht's Private Life of the Master Race at Walkerspace.
Sonia Manzano
When you think of Sonia Manzano, you immediately think of children and television. Her most recent accomplishment was creating a children’s program, Alma’s Way, for PBS Kids. The series has won two Imagen Awards for Best Youth Programing, a 2022 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Preschool Animated Program, and a 2023 NAACP nomination for an Image Award. But what Ms. Manzano is best known for performing the role of “Maria” on Sesame Street for 44 seasons, where her work affected the lives of millions of parents and children and garnered her two Emmy Award nominations in addition to the National Academy of Arts and Science’s Lifetime Achievement Daytime Emmy in 2016. As a writer for the show, she took home 15 Emmys. In 2022, Manzano was honored with the Beacon Award from PBS. She is also an author whose most recent Scholastic novel, Coming Up Cuban, set in 1959, follows the lives of four children who represent different intersections of race and class during the Cuban Revolution.
When you think of Sonia Manzano, you immediately think of children and television. Her most recent accomplishment was creating a children’s program, Alma’s Way, for PBS Kids. The series has won two Imagen Awards for Best Youth Programing, a 2022 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Preschool Animated Program, and a 2023 NAACP nomination for an Image Award. But what Ms. Manzano is best known for performing the role of “Maria” on Sesame Street for 44 seasons, where her work affected the lives of millions of parents and children and garnered her two Emmy Award nominations in addition to the National Academy of Arts and Science’s Lifetime Achievement Daytime Emmy in 2016. As a writer for the show, she took home 15 Emmys. In 2022, Manzano was honored with the Beacon Award from PBS. She is also an author whose most recent Scholastic novel, Coming Up Cuban, set in 1959, follows the lives of four children who represent different intersections of race and class during the Cuban Revolution.
Madeline Cohen
Madeline Cohen is the Director of Symphony Space’s adult literacy program, All Write! She held the position of Education Director at Symphony Space from 1989 - 2022, and has been working in arts education for 48 years as a teaching artist, staff development leader, administrator, and consultant at Lincoln Center Institute, United Federation of Teachers, and Teachers College, among others. In addition, she is a costume designer.
Madeline Cohen is the Director of Symphony Space’s adult literacy program, All Write! She held the position of Education Director at Symphony Space from 1989 - 2022, and has been working in arts education for 48 years as a teaching artist, staff development leader, administrator, and consultant at Lincoln Center Institute, United Federation of Teachers, and Teachers College, among others. In addition, she is a costume designer.
MORE INFORMATION
The All Write! adult literacy program is generously supported by the Seedlings Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Fund, Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation, The New York Community Trust Judith and Stanley Zabar Fund, Charina Endowment Fund, Charles D. Fleischman Charitable Trust, Consolidated Edison Company of New York, PECO Foundation, Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina, Michael Tuch Foundation, Vidda Foundation, Jody and John Arnhold and the Arnhold Foundation, The Grodzins Fund, and The Isambard Kingdom Brunel Society of North America.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
All Write! also receives support from an endowment established by the Steven Aresty Foundation.
Symphony Space thanks our generous supporters, including our Board of Directors, Producers Circle, and members, who make our programs possible with their annual support.
Kathy Landau Executive Director
Peg Wreen Managing Director
Isaiah Sheffer*
Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director (1978-1990)
Artistic Director (1990-2010)
Founding Artistic Director (2010-2012)
Allan Miller
Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director (1978-1990)
Lulu Fogarty Director of Education
Regina Larkin Manager of Education Programs
Madeline Cohen Director of All Write!
Jennifer Brennan Director of Literary Programs
Drew Richardson Lead Producer of Literary Programs
Vivienne Woodward Producer of Literary Programs
Mary Shimkin Director of Broadcast & Literary Initiatives
Matthew Love Consultant for Literary Programs
Magdalene Wrobleski Literary Assistant
Leigh Reid Literary Intern
Mia Testa Literary Intern
LITERACY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Teresa Bell NYC Department of Education–Mid-Manhattan Adult Learning Center
Madeline Cohen Symphony Space
Solange Farina City University of New York–Borough of Manhattan Community College
Mary Esther Malloy Consultant
*in memoriam
