Stroll the Ave, see some art, and write something new
Starting today, as part of A Writers Party 2025, is Art Crawl & Write the Ave!
I love this idea so much and I hope folks have a good time on this self-guided tour of shops along East Passyunk Avenue where local artists have their work on display. If you’re in Philly, I hope you go out and take a walk at some point this weekend and check out the art and maybe even try one (or all!) of the prompts. Many many thanks go out to Krystle Ann Griffin for organizing this event!
Art walkers will be encouraged to write a new piece inspired by something they saw during this experience. Writing prompts have been provided by Krystle, and written pieces created from the Art Crawl may be sent to writetheave@gmail.com to be included in a publication.
Scroll through this list to read about the shops, the art, and the prompts!
Juana Tamale, 1941 East Passyunk Ave. Sat at the start of East Passyunk, Juana Tamale is a beautiful Mexican restaurant with a warm colorful atmosphere to grab a bite and relax in a space that feels like an artist’s living room.
Featured at Juana Tamale is art by Justin Curtis.
A hermit crab essay is a bit like an actual hermit crab in that it's an essay that takes on the existing form (as if a shell) of another type of writing. For instance, an essay that looks like a set of instructions or obituaries.
Prompt: Think of a menu or sandwich board sign. Use that format to write a piece that would go with the location of Justin’s photograph. Could be for the location now, what you think it was like when it was used, or even a fictionalized story of what happens to this building in the future. What could have been the special of the day? What’s for dessert?
BONUS: Incorporate a word or item from Juana Tamale’s menu within this piece.
Submit your writing to: writetheave@gmail.com
Civil Stock General Store, 1912 East Passyunk Ave. Civil Stock is a quant brick and mortar reminiscent of an old general store. Providing a selection of beautiful, well made affordable goods.
Featured at Civil Stock is art by Rachel Karr. A listicle is an article that is structured as a list, which is often fleshed out with additional text relating to each item. A typical listicle will have a title describing a specific number of items contained within, along with subsequent subheadings within the text for each entry.
Prompt: Look at Rachel’s painting and imagine the universe it is. Create a listicle with items you think you would need to live there. With each item and its description, reveal something new that leads to a bigger plot point that will come together in the end.
BONUS: Include items from Civil Stock.
Submit your writing to: writetheave@gmail.com
Philly Typewriter, 1735 East Passyunk Ave. Philly Typewriter is a shop and typewriter museum who specializes in restoration and preservation of typewriters. Their focus is on keeping this type of machine going while also helping with community.
Philly Typewriter features work by Krystle Griffin. Erasure poetry, or blackout poetry, is a form of found poetry created by erasing words from an existing text in prose or verse and framing the result on the page as a poem. You take the body of text and through the act of scribbling out, or blacking out words, you leave behind something new.
Prompt: There are printed sheets of paper from the prose piece Krystle wrote. Use blackout poetry by blacking out words within the text to create something new. Or write a story about the woman in the painting’s life. Who is she? Where is she? What happened to get her there?
BONUS: Incorporate the idea of repurposing/refurbishing. Just as Philly Typewriter and Krystle’s painting is repurposed/refurbished, so is the blackout poetry form.
Submit your writing to: writetheave@gmail.com
Spellbound, 1728 East Passyunk Ave - Spellbound is a hair studio who offers an enchanting experience. With a unique astrological twist, this one-of-a-kind salon embraces the magic of beauty and self-discovery.
Spellbound features work by Jay Shifman.
Prose poetry is written as prose, without the line breaks associated with poetry. However, it makes use of poetic devices such as fragmentation, compression, repetition, rhyme, metaphor, and figures of speech. Prose can still express the lyricism and emotion of poetry.
Prompt: There are 7 Philly tarot deck cards lying face down. Select one at random and use it as a character or theme for a 100 word exact prose piece. If a card is a location, perhaps the piece takes place there. If the card is a person, maybe it’s about them or they’re in it somehow. Maybe it is the name on the card that’s the theme.
BONUS: Incorporate a service offered by Spellbound into your piece.
Submit your writing to: writetheave@gmail.com
A Novel Idea, 1726 East Passyunk Ave. - A Novel Idea is an independent bookstore that is dedicated to providing a wide selection of books to the community, as well as a dedication to promoting and selling books by local authors and presses.
A Novel Idea features work by Pisces Moon Mosaics.
Alliteration is the repetition of the same sound or letter at the beginning of multiple words in a sentence or phrase. It is used to create a musical or rhythmic effect, to add emphasis, or to make it more memorable.
Elevator pitch is a brief, concise speech that outlines and summarizes a project. It is called an elevator pitch because it should be quick, 30-60 seconds.
Prompt: Roll the letter die to select a letter for you to use for an alliteration. Use that letter & choose a book whose title starts with it. Write an elevator pitch based on that title.
BONUS: Incorporate a word that is in one of the mosaic pieces.
Submit your writing to: writetheave@gmail.com
Mecha Chocolate, 1618 East Passyunk Ave. - Mecha Chocolate is a high quality and decadent handmade confection chocolate store. Combining experience, creativity and community to bring you a truly special treat.
Mecha Chocolate features work by Juliet Pennay. A couplet is a type of poem that is two rhyming lines. These lines typically have the same amount of syllables.
Limerick is a poem that consists of five lines in a single stanza with a rhyme scheme of AABBA, meaning the A’s rhyme with each other and the B’s rhyme with each other. The B lines are shorter as well. Limericks are intended to be humorous..
Prompt: Write a couplet or limerick about one of Mecha’s chocolate flavor names. Use the structure to act as an ad or jingle for the chocolate.
BONUS: Create a flavor and name based on Juliet’s painting. Write a couplet or limerick about it.
Submit your writing to: writetheave@gmail.com
Latchkey, 1502 East Passyunk Ave. - Latchkey is a creatively curated record store that loves to provide a fun and welcoming space for folks to come in and get lost shuffling through vinyl. As well as T-shirts, VHS and more.
Latchkey features work by Heather Krut. Song structure is the arrangement of a song, and is a part of the songwriting process. Song structure is the arrangement of the sections of a song, usually composed of a verse, chorus, bridge, and refrain. The structure of a song can be broken down into four main components: the introduction, verse, chorus, and outro.
Prompt: Pick an album at random. Based on the album title, write a song that you think would go on that album. Be sure it includes the four main components.
BONUS: Incorporate the words ‘Wake Up’ in your song.
Submit your writing to: writetheave@gmail.com