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Writing Workshops

Whether you are new to writing or a lifelong writer, join our classes to share your work and meet other writers.

Expand Your Skill Set at Writing Workshops

Both single session and series of creative writing workshops can lead you to explore a new way of expressing yourself, help you hone your craft, and give you feedback on your work.

Queens Public Library partners with community organization Newtown Literary to offer workshops for both adults and kids on a wide variety of writing subjects. We also work with the NY Writers Coalition to offer regular drop-in workshops for our customers.  

Find our writing workshops here .

914.643.6573

415 bedford road pleasantville | ny wendy fried, owner, helping writers move forward for two decades.

"Wendy has completely changed my experience with all aspects of writing. She pulled creativity out of me I had no idea existed.”

— Dan Schwartz,

Chappaqua, New York

  Wordcraft is a writing and learning studio where all sorts of writers of all ages explore, grow, create, and crush specific goals; where students receive expert educational, college essay & application coaching; and where workplace teams fuel their connectivity, creativity, and productivity.

Our 4 Branches:

Writers & Thinkers   |  Workplace  |  College   |  Storied Lives

Our mission?

Foster the spirit and skills needed to be life-long writers & storytellers, confident in tackling any written task or project. Drawing on our experiences in the worlds of education and the creative, performing, and literary arts, we have a process-based approach that is personal, creative, compassionate, and direct. 

Our belief?

More and more research highlights the invaluable impact of writing. Finding your stories, exploring your thoughts, and developing the skills, craft & confidence to tell them well remain keys to connection, compassion & success – educational, professional, personal, and creative.

No matter your writing goal, Wordcraft has a place for you. Let's do this.

Spring 2024

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Colle ge 

Essay & Application Coaching, Class '25 & '26

Contact us to discuss how we can support you and your college-bound student.  >

Small-group College Essay Intensives >

Writers & Thinkers

Summer Writing Workshops  | adults >

Summer Writing Workshops | teens >

One-on-One Coaching & Tutoring for Teens and Adults. >

Manuscript & Project Coaching 

Contact us now to discuss your project, needs, and goals. >

Bespoke Experiences & A Storied Life

Spaces limited for each program.

Contact us to get on our waiting list. >

| No matter your writing goals, remember: You've Got This.

[email protected]

Wendy Fried, owner

Tackle your essays with confidence, authenticity & originality. Navigate the college application process with joy & direction.

Teen & Adult | All levels Explore, create, reflect, build skill, connect. Wordcraft workshops celebrate the power of writing, storytelling, voice, language, sharing, feedback, and revision.

Personalized programs for teens struggling with the writing process, writer's anxiety, or specific skills, OR for students searching for opportunities to explore their interest in writing.

Write that book, seek creative coaching or developmental editing on a project, improve your writing skills, explore your stories, connect with other writers & creatives.

Wordcraft comes to you with The College LAB, a multi-faceted, onsite, college consulting program that aims to bring joy, empowerment, and healthy balance to your school's successful college process.

Sharpen your team's writing, storytelling, empathy & interpersonal skills. Words matter. Help your talent use them well.

Whether through our bespoke storytelling salons, private memoir experiences, or obituary & eulogy writing services, we'll help you explore and celebrate the stories of those engaged in life or those who have passed.

Students arrive to Wordcraft from New York's Metropolitan area, including New York City and Westchester County, as well as those beaming in from states across the country, including California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New Mexico. Make time to move forward with your words and join us.

"I learned to write by writing."

-Neil Gaiman

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Take the first step.  Get an A.A. in Creative Writing at Nassau Community College!

Our Faculty

Poets, playwrights, fiction writers, essayists — our faculty members have published numerous books and have earned national and international awards.  We are a diverse group, committed to teaching and providing our students with a creative writing experience comparable to that of a four-year, liberal arts institution. Faculty Profiles

The English Department offers four creative writing courses:

• ENG 115: Creative Writing
• ENG 116: Play and Screen Writing
• ENG 117: Fiction Writing
• ENG 118: Poetry Writing
• ENG 120: Creative Nonfiction

Our Other Activities

In addition to the courses listed above, NCC’s Creative Writing Program also offers other ways for students and members of the community to become involved with the work we do:

Lit, Live! is the Creative Writing Program’s reading series. The series brings renowned writers to campus to share their work and to meet with students for workshops and master classes.   All readings are free and open to the public. 

The Nassau Review

The Creative Writing Program supports the annual publishing process of Nassau Community College's international literary journal.

Creative Writing Club

The Creative Writing Club is a student club that runs writing workshops, attends conferences, and publishes the award-winning student literary magazine Luna. Members of the CWP volunteer as club advisors. Anyone interested in the club should email [email protected] for further information.

Nassau Community College’s Creative Writing Program is a dynamic program that will nurture your talents and challenge you to grow. For more information, contact:

Dr. Sabrina Davis, Coordinator Creative Writing Program [email protected]

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Long Island Romance  Writers

Past workshops.

Thinking of joining LIRW or speaking at one of our workshops? Check out our past workshops to see what we offer our members!

Keeping Your Writing Fresh with Meara Platt & Jeannie Moon

Is your writing falling flat is your world feeling stale, and are your characters stuck in a rut if so, this is the workshop for you join bestselling, award-winning authors meara platt and jeannie moon as they discuss ways to inject fresh energy and excitement into your fiction. the instructors will delve into techniques to revitalize your characters, breathe life into your settings, and discover innovative ways to approach plot and theme. from exploring unexpected facets of your characters to breaking down tropes to finding inspiration in unconventional settings, you'll leave with a toolbox full of strategies to keep your writing vibrant and engaging for both you and your readers. whether you're a seasoned writer or just starting out, this workshop will equip you with the tools to ensure your stories stay fresh and captivating., meara platt is an award winning, usa today bestselling author of over fifty historical romances and one completely left brain, award winning gothic/fantasy series filled with dragon lords, fae warriors, and a mysterious stone containing an ancient fae prophecy that is about to unfold. learn more about meara’s lighthearted and humorous regency romances in her farthingale series and book of love series, or her warmhearted regency romances in her moonstone landing series, or meet her dark fae in her dark gardens series by visiting her website at www.mearaplatt.com . award winning, usa today bestselling author jeannie moon, has always been a romantic. the author of nineteen contemporary romances, jeannie is married to her high school sweetheart, has three kids, and two grandchildren, and is a lifelong resident of long island, ny. a retired teacher and librarian, jeannie is also an editor and author coach with a growing freelance practice..

Balancing Backstory with Laura Drake

We need backstory in our novels. it deepens our characters, illustrates who they are, and how they came to be that way. but we’ve all heard about “backstory dumps,” and how they can bog down a read. so how do you tell the reader what they need to know, without writing the parts they skip it’s a delicate balance, requiring subtle technique. laura will give you the tools you need to craft fully- rounded characters that your readers will love - without all the baggage., laura drake is a hybrid author of women's fiction and romance. her debut, the sweet spot, won the 2014 romance writers of america® rita® award. she’s since published 15 more books. she is a founding member of women’s fiction writers association and writers in the storm blog. laura is a city girl who never grew out of her tomboy ways. she gave up the corporate cfo gig to write full time. she realized a lifelong dream of becoming a texan and is currently working on her accent. she's a wife, grandmother, and motorcycle chick in the remaining waking hours..

February 2024

Karen white: publishing audio on a budget, are your readers asking when your books will be available in audio have you put books up for audition on acx and been disappointed or overwhelmed by what you hear does the cost of producing an audiobook keep you up at night are you tempted by ai narration offers but skeptical of the product if any of the above are true, this webinar is for you. we’ll go through each step of the audiobook production and publishing process, so you’ll understand where to trim costs and where to spend, as well as where your money is going. topics covered will include industry trends, listener expectations, casting strategies, cost breakdowns, working with the union, distribution options, and working with an audiobook publisher. bring your questions, karen white narrated audiobooks from 1999 - 2022. with more than 400 titles to her credit, she recorded for audible studios, blackstone audio, books-on-tape, dreamscape, harper audio, hachette audio, highbridge audio, penguin random house audio, and tantor audio as well as indie authors and publishers. she’s a multiple winner of earphones awards, publisher’s weekly and listening journal starred reviews, and is a three-time audie finalist. she also worked as a director and casting associate for books-on-tape, and a producer for blue nose audio. she created home cooked books, a boutique audiobook marketing company, in 2022. there she’s mustered a volunteer army of passionate listeners who review and promote books across social media platforms as well as goodreads, bookbub, and retailer sites. karen served on the audiobook publisher’s association pr & events committee from 2016 - 2019 and was vice chair of sag-aftra’s audiobook steering committee from 2012 - 2022. she has appeared on conference panels for the audiobook publishers association, the virginia festival of the book, romance writers association, booklovers con, heart of carolina romance writers, georgia romance writers moonlight & magnolias, apollycon, book bonanza, chicago’s spring fling, and rt con. in 2019 she created a new course for the unc-wilmington creative writing department, special topics in publishing: digital formats. in addition to helping other authors find avid listeners for their audiobooks, she publishes her own writing as karen grey. her audiobooks have won an audiofile earphones award and were finalists in the independent audiobook and sultry listeners awards..

November 2023

2nd annual mini rom-con, mariah ankenman – tiktok & beyond jen graybeal – focus on story issues jeannie lin – write a bigger story becca syme – market better faster, check back for this year's rom-con lineup.

October 2023

Romancing your tropes with jennifer hilt, we all know tropes are important to writing romance. heck, many of our readers ask for them by name, “best friend’s little sister i love those stories” but are we using them as effectively as we can after all, we know our readers love them, so why not wring every last bit of story juice out of them in this workshop, we’ll whip tropes into shape so your books become one-click material. we’ll talk about why tropes are essential, what separates them from cliches, and how we can use them in specific ways to create original stories that resonate with our readers. we’ll talk tropes and romance and have a pretty good time doing it, jennifer hilt is a usa today bestselling author of the trope thesaurus, horror trope thesaurus, and trope thesaurus romance. she has written twenty-four books across four pen names plus her urban fantasy series: the undead detective. with degrees in linguistics and literature, jennifer loves talking story development. she also collects dictionaries in unfamiliar languages, binges scandi-noir series, and shouts out tropes from the comfort of her couch. check out her website at: www.jenniferhilt.com ..

September 2023

Marie force: ask me anything, nyt, usa today and #1 wall street journal bestselling author marie force has seen it all during her career, which began with her first published book in 2008 and now includes 100 titles, most of them self-published. she was traditionally published for 12 years before going fully indie in 2020. she can take your questions on anything having to do with writing, publishing, marketing, series vs. singles, etc. she loves to “talk shop” with other authors, marie force is the new york times bestselling author of more than 100 contemporary romance, romantic suspense and erotic romance novels. her series include fatal, first family, gansett island, butler vermont, quantum, treading water, miami nights and wild widows. she has also written 11 single titles, with more coming. her books have sold more than 13 million copies worldwide, have been translated into more than a dozen languages and have appeared on the new york times bestseller list more than 30 times. she is also a usa today and #1 wall street journal bestseller, as well as a spiegel bestseller in germany. her goals in life are simple—to spend as much time as possible with her young adult children, to keep writing books for as long as she possibly can and to never be on a flight that makes the news. join marie's mailing list for news about new books and upcoming appearances in your area. follow her on facebook, instagram and tiktok. join one of marie's many reader groups. contact marie at [email protected] ..

Krista Venero presents: "Editing is my favorite," said no author ever!

Doing her absolute best to make editing a fun and interesting topic, editor/author krista venero will share her best tips for self-editing, finding a good editor, what to expect from the editing process, and all her most-hated grammar pet-peeves, krista venero writes under two pen names, phoebe alexander and k.l. montgomery; edits books for indie authors; and runs the 6000-member indie author support group on facebook. she lives in coastal delaware with her husband, sons, and fur babies, but she’s still a hoosier at heart. you can often find her on the beach or in the pool when she’s not busy writing or editing. find out more at www.mountainswanted.com.

Mariah Ankenman Presents: Booktok & Beyond

Booktok has revitalized the book buying business. join author mariah ankenman as she helps you navigate the ever changing world of tiktok and the booktok community. learn how to connect with readers, create engaging videos, and cross post to instagram reels for maximum exposure. grab your book crown authors, bestselling author mariah ankenman lives in the beautiful rocky mountains with her two rambunctious children and loving spouse who is her own personal spell checker when her dyslexia gets the best of her. mariah loves to lose herself in a world of words. her favorite thing about writing is when she can make someone’s day a little brighter with one of her books. to learn more about mariah and her books, visit her website https://mariahankenman.com/ follow her on social media or sign up for her newsletter..

Jeannie Moon Presents: Creating a Living Setting

Settings are more than time and place, or a place to plop down your book’s characters. a setting can be a living, breathing entity whether it’s a small town, or a brand-new world. settings limit or expand possibilities for your characters, are a catalyst for change, act as a pain trigger or provide comfort. the possibilities are endless. in this workshop, bestselling, award-winning author jeannie moon will take you through the intricacies of creating a setting that will transport your readers to a world of your creation and make them want to return again and again. this is a deep dive into the craft of using time and place to enhance the story’s depth and giving readers a true sense of what your characters are experiencing., usa today bestselling author jeannie moon has always been a romantic. when she’s not spinning tales of her own, jeannie works as a school librarian, thankful she has a job that allows her to immerse herself in books and call it work. the author of nineteen contemporary romances, jeannie is married to her high school sweetheart, has three grown kids, two adorable grandbabies, three wacky dogs and is a lifelong resident of long island. if she’s more than ten miles away from salt water for any longer than a week, she gets twitchy..

Jen Graybeal Presents: What Romance Writers Can Learn from Marvel and Pixar

Marvel and pixar have combined storytelling and fan service in a way other entertainment companies have not mastered. whether you write stand alones or series, it is worth looking at what they do to create movies everyone talks about and how they leverage insider knowledge to keep fans interested in what comes next. from building a world that is completely new but completely recognizable, to touching moments that pull our heartstrings, to training their fans to look beyond the story, marvel and pixar movies go big. jen will walk you through what they do and how all of this applies to writing romance novels., jen graybeal (she/her) is a creativity coach, freelance editor, and author cheerleader that has been helping romance authors for eight years. her encouraging feedback, clever problem solving, and gently applied tough love inspires clients to take their books and business to the next level. she has a degree in english, an ever-expanding tbr, and a furball assistant that is usually on her lap. visit her website for client testimonials at www.jengraybeal.com or follow her on instagram and tiktok: @jentheeditor..

February 2023

In-person panel with lirw authors @ the bayport bluepoint library, join 8 local romance authors for: the writers' journey. a panel discussion for new and experienced writers. ask us anything about the writing and publishing process to get to your happily ever after, patty blount • https://www.pattyblount.com/ r.l. dunn • https://www.rldunnauthor.com/ melissa goldsmith • https://www.instagram.com/m.goldsmith_/ andrea matthews • https://andrea-matthews.com/ jeannie moon • https://jeanniemoon.com/ valerie nifora • https://valerienifora.com/ meara platt • http://www.mearaplatt.com/ ruth vincent • http://ruthvincent.com/about/.

January 2023

Victorine leiske presents: making that emotional connection, writing romance can be tricky. you must make your reader believe that your characters are falling in love. it doesn’t work to show surface attraction. your characters must make an emotional connection in the midst of the internal conflict that plagues them. in this class we will explore how to do this so your reader will swoon when your characters finally decide that love conquers all., victorine self-published her first book, not what she seems, in april of 2010. in march of 2011, not what she seems began its 6-week run on the new york times best-selling ebook list. by may 2011 she had sold over 100,000 copies. victorine's first romantic comedy novel hit the usa today bestselling books list in january 2015. when she’s not writing, she’s watching korean dramas, or making something with her extensive yarn collection..

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Creative Writing Summer Camp Program on Long Island

Creative writing at Usdan takes full advantage of our proximity to New York writers to engage students in the forms of poetry, short fiction, and playwriting.

An Outdoor Creative Writing Summer Camp Experience

Whether their preferred form is poetry, drama, short fiction, the novel, or nonfiction, our young storytellers have the opportunity to practice their writing in small, collaborative groups. Working in peaceful, open-air studios, writers build imaginative narratives and find their creative voices, while experimenting with the core elements of storytelling, including style, structure, setting, point of view, conflict, and resolution. 

Under the instruction of an experienced writing educator and practicing writer, students spend their days playing writing and word games, writing, revising, sharing, collaborating, and drawing inspiration from other art forms and Usdan’s campus. All sessions culminate with a student open mic and performance as well as the development of individual student portfolios. Creative Writing students learn in open-air studios with at least one side completely open and exposed to the beauty of Usdan’s surrounding woodland campus.

SUMMER CAMP BUSING FOR Long Island, NYC, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens Kids

For over fifty years, Usdan has offered an enriching arts , music ,  theater , creative writing and dance  summer camp experience to children all over the region, from Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn in New York City, to Port Washington and Huntington, and all over Nassau and Suffolk counties. Usdan offers busing to and from camp from convenient central pickup locations. For more information on busing, please visit our  Transportation page . 

Creative Writing: Playwriting - NEW

Our open-air writing studios provide a welcoming environment for young storytellers to write poetry, short fiction, and plays, individually and in small collaborative groups. Use your imagination and find your creative voice, while learning concrete elements of storytelling such as structure, point of view, and conflict and resolution. 

Creative Writing students collaborate with peers from other artistic disciplines and use the natural environment to inspire their writing. Writers also explore the forms in which creative writing shows up in everyday life (such as journaling) and in a variety of careers (such as writing commercials and plays).

Under the instruction of an experienced writing educator and practicing writer, students spend their days considering structure and form through word games, writing, revising, sharing, and collaborating. The session culminates in a student open mic and performance as well as the development of individual student portfolios. All levels are welcome. Classes are grouped according to age division and grade.  

“It encouraged me to be more creative than I thought I could be.”  —Rina

“It's a writer's dream. My ideas couldn't flow until I went there. My favorite part was the way every student and the teacher supported each other.”  —Soleil

In this playwriting class we will explore writing for the theater through practice and discussion. We will study the way words live on and off the page and come alive for others to experience. Writers will explore action, dialogue, and character development to deepen their understanding to playwriting. Students will examine contemporary playwrights and the plays going up at Usdan theater spaces 2024 for a cohesive outlook into the culture activating the voices of playwrights. Students will draft a short original play that will be presented at a live final reading.   

Department Faculty & Staff

​ Breaking silence to change hearts, minds and policies

Where healing, art making, and justice intersect, "we all know our stories but it is not until we begin to shape them in writing that we begin to know our journeys.".

We believe that writing at its best can conquer oppression. It can change hearts, minds, and policy, but this doesn't happen by magic. The notion of passing along the dare to care—the cornerstone of the Herstory approach—is deceptively simple, and therefore infinitely replicable. The toolkit that has grown up around it over an almost thirty year period is multi-layered, far reaching and profound.

In-Person and Online Writing Circles

From a single workshop on Long Island, NY to an international network of small writing circles, bringing forth the voices of writers of all ages and walks of life, incarcerated and free. Celebrating almost three decades of bringing forth the voices of people whose stories have been silenced and unsung, changing hearts, minds and policy, one story at a time.

Experience Herstory in Action

SPECIAL PROJECTS FOR OUR TIME

CARCERAL JUSTICE PROJECTS

FREEDOM FORUM 2023 TESTIFY: MEMOIR AS A TOOL FOR BUILDING A MOVEMENT

Amy maiello hagedorn facilitator training institute and fellowship program.

2019 New York State Council on the Arts Fellows

2023-2024 Herstory

"Jump Up and Speak Up Louder!"

Social Justice Fellows

2023-2024 Herstory Carceral Justice

Training Institute Fellows

Newsday Celebrates our Founder and the Herstory Journey Act 2 "Daring" readers to care

This Is Our Story: 

Herstory Writers Workshop is a place where activists and storytellers meet.  Check out a short piece created by Hofstra University’s “Media in Action” students to learn more about how we work.

Created by Jennifer Burke and Merle O'Neal

The Writers Studio

The Original School of Creative Writing and Thinking, est. 1987

Students of all levels welcome

Our original method sets us apart.

Our students have won Pushcarts, a Pulitzer, Emmys, admission to top MFA programs, and too many book and magazine publications to list. Become one of our students!

The Writers Studio was founded by Philip Schultz, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, in 1987

Ways to learn, online and local communities, san francisco, hudson river towns, craft class, view all available classes, hear it from the writers, about the writers studio.

For over three decades The Writers Studio has been helping students become stronger, more resourceful writers — with more craft at their disposal, more knowledge of what makes a piece of creative writing satisfying to a reader, and more access to the full range of their emotions and imagination.

We have developed our own teaching method, which gives students the opportunity to “try on” many different narrative approaches. In the process of studying and trying out the techniques found in a wide array of published work, students end up discovering their own material and voice. They also find a supportive community of like-minded classmates. The school is flexible enough to meet the needs of students at all levels of experience and commitment. Students can take a single six-or eight-week workshop, or proceed through a series of increasingly challenging classes.

Learn more about us

“The most personal of the programs…”

– The New York Times

News and updates.

Philip Schultz Reads at the 2024 Robert Lowell Memorial Poetry Reading [Video]

Eleanor Kedney Publishes New Poetry Collection with 3: A Tao Press

The Writers Studio Celebrates Pushcart 2024 [Watch the Video]

The Isabelle Deconinck Scholarship Results Are In

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Poetry writing workshop, hempstead public library via zoom.

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Hone your creative writing skills and unleash the poet inside!  Celebrate the power of the written word with this free program via ZOOM.

To register, please email [email protected] and use subject heading “POETRY”

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• International

The latest on the massive solar storm

By Angela Fritz, Elise Hammond and Chris Lau, CNN

Incredible lighthouse picture from Maine

From CNN's Chris Lau

Among a flurry of surreal images capturing the dazzling auroras is one taken by Benjamin Williamson of a lighthouse in Portland, Maine.

"It's one of the most incredible things I've ever seen, the awe and wonder," Williamson told CNN.

He said he used a long-exposure technique to snap the shot, but did not edit it.

Watch the full interview with Williamson here .

Things could be about to ramp up

If you still haven't seen the aurora, hold on for another 30 minutes to an hour, according to CNN meteorologist Chad Myers.

The next wave of coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, which cause the aurora, is about to arrive, he said.

"Just wait a minute because things are going to start to ramp up here," he said, adding that the increase could arrive "anytime now." "When it comes, get outside, get ready, put your coat on."

For those who are too busy to witness the phenomenon tonight, Myers said the aurora is expected to last three nights.

Why does the aurora last for a weekend?

By CNN's Chris Lau

Generally, it takes just eight minutes for light to travel 93 million miles to the Earth from the sun, but astrophysicist Janna Levin said the energized particles causing the current wave of aurora travel a lot slower, causing the phenomenon to last for the weekend.

"Some of these mass ejections are trillions of kilograms," she said. "They're slower. So they're taking longer, but still hours, maybe tens of hours."

Here's how the solar storm looks in the South and on the East Coast

The aurora was visible across the East Coast and in the South Friday.

Here's how it looked in Chester, South Carolina.

Down in Florida, waves of color swam through the sky.

Up north in New Jersey, a purple-ish haze could be seen in the sky.

Will solar storms get more intense and risky in the future?

The answer is probably not in the short term, according to astrophysicist Hakeem Oluseyi.

He said scientists study what is constantly happening on the surface of the sun and have found a pattern.

“Geological data shows us that in the past the sun was way more active than it is today. It has cycles where it goes very quiet ... and you have events that show that the solar activity was much, much greater,” he told CNN. “So there's no evidence that we're going to see those big maxima this cycle." 

But the astrophysicist also spoke of a caveat - the limitations of modern science.

“Even though it's predictable in the short term, we still don't quite understand what creates the magnetic fields in the sun,” he said, adding: “That's why NASA has so many satellites looking at the sun.”

In Pictures: Auroras light the sky during rare solar storm

From CNN Digital's Photo Team

A series of solar flares and coronal mass ejections from the sun are creating dazzling auroras across the globe .

The rare solar storm may also disrupt communications. The last time a solar storm of this magnitude reached Earth was in October 2003, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center.

See more photos of the aurora from tonight.

Behind dazzling aurora could lie “real danger,” Bill Nye the Science Guy says

The massive solar storm could present “a real danger,” especially with the modern world relying so much on electricity, according to Bill Nye the Science Guy , a science educator and engineer.

Scientists are warning an increase in solar flares and coronal mass ejections from the sun have the potential to disrupt communication on Earth into the weekend. Solar flares can affect communications and GPS almost immediately because they disrupt Earth’s ionosphere, or part of the upper atmosphere. Energetic particles released by the sun can also disrupt electronics on spacecraft and affect astronauts without proper protection within 20 minutes to several hours.

In comparison to tonight's event, Nye drew comparisons with another incident in 1859, known as the Carrington Event, when telegraph communications were severely affected.

“The other thing, everybody, that is a real danger to our technological society, different from 1859, is how much we depend on electricity and our electronics and so on,” Nye said. "None of us really in the developed world could go very long without electricity."

He noted that there are systems in place to minimize the impact, but “stuff might go wrong,” stressing that not all transformers are equipped to withstand such a solar event.

“It depends on the strength of the event and it depends on how much of our infrastructures are prepared for this the sort of thing,” he said.

Bill Nye breaks down significance of the solar storm | CNN

This post has been updated with more details on solar flares' impact on electronics.

Here's where clouds will block the view of the northern lights in the US

From CNN's Angela Fritz

After an incredibly stormy week, most of the Lower 48 has clear skies to see the northern lights. But there are some areas where clouds and rainy weather are spoiling the view.

A deck of clouds is blocking the sky in the Northeast, from parts of Virginia into Maine, as an area of low pressure spins off the East Coast.

In the Midwest, the aurora will be hard to see through thick clouds in parts of Wisconsin, Michigan — including the Upper Peninsula — and Illinois.

A stripe of clouds is tracking across Texas, including Dallas-Forth Worth, and into Louisiana.

And in the Southwest, patchy clouds across the the Four Corners region could make the northern lights difficult to spot.

Aurora seen at least as far south as Georgia

Barely visible to the naked eye, the aurora can be seen in Atlanta in the 10 p.m. ET hour. 

It is easier to see through photographs using a long exposure. The photos below, taken by CNN's Eric Zerkel and Emily Smith, used 3- and 10-second exposures.

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