826 National is a network of nine nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping students, ages 6-18, with expository and creative writing.
Our mission is based on the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.
Each chapter offers after-school tutoring, field trips, workshops, and in-schools programs — all free of charge — for children, classes, and schools with particular interests or particular needs.
826 is especially committed to supporting teachers, offering services and resources for English language learners, and publishing student work. All locations offer unique retail experiences as well.
826 National
826 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-642-5905 x 204
415-642-5914 fax Email us
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On June 2nd at the historic Women's Building in San Francisco, 826 Valencia celebrated the release of their latest Young Authors' Book Project publication, We The Dreamers: Young Authors Explore the American Dream. Proud juniors and seniors from Mr. Rose's and Ms. Leathers' English classes at John O'Connell High School came together with their families, friends, teachers, and 826 Valencia volunteers and staff members to celebrate their hard work, read their essays, and sign copies of the gorgeous new book.
Beginning in January 2010, fifty students worked for over four months to write, edit, and design the publication of essays. The topics covered range widely from personal dreams and family histories to fulfilling destinies and honoring heroes of the past. Each student spent hours crafting their pieces with 826 Valencia tutors, writing between ten and twelve drafts each.
In their introduction to the book the student editorial board wrote:
"As time passed, the project became more personal, more than just writing. Many of us hadn't thought before about what our dream was. Now we had the chance to take something of ourselves, words that we may have never said to anyone, and put them on paper. We got the chance to reflect on our own experiences, to see how hard some of them have been, and to see how strong we have been. The essays became our life stories."
High school junior, Ares Alemendares said of the project, " I get it now. I thought this was just for a grade. But tonight, I realized this (book) was a big deal."
Congratulations to these newly published authors on their fabulous work! We the Dreamers is available for purchase at 826 Valencia's Pirate Store in San Francisco, through their online store, and in bookstores nationwide.
All spring the students of 826 Boston have been pouring out their thoughts and filling their notebooks with pages of work to show their tutors. Why so busy? Because 826 Boston just celebrated the release of not one, but two brand new books!
Along with having two new and amazing books to read, you can also get a behind-the-scenes look at both projects. Check out this video profile of Ellie Nguyen, one of the students who wrote and edited Small Things Can Grow Tall: Words From the Underestimated. We also have an in-depth look at the creation of We Turned Back To See Where We Came From, featured below.
Keep track of these projects and all things 826 Boston on www.826boston.org
What have our little 826NYC-ers been up to lately? Take a gander at these stories crafted during last month's "H. Mildew's Story Factory" workshop in which students were challenged to write tales stellar enough to dry out editor Mr. Mildew's grumpy moods. Featured in the 826NYC Writing Gallery are Super Grandpa Vs. Frankenstein II by Pratham, age 7, and Just a Typical Day in Banana City by Noemi, age 8. These and many other masterpieces were published together in the brand new chapbook, The Most Amazing Short Stories 2010, at the end of the workshop.
Sad that your favorite young author missed out? No worries, 826NYC's gearing up for "Puppet Mania," "Stop, Collaborate and Listen," and many other fabulous workshops this summer. Visit their calendar to sign your students up today!
826 National is thrilled to announce the newest member of our Board of Directors, Reece Hirsch. Reece has been a longtime friend of 826, serving as a legal consultant to both 826 National and 826 Valencia since 2002. He has always been there for us, offering unbelievable amounts of his time and many talents. Reece is a partner in the San Francisco office of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, specializing in privacy, security and healthcare law. He's also an author and his first novel, a legal thriller entitled The Insider, was just published by Berkeley Books. We are so excited and lucky to have him join our board.
826 National proudly announces a brand-new project called ScholarMatch, a
nonprofit website that connects donors with students who need money to
fund their college education. Students from San Francisco Bay Area high
schools were hard at work over the last few weeks creating web profiles
for the launch of the project. These profiles include information about
their career goals, the amount of money needed for college, and their
educational hopes. Donors then visit the profiles of these outstanding
students and pledge their donations.
Right now, ScholarMatch is open only to SF Bay Area students. In time, we
have plans to expand the site to accommodate students across the country.
We're hoping that ScholarMatch will send thousands of students to college
while enlightening the public about the extraordinary students we know so
well at 826. It's only been a short time since ScholarMatch launched and
we've already raised enough money, thanks to some very special donors, for
two college-bound scholars. This is just the beginning of the greatness we
envision from ScholarMatch. Register as a potential donor today and invest
yourself in the success of a new generation.
ScholarMatch was launched with generous support of the Gerbode Foundation
and Walnut Fund. We invite you to visit http://www.scholarmatch.org to
keep an eye on this exciting project and help us spread the word!
Kudos to the other winning organizations, including: Cellpoems, Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop, Mt. Olive Baptist Church, and United Through Reading. What an honor to be listed alongside such other inspiring projects!
If you’ve been spying around Wicker Park recently, you’ve certainly noticed exciting things going on at 826CHI. Last month, students took part in a two-day program called the Chicago Zine Fest. Aided by local independent publishers and artists, Chicago students were shown the skills and secrets to sharing their work with the masses. Also, as April is National Poetry Month, students in 826CHI’s afterschool tutoring program have been practicing their prose. You can find examples of their hard work on A Wig If You Want It, the 826CHI student blog. Last but not least, eighth grader Sheila McIntosh, a long-standing figure in 826CHI’s workshop scene, recently won the National Golden Key award for her incredible story, “Wind and Rain.”
So that’s what the kids have been doing, but what about the grown-ups? They've been dancing their corsages off at 826CHI’s annual prom, of course! This year’s theme was Prom Hanks, inspired by the two-time Oscar winner himself. Attending Prom Hanks entailed dressing as any person, place, or thing found in a Tom Hanks movie. And if that wasn’t exciting enough, Mr. Hanks found out about the big night and sent 826CHI a treasure trove of goods, including a signed Wilson volleyball for the evening! Check out the pictures at www.826chi.org and stay tuned for next year’s sure-to-be awesome 826CHI Prom.
Randy adores peanuts, and plans to swoon his peanut-shaped darling Kelly-Kelly at her graduation party. Myles is the son of Kim and Jim and neighbor to Eve and Steve. Julian doesn’t think about what the world will be like in two thousand years. But her friend, Tracy, does. And, Unfunifer is not funny. Also, who is more steadfast: A flower-eating mustelid or 1-853-600-SKUNK?
Meet these amazing characters and their brilliant authors in six recently crafted pieces from our hardworking, swashbuckling students at 826 Valencia. Read the stories in our Student Writing Gallery...
826DC is wasting no time in getting to work in our nation's capital before officially opening their writing center and tutoring space later this year. One such example is the 826DC College-Bound Expository Writing Project, a community partnership with the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC). During this project, 826DC volunteers and local teachers are working with students from the District’s diverse neighborhoods to help them develop the writing skills critical for collegiate success.
Launching in October 2009 and continuing throughout the school year, 826DC’s College-Bound Expository Writing Project engages ninth and tenth grade students in reading and writing projects that will help them become more effective communicators. Keep up with this exciting project and find out how to get involved at www.826dc.org.
The countdown has begun for the release of The Secret Miracle: The Novelist’s Handbook, which features the world’s most talented novelists engaged in a roundtable discussion on the art of writing fiction. Edited by award-winning author and longtime friend of 826, Daniel Alarcón, the book features heartfelt and hard-learned advice from Michael Chabon, Haruki Murakami, Stephen King, Rick Moody, Cristina Garcia, Amy Tan, and many more. This is a great book for writers, aspiring novelists, and college courses.
Mark your calendar for the following dates and come celebrate with us at your local bookstore to hear readings by The Secret Miracle: The Novelist’s Handbook's editor, Daniel Alarcón:
Can’t make it to a reading here in the Bay Area? You can pre-order a copy of The Secret Miracle: The Novelist’s Handbook from our 826 National store.
Psst…you can also swing by the 826 Valencia adult seminar on April 18th from 6:30-9:00p.m. to learn more about writing your novel and publishing from Daniel Alarcón, Vendela Vida, Danielle Svetcov, Rabih Alameddine, Andrew Foster Altschul, and moderator, Jason Roberts.
It’s time. You’ve punched in the last period, dotted every umlaut, and saved for the four-thousandth time. Your novel is finally done. But is it? Not to scare you or anything, but are you totally, completely, and really sure that it’s totally, completely, and really done? Your hesitation to answer is response enough. Cast fear aside, however, for the certified and ever-thorough poster experts at 826 National are here to help.
The brand new "Are You Absolutely, Positively, and Wholeheartedly Ready to Publish Your Novel?" poster is (possibly) scientifically proven to (possibly) supply every writer with the must-have writing checklists, key cornerstones of revision, and ninja writing skills necessary to be the supportive good guy or critical bad guy you need in your literary life to make that final call. You’ll laugh. You might cry. But you’ll (possibly) know either way.
"Are You Absolutely…" is stern but stylish and available for you or your favorite writer in the 826 National store. Grab one today!
Our friends at Radiowaves have launched an easy-to-use, interactive site where students and teachers can safely and securely share their stories and connect—for free! Teachers, schools, and students can post their blogs, videos, internet radio, and podcasts. Radiowaves' handy filters allow teachers to make decisions about who gets to see what, and how accessible students' work is. Check it out, and pass the word on to your teacher-friends.
In its second year, 826michigan's In-School Residency Program is in full effect. Every day of the week, 826 volunteers go into classrooms all over Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor to help teachers where they need it most: in their classrooms. Mondays they visit Adams Elementary in Ypsilanti, Tuesdays are spent at West Middle in Ypsilanti, Wednesdays they visit Huron High in Ann Arbor, Thursdays you can find them in Chapelle Elementary in Ypsilanti, and Fridays they travel to Erickson Elementary in Ypsilanti. In total, 826michigan is working with about twenty teachers in five different schools, reaching about five hundred students every week. Impressive, right?
Wednesdays at Huron High are spent with a Quinn Strassel and his students. In his first year of teaching at an Ann Arbor public school, Quinn was given a daunting task: three remedial English classes, one journalism class, and one acting class. Each week, 826michigan's On-site In-school Coordinator Frances Martin and in-school project alum Katie Jones visit Quinn's three English classes with a small army of volunteers.
The experience, as you can imagine, has been transformative. The students have become attached to the volunteers, and are excited to share their work with them every week. They worked especially hard on their essay submissions for the follow-up book to Talking Back, which will be released by 826 National later this year. In a recent email to 826michigan, Quinn wrote, "If I haven't told you lately, you and 826 have MADE my year. I honestly don't know what I would have done without your help."
Kudos to Quinn Strassel, his hardworking students, and the amazing staff and volunteers of 826michigan. Find out more and shop for those always-necessary robot supplies at www.826michigan.org
826 National and all of our 826 chapters are big fans of the generous folks over at Google. We were recently awarded a Google technology grant, which will supply each of our writing labs with fifteen brand new laptop computers! Kids at 826 writing centers all across the country will be able to dive into their Google Apps to complete those book reports, research papers, and publish their creative writing to the web. This generous gift makes a huge impact for our after-school tutoring programs, writing workshops, publishing projects, and so much more!
We'll update with photos of the students hard at work on their new laptops soon. Until then, thank you to our friends at Google.
Are you frequently suffering from writer’s block? Often feeling at a loss for type-able words? You’re not the only one. And while there will never be a cure-all for novel-writing setbacks, the next best thing is surely The Secret Miracle.
Edited by Daniel Alarcon and featuring helpful, hard-learned, and often frank advice from authors such as Michael Chabon, Paul Auster, Amy Tan, Haruki Murakami, Roddy Doyle, and Stephen King, this brand new release is as good as writing gold. Pre-order yours from the 826 National online store today and be the first on your block to thumb through this treasure trove of literary wisdom.
TUTORING
826 sites are packed five days a week with students who come in for free one-on-one tutoring after school. More »
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STUDENT PUBLISHING
Each year we partner with an acclaimed author to work closely with a teacher and students from a low-income school to create an unique and professionally-made book.
More »
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FIELD TRIPS
Up to four times a week at many of our sites, 826 welcomes an entire class for a morning of high-energy learning.
More »
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IN-SCHOOLS
It is not feasible for all classes to come to us, so we dispatch teams of volunteers into local schools.
More »
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WORKSHOPS
826 offers free workshops that provide in-depth writing instruction in a variety of areas that schools often don’t include in their curriculum. More »
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SCHOLARSHIPS
We award three $10,000 scholarships each spring for students entering college the upcoming fall. More »
On June 2nd at the historic Women's Building in San Francisco, 826 Valencia celebrated the release of their latest Young Authors' Book Project publication, We The Dreamers: Young Authors Explore the American Dream. Proud juniors and seniors from Mr. Rose's and Ms. Leathers' English classes at John O'Connell High School came together with their families, friends, teachers, and 826 Valencia volunteers and staff members to celebrate their hard work, read their essays, and sign copies of the gorgeous new book.
All spring the students of 826 Boston have been pouring out their thoughts and filling their notebooks with pages of work to show their tutors. Why so busy? Because 826 Boston just celebrated the release of not one, but two brand new books!
Hitting the shelves this month are 
What have our little 826NYC-ers been up to lately? Take a gander at these stories crafted during last month's "H. Mildew's Story Factory" workshop in which students were challenged to write tales stellar enough to dry out editor Mr. Mildew's grumpy moods. Featured in the 826NYC Writing Gallery are 
826 National is thrilled to announce the newest member of our Board of Directors, Reece Hirsch. Reece has been a longtime friend of 826, serving as a legal consultant to both 826 National and 826 Valencia since 2002. He has always been there for us, offering unbelievable amounts of his time and many talents. Reece is a partner in the San Francisco office of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, specializing in privacy, security and healthcare law. He's also an author and his first novel, a legal thriller entitled 
826 National proudly announces a brand-new project called 
Aided by local independent publishers and artists, Chicago students were shown the skills and secrets to sharing their work with the masses. Also, as April is National Poetry Month, students in 826CHI’s afterschool tutoring program have been practicing their prose. You can find examples of their hard work on 
826DC is wasting no time in getting to work in our nation's capital before officially opening their writing center and tutoring space later this year. One such example is the 826DC College-Bound Expository Writing Project, a community partnership with the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC). During this project, 826DC volunteers and local teachers are working with students from the District’s diverse neighborhoods to help them develop the writing skills critical for collegiate success.
The countdown has begun for the release of 
In its second year, 
