Immigrant High Schoolers Reflect on the American Dream PRI's The World June 18, 2012
Summer vacation begins for students in Boston this week. For a group of 11th graders, they’re looking forward not just to some vacation, but also to becoming published authors.
Fifteen immigrant students from Boston International High School will be featured in a new publication called “So What Now?” The book is a collection of reflections on the American Dream. The young authors are from places like Sudan, Albania, and Colombia. Read more >>
Roxbury students write magnificent book The Boston Globe June 16, 2012
The state writing standards for middle-school students abound in colorless references to topic development, transitions, and “domain-specific vocabulary.’’ Nowhere does it suggest that writers in grades 6 through 8 should be capable of producing a joyous, publishable-quality book. Maybe it’s time to update the standards. Read more >>
826 Valencia: Transforming a Community, One Student at a Time Alternet May 20, 2012
Nestled among the boutique coffee shops, dive bars and playgrounds of San Francisco’s Valencia Street, sits a bustling wood-paneled store, stocked with supplies for the aspiring swashbuckler. The store, located at number 826, does brisk trade in eye patches, spyglasses and scurvy cure, but it also harbors a secret many of the shoppers don’t know: it’s a front. Read more >>
826 National: Advancing Student Writing with a Design Twist GraphicDesign.com April 27, 2012
Earlier this month, in an article on Sappi’s Standard No. 5 event in NYC I promised you more about 826 National, a phenomenal non-profit organization providing students aged 6-18 with after-school tutoring, field trips, in-school projects and other programs centered around writing, creativity, and from a student perspective most important—fun. Read more >>
Sappi Releases Stunning Special Effects Guide AlterNet May 20, 2012
Nestled among the boutique coffee shops, dive bars and playgrounds of San Francisco’s Valencia Street, sits a bustling wood-paneled store, stocked with supplies for the aspiring swashbuckler. The store, located at number 826, does brisk trade in eye patches, spyglasses and scurvy cure, but it also harbors a secret many of the shoppers don’t know: it’s a front.Read more >>
826 National Collaborates With Graphic Designers to End Youth Illiteracy PSFK March 13, 2012
Fine paper company Sappi has created an ongoing educational series titled The Standard. Their journals are limited edition prints that ironically, express the various limits of print design itself. Their 5th journal "shows designers how the creative use of special effects can make a printed piece dimensional, tactile, intriguing and sometimes interactive… To illustrate that print and digital are increasingly intertwined and mutually supportive, the Standard #5 provides a dazzling example of augmented reality (AR) technology."
Their fifth journal, titled Special Effects, is inspired by 826 National, a network of nonprofit organizations dedicated to bettering youth literacy and writing and will be sold exclusively through 826 stores and at Sappi events. The magazine’s content was created by established graphic designers, as well as the 826 community. Read more and watch the video >>
826 National: Celebrating Creativity to Engage and Assist Youth The DoGooder February 28, 2012
Gerald Richards is the CEO of 826 National, a nonprofit organization that provides inventive programs for under-resourced students throughout a network of eight writing and tutoring centers. Having worked with another San Francisco area nonprofit, Richards joined the 826 National staff a year and a half ago because he felt his background and MFA in creative writing were a perfect fit for the organization. “I was so excited by the atmosphere and energy at 826 National,” Richards recalls. “The position brings together all of the different facets of my life, skills and interests and wraps it up in a bow.”
826 National’s writing and tutoring centers offer students between the ages of 6-18 years old with opportunities to explore their creativity and improve their writing skills. The nonprofit primarily works in areas where at least 50% of the students are eligible for free or reduced lunch. Read more >>
826michigan: How a Robot Store gets Kids Hitting the Books The Michigan Daily Jan. 20, 2012
When LSA junior Alyssa Selasky rhapsodizes about the kids she tutors, she recalls how second grader Melanie stealthily guards her yo-yo and how seventh grader Justin pulls pranks to postpone the inevitable opening of his backpack. Then, just before her gaze begins to wander, a broad smile spreads across her face and she begins to narrate breathlessly. She does this repeatedly throughout our interview, barely containing how much she loves her job. In fact, she’s worried her enthusiasm might come across as overkill. But it’s as sincere as the longing expression on her face that seems to say, Please let me get back to doing what I love to do. Please."
Selasky is a tutoring intern at 826michigan, a nonprofit writing and tutoring center. It may be an internship, but Selasky doesn't fetch coffee.Read more >>
The Reluctant Role Model The Michigan Daily Jan. 20, 2012
Had 826NYC existed when 826 National CEO Gerald Richards was a boy, Richards might have visited the tutoring center himself. He might’ve even been like Santiago, a student at 826 Valencia who told him last year that he aspired to be 826 National’s CEO but has since confessed to being unsure of his career path.Read more >>
Writing Program Supplements US Public Education Voice of America News Nov. 23, 2011
For almost 10 years, a unique non-profit organization called 826 has been helping students across the United States become better writers by tapping into their creativity. Founded in San Francisco by the American author Dave Eggars and the educator Nínive Calegari, the 826 program has become so successful that it is now in seven additional U.S. cities. Read more and watch the video >>
826 Seattle Honored by First Lady Michelle Obama at White House Ceremony PR Newswire Nov. 2, 2011
826 Seattle founder Teri Hein and Ballard High School student Meron Kasahun were at the White House today to receive an award from First Lady Michelle Obama. The award recognized 826 Seattle for its effectiveness in developing learning and life skills in young people by engaging them through the power of the written word. 826 Seattle is the city's only nonprofit dedicated to improving the writing skills of youth, age 6 to 18, and helping teachers inspire students to write.
Transforming Education Through Relevancy & Experience PSFK Nov. 1, 2011
How do you make education enticing to kids? And how do you make it fun and easy to fund additional programs for under-privileged youth? Gerald Richards, the CEO of 826 National, a nationwide network of eight retail spaces that are integrated with tutoring centers, discusses how through a twist of zoning-law fate he began his retail-based tutoring programs.
Word of Mouth: A Year in the Life of Fighting Words RTÉ lyric fm Oct. 28, 2011
Word of Mouth follows a year in the life of the creative writing center, Fighting Words, developed by the award winning Irish writer Roddy Doyle and the former director of Amnesty Ireland, Sean Love, which was inspired by 826 Valencia in San Francisco and is located in the heart of Dublin city. 826 National's former Director of
Field Operations and Strategy, Erin Archuleta, was interviewed for the piece.
Read more, or listen to the documentary.
Creative Writing Centers Help Students Become Published Authors U.S. News & World Report Sept. 23, 2011
The authors of Be Honest write about heartbreak, education, immigration, and the influence of politics with a kind of on-the-ground command you might not expect—but that's because they've lived through it. The book's authors are dozens of high school students across the country in the latest collaborative effort from 826 writing centers, a nonprofit formed by bestselling author Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, What is the What) and teacher Nínive Calegari. The nonprofit has worked with more than 24,000 students in eight cities nationwide.
read more>>
CGI Conversations with 826 National CEO Gerald Richards Clinton Global Initiative 2011
Sept. 22, 2011
How Dave Eggers Is Making Learning Fun Inc. Magazine May 2011
Dave Eggers and Ninive Calegari, the co-founders of 826 National, thought they had found the perfect spot for their drop-in writing center. There was just one problem: The storefront space on Valencia Street in San Francisco's Mission District was zoned exclusively for retail. So Eggers, the celebrated writer, and Calegari, a veteran public-school teacher, got creative. They opened their tutoring center—inside a pirate supply store.
read more>>
Poetry Partnership Helps Students Find Their Voice U.S. Department of Education Blog April 26, 2011
For a high school student, performing your poetry before the Secretary of Education is probably a little nerve-racking. But if Luis Zelaya, a senior at Columbia Heights Education Campus in Washington, DC, was feeling any nerves, he certainly didn’t show it at Monday’s President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities Poetry Workshop at the Library of Congress. Zelaya, reflecting on his youth in DC, read his poem Memories with power and emotion.
read more>>
Making a Difference: Non-Profits Inspire New Superheroes NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams March 1, 2011
San Francisco Wunderkinder The Bold Italic February 23, 2011
Some years ago I began hearing about a world of kids and writing that existed in the back room of the Pirate Supply Store on Valencia Street. The more I heard about it, the more magical it sounded.
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The GOOD Guide to Volunteering: The Mentor GOOD Magazine February 14, 2011
One organization that has become a beacon for literacy and creativity around the US is 826 Valencia. Founded in San Francisco by the celebrated author Dave Eggers, the organization now has outposts around the country, where it hosts tutoring in writing skills, covering everything from SAT preparation to poetry. To keep the place suitably San Franciscan, 826 Valencia also maintains a pirate store, where people can buy supplies for the pirate lifestyle, as well as many of the zines and chapbooks created by the students. ... We talked to Volunteer and Events Coordinator Margaret McCarthy about being a writing volunteer at 826 Valencia
read more>>
Eye On The Bay: Unique Stores KCBS 5, San Francisco January 31, 2011
Brian Hackney scours the entire Bay Area in search of eclectic stores specializing in selling one item.
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Closer Inspection: Making history The Washington Post Magazine January 23, 2011
Unicorns cry. A lot. Don't believe us? Just visit the Museum of Unnatural History. The quirky shop in Columbia Heights is the storefront for 826DC, the Washington branch of the nonprofit writing centers started by Dave Eggers.
read more>>
The 826 National project makes an impression in Kenya The National, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
January 4, 2011
The hot African sun is shining generously over festival tents in a field filled with splendid statues. Emerging from one tent are beaming children, brandishing brightly coloured books, which they themselves have made in two hours.
They have been in a Publish Your Own Book workshop led by the admirable not-for-profit company 826 National, which is the brainchild of the acclaimed writer Dave Eggers (the author of Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, and more recently, Zeitoun) and is devoted to improving the reading, writing and literacy skills of underprivileged youth.
read more>>
Hidden tutoring centers provide 'unnatural' education CNN December 7, 2010
At first glance, it's a hoax: a storefront for a Museum of Unnatural History, complete with a bizarre animal skeleton visible through the front window and unicorn tears for sale. It's perfect for luring in curious children. But when volunteers get kids past the upside-down coyote hanging from the ceiling and the owl with an elephant trunk, they shape young minds with after-school tutoring, writing workshops and books written by kids.
read more>>
Boston kids wrote the darnedest letters to Michelle Obama Boston Globe November 29, 2010
Robots could help keep drugs off the streets. Computer companies should give away free laptops to students. People should be peaceful together, instead of fighting wars. Those ideas are only a sampling of what's on the minds of Boston children who wrote letters to the Michelle Obama.
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Dear First Lady Michelle, The New York Times November 27, 2010
Ever since Barack Obama's inauguration, the staff members and tutors at our nonprofit writing programs have marveled at how this presidency has percolated through student essays, stories and poems. And it’s not just the president who has captured their attention — his wife, Michelle, has, too. From our students' perspective, Mrs. Obama is glamorous but accessible, maternal but cool. They trust her.
read more>>
826 National's Unnatural Marketing Strategy @issue, the online journal of business and design
November 24, 2010
Bear with me. This is hard to explain. We got interested in this story because we loved the graphics and packaging for the new Museum of Unnatural History in Washington D.C., which isn’t a museum and not a real store either. It’s the Washington D.C. location for 826 National, a nonprofit tutoring, writing and publishing organization founded to assist kids aged six to 18 with their writing skills. It got its start at 826 Valencia Street (hence the name), a storefront location in San Francisco's Mission District. To make the place seem "cooler" to kids, the 826 founders decided to disguise it as a "Pirate Store" and stocked it with pirate supplies like peg legs, message bottles and hooks. Kids loved it and sales helped support the tutoring programs.
read more>>
Innovation of the Week: 826 National Leader to Leader Institute
August 27, 2010
826 Valencia and the San Francisco Chronicle have teamed up to publish book and movie reviews by Bay Area 826 students. You can read their latest cultural critiques below:
826DC, addressing a critical issue: writing help for Washington students Washington Post June 5, 2010
"You hear "fundraiser," you don't think "facial hair," just like when you hear "writing center," you don't think "unbridled zaniness!" (Or maybe you do. Congrats!) But things have been known to happen when the beneficiary in question is 826, a national organization dedicated to providing students with free writing help."
read more>>
826 National Announces Newest Chapter: 826DC Washington, DC December 7, 2009
Local non-profit group tutors students KABC 7 News, Los Angeles October 29, 2009
Use Your Volunteer Time Wisely: Help Often, One Kid At A Time Joel Arquillos, 826LA Executive Director
The Huffington Post October 20, 2009
"We're passionate about helping break down the ratio in classrooms where teachers often have over 30 students. Can you imagine what it must be like for teachers in classes that large to give their students the individualized attention needed to help them develop their writing? I know firsthand what it can be like, since I was a teacher for eight years in San Francisco. In fact, that's how I initially became involved with 826."
read more>>
The Story Behind 826 National's Branding and Design Zach Frechette
GOOD Magazine September 28, 2009
"While we’re on the subject of the importance of design to the success of nonprofits, let’s take a moment to contemplate the standard bearer: 826 National."
read more>>
Welcoming the New, Improving the Old Sara Beckman
New York Times September 5, 2009
Companies have begun utilizing new techniques to run successful corporations. One such innovator, Pact, designs organic cotton underwear and donates portions of their proceeds to several nonprofits, including 826 National.
read more>>
"A Treasure Trove for Young Writers: A writing center turns San Francisco youth into published authors" Erin Wiens St. John
Time For Kids April 3, 2009
“The Pirate Supply Store attracts many San Francisco passersby. It's stocked with pirate necessities like seasickness tablets, anti-gangrene medicine and designer glass eyes. But it's the room beyond that is the real treasure. Bustling with kids, volunteers, parents and teachers, 826 Valencia is a place where pirate fans and landlubbers alike can develop their writing skills.”
read more>>
"A Heartwarming Work of Serious Fun" Cathy Curtis
MSN City Guides February 14, 2009
“In the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, home to urban creatives and immigrant Latino families, a storefront displaying a life-sized robot greeting a caveman could be mistaken for just another vintage clothing store.”
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"The Inauguration Show" Ira Glass
This American Life January 16, 2009
“In the podcast and web versions of this show, there is another story as Act II, called "Playground Politics." In this act, kids from the after-school literacy program "826" in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Chicago and Ann Arbor read letters they wrote to Barack Obama.”
Click on the links below to hear MP3 of the reading.
"Listen Up, Mr. President" Rebecca Sullivan
People magazine
February 9, 2009
“Students at 826 National, a network of nonprofit after-school tutoring programs, were asked what Barack Obama should do now. Their considered advice appears in a new book edited by Jory John.”
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"They Are the World" Jenna Krajeski
The New Yorker January 29, 2009
“Death by cuteness. Not such a bad way to go. And since all proceeds benefit 826 National’s writing centers for children, it’s a worthy sacrifice.”
read more>>
"'This American Life' radio show features Ann Arbor girl" Roger LeLievre
The Ann Arbor News January 19, 2009
“Eight-year-old Bushra Habbas-Nimer of Ann Arbor will surely tune in for today's broadcast of the public radio program "This American Life."
That's because Bushra is part of a segment titled "The Inauguration Show," when people from all over the country offer their feelings about the new president. ”
read more>>
"Seattle students contribute to new advice book for Obama" Nicole Brodeur
The Seattle Times January 20, 2009
“Fourteen of the letters included in the book were written by Seattle students, who jumped at the chance, said executive director Teri Hein.
"Most of them have been raised in a world where things have been looking pretty grim for a long time," Hein said. "And all of a sudden they are living in an environment of hope, despite the lousy economy and everything else.”
read more>>
"Kids send amazing letters to President Obama" Peter Hartlaub
San Francisco Chronicle January 22, 2009
“The first letters were mostly humorous. But as more came in from across the country, many were extremely heartfelt, and even more provided practical advice. The title of the book came from a five-paragraph letter by 13-year-old San Franciscan Yoselin Martinez, who gives advice on environmental issues and immigration before telling her own story.”
read more>>
"Dear Sir Obama: Presidential Advice" Jory John, Op-Ed Contributor
New York Times January 16, 2009
“For the (826) students, the election of Barack Obama had overturned their world... We decided to channel this energy into a writing assignment. We asked (them) to offer their thoughts, hopes and advice to Mr. Obama in handwritten letters (many of which came with drawings). Here is the result of their work.”
read more>>
"The Future of Words" Dave Eggers
Esquire Magazine September 26, 2008
Author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers writes about the future of reading.
read more>>
" In 2002, veteran school teacher Nínive Clements Calegari and author Dave Eggers co-founded 826 Valencia. Since then, chapters have been established in Los Angeles, Chicago, Brooklyn, Seattle, Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Boston under the umbrella of 826 National. In addition to heading 826 National, Calegari currently is helping produce a documentary film as part of the Teacher Salary Project. PND recently spoke to Calegari about 826 National, public school reform, and developments in the teacher salary movement."
read more>>
"In plain English" Colneth Smiley Jr.
Boston Herald June 15, 2008
"Edwin Gonzalez, 17, another student editor, hopes the book will shine fresh light on the way people view his school and others like it. “I think the students won’t be looked at as gangsters or ghetto people, but as scholars and people who can actually think,” said Gonzalez, who plans to write with 826 Boston next year."
read more>>
"Fighting for Truth, Justice and Creativity" Jeffrey Freymann-Weyr
All Things Considered June 6, 2008
"Past the mannequins wearing the latest in crime-fighting attire, tucked behind a hidden door, there's a spacious room filled with bookshelves, couches and tables."
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"Life Lessons at English High" The Boston Globe May 22, 2008
"STORIES SPILL out of English High - about being the nation's oldest high school, about alumni such as Mr. Spock (actor Leonard Nimoy), about becoming a failing school that the state has threatened to close."
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"Real Live Girls Play Dungeons & Dragons for Charity" Ehren Gresehover
New York Magazine May 12, 2008
"On Friday night, we put on our best suit of chain-mail armor, grabbed our sword, and journeyed to the Superhero Supply Store in Brooklyn, using our arcane Elvish tracking abilities to locate the secret door (hidden behind a bookcase) leading to the back-room dungeon which played home to Dungeons & Dragons (With Girls!), 826NYC's latest charity fund-raiser."
read more>>
"Bigfoot Lends a Hand" Andrea Shea
WBUR.org April 10, 2008
"Boston is a hub of scientific innovation. But one field of
study has been low profile here....until now."
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"Happiness? Maybe this is a start" Nicole Brodeur
The Seattle Times April 8, 2008
"I was to approach slowly, like a mailman on a new route, and gingerly pass along the messages I carried without disturbing the life within.That in mind, I took a seat in a classroom at John Marshall Alternative School to tutor high-school students who wanted to write essays for a book to be published by the 826 Seattle writing program."
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"REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK: The TED Conference" Alan T. Saracevic
The San Francisco Chronicle March 1, 2008
But it was Eggers who stole the show. In a hilarious, rambling speech that had the crowd roaring with laughter and applauding in appreciation, the 37-year-old writer made his wish:
"I wish that you - you personally and every creative individual and organization you know - will find a way to directly engage with a public school in your area and that you'll then tell the story of how you got involved, so that within a year we have 1,000 examples of transformative change."
read more>>
"826 Valencia: Pirates, writers in training" Aram Boghosian
The Oregonian February 24, 2008
"For the professional buccaneer, there's really no question as to where to go for the best in affordable pirate supplies. At 826 Valencia in the Mission District, there are eye patches, parrots,
peg legs, hook protectors and planks by the foot. There are helpful guides on the pirates' code of ethics ('Cannons Shall Not Be Fired in Vain') and unacceptable slang ('Well, tickle my pits')."
read more>>
"Best of the New: Diversions" Aram Boghosian
The Boston Globe February 1st, 2008
"Roxbury’s 826 Boston won’t open its cryptozoology supply store until this spring at the earliest, but the creative and expository writing center (an offshoot of 826 National, which began in San Francisco) is offering free writing workshops and one-on-one tutoring."
read more>>
"Scrabble for Cheaters Tournament Yields Big Win (and Words) for Brooklyn Nonprofit " Amanda Gordon
The New York Sun January 21st, 2008
"Play began at noon in the 826NYC Writing Center, located behind the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co. storefront, and lasted for seven hours. Several teams headed to Bonnie's Grill afterward to celebrate their cheating ways."
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"After-school tutoring program puts kids on the writing path" Andre Clark
The Boston Globe January 20th, 2008
"'Across the spectrum of our program, from workshops to the after-school tutoring program, our students are provided
with a great opportunity to work with our volunteers, which include professionals,' said Daniel Johnson, executive director of 826 Boston."
read more>>
"A Hand Out" Tanya Muzumdar
Metromode January 10th, 2008
"Musicians, lawyers, teachers, and university students are among 826 Michigan's 125 active volunteer scribes set on passing their passion for the pen to the younger generation. "I think why some of us do it is it sort of takes you back a little bit," explains tutor and University of Michigan graduate student Rachel Lieberman." read more>>
"A Genius at Tutoring" Claire Cain Miller Forbes January 7th, 2008
"The free tutoring is offered to any child age 6 to 18 but is aimed at kids in the public school system whose parents might
not be able to assist with homework because they hold down several jobs or can't speak English. The volunteers also
teach writing workshops and English-language classes, go to public schools to help teach writing and aid kids in getting
their essays published in books and magazines." read more>>
"826 brings reading, writing and robots to Echo Park" Steffie Nelson Los Angeles Times December 31st, 2007
"At the grand opening of the Echo Park Time Travel Mart on Dec. 15, the Robot Emotions were going like hot cakes (happiness and schadenfreude were the top sellers). The mystery product Chubble, on the other hand, available in more than 50 different varieties, wasn't really moving. A worker dressed like a cowboy shrugged. "It's really hot in the future." read more>>
"Dave Eggers' literacy efforts garner award: Bestselling author and founder of nationwide literacy centers receives the Heinz Award. " Carolyn Kellogg Los Angeles Times October 24, 2007
"I think Dave has been a model of somebody wise enough to do good, other-centered things with his good fortune," says author George Saunders, recipient of a 2006 MacArthur Fellowship. "And the 826 centers strike me as being so right-hearted and efficient, just in terms of teaching kids
about the importance of the word in our culture." read more>>
"Sci-fi on the side: Imaginary creatures from Bigfoot to Nessie are inspirational aids at a new writing center for youths." Danielle M. Capalbo Boston Globe October 20, 2007
A peculiar building in Egleston Square will open soon under an equally peculiar name: the Greater Boston Bigfoot
Research Institute. read more>>
"826 Seattle develops next generation's authors: Creative writing majors take note." Ben Schock The Daily of the University of Washington October 11, 2007
One wouldn’t think, when walking past a space travel supply store, that hidden inside was a nationally renown and highly respected writing tutor facility for grade-school students of all ages. 826 Seattle is a chapter of 826 National, an organization founded by author Dave Eggers to help children expand on their literary creativity. read more>>
"Eggers wins Heinz award" Charles Storch Chicago Tribune September 12, 2007
Dave Eggers, an author and advocate for fresh literary voices and fledgling writers, is one of six winners of this year's
$250,000 Heinz Awards, cited for hisleadership in the arts and humanities. read more>>
"Greenwood space travel store 'not what it seems'" Rebekah Schilperoort Ballard News-Tribune September 4, 2007
On display in the window of the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. are retro his-and-hers space suits and a Space Vehicle Hull Repair Hatch, labeled "for emergency use only."
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"A heartwarming tale of staggering genius" Eva Wolchover Boston Herald September 2, 2007
Once upon a time, in fact earlier this very summer, teens at
English High in Jamaica Plain were- and one is coming true right now. read more>>
"Author’s writing centers stretch kids’ creativity" Christopher Borrelli
Toledo Blade August 19, 2007
A typical 826 workshop is a little Letterman, a little performance art, and a lot like the coolest English class you
never sat through.
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"Their 'final' is a beginning for young authors" James Ricci Los Angeles Times August 19, 2007
"They loved writing from the first day," Cometa said. "They loved telling their stories. They wanted people to hear their stories. Reading was also a big focus. We told them you have to see how authors do it, so you can take strategies from them, see how they use dialogue, and so forth. More than half had never read a book before in their life."
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"Ready for Their Brooklyn Close-Up: 826NYC and BAM team up to give some (very) young filmmakers their night in the sun" Michelle Orange The Reeler August 13, 2007
I'll admit at the outset that there was very little chance of the following being anything but a love letter
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"Daring Dozen 2007: Twelve who are reshaping the future of education." Carol Guensburg Edutopia March 15th, 2007
As a public school teacher for nearly a decade, Nínive Clements Calegari learned firsthand, and often the hard way, that kids need one-on-one feedback to improve their writing -- a fact that large classes, constant lesson planning, and myriad administrative responsibilities get in the way of, no matter how determined the educator is. read more>>
"826CHI: Boosting local youths' writing cred one mustache at a time." Gavin Paul Giovagnoli Centerstage Feb 26, 2007
Imagination is key when it comes to inspiring kids to write. So building a Boring Store as the source of funds for after-school center 826CHI would be a hard sell... if it weren't a super-duper, top-secret cover for what's actually a spy supply depot. read more>>
"Choose your own adventure: Pencils, books, and peg legs? A new writing center is coming to town, and it’s calling your inner child. " Nina MacLaughlin The Phoenix (Boston) March 15th, 2007
826 Boston will offer programs similar to those of the other chapters. It will support kids ages six to 18 in creative and expository writing. It will help teachers inspire their students to write. It will emphasize one-on-one attention. read more>>
"Retail Notebook: Kids' voices, from behind a black door, give the answer" Dan Richman Seattle Post-Intelligencer January 17th, 2007
In the windows of Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. are cans of Dark Matter brand rocket fuel, a box labeled "Gravity" and a full-sized chrome rocket bike straight from the 1950s. read more>>
"Showbiz busy for charity" Dana Harris Variety January 17th, 2007
"Can we be real people?" Host Judd Apatow put the question to a sellout crowd that gathered Tuesday night. . . read more>>
"Handmade happiness: This Christmas, Mittenfest celebrates home-brewed music, community and literacy" Johnny Loftus Detroit Metro Times December 20th, 2006
. . .826 is hard-wired into the local music scene. "Chris Bathgate teaches a songwriting workshop for students here," Sumerton says, "and Actual Birds and Frontier Ruckus have been involved in 826 benefits before. read more>>
"Conquest of the Word Masters" Diane Dunkelberger Benefit Magazine December 1st, 2006
826 Valencia began generating interest on a national scale "almost at the very beginning," remembers Calegari, who not only helped Eggers start 826 but is now 826 National's executive director. In the early stages, she was receiving multiple calls every day from people who wanted help doing exactly what she was doing. "What I felt at the beginning was, gosh, it took us so much time to figure out how to do some of the back end work of founding a nonprofit and getting everything up and running that, I thought, if I could save other people that time, I would love to." read more>>
"Dave Eggers' Small Notion" Joe Hagan Forbes December 1st, 2006
Eggers’ philanthropic pursuits, in the form of a chain of nonprofit learning centers for kids called 826, have not only burnished his reputation as a true-of-heart publisher. . . read more>>
"Voluntary Action: What to expect when you give your time to New York’s worthy causes." Adam Mckibbin New York Magazine November, 2006
In theory, tutoring at 826 is pretty straightforward. From 3 to 5:30 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, about 40 kids, most of whom are ages 6 to 11, drop in to do homework, aided by volunteers who look ripped from the pages of The Hipster Handbook. read more>>
"A Different Breed of Tutor" Adam Mckibbin AlterNet October 13th, 2006
The volunteer tutors of 826LA's writing center -- and 826's branches across the country -- offer more than help with homework: They give kids a chance to fulfill their dreams. read more>>
"Google launches literacy project to link resources" Reuters October 4th, 2006
A nonprofit group in New York called 826NYC is helping a group of six-to-nine-year-olds make a video tutorial for Google, while a set of older kids is filming a claymation short. read more>>
"Paperblanks(TM) and 826 Seattle Announce 'Three Elements' Writing Contest" Market Wire October 4th, 2006
Paperblanks™, manufacturers of distinctively designed journals, address books and dayplanners, and 826 Seattle, the city's only free nonprofit writing and tutoring center for children and young adults, today announced the inception of the first-ever "Three Elements" writing contest. read more>>
“Cool Kids Unite for Young Readers” Rachel Devitt The New York Sun August 25th, 2006
"A benefit for child literacy hits home for me," Daily Show host Jon Stewart told the sold out audience at "Revenge of the Book Eaters," a benefit for 826NYC at the Beacon Theater Wednesday night, "because every night, before I put my son to bed, we sit down [pause] and we watch a benefit together." read more>>
“Jon Stewart, David Byrne and Sufjan Stevens Join David Eggers' Cause on "Bookeaters" tour” Brian Orloff Rolling Stone August 24, 2006
While the show posed the playful -- and presumably rhetorical -- question: "Words or Music - Which Is Better?" there was little to contest during the near three-hour evening of music, readings and earnest appeals for donations. read more>>
“Young authors share stories from the heart” Cara Solomon The Seattle Times June 7th 2006
If someone gave him sympathy, Devonte Parsons would take it. Life has hit him hard, between his father's murder and all that trouble at school. read more>>
“The TIME 2005 100” James Poniewozik Time 2005
Eggers also founded 826 Valencia, a tutoring program for kids in San Francisco that is expanding nationwide. read more>>
“Whimsical tutoring center blasts off in Seattle” Cara Solomon The Seattle Times December 4, 2005
Churches offered their basements. Community clubs offered spare rooms. But Teri Hein could not, in good conscience, say yes to any of it. She wanted this free tutoring center of hers to be kind of a wild, whimsical space for kids. She wanted, specifically, to design it around the theme of space travel. read more>>
“Learning to scrawl: Mentoring center helps kids become experienced writers” Eric Waggoner MetroTimes August 10, 2005
Listen, here’s a little good news, and couldn’t we all use it? When some gasbag starts barbering on about how rich kids are spoiled, poor kids are criminals and the world’s generally going to hell, tell the cynic about 826 Michigan. read more>>
“The Future is in Greenwood” By Christopher Frizzelle The Stranger, Seattle July 14, 2005
Near the intersection at 85th Street and Greenwood Avenue, Teri Hein pulled over and we got out of her car. Old trees, old city storefronts, young people, buses, a bar. Hein approached a storefront with an "AVAILABLE" sign still stuck to its window and said, "Isn't this great?" We stepped inside. It was twice as wide as I'd expected—the size of two side-by-side storefronts, with a commanding view of the street. It was great. It is great. read more>>
“Better Than Robbing a Bank” By Dave Eggers The Stranger, Seattle
Something happened last night in Seattle that knocked me so flat that now, the morning after, I can only try to make sense of it by writing it out. Bear with me. read more>>
“Discoveries” By Susan Salter Reynolds LA Times Book Review July 17, 2005
Dave Eggers' creation 826LA didn't waste any time, blowing into Los Angeles (using the nonprofit model created by Eggers and others in the San Francisco Bay Area), finding a home at Beyond Baroque in Venice, setting up programs for school-age writers and publishing their work, all in under a year. read more>>
“Jackson gets a lesson in teamwork” By Kevin Ding The Orange County Register June 26, 2005
INGLEWOOD – Phil Jackson has been busy building his team anew, visiting with just about every player on the Lakers roster (Brian Cook has been out of town; Vlade Divac has been out of the country). Jackson has also been piecing together a coaching staff, confirming his talks with Scottie Pippen, who is indicating to those close to him that he'll be joining Jackson for this run.
“Teens once ‘Waiting to be Heard’ blossom in print” By Jane Ganahl, Chronical Staff Writer SFgate.com Saturday, May 15, 2004
Courtney King turns to Page 9 of her spanking-new book and heaves a satisfied sigh. There it is: her first published work. And she’s only 18.
“Its exciting,” she says, not taking her eyes off the page. “It’s like something new is starting in my life.” read more>>
“Pen Pals: A growing network of workshops gets kids dashing out the door to write.” Edutopia November, 2005
“Imagine a place children go after school where it’s cool to do your homework,where working hard is fun,and where one-on-one help from supportive adults is always available. Sound a bit utopian?” read more>>
"A heartwarming work of literary altruism/Author Dave Eggers cultivates new generation of writers in the Mission” By Jane Ganahl San Francisco Chronicle Friday, August 2, 2002
Dave Eggers, one of the brightest writing stars in the literary firmament, could be enjoying the high life offered an author of his growing stature: the parties, the talk shows, the lucrative speeches.
Instead, the 32-year-old best-selling author of "A Heartbreaking Work ofStaggering Genius" commutes every day from his Marin County home for an unpaid job at the 826 Valencia writing lab, investing his time and considerable fortune to help less privileged young people learn the craft that has fueled his career.
Named for its address in the Mission District, 826 Valencia is a unique educational work space for kids ages 8 to 18 who want to improve their writing skills through free tutoring, or learn new ones in workshops that range from cartooning to computers.
826 Seattle founder Teri Hein and Ballard High School student Meron Kasahun were at the White House today to receive an award from First Lady Michelle Obama. The award recognized 826 Seattle for its effectiveness in developing learning and life skills in young people by engaging them through the power of the written word. 826 Seattle is the city's only nonprofit dedicated to improving the writing skills of youth, age 6 to 18, and helping teachers inspire students to write.
