826 Valencia: Where Aspiring Pirates Can Write

What kid doesn't love pirates, space travel, robots, Big Foot, and superheroes? When you walk into one of the storefronts for the "826" writing centers in SF, NYC, LA, Chicago, Boston, Ann Arbor or Seattle, you can size up for a pirate's peg leg or a superhero cape. Then peek behind the supply stores where children gather to write.

Founded in 2002 by Dave Eggers, the original 826 Valencia offers innovative community outreach for neighborhood school kids to benefit from on-site tutoring, student publishing, field trips, in-school volunteers, workshops and scholarships. Watch this video about the Young Author's Book Project to see how 826 can help young people "explore their love of writing... and better express their ideas through the written word."

Eggers is the author of six books, including the award-winning Zeitoun -- "a nonfiction account of a Syrian-American immigrant and his extraordinary experience during Hurricane Katrina" which is the 2010 San Francisco  One City One Book selection. He is also the founder of McSweeney's, an independent publishing house that produces books, a quarterly journal, a monthly magazine and a quarterly DVD of short film and documentaries. Eggers is not only a literary and creative genius but a visionary of unbound energy. Meet him October 5 at 12:30 pm when he reads at Book Passage in the Ferry Building!)

Check out his inspiring TED prize acceptance speech and slide show, in which Eggers describes the process of creating 821 Valencia!

If you're interested in starting a center in your community, you may want to attend the 826 National 101 workshop Friday, September 10, from 8am--5pm, which covers program and administrative aspects.