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."