I Write the Songs That Make the Whole World Sing

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Hello Brooklyn...are you ready to rock?

Can't get a song out of your head? Ever wanted to create and record your own music? Unleash your inner rock star! Join 826 this spring to CREATE YOUR OWN CD!

Work with musician Steve White from Blue Man Group and creators of Off-Broadway's [title of show], to write and record an original song!

You don't have to carry a tune, just come with an open mind and your creative juices. Participants will come up with a band name, design their own CD cover, and write an original song to be recorded. The workshop ends with a rockin' CD release party and everyone gets a copy of their hit tune!

Murder for Tweens!

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You love to read mysteries, especially murder mysteries! Now, you can learn to write your own. We will explore the who, what, when, why and how of writing an exciting crime story, then put our new skills to the test by writing our own short mysteries.

Jim Fusilli is the author of the award-winning crime novels “Closing Time,” “A Well-Known Secret,” “Tribeca Blues” and “Hard, Hard City.”

Tell Me a (Short) Story

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In this workshop, we will create our very own made-up short stories. We will explore the elements of a good story by reading other short stories, stories that only make us want to keep reading. Then we will roll up our sleeves and tell our own, focusing mostly on developing unusual characters who do silly things.

Independent Film 101

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A lot of people collaborate to make a movie: writers, directors, cinematographers, producers, art directors, editors, stars, sound people, grips, propmasters, and so on. Can you imagine the type of person it takes to make that same movie, from start to finish, independently—and in 4 weeks? Is that person you? Then sign up right now! During these four weeks you'll learn the basics of filmmaking, then have a chance to make your very own film.

Please note: This workshop involves the independent use of 826NYC's filmmaking equipment. Students and parents will be asked to sign an agreement taking full responsibility for the equipment while it is in the students' possession.

Radio Drama Rama

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Imagine a time before television, when families huddled around the radio every week for the latest installment of their favorite serial drama. What were they thinking? Why didn't they just wait a couple decades for TV? In this workshop we'll find out, as we write scenes, gather sounds, and produce an original radio play that will capture the imagination in a way no other medium can.

The Astounding Adventures of...Me?

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Let's face it, your life is exciting. Really exciting. You gotta share your story with the world. No? Not really? Then make it up! In this workshop you get to take your seemingly boring, ho-hum existence and turn into a larger-than-life comic. Show your family, brag to your friends--this comic will get them saying, "My word, how you rule."

Create Your Own Superhero

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Have you ever wanted your own superhero? Someone to make your bed or bruch your teeth, or save the world when you're just too tired? Here's your chance! We'll learn about what goes into a successful superhero—sidekicks, special powers, and more! Then you'll create and illustrate your very own superhero using our secret recipe. Super results guaranteed.

Three Minutes of Collaboration: Making a Short Film

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Ever wanted to make a film but felt mystified by the process? Really, it's just about making a series of small decisions and being determined to get it done. Over the course of four weeks, we will write, shoot and edit a three-minute at the 826 Studios, focusing on each phase of the collaborative process. If you can think of it, you can make it.

Comic Strips for Kids

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In this workshop, we'll learn the basics of making a comic strip—from inventing and drawing characters to writing scenes and jokes. We'll start by sketching ideas and work twoard a final ink drawing with professional tools.

Born in Kingston, NY, Tom Hart has been drawing cartoons since tracing a strange picture in the second grade of Charlie Brown's head sticking out of the tube of toothpaste.

Picture This! A Picture Book Writing Workshop

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Here is your chance to create a picture book like none other! In this workshop, we will figure out what makes the best picture books the best and try our hands at making our own. What makes a good story? How do you illustrate it?

Each student will write and illustrate their own stories, and will have a finished picture book to take home with them.

Once Upon a Picasso: Tales from the MoMA

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Explore the strange world of modern art, where watches flop, houses have legs, and stories are waiting to be told.

We will visit the Museum of Modern Art and take a closer look at the way artists tell stories using everything from paint and paper to pins and needles. We'll make our own stories inspired by what we've seen, using words, cut-out images and our own drawings.

Note to parents: The first session (Jan 14) will take place at the MoMA. Students should arrive at the museum promptly at 2 p.m.

Make Your Very Own Radio Story (It's Just Like TV, Except Different)

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Learn how to gather your own tape, interview friends and strangers, and then edit it all together into a real radio documentary! Plus you get to wear oversized headphones and stick microphones in people’s faces.

Write, Paint, Picture, Story

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Can you make a story out of pictures? How about giving a drawing a different ending? This fun class for writers and artists uses the same tools to tell tales and make art.

Whether you're a scribe, an artist or a bit of both, this is a fun way to play with story-telling and image-making. Everyone will start by creating a work based on physical objects. We'll then change some of the objects and discover how stories change and artworks evolve. Intrepid writers and artists can experiment with switching media, or incorporating one into the other.

Words in Music: A Lyrics Writing Workshop

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Have you ever wondered what it takes to write lyrics to a great song? Regardless of whether you are a virtuoso pianist or hopelessly tone-deaf, with this workshop, author Rick Moody (Demonology/The Black Veil) and musician Michael Hearst (One Ring Zero) join together to help you put your words down on paper and hear how they can come into melodic life.

Please bring a notebook, pencil, and eraser to both classes. By the end of this workshop you will have the opportunity to hear one of your songs performed live!

From Trashy Pop Culture to Literary Short Fiction

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From the pathos of People Magazine, to the glory stories of Rolling Stone, in this course, we will mine stories from popular consumer magazines and transform such grandiose instances of human drama into literary short fiction. Impossible? Not at all. With in-depth consideration of character, literary conflict can always be found--even in the celebrity spectacles of the season.

Puppetmasters: The Secret Life of Socks

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Sock it to me! Come transform a seemingly ordinary sock into an extraordinary puppet (no strings attached). In three weeks, we'll make our own sock puppets, write a puppet show, and perform it to an audience of our toughest critics (parents!). This workshop is guaranteed to knock your socks off.

Note to parents: Your presence will be requested on December 18th from 1:30-2:00 p.m.

Writing Blind

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This workshop will help writers access subconscious creativity. We will “action write” for up to ten minutes on descriptive and narrative themes, attempting to remove the filter between a writer’s mind and hand. Exercises include describing objects or colors, building a group story, and creating beginnings/endings for attendees to write toward. The point of this workshop is to make writers understand they don’t always have to know what they are writing about. It is possible to tap into a deeper source, let your pen go, write blind and see what happens—then perhaps shape the result into a story, poem or essay.

Other People's Music

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Do you have better lyrics for your favorite song? If you know the secret meaning of a song better than the person who wrote it, this workshop is for you! We will take popular songs, and some that just need to be improved, and create new lyrics and meaning. No previous musical experience needed.

Who's Who Among Monsters, 2005

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Celebrate the year in monstrosity! Imagine the most imbecilic or fabricate the funkiest Monsters in this annual review! We will be honoring the cream of the crop in the field. Students will create profiles for creatures of their own design. Each profile will include likes, dislikes, a biography, and special facts or monster trivia. When the roster is complete, awards and honors will be bestowed to the scariest, grossest, or weirdest characters to come out of the deliberations. Come join us as we reminisce over which monsters made the year memorable.

Sticky Stories: Caramel Apples Come to Life

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Do you like to sit at the dinner table turning your spaghetti and meatballs into boiling lava pits or your french fries into intrepid explorers? Do your parents tell you to stop playing with your food and start eating your vegetables? If so, then this workshop is for you!

We are looking for creative kids who can turn any meal into a blockbuster. We will start by making a favorite autumn treat, caramel apples. Then we will bring those apples to life and put into words a story that will knock your socks off.

Write! Act! Direct! Become a Triple Threat

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Are you ready to handle the fast-paced, creative atmosphere of guerrilla theatre? This class offers a chance to learn how to develop and stage short scenes with nothing but a pen, some paper, and your brain. Students try different aspects of storytelling through writing, directing, and performing their own skits. We will focus on quality, not quantity. The end result: a short skit that packs a dramatic punch.

The Thing in the Forest: A Horror Fiction Writing Workshop

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What does the witch see through her one good eye? Where do ghosts go in the morning? How did the fishman get his scales? Just what is that thing in the forest? Now, it's up to you. Write a bonechilling tale just in time for Halloween and share it with your friends and neighbors.

Did a Dragon Throw Up on His Shoes? Fun with Photography and Storytelling

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Did you ever see a photograph of someone laughing, and wonder, what on earth was so funny? Did someone just fall down? Tell a joke? Or ask them if they'd like to buy a bag of dirty toucan beaks? Have you ever seen a picture of a little boy crying, and tried to imagine what brought on the tears? Did a dragon just throw up on his new shoes? Did aliens just steal his lunch money?

All pictures have a story to tell. In this class we will have fun letting photographs inspire new stories, and letting these stories in turn inspire new photographs. Armed with a pen, a paper, and a disposable camera, each student will have the chance to explore the link between photography and story-telling. Our finished product will be turned into a lovely book, worthy of any Brooklyn coffeetable

Your First Galactic Empire

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Sure, your personal shuttle may have a killer paint-job, but does it carry enough fuel to break out of the dense atmosphere of your home planet? How long will it take your Interstellar Fleet to reach that renegade star system 100 light years away? Do you believe in hyperspace?

Science Fiction may be all about letting your imagination run free, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any rules. Many of the best ideas in sci-fi were discovered by writers who were trying to come to terms with real issues that make the prospect of space travel and colonization so challenging.

This workshop will help students create their own science fiction universes by discussing these basic principles. Knowing them will not only help you develop more convincing alien worlds, cultures and technologies, it can also lead you to ideas that are stranger than you would ever have imagined on your own.

The Animated Life

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Have you ever wondered how Wile E. Coyote was able to walk on thin air? Or how Spongebob manages to keep his pants so perfectly square with seemingly no effort? Come learn these secrets and more as you work with a group of peers to create your own animated short. Whether you love to write, draw, make weird sound effects, or just love cartoons, you will have the opportunity to participate in each of these important steps.

By the end of this workshop, we will have produced one cartoon that each student will get a copy of on DVD to take home and wow their friends and family with.

Putting Yourself on the Page: The College Entrance Essay

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This workshop will focus on crafting the college admissions personal statement. We will begin by brainstorming possible ideas for topics, and then look at the elements of what makes an essay standout, while writing our own. Finally we will hold a mock admissions committee to demonstrate how admissions counselors view and evaluate essays.

Students should arrive at the workshop with a few ideas in mind about what they would like to write about. We will take those initial ideas and turn them into Personal Statements.

It's the Same Old Song: Elements of Songwriting

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You know music. And you can recognize a hit when you hear one. But do you know what it takes to write a good song?

This workshop will focus on the basic elements of songwriting, including inspiration and structure. During this class, students will have a chance to write and perform their own songs individually and as a group.

This workshop does not require any musical experience.

Wanted: Six Detectives

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Theorist seeks six private eyes to help uncover The Truth behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Must have sharp eyes and be open-minded. No doubters or skeptics. Only those who can handle The Truth.

First meeting will take place at the museum. Contact 826NYC for details.

Crazy Quilts: Telling Stories with Pictures

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Quilts aren’t just for grandmothers anymore! Come join us in creating an heirloom for the future! This class will take a fresh look at a classic American craft. Students will design and create their own sections for the quilt, first sketching their ideas and then making them come to life in fabric and other materials. Each student's squares will be part of a collective narrative that will tell a larger story. The completed quilt will be displayed at 826NYC. No sewing skills required.

Walky Talky Town

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Nooks. Crannies. Corners. Kooky bodegas. The neighborhood is boiling with secrets. So strap on those waist high boots and join on us as we muck through the steamy underbelly of Park Slope streets with our poems, pens, and tape recorders. We are going into the uncharted territory of ordinary life, and ordinary things. When will we return? Maybe never. Our only hope is that others will follow our voices into the unknown.

By the end of this workshop we will produce an audio tour of stories and poems inspired by the neighborhood.

Intro to Comic Book Making

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Wham! Bam! Zoom! Let's look beyond the sights and sounds of comic books and see what it takes to create our own original characters and stories. This course will incorporate writing and drawing exercises, as well as a retrospective of comic classics. Each student will complete the first episode of his or her own comic series. No previous experience required.

From Start to Finish: A Poetry Workshop

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In this class we will work on creating, revising, and presenting our own poems. We will look at poems by other poets, and try our hand at forms and exercises to get our pens flowing. After creating and honing our poems, we will present them to the class in a reading. Bring your favorite poem if you have one, and your imagination!

Create Your Own Crossword Puzzles

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The basis of all good writing is words. Words have power and the more of them that you know, the better your writing. With this class you will learn how to construct a crossword puzzle, and in the process expand your vocabulary. During the first session you will learn how they are written and how they are solved. In the second session you will learn how the workds are linked and how to create great clues. At the end, we will also go over how to submit your puzzles to such publications as The New York Times and USA Today.

The World According to You: Keeping a Journal

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Keeping a journal is one of the most important and helpful things a person can do for themselves. It allows us to make sense of what we see, feel, where we've come from, how much we've grown, and maybe help us figure out where we want to go. This class will focus on creating a journal that truly reflects who you are. Journals need not be limited to a certain style and we wil show you how to make the most of it through writing, collage, and so on. Each class wil begin by looking at various ways to keep a journal. By the end of this class you will have started developing the skills and habits to make your journals world-class.

Ghost Stories a Go-Go

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Break-dancing cats. Wicked witches with warts as big as Rhode Island on their noses. Skeletons playing the xylophone with their own ribs. And ghosts, ghosts, ghosts! Slip into the Halloween spirit with a collection of terrible tales told by none other than the detestable Dr. Scurvy, medical malpractitioner and purveyor of the most monsterous, most bone-shuddering, most fun ghost stories ever heard this side of the Goosebumps Club! Fun and fright for all ages! Come with a story of your own to share around the campfire!

Ghost Stories A Go-Go

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Break-dancing cats. Wicked witches with warts as big as Rhode Island on their noses. Skeletons playing the xylophone with their own ribs. And ghosts, ghosts, ghosts! Slip into the Halloween spirit with a collection of terrible tales told by none other than the detestable Dr. Scurvy, medical malpractitioner and purveyor of the most monsterous, most bone-shuddering, most fun ghost stories ever heard this side of the Goosebumps Club! Fun and fright for all ages! Come with a story of your own to share around the campfire!

Cookies & Costumes

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Get ready for trick-or-treating by making your own Halloween costume! For inspiration, we'll take a look at the mythical world of Ga'Hoole and the owls who inhabit it in Kathryn Laskyis'a book, "Guardians of Ga'Hoole: The Capture." (Who says owls are only important in Harry Potter?) We'll teach you how to design and make your own owl costume, and we'll feed you plenty of cookies to keep up your magical strengths. By workshop end, you'll be hooting your way home with a costume and a copy of "The Shatterbug," the author's latest Ga'Hoole book.

Passion for Fashion

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This workshop will focus on all aspects of fashion magazine publishing, which requires a team of journalists working together to put out useful, entertaining, up-tp-the-minute information. This class will cover everything from the overall concept and vision of various publications to pitching story ideas to editors, interview and research techniques, writing styles and the editing process.

The Big Dig: Writing the Possible Past

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Discover the remains of a mysterious culture that once flourished in the backyard of the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Store. Learn to dig like an archaeologist, find strange artifacts, and write the history of an unknown people. By the end of the workshop, you will learn the basic elements of fiction writing-- setting, character, and plot-- and you will produce your own short story.

Students should dress for the weather and bring a small digging tool.

Conquering the SHSAT

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Learn what you need to know to conquer the SHSAT. In this workshop, students will learn the ins and outs of this test and come away armed with several useful test-taking strategies. Students will also have a chance to take a practice test-- then receive one-on-one feedback and advice from the instructor.

Please bring two pencils to each workshop.

Writing Blind

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Writing Blind is really about writing true. Which is to say, it is about forgetting everything you are supposed to write about and tapping your deepest creative source. We will open our first class with a short reading from John McManus, one of today's most promising, young and creative writers. We'll then discuss the basic rules for writing blind and dive into our first exercise. Most exercises will be stream-of-consciousness writing, meaning a student's pen doesn't leave the paper for a given amount of time. We will start small, with one-minute exercises, and build to ten minutes by the end of the last class. Readings will highlight contemporary creative writers, from James Tate to Haruki Murakami. The final exercise in each class will be to construct a "telephone"-style collaboration that we will shape into a story and distribute.

SAT Essay Writing

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Learn what you need to know to conquer the art of the essay test. This workshop will give you the inside scopp on how the ETS looks at essays and what criteria they use to evaluate them. You'll have a chance to take a practice writing test-- then recieve one-on-one feedback and advice from the instructor. The material covered applies to the SAT II writing test and the new essay portion of the 2005 SAT I test, as well as essay tests for ACT, GED, CLEP, and college writing placement tests.

Please bring two black ink pens to this workshop.

The Witch-Eating Buffalo Geek

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What ridiculous creatures lurk in 826NYC's writing lab? Be among the first to find out, then help write the book - literally - on what they eat, how they dance, and more! By the end of this workshop, you'll be able to amaze your family and friends with your ridiculous tales, then show them your very own copy of the Dictionary of Ridiculous Creatures. Please bring your imagination and a love of ridiculous creatures to the first class.

Comics About You

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Comics can tell all kinds of stories-- why not yours? So you can't talk to animals and aren't good at flying, big deal! All you need are drawing tools and an experience to share. In this workshop we will study technical aspects of cartooning as well as character design and storytelling as you become the star of your own comics. We will also take a look at the work of some of today's brightest cartoonists who write about their own lives.