We offer free evening and weekend workshops designed to foster creativity, strengthen writing skills, and provide students with a forum for executing projects they might not otherwise have the support to undertake. Workshops range from the playful to the practical, and all are taught by volunteer writers, artists, educators, and publishing professionals.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to increased demand, enrollment for workshops are now determined by lottery. Once you have signed up for a workshop, please look for an email from workshops@826nyc.org, verifying that we have received your request. If you have not heard from us after 48 hours, feel free to call.
Our workshops are limited enrollment and often generate wait lists. With this in mind, please only sign up if you can make every session of a workshop. Thank you!
Picture This: Images as Inspiration
1 Monday sessions: December 7, 14 (2009)
6-7:30pm
Taught by Chrissy Corrigan, Stefanie Robert & Wei-Ling Woo
For ages 9-12
A picture really is worth a thousand words, especially when it comes to this workshop! Image and text will unite as we examine a stimulating selection of paintings and photographs, famous and obscure alike, and what they mean to us. We'll spend two sessions crafting our own unique stories based on the images of others. These impressions will eventually inspire original artwork. Acting as authors, artists, and curators, we'll design a multimedia collection that's both innovative and interactive. MoMA, here we come!
All in the Family: Documentary Poetry
3 Thursday sessions: December 3, 10, 17 (2009)
6-7:30pm
Taught by Claire Donato
For ages 10 and up
How can we make poetry by exploring the language of our family stories? Stories can be a place we visit, and poetry can help us explore the places we remember. When we retell a story, we take our place in it. This retelling can bring us closer to our loved ones.
In this workshop we'll write poetry based on an interview with a family member. During our first class, we'll discuss how to get the most out of an interview and read published poems based on family stories. You'll attend the second class with a family member whom you'll interview in 826's recording studio. During the last class, you'll retell your family member's story using poetry collage techniques. The class will culminate in the production of a chapbook of your work to share with your family.
A Lair to Remember
4 Tuesday sessions: December 1, 8, 15, 22 (2009)
6-7:30pm
Taught by Roberto Carabeo
For ages 9-12
You have been shortlisted to design a home for a superhero! It is an honor, but also an awesome responsibility because sometimes clients don't always know what's best for them. Did the Invisible Man really need a mirrored walk-in closet? Was it smart to give Iceman his sauna? What use is a treadmill for the Flash? They may not know, but something tells us you do.
This workshop will be a perfect opportunity to showcase your style and the daring-do to think outside the box as you try and win the commission. We'll meet the clients, plumb the depths of their mind, and see what makes them tick. Blueprints and sketches are great, but ultimately you'll need to sell your vision. So make a case for your design and persuade everyone to dream your dream.
Hot Off the Press: A Make Your Own Zine Workshop
3 Sunday sessions: November 29, December 6, 13 (2009)
12-1:30pm
Taught by 826NYC
For ages 6-9
Having trouble finding a publisher for that next bestseller of yours? Are you an expert of little-known facts? Dinosaurs? Hairstyles? Shoes? Cheese? Never fear, in this workshop, we will each create and publish our own small-circulation zines. Share your knowledge with the rest of the world by writing, illustrating and designing your very own zine guide to the universe.
Applied Time Travel
3 Monday sessions: November 16, 23, 30 (2009)
6-7:30pm
Taught by Claire Epstein, Andrew Gregory & Sharona Mashihi
For ages 10-14
Most time travelers start out with good intentions and a simple plan, but inevitably, things get complicated. In this three-part workshop series we'll look at the high stakes game of changing history and write our own close-call adventure stories. Then we'll take stock of life in the present, and write the indispensable time travelers' guide to our own lives in NYC, 2009. The finale of the series will feature a reading and the publication of your time travel stories. Future-selves are invited to attend!
So You Want to Be a Supervillain?
3 Sunday sessions: October 25, November 1, 8 (2009)
12-1:30pm
Taught by Ballard Boyd, Joe Miles, and Elaine Palucki
For ages 6-9
What would heroes do without villains to battle? And think of all the kinds of supervillains that are out there: Robots, Monsters, Mad Scientists, Lawyers! In honor of Halloween, 826NYC invites you to show your evil side. Join Ballard, Joe and Elaine to create your own Super Villain. Create your origin story, your evil plans, and scheme for your archnemesis, then film a video segment featuring your best evil plans.
