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!
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.
Something Wicked: Truly Scary Stories
2 Thursday sessions: October 22, 29 (2009)
6-7:30pm
Taught by 826NYC
For ages 10-14
Forget today's horror movies. The best scary stories are filled with eery suspense and tension - from start to finish. In this two-session workshop we'll write suspenseful ghost stories that will haunt readers for ages to come!
Please note: Students must attend all 2 sessions of this class
Teeny Tiny Tales: Writing Microfiction
3 Wednesday sessions: September 23, 30, October 7 (2009)
6-7:30pm
Taught by Britt Gambino & Sarah Pollock
For ages 10-14
micro adj. 1. Very small or microscopic. 2. Basic or small-scale.
Want to write a story that's both incredibly small and HUGE at the same time? This workshop is for you! Create entire plots, characters, twists and turns that you'd think could only be found in longer stories. During this workshop, we'll get your brain focused on the little things - the fun is in the details!
Please note that students must attend all three sessions of this workshop!
