About us

Young people write the future at 826NYC. Our programs unleash imagination, build core skills, and uplift the voices of our young authors.

826NYC author and alumn Mekhi V. flashes the peace sign to the camera. He's wearing a covid mask and standing in front of shelf of brightly colored student supply bins.

Our Mission

Our mission is to encourage the exploration of endless possibilities through the power of writing. Undefined by circumstance, our students build the skills to boldly write their own paths forward. We support new and exciting approaches to writing and inspire student engagement. And we foster generations of creative writers and thinkers, who together will define a better future.

Core Values

We write a better tomorrow, today.

We write a path forward, committing to a future where diverse young people’s voices are heard, their stories are shared, and a culture of lifelong learning helps us all thrive. And we’re building it every day.

We celebrate diversity and respect differences.

Our work is rooted in our diverse community and centers on ideals of justice and liberation. Our lives and the world are better when we have representation and contributions from every corner of NYC.

We believe that there’s no such thing as a final draft.

We strive to create the best versions of our writing, and the best versions of ourselves. We are comfortable with change, embrace the unknown, and adapt to new challenges.

We are creative & curious, perpetual knowledge seekers.

We build the muscles of imagination to tell new and better stories every day. We believe it’s never too late to embrace new ideas and try on new forms of self-expression, and to bring joy to our work.

We provide the page, youth provide the stories.

We build our programs around the understanding that our young people are brilliant, capable, and ambitious. We hold space for students to be their most authentic selves, from brainstorm to publication.

We expand the bookshelf.

We are our students’ biggest fans, and we believe they deserve a spot on your bookshelf. We defy the literary gatekeepers, celebrate the diverse voices of NYC youth, and believe in the importance of their stories.

Why 826NYC?

Creative writing is under-represented in schools. Educators report that they do not receive enough training in teaching writing in general, let alone creative writing. At 826NYC we believe writing is the other side of the literacy coin. Creative writing doesn’t just spark imagination, self-growth, and empowerment. It also creates engagement in reading.

We believe that writing is power. When young people can express themselves in writing, whether it is fantastical tales of talking turkeys or true stories of social injustice, they are writing the future.

Frequently Asked Questions