As we celebrate 826 Day, we celebrate the resilience and adaptation of students, educators, and parents who are writing a school year unlike any we’ve ever seen. This summer, we stayed the course offering quaranTEEN’s the opportunity to write alongside 8 authors, participate in 2 summer programs, and write their paths forward in 6 Young Writers Publish collections.
Best-selling author, Lev Grossman, kicked off this summer’s quaranTEEN voices! Reassuring our quaranTEEN’s that originality is indeed overrated, our young writers re-imagined stories and found their voices through storytelling.
“I’m not very rebellious, but when I’m writing, and I think I’m doing something I shouldn’t be doing, that’s great. I think they’ll never let me get away with this. That’s the feeling I now chase every day when I’m trying to write” -Lev Grossman.
We couldn’t have imagined the success of our summer workshops. Spanning various genres, young writers of all ages wrote for the screen, explored their neighborhoods, and got the heart of their favorite foods. To help us celebrate, we’d like to serve you up a delicious slice of “The Feel Good Cake,” recipe created during our Food Roots Workshop!
THE FEEL GOOD CAKE
By Noah, Ephie, and Liam
Prep time: 15-30 minutes
Ingredients:
Three handfuls of joy
Half a cup of happiness
15 scoops of ice cream (banana, friendship flavor, cookies & cream)
Pinch + ¼ cup of Satisfaction
Sprinkle of confidence
Tablespoon of kindness
Cup of self-confidence
¼ cup of sprinkles
Flowers made of positivity
Directions:
Put all ingredients in the blender except the sprinkles.
Blend on medium until it’s thick (about three minutes.)
Add more sprinkles.
Bake in a square pan at 250 degrees for two hours.
Let it cool for 10-15 minutes.
Top with frosting made from real rainbows.
Eat and Enjoy, and Feel Good!
Over the summer, our Young Writers Publish publications covered persuasive essays on chicken nuggets, memoirs on how to find the meaning of home, and a collection of protest poems, love stories, and short stories like Under All the Toughness.
826NYC’s programs will remain virtual in the fall. Help fuel the unique voices of our young authors by making a donation! In honor of 826 Day, we hope you’ll consider making a monthly donation – maybe $8.26/month! – to keep us powered all year. To receive updates on upcoming writing opportunities for your child, sign up for our newsletter.