Happy 8-26 Day

CELEBRATE 8/26 DAY!  

No need to worry ... despite August 26th being a National Holiday (8/26 Day), 826CHI will be open! And not just open. We will be partying. This is your invitation to join us in the celebration!

Be a part of the fun by exercising your right to write!  Throughout the day we are encouraging you to set aside 8 minutes and 26 seconds to write a short story/character sketch/ poem/recipe etc. (We're looking to get an ambitious 82.6 of these micro-masterpieces before the clock strikes 8:26pm!) 

Send us your writing by emailing us (info@826chi.org), tweeting us (@826chi) with it, hiring a bike messenger, enlisting Mortimer the messenger pigeon, posting it to our virtual wall (facebook), or posting it to our real wall, right here at 826CHI.

[If you're stuck, here are some prompts from our students: What would you do if a milkshake attacked the world? What would you do if a giant panda let all of the animals out of the zoo? What would you do if you woke up to find out you were the only person on Earth?]

The Boring Store and 826CHI will be open and welcoming any and everyone to write from 11am - 4pm. Beyond giving you a space and supplies to write your piece, we will be giving away prizes, (fear not, internet friends, we'll get you some prizes too!) and passing out "I WROTED TODAY" stickers so you can show off your writerly pride. We will also be throwing confetti, pasting stories dangerously high in  The Boring Store's windows, having a pencil sharpening contest, dancing and playing with balloons.

To wrap it up, join us at the Standard Bar and Grill, across the street, to toast the holiday from 4pm - 6pm!

In honor of 8/26 and 826, here's a link to some fabulously creative writing ChiIL Mama's own Du-Jay and 11 other creative kids, 5th grade and up wrote at Threadless HQ last Tuesday.    Check 'em out and get your laugh on.

http://www.threadless.com/news/743562/826CHI_Students_Write_about_Threadless_Tees


Congratulations published authors! 

HAPPY 8/26 DAY!

ABC Wednesday--A & B are for......

We're so close to the start of Round 9, that we'll squeak in with a two-fer.    They are related and relate to one of our favorite places in the whole city of Chicago.


A is for Absolutely and Agent

B is for Boring Store

Both refer to fronts for 826Chi, an amazingly cool, creative writing center for kids from 6-18.   They're part of 826National, a nationwide non-profit organization started by writer, Dave Eggers, that runs free workshops and tutoring.   The Boring Store sells secret agent supplies and proceeds from all sales go right to 826Chi for their writing programs.  We've been going there for years and still laugh at their great awning.

For more alphabetical posts every Wednesday, check in with ABC Wednesdays.  Follow along or jump right in and play, too.    It's a multicultural feast from around the world and a whole lotta fun.

http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com/