It's short story month at 826LA; at both of our book clubs for our outstanding volunteers and neighbors, we're reading story collections. At West, we're reading Wells Tower's first book "Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned," which released last year, and at East, we're exploring some of Flannery O'Connor's illuminating stories, including "A Good Man is Hard to Find."

Want to join us? We promise not to chastise you for not finishing the stories, and we welcome all opinions and discussion topics.

See below for the details, and start reading!

DETAILS:

826LA East Book Club

Reading: Short stories by Flannery O'Connor. We'll be talking about five stories in particular:

"A Good Man is Hard to Find", "Good Country People", "Everything that Rises Must Converge", "Parker's Back", and "The Life You Save May Be Your Own."

Where to buy:

You can go to Skylight Books and buy "The Complete Stories" for 15% off if you want to read all of her stories, or read the five we're discussing. (Or a couple of the one's we're discussing).

If you don't want to purchase the book, you can look for it at the library or read the stories online. All five are available on the Internet for free, and we have included the links for your convenience!

A Good Man is Hard to Find

Good Country People

Everything that Rises Must Converge

Parker's Back

The Life You Save May Be Your Own

Date: Thursday, July 1, 2010

Time: 8:00pm - 9:30pm

Location: 826LA East

Street: 1714 W. Sunset Blvd.

City/Town: Echo Park, CA

Feel free to bring your own spirits and refreshments.

RSVP By email: zoe@826la.org or By Facebook.

826LA West Book Club

Reading: "Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned" by Wells Tower.

You may read the whole book, the title story, or a few of your favorites. That is the genius with short story collections. You may also wear a viking hat (not to be confused with Minnesota Vikings) to enhance discussions of the characters in the book.

Get 20% off this book at Book Soup. Just mention our 826LA West Book Club. Book Soup-West Hollywood

Date: Monday, June 14, 2010

Time: 8:00pm - 10:00pm

Location: 826LA West

Street: 685 Venice Blvd.

City/Town: Venice, CA

You may BYOB.

RSVP By email: zoe@826la.org or By Facebook.

Big Family Day is MOCA's biggest family celebration of the year. It takes place Sunday, May 2, at MOCA Grand Avenue; 826LA will be there in the reading room, helping create word mosaics, livetweeting (follow hashtag #mocabfd), and liveblogging at this site. If you can't make it to Big Family Day, make sure to follow everything online at our liveblog!.

April literary events bring members to May book clubs. That was more of a question than a statement. Reasons you should join one (or both) of our monthly book clubs:

1. You will finally get to meet people in your neighborhood that you may have otherwise passed by because you thought that they couldn't hold a discussion about Faulkner or Tolstoy.

2. To support independent book clubs (more on this below).

3. You can tell the students you tutor at 826LA that you're in a book club. They'll be impressed. Really.

4. Discussion questions you have will be dropped in a fishbowl, treasure chest, or former food platter.

5. If that last one wasn't reason enough, then I don't know what is.

DETAILS:

826LA East Book Club

What We're Reading: "Watchmen" by Alan Moore

Info about receiving 15% your purchase will soon be on this web site: Skylight Books-Los Feliz

Date: Thursday, May 20, 2010

Time: 8:00pm - 9:30pm

Location: 826LA East

Street: 1714 W. Sunset Blvd.

City/Town: Echo Park, CA

Feel free to bring your own spirits and refreshments of any kind.

RSVP By email: zoe@826la.org or By Facebook.

826LA West Book Club

What We're Reading: "Let The Great World Spin" By Colum McCann.

Get 20% off this book at Book Soup. Just mention our 826LA West Book Club. Book Soup-West Hollywood

Date: Monday, May 17, 2010

Time: 8:00pm - 10:00pm

Location: 826LA West

Street: 685 Venice Blvd.

City/Town: Venice, CA

You may BYOB.

RSVP By email: zoe@826la.org or By Facebook.

Eric Stolze

It’s been hard to put my thoughts on 826LA and my experiences with it so far down into a blog post… not because I’m at a loss for words, but just the opposite. I’ve got some bewildered friends that could tell you how hard it is to stop me once I get talking about the excitement of the field trips, or the elementary schools I’ve seen, or the Chickens in Love event, and of course the feeling you get when you reach the end of a homework assignment that took the entire tutoring session to complete… see what I mean?

In the interest of being concise, I’ve finally landed on this description: it’s the antidote for cynicism. It really is. I was in a very cynical place just before I began my internship two months ago, but 826 simply can’t support a viewpoint like that. It’s impossible. How do you clutch to feeble cynicism when every single day that you walk into the Writing Lab you are recognized, appreciated, and witness to the difference you’ve made? Every completed word problem is a triumph. Every writing prompt is a discovery. Every field trip is a celebration. As a volunteer at 826LA, this is not an ideal or an abstract thought you’re working towards. It’s real time, and the progress comes so quickly that sometimes you feel like you’re barely keeping up with the results.

My fellow intern Justine (also one of the best tutors Echo Park has to offer) put it beautifully when she said that you don’t have to have the experience or any degree in early education. You’re making amazing things happen just by taking a student seriously and listening. Even if you’re struggling to find a way to motivate or illuminate, by being there at all you’ve already made a difference. The students who attend tutoring won’t soon forget you for it. I won’t forget them anytime soon, either.

Nicki Wong

Interning at 826LA has been ceaselessly interesting, entertaining and full of learning. Let me just do a rundown of today: I arrive to the headquarters at 10:00 am, greet the staff, offer some Haribo gummy snacks, sit down at one of the computers and proceed to do a bio list for the guests that are attending 826's 5th anniversary party this Saturday. I'm typing, googling, copying, pasting, then, it's time for lunch. I head out into the streets after I ask Sam the name of the donut-shop-sandwich place. He gives me the directions: "Turn left on Echo Park Ave, walk past Little Caesars, you'll see a burnt down Chinese restaurant to your left and it's right there." I walk there, pick up a turkey sandwich and proceed to sit down and chew and contemplate about 826LA. I'm brought back to an occasion last week when I had to help a bright young student with a worksheet on time. "Why do we have to do this?" she groaned, clearly frustrated at not knowing how much time had passed from 2:45pm to 4:30pm. I thought about this for a while. Time has always baffled me as well. It never seems to be on your side. When you're having the time of your life, it's always too soon that it's over. Yet, for the most dreadful of tasks, it inches along like a snickering little worm. I decided to approach it this way, "You have to know about time because I'm going to give you a tickle attack if you don't finish your homework!" She shrieked in horror, "But if you finish it, I will give you a treat!" Yes, treats are good. I showed her a small glimpse of a shiny wrapper. A Cliff Bar! "Mmm!" She was struck with new found motivation. I explained time to her as best as I could and even showed her little tricks to telling time. She totally got it! We were about to go grab a book to read when all of a sudden her mom had arrived and tutoring was over. What happened to all the time? Now, some days, I might walk out of tutoring with my head throbbing like a woodpecker had mistaken my temple for the side of a tree, but always, the time does seem to fly.

Paulina Aguilar

Uninhibited creativity and imagination are what life is all about for the kids that come through 826LA. The daily writing prompts capture this wonderfully. When asked to write a recipe for their favorite meal Anna wrote about her personal favorite; white rice. According to Anna’s recipe we need rice, fire, and chopsticks. Who am I to say otherwise?

Although, as a newbie I am still learning the ways of Google documents, Macs (I’m now realizing they will guide us into the future), and where to find stuff in the office, I’m really excited to come in every day. Facilitating a truly creative learning process is one of the most rewarding aspects of interning for 826LA and I really look forward to my days and experiences to come! In honor of that I’ve also written a haiku about Mr. Barnacle, whom I don’t know personally, but have heard a lot about.

Mr. Barnacle

I look forward to meet you

Hope it’s sometime soon

Last Wednesday, Ms. Holler's 8th grade class came in to 826LA West from Paul Revere Middle School for a spoken word poetry field trip. We began with tutors reading some of their favorite poems, and afterward students warmed up their minds by writing three haiku and creating collaborative poems. Then, the students had some time to create their own poems, using the skills they had learned, to perform in front of the class and a video camera. The result was an incredible collection of fun, insightful, and heartbreaking works of poetry, and an awesome spoken word performance that everyone in the room enjoyed. Here are a few stellar examples of the students' work.

Nicaragua, 1976 by Theo Lopez

Walking down the street with my cousins, through the colonial city
In the market, the magicians, the vendors, the poor, the unfortunate, the drama, the tears!

We walk to buy ice. The kids in the street, popping firecrackers. I tell mi prima to cover her mouth.

We pass the cathedral, the mass in full swing. The incense, the chanting, floating from the doors. I tell her again, cover your nose.

We pass a widow, broken on the corner, with an unplanned child.
He cries and begs for change. I tell mi prima, close your eyes.

We walk by the high school, it is now noon, the air raid siren erupts. The National Guard is coming for the Sandinistas. I tell her again, cover your ears.

As the gunfire erupts, and the planes fly overhead, we are not afraid. We buy a veggie burger at a stand, and hurry back home. My abuelita screams, "where have you been?" We crowd into the bomb shelter with the cross and the Virgin Mary. We eat and pray as we listen to the war above.
Who knew a veggie burger could be so good?

Dancing Waters by Xavia J.

I gaze to the ocean
A large blank canvas
Yet beneath and beyond its surface
There is life filled with
Inexplicably beautiful characters
Flowing with the rhythm
of the lively, gentle waves
You must maintain the beat
Never fall behind
Keep all your thoughts together
Keep them well confined
Allow the grains of brown sand
to stream and wisp
through your hair
And we must remember to dance
Without a care and
Let your presence be the
Winds that manifest
the ripples of the waves
"I hope you dance"


Ba-Boom by Lily Lack

Through the outdoors,
open the window,
smell the fresh air,
walk down the stairs.

Open the doors,
walk outside,
down the hill,
into the building.

Hop in an elevator,
listen to the noises,
Ba-Boom, Crash
the elevator stopped.

I'm stuck,
all alone,
Power's Out
So Lonely.

Suffocating on the inside,
stuck with nothing to do,
nothing to look at,
practically dead.

More sounds,
rumbling,
it's my stomach,
so Hungry.

no food,
no water,
no phone to use,
no one to help.

Scream, Scream,
as loud as you can,
hope that someone is listening,
waiting for a rescue.

Suddenly, more noises,
it's moving,
the elevator is moving,
i'm saved.

826LA students became bona fide LA guides at the Travel Town workshop on Sunday at the Hammer Museum. They were tasked with creating itineraries with insider tips for friends and family who've never been to the city before, and then distilling the information onto postcards.

Armed with magazine cutouts, sightseeing pamphlets, and markers and crayons, the students illustrated the front side of the card with their suggested must-see spots. On the back, they wrote letters describing the places and what the addressee would find interesting about them. These kids quickly showed they might possibly know it better than you. Among the picks were Powell's Candy Shop in Long Beach, El Porto Beach in Manhattan Beach, and Lacy Park in San Marino. 826LA staff quietly took notes on where to take their dates next.

At the end of the class, we put stamps on all the postcards so the students could mail them off to their friends and relatives. Los Angeles became infinitely more interesting through someone else's eyes.

Last week at Echo Park tutoring, after-school student Oscar told us he'd been awarded the March Student of the Month at Micheltorena Street Elementary School in Silver Lake, where he's currently in 6th grade. Oscar has been attending after-school tutoring at 826LA East since the second week we opened (in January 2008)! Here's a little something he wrote a couple months back:

My name is Oscar and I am 11 years old. I go to Micheltorena. I like soccer and baseball. I live in an apartment that looks like a house. I like hanging around with my friends. That's all.

Congratulations, Oscar! That's all. (<--- one of Oscar's trademark last lines)

It's April, and we're still reading at 826LA West and East! This month, we've picked a recent release from 2009, and a classic from the 80s. Pick your monthly literature of choice and bring your most controversial questions with you to the end of the month meetings.

826LA East Book Club

What We're Reading: Gate At the Stairs By Lorrie Moore

Info about receiving 15% your purchase will soon be on this web site: Skylight Books-Los Feliz

Date: Thursday, April 22, 2010

Time: 8:00pm - 9:30pm

Location: 826LA East

Street: 1714 W. Sunset Blvd.

City/Town: Echo Park, CA

Feel free to bring your own spirits and refreshments.

RSVP By email: zoe@826la.org or By Facebook.

826LA West Book Club

What We're Reading: The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera.

Get 20% off this book at Book Soup. Just mention our 826LA West Book Club. Book Soup-West Hollywood

Date: Monday, April 19, 2010

Time: 8:00pm - 10:00pm

Location: 826LA West

Street: 685 Venice Blvd.

City/Town: Venice, CA

Light snacks provided, feel free to brings spirits and refreshments to make this meeting bearable.

RSVP By email: zoe@826la.org or By Facebook.

Every time we do an orientation for prospective tutors, one of the things we're at pains to stress is what a home our centers become for the 6-to-18-year-olds who know about them. Is it neat that, even after a kid comes here four days a week for three hours a day, he or she can tell us about a tutor who really impacts him or her and we'll arrange for the two of them to finish up that AP World History assignment on the weekend? We think so.

The interns who devote hours to running our office, some just midway through college, are part of what makes this an environment where everyone can leave a bag or make a phone call or hang out with a book. People this courteous and versatile aren't everywhere in Los Angeles, and we're lucky enough to find great ones year after year. Every so often 826LA likes to give one of them the talking stick, because they're so close to everyone here (from volunteers to whole families). Birte, who's been helping out at 826LA for the last two months, describes how we create a setting where empowerment and enlightening discoveries are the norm. She writes:

Last month, I filmed some of our students composing and performing songs that they had written. These songs were created to be recorded by local bands and performed at a benefit concert for 826LA. Kimi and Xena worked with tutors Rachel and Shayne to compose the chords to accompany Kimi's song 'New Beginning,' while Malik and William worked with tutor Tom to pick out the perfect beat to go with their 'jerk song' rap and tweak some of the lyrics. Watching both groups rehearse for what seemed like forever to make sure it sounded just as they had intended, I came down with a bad case of 'proud mama bear.' Even worse, I hadn't even personally helped in the writing process! Even so, seeing them perform was inspiring.

Once they had overcome the natural nervousness and embarrassment that was holding them back from belting it out, they were able to perform the songs they had written in front of a group of very pleased and impressed volunteers and interns, one of whom was holding a video camera. When they found out we had posted said videos on YouTube, there was an uproar of lamentation. 'But our song sucks!' cried Malik.

We beg to differ. We think these songs are pretty incredible, and put them up at 826la.org/chickensinlove for you to watch and listen. I'm getting my autographs now—they'll be worth millions when the "New" New Boyz blow up.

We think Birte is right on when she talks about the environment we've created--almost a family. She mentioned another intern on our team: Tom's a UCLA student who's been tutoring with us since the fall while attending classes at UCLA, and the kids are continually inspired by his enthusiasm for dance and his college wisdom. When I asked Tom to write a little letter about himself, he handed me back poem instead:

Waddup world! Tom is in the building
826LA is giving "aid to fix" L.A., is that right?
Here's my introduction…

1 for the Knowledge, 2 for the Wisdom,
3 for Understanding how to teach it to children!
I like practical mathematics, cuz you have to have it…
Don't be slow on the scene,
Know what I —mean—, that's the —average—.
Currently in college,
Searching for knowledge.
I go to UCLA, minoring in Civic Engagement, and I study History,
So my past, present, and future don't seem like a mystery.
Now I can imagine plenty of cryin', in 20-0-9,
That's why I tend to write rhymes,
More often in night times to enlighten minds,
Using my daylight hours to fight crimes!
I teach bboying at the UCLA Rec, and I've been dancing since '03,
And, like an onion, I have layers, so it may take a while to get to know me.
Well, I grew up in Orange County,
But my origin undoubtedly
Stems from foreign boundaries! (I rhymed "orange" 4 times.)
And after 21 years, now it's me. =]
PEACE, BALANCE, and RESPECT YOURSELF
Tom Tung aka a lot of names.

Tom, Birte, and other interns (new and old) complement a dedicated staff and the elite of Los Angeles volunteers to make 826LA.

By the way, the most exciting part of having all these personalities mingling in a tiny space with fragile chairs is the relationships that students develop with the adults they meet quite rapidly, memorably, and enthusiastically. Malik, whom Birte filmed as a first-time musician, remembered that Tom was supposed to be here on his weekly schedule recently. "I'm gonna work with him," Malik added. "He's one of my best tutors."

My best tutor? If kids feel this authoritative over their experiences at 826LA—as though they can draw on a veritable stable of great adults, learning but managing the conversation about their learning—then what we're offering is more than mere advice: it's ownership. If that sense of ownership extends to the publishing students do on a frequent basis, we're going pretty far in making a real impact on many, many lives.

After extensively volunteering at all the workshops, after-school tutoring, and in-schools projects that 826LA has to offer, did you ever wish that there was a program for adults (or aspiring adults) that allowed them to congregate with other creative minds? Did you? Did you? Wish no more, 826LA has brought back The Book Club at both its Echo Park and Venice locations.

We are reading one book a month. Our March book club meetings are soon approaching and you still have two long, full weeks to read either (or both, if ambition strikes) books. Mondays on the West side, Thursdays on the East side!

All the required details that you need to know:

826LA East Book Club:

Date: Thursday March 25, 2010

Time: 8:00-9:30 p.m.

Where: 826LA Writing Lab

1714 W. Sunset Blvd.

Echo Park, CA 90026

Get 15% off if you purchase your book through SkyLight Books in Los Feliz!

March Book: "Consider the Lobster" by David Foster Wallace

826LA West Book Club:

Date: Monday March 22, 2010

Time: 8-9:30 p.m.

Where: 826LA Writing Lab

SPARC Building

685 W. Venice Blvd.

Venice, CA 90291

Get 20% off if you purchase your book through Book Soup in West Hollywood!

March Book: "Housekeeping" by Marilynne Robinson

If you've read these books already, take a chance to revisit them and have your most pressing questions ready for the meeting. (If you've written a thesis or published article on either on these books, please come with several printed copies).

Questions?

Contact Zoë Ruiz, Volunteer Coordinator and Programs Assistant at: zoe@826la.org