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April 22, 2009 by Betsy Bird

Hang Out with Jon Scieszka, Ira Glass, and Sarah Vowell

April 22, 2009 by Betsy Bird   2 comments

It’s not that I don’t trust you.  If I told you about an utterly worthwhile cause here in town with the potential to do a lot of good, I know that you’d be interested.  You’re a good person.  You care about your fellow man.

I also know, however, that if I offer you the chance to hang you with Jon Scieszka, Ira Glass, and Sarah Vowell then you’re probably going to be more likely to READ my blog post about this great and important cause.

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Okay.  So first thing first.  Are you familiar with the whole 826 McSweeneys thingy thing?  Here’s the deal.  First author Dave Eggers created 826 Valencia, a nonprofit writing lab and tutoring center located in San Francisco’s Mission District in 2002.  The result?  Huge hit.  Huge big old hit.  So in 2004 826NYC was started.  Here’s the official description:

"826NYC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6-18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Our services are structured around our belief that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success. With this in mind we provide drop-in tutoring, field trips, after-school workshops, in-schools tutoring, help for English language learners, and assistance with student publications. All of our free programs are challenging and enjoyable, and ultimately strengthen each student’s power to express ideas effectively, creatively, confidently, and in his or her individual voice."

That’s good but a little dry.  I highly suggest you watch this video about the center to get a better feel.  You see, the tutoring center is located behind a hidden door in a place of business called The Superhero Supply Store.  Now there are 826 locations around the country, and they usually have some kind of a cool store front.  There’s a pirate store, a space travel store, etc.

What does all this have to do with you getting to hang out with Scieszka, Vowell, and Glass?  I’m getting to it.  See, it’s not like a Superhero Supply Store is going to pull in the wads of cash necessary for running this kind of situation.  Even though it is run by talented volunteers it still needs a little money from time to time.

So check this out:



Cool, huh?  It gets better.  Here’s the press release:


Thursday, April 30, 2009
7-10PM
826NYC (372 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn)
$100, $250, $500
718.499.9884

Mingle, enjoy complimentary beverages and food, and try your luck at our table games! Celebrity hosts and dealers, including Sarah Vowell, Ira Glass and Jon Scieszka, will amaze and astound! Trade your winnings in for fabulous prizes, including tickets to The Daily Show or a tour of The New York Times!

$100, $250, or $500 gets you in and exchanges your money into 826NYC Bail Out Billion Dollar Bills! All proceeds benefit 826NYC’s creative programming for students ages 6-18. All donations are tax-deductible. If you have any questions, please email spollock@826nyc.org or call 718.499.9884.


What’s not to love?  You get to lose money in a casino like setting.  In the process you get to donate money to a really good cause.  And you get to be in Brooklyn!  So let me know if you’re going and I’ll see you there.  Wouldn’t miss it for the world.

 

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About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

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About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. The Children's Book Review says

    April 22, 2009 at 3:59 pm

    What a great idea for a great cause! Have an excellent time.

  2. adrienne says

    April 23, 2009 at 1:04 pm

    I visited the Pirate Store/826 Valencia in December, and they had an event going on. It was AMAZING to see how many kids were out, all excited about writing. I wish I lived near one of these places so I could work there.

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