December Newsletter
ID: Students authors hold Words Unburden Me with teacher partner Angelica Torralba-Olague and Jeannine in the Writers' Room at South High. The words "December News @ 826 MSP" overlay the image.
Dear Friend,
December finds 826 MSP in a flurry of celebrations! Though things are far from normal, it has felt really great to get back to some of the routines and milestones that we missed during distance learning.
For starters, we finally got to host an in-person student celebration for our 2020 Young Authors' Book Project anthology, Words Unburden Me, written by English Language Learners at South High. Here are some pictures (notice no Zoom boxes!) of these published young authors displaying their books in the Writers' Room. Grab your copy today! (It makes a great gift!)
Another important moment which wasn't the same during distance learning was our Chapbook Release Party for the young writers of After-School Writing Lab and the Young Authors' Council. Yesterday we unveiled Stories from my Whole Generation and heard students read their favorite pieces from the book. As you can see, we had a great time! (Check out the beautiful cover for our chapbook professionally illustrated by Hibaaq Ibrahim. See more of her work at moonjuicemurals.com.)
As this fall semester comes to a close, we have a lot to reflect on. Returning to in-person amidst the continued pandemic hasn't been easy, but important things rarely are. Above all, we are grateful for this community and the way that writing brings us together.
See you next year!
-the 826 MSP crew
Student Spotlight
ID: "Excerpts from our latest chapbook, Stories from my Whole Generation: Freedom feels like a hot tub.- Najaat, grade 4; Confidence feels like a worthy opponent. - Abdinasir, grade 5; Boredom feels like Barack Obama waiting to see if he is going to be president. - Hamza, grade 4; Gratitude smells like pizza.- Abdirahman W., grade 4" with a piece of pizza oozing cheese.
Upcoming Events
826 will be closed for winter break, December 20–31.
The last day to make a tax-deductible gift to 826 MSP for the 2021 year is December 31!
BIG NEWS! Save the date for Books for Breakfast on February 17, 2022! This virtual event will be hosted collaboratively by 826 MSP and our sister chapter, 826CHI, featuring two incredible guests from our respective cities: Danez Smith and Eve L. Ewing! Info on how to buy tickets will be shared in January.
Supporter Spotlight
As we reflect on our Kickstarter campaign from the last month, we couldn’t be more excited at its success! Thank you to the 239 backers who pledged $21,315 to bring Rehumanize Me to print. We can’t wait to share this vital anthology with you in 2022, and hope you know how grateful we are for this community of support.