September Newsletter
ID: Students, a volunteer, and staff sit around a table at our youth writing center. The words "September News @ 826 MSP" overlay the image.
Dear Friends,
The end of September means that the 21-22 school year is in full swing! We have been very busy these last few weeks, launching in-person programs after a year and a half in distance learning. Now that we can be in 3D with our young writers again, we are focused on rebuilding our creative community while keeping safety at top of mind.
In After-School Writing Lab, students are discussing 826 MSP as a "third space"—one separate from school or home that prioritizes creativity and agency. Our young writers are co-developing a list of community rules which will guide our time together this school year. Students are voting on the final list later this week!
In the Writers' Room at South High School, nearly 400 students have already visited during open house week. Drop-in sessions have begun, and our regular calendar of workshops, Wellness Wednesdays, and author visits will resume in October. (Gratitude to our new partner, the Beim Foundation, for your support of this program!)
The rest of our programming will launch in the coming weeks. Though things look a little different this year due to ongoing safety needs, the joy of sharing spaces with our young writers is stronger than ever.
With gratitude,
the 826 MSP crew
Student Spotlight
September is Hispanic Heritage Month!
ID: Picture of tamales alongside an excerpt of student writing reading: “My Family Interview By Cruz Navarrete Angelito, Grade 9
Tamales remind me of my early youth in Mexico. My grandmother taught my mother how to make them. And eventually I began to learn to make them myself.”
Upcoming Events
New volunteer orientation, October 1, 4:00-5:30
Open house for 826 MSP Literary Board Member, Tom Rademacher's new book, Raising Ollie on October 12, 7:00-9:00
New volunteer orientation, October 12, 4:30-6:00
Twin Cities Book Festival, October 16. Come see our booth!
Supporter Spotlight
Gratitude to all of our volunteers who are helping to rebuild our community this year! ID: Profiles of volunteers (many with photos) are hung up on a wall at out youth writing center as a way for students and volunteers to get to know each other better.