Our upcoming Story Soiree will be a night to celebrate 826DC’s young authors and showcase their dreams for the future. A group of seventh grade students from Brookland Elementary School will be reading their work from their recently published book, When Duty Calls, with New York Times best selling author, Dolen Perkins-Valdez. This collection of hero and warrior stories shows young people’s hopes for themselves, their communities and the world through playful characters and poignant storylines.
Our young authors will have the chance to read their work and then engage in an interactive conversation with NYT best selling author Dolen Perkins Valdez about her most recent work, her practice as a writer and her advice for the next generation of writers and artists.
More on 826DC: We’re on a mission to help students develop a lasting, positive relationship with writing that catalyzes their ability to live into their fullest possibility. We envision a future in which every young person in DC is able to confidently use writing to communicate their experiences, explore new ideas, and enjoy the creative process. 826DC provides free, year-round writing and publishing programs for DC students ages 6-18, with the mission to introduce kids early and often to an essential skill by making it fun. At its writing center in Columbia Heights, 826DC provides after-school tutoring, weekend workshops, “field trips” where elementary school classes come to write and publish short books together in a single morning, and partner with teachers through in-school programs, such as its Young Authors’ Book Project.