Special journalism workshops in Echo Park and Venice!

In 2009, 826LA East is continuing its weekly Monday evening, 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. journalism workshops. Starting on Wednesday, February 18, 826LA West will begin its own weekly workshop (also from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.).

At both workshops, students ages 6 – 18 are invited to work with professional journalists to write and publish their own web/print periodical: The 826LA Good Times from 826LA East, and the as-yet unnamed sister publication to be produced at 826LA West.

For more information, or to register, please contact Julius, Danny, or Bonnie by email or by phone (826LA East: 213.413.3388; 826LA West: 310.305.8418).

It All Happened at the Ice Cream Truck
Taught by Jennifer Hoguet
Ages 8 – 12
Saturday, June 20, 2009
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
This workshop takes place at 826LA West

Learn about plays and playwriting in this action-packed workshop. Kids will get the chance to talk about plays and what makes live theater special before diving into writing their own scenes, which they will then perform. There's only one twist: every scene must contain the line "It all happened at the ice cream truck." (It should be noted that none of the plays have to take place at the ice cream truck.) A fun two hours with the opportunity to both write and perform.

Jennifer Hoguet grew up on the stage, performing parts ranging from the title role in Romeo and Juliet (Juliet, not Romeo) and the title role in The Diary of Anne Frank (Anne, not the Diary) in her native Midwest. She graduated with a degree in theater and history from Northwestern University where her concentration was in directing. Some of those credits include The Last Five Years and Prelude to a Kiss. Making her way across the United States to the West Coast, she is determined to spread her love of theater and the stage everywhere she goes.

English Language Learner Camp
Ages 7 – 12
Monday – Thursday
July 6 – August 6
1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
These workshops take place at both 826LA East and 826LA West

Over the course of five weeks, students will work on projects covering everything from pirates and poetry to food writing and music reviews, all while strengthening and reviewing English language development skills like sentence structures, grammar, close reading, and story writing. Students of all levels of English-speaking ability are welcome, and all will benefit.

ELL Camp is taught at both of our centers in one-week modules, and students can sign up for individual weeks or all five at our workshop signup page.

Reality TV Camp
Ages 10 – 18
Tuesdays and Wednesdays
July 7 – August 5
3:00 pm – 5:30 pm
This workshop takes place at 826LA West

826LA students will work to produce their own reality TV (web) show. Young writers 13 and up will be able to participate in the Writers' Room.

More details to come.

Film Festival in Ninety Minutes
Taught by Brick Maier
Ages 10 – 14
Sunday, July 12, 2009
12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
This workshop takes place at the UCLA Armand Hammer Museum

Salvador Dali and Orson Welles spent time creating diorama worlds, inventing stories, and performing them using miniature sets and tiny characters. Workshop attendees will use the same techniques to put together a short film festival in about an hour and a half, using methods developed by Brick Maier while on a Fulbright grant in Dublin. Maier refined the Tabletop Moviemaking process in Turin, and helped teenagers across Europe make thirty movies in three days at the MTV-sponsored Stranger Festival in Amsterdam. For more information on Tabletop Moviemaking, please visit www.tabletopmedia.org.

Writing with Personas
Taught by Erika Ayón, Rachelle Cruz, Thi Dao, Sylvia Sukop, and Marissa Tinloy
Ages 10 – 18
Saturdays and Sundays
August 1 – August 9
9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
This workshop takes place at 826LA West

We will explore "character" in both poetry and fiction. We will breathe life into everyday objects, like an old pair of socks, or share the untold story of a well-known fairytale by writing from their points-of-view. During our workshop, we will spark our ideas for character with writing exercises, participating in theater exercises, and taking a trip to the Venice Boardwalk to observe people and the landscape with a fresh eye. This workshop will end with a chapbook release party, featuring YOUR work!

All five teachers are recipients of the 2009 Emerging Voices Rosenthal Fellowship of PEN Center USA.

Erika Ayón emigrated from Mexico when she was five years old. She grew up in South Central Los Angeles and graduated from UCLA with a BA in English. She is currently working on a collection of poetry entitled Orange Lady. Erika’s writing addresses issues such as poverty, race, cultural implications, gender, and the immigrant experience.

Rachelle Cruz is from Hayward, California. She studied poetry at Sarah Lawrence College in NY, and has taught creative writing and performance to young people. She has self-published many chapbooks, in addition to being featured in Dark Phrases Magazine and Maganda Magazine. She hosts the online radio show The Blood-Jet Writing Hour.

Thi Dao grew up in Orange County, California. She has been a book nerd since age seven and loves fiction, both reading and writing it. She studied creative writing at UCLA and is currently exploring the historical and magical, although unseen, elements in a person’s life that make it unique.

Sylvia Sukop grew up in Pennsylvania, lived seven years each in Boston and New York City, and moved to Los Angeles in 1997. As a nonfiction writer and photographer, she is interested in the revelatory moments of everyday life. In 2007 she founded Boulevard Without Borders, involving teenagers from 10 LA high schools documenting the diverse communities along Pico Boulevard.

Marissa Tinloy grew up in Alameda, California and graduated from UCLA's English Department with a concentration in Creative Writing in 2008. She is currently working on a novel that encounters memories, sisterhood, and the conflicting emotions of love and hate. Marissa has volunteered with Project Literacy and is excited about this next opportunity to work creatively with young people.

Script Surgery
Taught by Lindsey Robinson and Jon Zack
Ages 8 – 13
Sunday, August 9, 2009
12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
This workshop takes place at the UCLA Armand Hammer Museum

When the script for a Hollywood blockbuster is hanging on for dear life, the EPs call in a script doctor to make everything better. Screenwriters Lindsey Robinson (who has worked at MTV and Lionsgate) and Jon Zack (whose credits include Shrek the Third and the upcoming Puss in Boots) will take things further, teaching students script surgery: how to write entirely new characters, settings, and plot elements for well-loved recent movies..

High School Writing/Performance Camp
Ages 13 – 18
Monday through Friday
August 10 – August 14
2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
This workshop takes place at 826LA East

Over the course of this intensive workshop, high school students will have the opportunity to practice analytical, expository, and dramatic writing, all culminating in a performance on the final day.

More details to come.

The Making of a Slam
Ages 13 – 18
Tuesdays through Thursday
August 11 – August 20
Final performances on Tuesday, September 1, and Thursday, September 3
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
This workshop takes place at 826LA West

Over the course of this intensive workshop, high school students will have the opportunity to practice analytical, expository, and dramatic writing, all culminating in a performance on the final day.

More details to come.