I made a pilgrimage to the 826 National Conference in San Francisco this past June. Here is some of the photo documentation.
You enter and are struck by all the random stuff inside the only pirate supply store in San Francisco. That big vat of stuff is lard ….
And this is the fish viewing area. They used to have a pufferfish but I think that he might have died. It’s still a nice little spot.
You buy things from this man. Not only is he the counter guy and salesman, but he is also the person who only allows kids and tutors back into the tutoring section. There is a pirates skull and crossbones flag behind him on a cord.
They sell these wicked funny signs. I love them.
Artful displays ....
Shelves where student publications as well as McSweeney's publications await readers.
Even the ceiling is cool. I hear that the pirate theme was inspired by the ceiling of the store.
And now we enter the tutoring center. See the cord and flag on the left?
My favorite part of the whole center is this wall. Each of those framed pieces of paper is the actual, edited page from a then-unpublished manuscript by famous authors – Dave Eggers, Michael Chabon, Amy Tan, etc. Intimidating, right? The editors have scribbled all over every page, made notes, questioned, suggested. It’s so encouraging to see these masters being picked apart. If they can do it, withstand this criticism and revision, then, Lord knows, we all can.
The tutoring center.
This little stand is the control seat where all the technical aspects of the main room are controlled for field trips and workshops. They have a sweet little set-up, fairly simple, where a volunteer types the story as kids suggest it and then the story is projected onto the wall.
See the projection?
A volunteer leads the brainstorming.
Once a group creates and types their story, the field trip gets exciting. The lead volunteer hollers up that ladder to the intimidating editor, Mr. Blue. Mr. Blue is incredibly harsh, telling the participants that what they’ve written is trash, it will never sell, they have to do better. He’s usually hilarious while doing it, but poignant for anyone who is a little too connected to his or her internal editor ….
Sometimes a very bold visitor ventures forth to meet Mr. Blue.
The reading nook. I love the sheets around it.
Tutor and tutee.
The back room, where the employees work and where the kids work on computers. I believe that a lot of publishing happens back here, as well.
If you ever go to San Francisco, this is well worth a visit -- especially on a weekday around 3 pm.
You enter and are struck by all the random stuff inside the only pirate supply store in San Francisco. That big vat of stuff is lard ….
And this is the fish viewing area. They used to have a pufferfish but I think that he might have died. It’s still a nice little spot.
You buy things from this man. Not only is he the counter guy and salesman, but he is also the person who only allows kids and tutors back into the tutoring section. There is a pirates skull and crossbones flag behind him on a cord.
They sell these wicked funny signs. I love them.
Artful displays ....
Shelves where student publications as well as McSweeney's publications await readers.
Even the ceiling is cool. I hear that the pirate theme was inspired by the ceiling of the store.
And now we enter the tutoring center. See the cord and flag on the left?
My favorite part of the whole center is this wall. Each of those framed pieces of paper is the actual, edited page from a then-unpublished manuscript by famous authors – Dave Eggers, Michael Chabon, Amy Tan, etc. Intimidating, right? The editors have scribbled all over every page, made notes, questioned, suggested. It’s so encouraging to see these masters being picked apart. If they can do it, withstand this criticism and revision, then, Lord knows, we all can.
The tutoring center.
This little stand is the control seat where all the technical aspects of the main room are controlled for field trips and workshops. They have a sweet little set-up, fairly simple, where a volunteer types the story as kids suggest it and then the story is projected onto the wall.
See the projection?
A volunteer leads the brainstorming.
Once a group creates and types their story, the field trip gets exciting. The lead volunteer hollers up that ladder to the intimidating editor, Mr. Blue. Mr. Blue is incredibly harsh, telling the participants that what they’ve written is trash, it will never sell, they have to do better. He’s usually hilarious while doing it, but poignant for anyone who is a little too connected to his or her internal editor ….
Sometimes a very bold visitor ventures forth to meet Mr. Blue.
The reading nook. I love the sheets around it.
Tutor and tutee.
The back room, where the employees work and where the kids work on computers. I believe that a lot of publishing happens back here, as well.
If you ever go to San Francisco, this is well worth a visit -- especially on a weekday around 3 pm.
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