Thank you for being a part of 826michigan! Whether you're a volunteer, a family who participates in programs, a partner educator, or an enthusiast from afar, thanks for cheering on our work and our brilliant students. Last school year, we reached a record 4,818 student writers via 651 free program hours with the help of 249 volunteers, ALL BECAUSE OF YOU! We have a name for that around here: 826 magic. Where will writing take us this year?!

This summer we wrote with hundreds of students in more than 20 locations! Here are some highlights from Detroit Public Library branches, Brilliant Detroit hubs, the Ypsilanti District Library, Eastern Michigan for Ypsilanti Public School's Grizzly Summer Learning Camp, the Ann Arbor District Library, and other community partner sites.

• Footprints and Escape Route programs at almost every Detroit Library Branch turned into fun family hangouts full of imagination and visits from alumni teaching artists. Together, we learned about everyone's favorite dinosaurs and then we hatched multiple routes of escape in case a dinosaur came into the room! The students and their parents alike went down a hidden stairwell, jumped from open windows onto trees, distracted the dinosaurs with tacos, and one even took an Uber home. Suffice it to say, just case we ever meet up with a less-than-friendly T-Rex, Tricerotops, or Megaladon, we'll be ready!

• Ann Arbor Summer Writing Lab students asked us and their families to make the program more than an hour and at least three times a week because they felt that excited about what they were creating and that comfortable with the developing writing community. We loved that they were asking, "How can I get more of this?!"

• Previously published author Dior came for a field trip and proudly published their fourth book!

• Teen Leaders honed their skills while one visitor to the program asked, "Where can I fill out an application to LIVE in this library branch, specifically? I'd like to stay here with 826."

• Ypsilanti Summer Writing Lab student Oscar gave us some great advice to future writers: "Some things you should know: don't hold back even when you think [your writing] might come out bad. This happened to me before; don't care about what others think about your book, care what you think about your work. If it's not a hit you can always make another one."

• University Prep Middle School students "Assumed the Position" and wrote from the perspective of different historical figures!

Registration is now open for fall programs! Hooray! While the majority of our programs in Ann Arbor, Detroit, and Ypsilanti are either drop-in or take place in schools, we have some fun open-enrollment offerings that require a weekly commitment.

We're delighted to announce four new board members who are lending their time and talents to 826michigan!

Dave Waterhouse

Associate Director, Ginsberg Center

Laila Zahra

Financial Analyst

Mia Lanier-Durkins

Coordinator of Experiential Learning, Washtenaw Intermediate School District (WISD)

Victoria Alden

Program Officer, Women in Science and Engineering (WISE)

Here are more pictures of some of the things we've been up to lately.

Your donation keeps us on the path to our goal of reaching 25,000 new K-12 writers with our programs by 2030. Thank you for believing in the power of young people's words.

About Us    Contact Us    Website