826 Seattle

In addition to technology and espresso, Seattle-ites can take pride in another great local product: authors. From Theodore Roethke to David Guterson, a number of well known writers have, and do, call the area home. Perhaps the Northwest’s natural beauty inspires the great literature, but I think it’s more likely that great local writers are the product of great local teachers.

If this is true, the future of the Seattle writing community is in good hands with programs such as 826 Seattle. For those of you who are not familiar with 826 Seattle, it’s a nonprofit writing and tutoring center in Greenwood dedicated to helping kids, ages six to 18, improve their writing skills. Their mission, which is remarkably similar to ours here at TeachStreet, is to inspire learning by facilitating one-on-one opportunities between teachers and students.

Unfortunately, all of us here in the TeachStreet office are too old to take classes at 826 Seattle. However, Teri Hein, a Fulbright scholarship recipient herself, has created a great school with no shortage of opportunities for aspiring young writers who are the correct age.

In addition to their great programs, which include tutoring, writing workshops, and field trips, 826 Seattle has a wealth of great authors who are actively involved in the school, including David Eggers (author of A Heart Breaking Work of Staggering Genius) and Sherman Alexie (the world renowned poet and writer), just to name a few.

So if you are a literary Seattle-ite who has never heard of 826 Seattle, or never gotten involved, it’s well worth checking out. And if writing is a cause you believe in, there are a number of ways you can lend your support.