It all started with a fake mustache.
As 25 3rd graders filed into the West Town storefront, they were instructed, one by one, to hold up to their face a stick with a bushy fake mustache while a photographer snapped their picture.
That was their first clue that this was going to be a very different sort of field trip. The next was the mysterious presence of one Admiral Moody, a curmudgeonly publisher deathly allergic to children, who resides in a small closet here at 826CHI, a non-profit writing and tutoring center. Shortly after taking their place on the floor, the class heard his non-negotiable demand and the Bookmaking and Storytelling Adventure began.
“Let me tell you what I need,” he said in a slightly menacing tone uttered via a nearby walkie-talkie. “I need one wonderful, original, magnificent, fantastic story. Get to work.”
The Wizard of Oz trick worked like a charm on the kids, who are from the Nettlehorst School in East Lake View. They were anxious but more motivated than nervous about the disembodied voice. In two short hours, Admiral Moody’s prodding would help them create their very own book–bound, and complete with illustrations and a self-decorated cover. As soon-to-be published authors, they would, of course, need very serious photos of themselves for their book jacket sleeves. That’s where the mustaches came in.
A teacher’s aid
Like the five other locations nationwide, 826CHI, the Chicago outpost of author and Lake Forest native Dave Eggers’ network of not-for-profits, uses a pronounced sense of whimsy, and a little sleight-of-hand, to transform reading and writing into something of an adventure.
Modeled on the success of the original, 826 Valencia (named for its address in San Francisco), 826CHI is doing its part to ease the burden of overwhelmed Chicago teachers by providing drop-in tutoring and creative workshops for students age 6 through high school.
The services at 826CHI are free, funded by private donations, grants and special events such as lectures and concerts. They also rely on a dedicated network of volunteers, many attracted by the celebrity of Eggers, best known for his memoir “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius,” and the participation of local luminaries such as NPR’s Ira Glass.
Later this year, The Boring Store, a small retail space in front of the tutoring center, will help raise money by selling much-needed items such as cubicle periscopes and supersonic ears to the city’s secret-agent population.
All of the 826 locations have similarly wacky retail concepts: 826 Valencia sells pirate gear, while 826NYC offers superhero supplies. When it opens, The Boring Store should generate plenty of attention, as it has been designed by Suhail, the architect and designer responsible for restaurants Tizi Melloul and the new Del Toro.
After-school help
Since 826CHI quietly opened its doors at 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. in October, Director of Education Mara O’Brien says plenty of children–and their parents–have experienced the benefits already.
“The parents are particularly happy because many of the schools don’t have enough money to do after-school programs,” she said. “And these students need something after school. Some of the parents who don’t speak English, they can’t help their kids with the homework. It’s an advantage for them to be able to bring them to us.”
This bookmaking field trip was the perfect example of the deceptively simple programs developed by Eggers and his cohorts since the first 826 opened in 2002. Storytelling leaders Reina Hardy and Kait Steele provided just enough theatricality to keep the kids not just engaged but also genuinely excited about the project.
“So, do any of you know what it means to create an original story?” asked Hardy.
The kids went through the basics–plot, setting, character–and decided upon a fantastical tale of a half-lizard, half-dog named Craig. As the plot took shape on a large screen at the front of the room, typist Heather DeWar started misspelling words with suspicious consistency. With each errant key-stroke, she was immediately alerted by this bright group of 3rd graders.
While the class learned to collaborate and explore concepts such as conflict and metaphor, another call came in from Admiral Moody. He wanted to see the first page. Two brave students walked to the curtain near the closet in which he resides, and a blue-gloved hand reached out and snatched the page. Luckily, he liked the direction of the story, ambitiously titled “The Dogzilla Adventures, Vol. 1.”
Meanwhile, O’Brien and Executive Director Leah Guenther led the rest of the volunteers as they assembled the book jackets. The key, according to Eggers, is to provide all the kids with something tangible to show from the day’s workshop.
“A lot of what 826 does, and what a lot of teachers do, is try to create outside audiences for the students’ work,” said Eggers in a phone interview from San Francisco. “So it’s not just the teacher anymore, it’s not just your parents. . . . Because a different kind of motivation kicks in, and maybe a higher level of quality, if they know all the parents, or some third-party audience, are going to see the product of their work.”
But just as things were cruising along, Admiral Moody dropped a bombshell. “I’ve changed my mind,” he said, inserting a lengthy dramatic pause. “Now I need 25 stories.”
Pandemonium erupted as the instructors tried to keep their composure. The kids didn’t quite know what to do.
But one student had a brilliant idea. If all 25 could come up with their own unique endings, they could deliver on Moody’s request. The room was abuzz as the kids worked on their customized endings, colored their covers and wrote their author bios. Soon, they were called out by name by the notoriously fickle publisher and found out that all of their stories had been approved, a bright gold star affixed to each and every cover.
Nothing wasted
“I was really impressed. [This was] definitely the most educational field trip I’ve been on,” said their teacher, Caitlan Dorsey, as she herded the children back to the school bus. “There was no wasted time. And the use of props and characters was more professionally done than I could do.”
During the post-field-trip lunch, burgeoning populist author Matthew Rajic offered his assessment.
“I enjoyed it a lot,” he said. “I’m going to make more copies and I’m going to give it to the people so they can read it.”
For more information on 826CHI, visit www.826chi.org.
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q@tribune.com
