This week, I was tidying and straightening up the wonderful office of 826LA West when I came across a stack of papers from this weekend's workshop. It appears that the children were given a prompt to include an ice cream truck in their stories, and each group did so with ease and amazing creativity. However, one jumped out at me, as it was the most creative and bizarre story of them all.

"The Ice Cream Dream" tells the story of two friends, Thomas and John, who are forced to deal with the consequences after Thomas's dream comes true. In said dream, an evil scientist named Dr. Brain Freeze stole John's ice cream truck and concocted a special ice cream that would turn anyone over the age of 22 into a cockroach. However, the most interesting part describes how Thomas and John defeated the now-real Dr. Brain Freeze by utilizing their knowledge of his strange, and unusual, weakness.

And on to the story...

Dr. Brain Freeze: I'm Dr. Brain Freeze. Finders keepers losers weepers. And this is my secret formula!
John: But give it back! I've got a pen!
Dr. Brain Freeze: Oh no! Office supplies are my weakness! I gotta scram!
Thomas: Just get outta here!
(Dr. Brain Freeze runs away)

*applause applause applause*

C'mon, you know you want to. This is definitely an example of how amazing and creative the stories from workshop are. Yay workshop!

About a month ago, the programming folk at 826LA borrowed a Duel Starter Kit from the Time Travel Mart, pulled out a white glove, and sent it to the 826NYC programming staff along with this note:

826NYC,

We demand satisfaction.

Love,
826LA

p.s. Consider yourselves slapped.

826NYC sensibly responded by email. To minimize bodily harm and maximize ego bruising, we determined our students would act as our proxies, metaphorically dueling via a Tabletop Moviemaking contest. Four groups of students would attend an 826/Tabletop workshop in each city; the resulting movies would be posted on YouTube; winners would be decided by the number of views and highest average rating.

It's now time to help judge the competition. Follow this link for more on the project, instructions on voting, and (of course) the videos.

Or, just check the videos out below—to rate the videos (on the YouTube site), click the YouTube link in the lower-right corner. Give the best videos (which are probably ours) five stars!

Alyssa is intern of the year 2047. She is one of the few remaining non-robotic creatures existing and must work extra hard to keep up with her mechanical counterparts. She is pursuing her third year as an English major at Pomona College, a major that has become nearly obsolete with the advent of immediate communication and instantaneous absorption of literature. Her hobbies include anti-gravity dancing, drinking Tang, and trying to keep the printed book alive. At 826LA, she is inspired by the children around her, both robotic and human.

"Read, kids! or in robot speak, 'Bleep-Boomp-Bomp!'"--Alyssa M.

Nathalie liveth in the year 1604. A frequent understudy in amateur theatrical productions, she most recently starred as Desdemona in upcoming young playwright Shakespeare's Othello. As a woman, she spendeth her time practicing intricate needlework and attempting to eavesdrop on literature lectures, a burgeoning field, at Claremont McKenna College. In order to escape her mother's dreams of a suitable marriage, she longs for the convent, where she mayeth peruse the library to her heart's content. When she speaketh of her work at 826LA, she doth say "methinks expression lieth in the written word."

Last night, 826LA west's journalism students gathered together in the writing lab to discuss the next issue of The Venice Wave. Our most recent issue, which was published last week (We reported on Juneteenth, professional yo-yo players, writing a screenplay, and all-candy picnics, in case you haven't picked up your copy yet), had a summer theme to focus all of the writing and reporting on This time around, we are looking to do the same.

After throwing around ideas about poverty, saving money, and environmental issue, we decided on conservation as the theme for this issue. (Budding journalist Cesar Guajardo wanted an issue focused on "Dangerous Places," but we chose to avoid legal issues and putting children in jeopardy).

We started a nifty flow chart of ideas, which launched a string of crazy good topics: avoiding theft, gardening in the White House, thrift store shopping, and finding the best cheap noodles Venice restaurants have to offer.

Have some story ideas about conservation that you feel MUST be covered for the next issue? Want to join in on the journalism workshop at 826LA west? Come to the writing lab next Wednesday at 7 p.m. E-mail Julius for more information: julius@826la.org

This article was printed in the June 17 version of The Venice Wave, an 826LA West publication.

Every summer, people celebrate Juneteenth. On June 19th, they think about how great it is that everyone is free and equal. When they think about being free, one person they may think about is Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. used his courage and bravery to make his dream come true. He dreamed of a world where black people and white people could join hands and be equal peacefully. He gave a speech about this dream that gave other black people courage to fight for equality.

Today, black people are equal. That is why Barack Obama can be our president. He gives speeches to black and white people like Martin Luther King’s speeches, asking them to be good and use their courage to get along.

This Juneteenth, people will celebrate by eating a lot of food outside in the park or in the backyard. They will also read the laws that made them free, and sing songs.

Reporting by Jason Ramírez, 3rd Grade, Grand View Elementary

On Tuesday May 29th, 2009 Mr. Hummer’s 5th grade class at Micheltorena Street School hosted an Afternoon of Debate. Students who demonstrated a mastery of several learning standards spent about a month preparing for the Lincoln/Douglas style debates. Everyone wore fancy clothes, refreshments were served, and parents were invited. The five debate topics, and even the debate style were inspired by Mr. Hummer’s class’ unit on the Civil War.

Two of the debaters were none other than 826LA’s own drop in super stars Alex and Oscar! Several other drop in students, and intern Annie, sat down with Alex and Oscar to find out what happened earlier today.

“Why are you wearing those fancy suits?” Pedro, age 8

A: I was in a debate.

O: Because the teacher told us to.

“What is a debate?” Jessica, age 13

A: A debate is when two groups argue over something. Then we do rebuttals - the negative and the positive side each do it. The affirmative side only does rejoinders. After that we are finished. The judges tally up the points, and then you get either a team or individual trophy.

O: When two people fight by arguing.

“Hm. What makes a debate different from an argument?” Annie, intern

A: A debate is when you make speeches, actually, in an argument you just stay stuff and like, you could talk about anything. In a debate they give you something- a topic.

O: Because in the debates, like, there is a lot of people. And you have to say a speech and then they get to ask questions. You have to rebuttal. The affirmative sometime has a rejoinder. In an argument you just like talk.

“What did you debate about?” Annie, intern

A: I debated about affirmative action. The question was: “Should affirmative action laws be repealed?” My topic was the hardest one. Cuz there is not a lot of details to find, because the laws are like confusing. Some other people debated “Should countries in the western hemisphere adopt a common currency?” and about steroids in sports.

O: I debated about whether or not the United States troops should come home from Iraq. I argued the affirmative. Why did I argue the affirmative? Because the teacher chose the teams and he put me there.

“I think you were scared [because you may have never been to a debate]. Were you?” Odalys, age 9

A: I was nervous, not scared. Cuz I have never been in a debate, but I have seen them.

O: I was kinda nervous. But then when I was on the stage, saying my speech, I got over it. The whole auditorium was full!

“How did you get involved with debate?” Annie, intern

A: I finished my homework on time, I turned my projects in on time. So my teacher chose me.

O: Because the teacher does it every year. It wasn’t an option, see, we have to do it. It was like part of our grade.

“How did you prepare for the debate?” Annie, intern

A: I prepared by going to the Internet and finding details about the laws. Its not like laws, its laws about African Americans.

O: I looked it up on the Internet. I went to Google. I wrote my speech down by hand, and then my partner wrote it on the computer.

“How did coming to 826LA help you win the debate?” Annie, intern

A: Yes it did! Like they help on my homework, and on my projects. The teacher said the people who turned in good projects would get to debate, so 826LA helped me do good [on those].

O: Yes. Um, they helped me with my writing.

“What are you holding in that picture?” - Dayanara, age 6

A: It is my certificate. He [Mr. Hummer and the judges] gave it to not all the people, but some of the people - the best people from the negatives and positives from each team.

O: A trophy! It was for the best debate team. I get to keep it. I am going to put it on my shelves.

Alex is ten and goes to Micheltorena Street School. He is in fifth grade. He lives in Echo Park. His favorite thing to do is play video games and sports.

Oscar is ten and goes Micheltorena Street. He is in fifth grade. He lives in Echo Park. He likes to play videogames and play soccer.

On May 31st, 826LA and The J. Paul Getty Museum unveiled the culmination of their joint photography venture: Community PhotoWorks. This year's PhotoWorks project, Attention To Tension, features the work of 11th grade students from Los Angeles High School.

In April, Felicia Perez's U.S. History class visited The Getty and explored the work of photographer Jo Ann Callis ( who spoke to the students, and whose exhibition, Woman Twirling, runs at the Getty Center until August). Jo Ann's work served as a launching point for an in-depth discussion about the art of photography, and how the theme of tension, artistic and historical, could be explored through the medium. Students then worked with Getty and 826LA volunteers to explore where places of tension might be found in their own lives, and how they could use these places to make a personal comment about what they were learning in their History class.

Students then went into their homes, their school and their communities, seeking out places of tension, and photographing them using the techniques they'd learned. Volunteers helped the students cull their work and decide on which piece to include in the exhibition. The photographers were expected not simply to choose which photo they thought was best, but to explain why, and to develop artist statements to define their intentions with the piece.

Attention to Tension opened at The Golden State Cafe on a Sunday afternoon, and it was a genuine community event. The day was a perfect example of what can happen when there is true collaboration. Getty volunteers mingled with 826 staff and volunteers, students and their families, diners, and people simply walking by on the street. The proud artists donned name tags and spoke to guests about their pieces, praising each others work and posing for photos snapped by beaming parents. People congregated in the cafe and outside on the street, enjoying free ice cream from Scoops and great conversation. Interestingly, The Golden State Cafe had been featured on NPR's Good Eats the day before, so beer-float aficionados were aplenty, and didn't mind eager spectators leaning over their tables to check out the mounted works.

Jo Ann Callis had some inspiring words for the students, praising their work, and encouraging them to continue tilling their lives for artistic fodder. One of the students asked, "What if someone asks to buy our photo?" and to this, Callis instilled some valuable words for any artist: "Don't undersell."

Attention to Tension runs until June 13th at The Golden State Cafe, 426 N. Fairfax. While you're there, get a beer float. I promise you, they are heavenly.

We’ve accomplished a lot this year – we’ve had 108 drop in students, we’ve published 7 Dogtown books, including our most recent, Cammeron’s Galactic Empire. 826LA has been published in the McSweeny’s book, Thanks and Have Fun Running the Country, and in Good Magazine.

Drop-in tutoring, the most fundamental program we offer here at 826LA, allows tutors to work one-on-one with students, helping them to do their best on their homework and to master concepts. But it is also a program that encourages and bolsters creativity and a sense of community.

The school year may be coming to a close, but there is a lot to look forward to this coming summer. We will once again be offering ELL camp this July - a camp for young learners to improve both their speaking and written English skills. We will also be offering Reality TV camp. This camp will allow students ( aged 11-18) to write, direct, edit, and produce their own reality TV show. Those young writers not interested in TV can indulge in a workshop on persona poems or documentary films.

Well, I guess it’s time for me to introduce myself. I am Jamie and I’m one of the newest summer interns here at 826LA West. I was born and raised here in West Los Angeles and I am really looking forward to helping out children in the community. If you need a Cliff’s Notes version of who I am, I can be condensed own into two (glorious) sentences:

“Jamie is a sparkling conversationalist who has read entirely too many books about Abraham Lincoln and dreams of one day filling her house with portraits purchased at flea markets of people she does not in any way know. This will not stop her from making up elaborate stories about the previously mentioned people to tell everyone when they ask about her strange choice of art.”

But enough about me. Let’s get down to the interesting stuff. Let’s talk about this past week's field trips at 826LA West.

This past week we have been having some really enthusiastic and talented classes come through the Barnacle & Barnacle publishing house. We have published books about dinosaurs wreaking havoc in San Francisco, a scientist and her pet tiger whose jet packs break down in the middle of forest, an intergalactic soccer team, and a color changing lizard and his ant best friend.

Each group coming through Barnacle & Barnacle had immensely unique ideas (as illustrated in the breadth of subject matter we have published this week) and eager attitudes to learn about story writing. At the end of the day, the children had a good time bailing out their story leader and get a cool book of their own creation out of it.

Yesterday, 826LA East celebrated the publication of “I’m More Handsome Than the Pharaoh,” our most recent chapbook. It contains ruminations about the importance of wheels, the potential of an abandoned warehouse, essential rules for new countries, explorations of space, and descriptions of Egypt’s age of the Pharaohs. The release party included a student reading and heaps of fresh fruit and cupcakes. A jubilant time was had by all. Here is a taste of some of the pieces from the book.

“Kids need to go to school in a school bus. Wheelchairs are appropriate for people who can’t walk.” -Christian Cruz

“I want to be an astronaut. I want to go to the moon and Mars. They would allow me with my good grades.” -Alex Morones

On Pharaohs: “He would dress up in his royal clothes. Then he screams at his servants to make him a delicious breakfast… He would count his money and check to see if the guards caught anyone.” -Melody Muyo

For these and other pieces of wisdom about old and new worlds, check out “I’m More Handsome Than the Pharaoh” at the Echo Park Time Travel Mart. And keep an eye on this blog for next week’s feature on 826LA East’s interns of the year of the week. We combed through the annals of time for the most dedicated interns of the eras, and now we’re introducing them to you!