Before Javier Zamora spoke with Dave Eggers and a packed house of 826LA supporters, volunteers, and students on October 26—before the champagne toast celebrating the 10th anniversary of the organization’s Mar Vista location—he sat down at a table in the back of the writing lab and made himself at home among the students who were there for after-school tutoring.
“[826] feels like home,” he would tell the crowd later. As a high school student in the early 2000s, he was an intern at 826 Valencia, where he was eager to soak up every bit of knowledge he could from the writers who frequented the San Francisco chapter of 826.
This October afternoon, he admired the intricate illustrations that tutoring student Damian had drawn to accompany a story. Dave joined Javier and Damian, the two of them at ease in a space that Javier described as “making writing and being a nerd okay.”
Before Javier came to 826 Valencia, he made a three-thousand-mile journey—unaccompanied, as a nine-year-old—from his native El Salvador to Northern California, where his parents had migrated years before. That trip is the subject of his best-selling memoir, Solito.
As a poet, he’d touched on those experiences, but a therapist helped him see that a part of himself remained stuck in the desert between countries. He began the memoir as an act of excavation and exorcism, and to honor the fellow migrants who helped him survive.
“For twenty years, I believed what politicians said about immigrants, which was mostly negative,” Javier said. In writing the memoir, “I took agency. Immigrants are more than our trauma.”
Yes, there were treacherous encounters with police and a two-week trip that expanded into months. But there was also intense camaraderie and “the best fish I’ve ever eaten in my life” in Acapulco.
“Writing has given me power over my own narrative, which gives me a shot at healing,” he said. “Writing is the cheapest form of therapy—but it’s not everything. I also recommend getting a therapist.”
826LA agrees. Executive Director Jaime Balboa spoke about the organization’s goals for the years ahead, which include doubling the number of students served, and incorporating mindfulness practices into writing sessions.
When audience members directed questions at Dave, he was quick to turn the tables and get students talking about their own experiences as writers.
A third-grader named Aurora summed it up: “826 lets you express your feelings. I get to write what I want, what I feel.”
Just how the organization creates such possibilities is a continually changing recipe with a few core ingredients: a space that captures the imagination, prompts that make writing fun, and encouraging volunteers who work with students one on one.
Alluding to an opportunity gap between students in wealthier vs. poorer communities that has only grown in the wake of COVID-19, Dave said, “It’s up to programs like this to fill that gap. This is so unique—this low-tech environment, that undivided attention.”
A student named Esmerelda asked Javier, “Was the American dream worth it?”
Acknowledging his gratitude for the many fellowships and accolades he’s received, Javier said, “My problem with the American dream is that it’s only available for less than one percent of people. Everything I’ve won, I’m in the less-than-one-percent.”
The audience applauded loudly; a unifying factor among 826 supporters is a belief that high-quality education and creative opportunities should be available to every student. They left that evening with signed copies of Solito, Dave’s newest novel, The Every, and a renewed commitment to helping students write and heal.
To donate or volunteer with 826LA, please visit 826LA.org.