826 Valencia

826 Valencia All of our programs are offered free of charge to students, schools, and families. Right. Like peg legs. Like dental floss for ogres.

826 Valencia is a nonprofit organization in San Francisco dedicated to supporting under-resourced students ages 6 to 18 with their writing skills, helping teachers get their students excited about writing, and cultivating wonder. 826 Valencia is a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting under-resourced students ages six to eighteen with their writing skills, and to helpi

ng teachers get their students excited about writing. Our work is based on the understanding that great leaps in learning can be made when trained and caring volunteers work one-on-one with students and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.

826 Valencia comprises two writing centers—our flagship location in the Mission District and a new center in the Tenderloin neighborhood—and three satellite classrooms at nearby schools. We also have a Pirate Supply Store at our location on Valencia St., offering wares for the working buccaneer. And at our Tenderloin Center you can visit King Carl's Emporium, with its selection of supplies curated by explorers of worlds both real and imaginary. Both stores also sell our publications of our students' writing, and the proceeds from the store go straight to our free programs. Check out 826valencia.org if you're interested in volunteering, donating, or participating in our programs!

We’ve made it to the end of the school year! ☀️ Throughout May, we wrapped up our school year across our Writing Centers...
06/10/2026

We’ve made it to the end of the school year! ☀️ Throughout May, we wrapped up our school year across our Writing Centers and partner schools, publishing over 5,000 student authors. Our publication release parties were filled with so much pride, joy, and gratitude. Students received their freshly printed books, signed each other’s copies, and proudly performed their work. 🗣️ 📚 Some students, like our Sanchez Elementary third- to fifth-graders, became published authors for the first time! Thank you to our tutors who supported students with their writing, to the artists who designed these beautiful books, to the photographer volunteers who helped us capture these moments, and to everyone who joined us in support and celebration.

🏃‍➡️ We are at a pivotal moment at 826 Valencia, raising the final $175K of our $25M Growth and Sustainability Campaign by June 30. Every gift to 826 Valencia is a joyful investment in the young authors who are shaping our future. Will you join us during this final stretch? Learn more here: https://bit.ly/3VP0ewA

📸 Photo 1 by Kathy Raffel
📸 Photos 2–5 by 826 Valencia staff
🎨 “I’ll Be the One” cover illustration by Robert Liu-Trujillo
🎨 “Life of Sanchez Kids” cover illustration by Sendy Santamaria
Alt text: Images of 826 Valencia students holding their publications and performing their work in classrooms and on stages.

📚 🌞 We’re inviting our students to join the 826 Valencia Summer Reading Challenge! After reading one of these three book...
06/08/2026

📚 🌞 We’re inviting our students to join the 826 Valencia Summer Reading Challenge! After reading one of these three books and completing a writing activity, students are invited to join us for a celebration at our Book-a-Palooza. You can find the books at the library or stop at your local 826 Valencia Writing Center to read them! Learn more and find the writing prompts here: https://bit.ly/4g5Log7
Alt text: The images include a promotional poster for the 826 Valencia Summer Reading Challenge. It features illustrations of three books: "A Map for Falasteen" (grades K–5, available in English), "Mexikid" (grades 6–8, available in English and Spanish), and "It Won't Always Be like This" (grades 9–12, available in English and Arabic). The text indicates there will be a prize for turning in the writing activity.

What does it feel like to become San Francisco’s first Youth Vice Poet Laureate? Aisha McCulloch reflected on what this ...
06/05/2026

What does it feel like to become San Francisco’s first Youth Vice Poet Laureate? Aisha McCulloch reflected on what this moment means to her:

“It is such an amazing honor to be San Francisco’s Youth Vice Poet Laureate—to be a cultural ambassador for our city and to proudly represent all the communities I’m part of, from my family to my high school to places like Youth Speaks, SFFILM, and 826 Valencia, where I have grown as an artist. Poetry is a uniquely powerful way to amplify voices that often go unheard, and I hope that my words ring true for the young people in our city.”

🏃‍➡️ We're currently in the home stretch of an ambitious fundraising goal to support 826 Valencia's growth and sustainability—aiming to raise the final $175K by June 30 so we can continue to expand and deepen our support for young writers like Aisha. If you can chip in today, your gift will be doubled! Show your support here: https://bit.ly/3VP0ewA

🎨 Portrait by KL Murphy
Alt text: Illustration of San Francisco Youth Vice Poet Laureate, Aisha McCulloch, alongside the logos of the collaborating partners of the San Francisco Youth Poet Laureate program, and an excerpt from McCulloch's poem, "I Share a Sky with My Ancestors," which includes the lines: “I know just this: my body is a gift. My melanin tells me of my stained past but also—that the sun loves to wrap me in a warm embrace.”

🐟 ADOPT-A-FISH! 🏴‍☠️Our handmade knit fish are searching for forever seas.For a suggested adoption donation of $60–$80, ...
06/04/2026

🐟 ADOPT-A-FISH! 🏴‍☠️

Our handmade knit fish are searching for forever seas.

For a suggested adoption donation of $60–$80, you’ll receive:

⚓ Your very own knit fish
⚓ An official adoption certificate
⚓ A one-of-a-kind fish biography

Each fish is lovingly handmade by Susan Birnbaum, local artist and longtime 826 Valencia volunteer. Browse the full school of fish and choose your matey before they swim away: https://www.shop826valencia.org/adopt-a-fish/

📫 Adopted fish are sent to their new homes at the end of each month.
Alt text: Adopt-a-Fish poster that reads “limited supply!” with photos of several knitted fish and other sea animals hanging from a window display.

We’re hiring! We’re looking for a visionary fundraising leader who inspires stakeholders to invest in 826 Valencia’s mis...
06/01/2026

We’re hiring! We’re looking for a visionary fundraising leader who inspires stakeholders to invest in 826 Valencia’s mission and programs. 💫 Find out more and apply here: https://bit.ly/4wYkgWB
Alt text: Job advertisement for a Development Director position at 826 Valencia. The organization's website is included: 826valencia.org/careers

Back in January, we launched the 2026 Young Authors' Book Project at Thurgood Marshall Academic High School. We worked w...
05/29/2026

Back in January, we launched the 2026 Young Authors' Book Project at Thurgood Marshall Academic High School. We worked with tenth-grade newcomer classes, and students read Solito, a memoir by 826 Valencia alum and award-winning, best-selling author Javier Zamora. They explored the question of “How does where I come from make me strong?” through poetry and narrative writing. In April, Zamora visited the students, spoke with them, answered questions, and wrote the foreword to their publication, I Carry This Memory with Me.

Your support helps make experiences like this possible for students across San Francisco. As we work toward the final stretch of our $25M Growth & Sustainability Campaign, every gift helps us expand access to programs that uplift youth voice, creativity, and belonging. Will you help us get to the finish line? If you give by June 30, your impact will be doubled, and you will be entered into a raffle with fantastic prizes. Learn more and make a donation here: https://bit.ly/3VP0ewA

📸: Michelle Tran
Alt text: Students gather in a classroom for a book talk and discussion with author Javier Zamora. The images show students listening, presenting, and engaging in conversation surrounded by bookshelves, classroom materials, and copies of Solito.

05/27/2026

826 Valencia, Youth Speaks, San Francisco Public Library, and the Mayor’s Office are accepting applications for San Francisco’s Youth Poet Laureate Program! All young poets and aspiring writers ages 14–19 in San Francisco are encouraged to apply! 📝 We will choose 20 students to join a workshop series in the fall. After the sessions, two cohort members will be selected to serve as San Francisco's Youth Poet Laureate and Vice Laureate. Apply now for this exciting opportunity to be cultural ambassadors for our city. 🌉 🤩 Learn more here: https://bit.ly/49YX7cz

🎥: Maya Pisciotto and Fabian Aguirre at The Understory
Alt text: Video clip of San Francisco Youth Poet Laureate Karan Gupta reflecting on the San Francisco Youth Poet Laureate program and his experience being elected. The video interweaves interview footage with moments from the showcase featuring the rest of the San Francisco Youth Poet Laureate cohort.

05/22/2026

What does it look like when young people are empowered to tell their stories? 🎤 ✨

At this year’s Bookeaters’ Bash, 826 Valencia students filled the room with their bold voices, big ideas, and fearless imagination. Academy Award–nominated actor Delroy Lindo, who spoke about the importance of storytelling and the healing power of creativity, left us with the perfect sendoff: “Right on, and write on.” ✍️

As we work toward reaching our $25M Growth and Sustainability Campaign goal by June 30, we’re investing in young storytellers, writers, and leaders who will carry San Francisco into its next chapter. Will you join us in the final stretch of our campaign? If you give now, your impact will be doubled and you will be entered into a raffle with fantastic prizes. Learn more and make a donation here: https://bit.ly/42UCpqq

📽️: Frank Romano
Alt text: Video of 826 Valencia students performing at the organization’s annual fundraising gala, featuring a portion of Delroy Lindo’s speech at the event.

Join us next Wednesday, May 27, at 5 pm for the release of We Speak, Therefore We Are, a new collection of writing by 82...
05/20/2026

Join us next Wednesday, May 27, at 5 pm for the release of We Speak, Therefore We Are, a new collection of writing by 826 Valencia’s youth leaders and students in our Black Students Initiative. 🗣️ Hear from the authors themselves, build community, and celebrate our future leaders at the San Francisco Public Library’s Koret Auditorium. 📚 This is a free community event. Learn more and RSVP here: https://bit.ly/49UPrrF

*Youth Leadership Programs at 826 Valencia presented in partnership with: San Francisco Public Library, Mastering Cultural Identity (MCI) Classes, and SFUSD’s African American Achievement Leadership Initiative (AAALI)

📸: Stefan Gruenwedel
Alt text: Poster invitation featuring an image of an 826 Valencia student performing, along with the 826 Valencia logo.

Ahoy, book lovers! 🏴‍☠️ 📚 The third installment of our Book of the Month series is proud to present: The 826 Valencia Qu...
05/17/2026

Ahoy, book lovers! 🏴‍☠️ 📚 The third installment of our Book of the Month series is proud to present: The 826 Valencia Quarterly, volume 33. This anthology is a gem-filled treasure chest of poetry, personal essays, letters, odes, and stories from students across all our programs. Within these pages, they chart courses through family, friendship, identity, memory, culture, cats, burritos, basketball dreams, and everything in between. Some titles we love:

🌍 Why I Want to Get to Africa
🧋 My Boba Family
🌅 Summertime Nostalgia
🐈 My Friend Who Is a Cat Named Dog
🏀 Before Becoming an NBA Legend
🫧 Museum of Smells
🍕 Arizmendi’s Amazing Pizza

Get your copy here: https://bit.ly/3RJP256

🖌️ Book cover illustration by Michael Wertz
🎨 Design by Lucy Gosline-Ratliff and Tony Manalo
📸 Photo by Janel Kajisa
Alt text: Image of the 826 Valencia Quarterly, volume 33, book cover with a photo of a student performing on stage. The featured excerpt from “Summertime Nostalgia,” by Mei C. (age 15), reads: We stargazed on slip n’ slides / Laughing about the things only best friends know / While mosquitoes bit us to the bone / We were sisters from different blood / Had an untouchable bond that strung our hearts together / We cried in each other’s arms while the sun embraced our bodies

Address

826 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA
94110

Opening Hours

Monday 12pm - 6pm
Tuesday 12pm - 6pm
Wednesday 12pm - 6pm
Thursday 12pm - 6pm
Friday 12pm - 6pm
Saturday 12pm - 6pm
Sunday 12pm - 6pm

Telephone

+14156425905

Website

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