News & Events

826CHI is Hiring!

May 16th—

826CHI is hiring a Director of Education:

The position:
The Director of Education oversees all educational programming at 826CHI, This includes the strategic direction, planning, execution, and evaluation of all student-centered programming. The Director of Education is second in command to the Executive Director, managing and mentoring program staff and interns to ensure the high quality of educational programming provided to students, teachers, and families. In addition to often working directly with students, the Director of Education also manages, with the support of the Volunteer Coordinator, all volunteers who facilitate programming.

The successful candidate:
Along with teaching experience, we seek someone with a proven passion for writing, teaching, and learning, exhibited through a documented involvement in teaching writing. This person is a skilled communicator (to all ages and all levels of learners), is flexible with his/her schedule (this position requires some evening and weekend availability), is engaging creative, and dedicated. The successful candidate will exhibit an attitude that is equal parts can-do and can-inspire-others-to-do, and will have put this attitude to the test already while managing others.

CLICK HERE for a full position description.
Click here read a letter from Zach, who leaves is leaving his position to return to teaching.

A Letter from our Director of Education

May 16th—

From Zach Duffy to YOU—

Thank you! If you’ve been a volunteer, a student, a parent, a teacher, a donor, a Board member, or a fellow staff member at 826CHI some time in the last four years, you’ve played a part in making those four years some of the greatest of my life.

This isn’t a goodbye letter, because even though I’m leaving 826CHI as a staff member (yes, I purposely buried the lede on this one), I’ll continue to be a volunteer, as I was for two years before joining the staff. So while you won’t see me around as much, you will still see me around.

This August, however, I’ll be heading back to the classroom, where I’ll continue one of my lifelong dreams: being a high school English teacher. Ironically, (at least I think this is irony. For someone about to be a high school English teacher, I’m always woefully insecure about what is and isn’t irony.) my time at 826 is exactly what has inspired me and given me the confidence to return to the classroom.

This was not an easy decision. 826CHI is the most inspiring, engaging, and creative place I’ve ever worked. Like many of you out there, when I first heard about it, I felt like someone had snuck into my brain and stolen the idea and executed it in a far more clever way than I ever would have been capable of. And while my work at 826CHI has been the most demanding of my career, it has also—by a longshot—been the most rewarding.

So once again, thank you. You are all a part of the most ridiculously awesome (and I mean that in the traditional sense of the word—causing or inducing awe) communities I’ve ever had the privilege to be a part of.

To view the Director of Education position description and apply, please click here.

826CHI’s Associate Board Presents: Prologue

May 15th—

PROLOGUE: A Cocktail Kickoff to the Chicago Tribune’s Printers Row Lit Fest

In partnership with Chicago Tribune and sponsored by PUBLIC Chicago, an Ian Schrager Hotel, Prologue invites guests to our signature event to kick off Printers Row Lit Fest. Join us for a night of hors d'oeuvres, complimentary beverages, and a raffle of luxe prize packages--all in support of the educational programming of 826CHI.

Event details and ticketing information can be found here: www.826chi.org/prologue.
Click here for information about 826CHI's Associate Board.

Summer Programming

May 13th—

As you may have seen on our Workshops page, our summer programs are totally full. In fact, these workshops filled up within mere minutes of the registration going live! 

We apologize if you or your students weren't able to sing up for as many workshops as you had hoped—we cut back on this summer's program offerings to facilitate the transition into our new space. However! If you can hold onto your excitement until the fall, we will host a slew of fantastic writing programs in our brand new home—1276 N. Milwaukee.

More information about our move can be found here.

Dave Eggers Book Signing at 826CHI

May 12th—

On Tuesday, May 20th from 6:30-7:30pm, award-winning author and 826 co-founder Dave Eggers will be signing books at 826CHI & The Boring Store, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Eggers's works will be available for purchase inside The Boring Store during this time. This event is free and open to the public!

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