Young authors and artists from all over the world now have a permanent space in which to showcase their work. A joint publishing venture between McSweeney’s and 826 Valencia’s charitable arm, the Hawkins Project, has donated funds to establish the International Library of Youth Writing. The exhibit space in San Francisco, which is located directly across the street at 849 Valencia, will house myriad collections of books from youth writing centers, in addition to hosting writing workshops and other events for the public.
By the Writers, for the Writers
Since 2002, 826 Valencia and its sister centers have produced books from writers ages 18 and under, while individual writing facilities have archived these works and local libraries have stocked them on shelves. Author Dave Eggers, 826 Valencia co-founder (and Newbery Medalist), said, “By our best guess, all the 60-odd centers worldwide have together published about 5,000 anthologies, quarterlies, novels, chapbooks, and zines, so we figured it was high time there was a place to see them all—or as many as we could find.”
Offering a welcoming space for visitors, the library is outfitted with cherry wood-stained bookshelves, mahogany tables, Persian rugs, satin-covered chairs, and more than 100 pillows for lounging and reading. The tech-free zone will also feature doors that lead to secret rooms—one of which accesses McSweeney’s—a teen-only mezzanine lounge area and other amenities designed to be what Eggers described as “appropriately weird. In an era where too many libraries are made to look like airports, we’re trying to go in a different direction.”
McSweeney’s has culled book collections from approximately 50 youth writing centers from the U.S., Europe, and Australia. Of note is the wide array of books that mark historic moments in young readers’ lives: from letters to Presidents Obama and Trump, to books by Dreamers and essays written by incarcerated youth. “I really do think, more than any other form of expression, this library is a document of young minds. It’s the full spectrum of young voices,” Eggers said.
Funding for the library has been provided by the Hawkins Project, along with proceeds from silkscreen prints handmade by Eggers (his studio is located in 849 Valencia’s basement). “At the moment, we are seeking additional support for the library initiative to complete construction on the expanded space and to staff the library [who will] help create and oversee its programming,” McSweeney’s publisher and Hawkins Project CEO Amanda Uhle told PW. “It’s a thrilling time to be putting this together, especially because of the tremendous community response so far.”
Natural Synergy
While McSweeney’s and 826 Valencia have a shared history, the library at 849 Valencia will soon establish its own connection with the latter. 826 Valencia currently hosts field trips where students write and illustrate stories, which are then bound into books. “Copies of those books, hundreds each year, will be kept in our new library, so it will be a fun cap to the field trip,” Eggers explained. “Classes will walk across the street to immortalize their work by making their creation part of our permanent collection.”
Although the library is still in its infancy, it has already welcomed numerous young authors who brought their families and former teachers to see their work. Author events will be added to the calendar beginning in February, featuring Mac Barnett, Shawn Harris, Lisa Brown and Lemony Snicket, to name a few. The library will also collaborate with 826 Valencia to host publishing classes and workshops, all of which will be promoted on a forthcoming website.
Eggers and Uhle are excited about the opportunity and exposure that the library affords young writers. “It’s another way we try to tell young people that what they say matters—and that it matters that they say it now,” Eggers said. “They might forget what they thought at a certain age, in a certain moment in history, but these books will not forget.”
