BIG CLASS

Big Class's mission is to cultivate and support the voices of New Orleans' young writers through creative collaborations with schools and communities. We run a writing studio on St. Claude Ave. that hosts free workshops and homework help, and create in-school projects in collaboration with teachers that enrich writing experiences through artistic collaborations. Learn more at bigclass.org.

[bigclass]

On Thursday, October 20th, join Big Class at the Felicity Church for A Dark and Stormy Night. Tickets available here.

This one-of-a-kind Halloween literary costume and cocktail party will center around a ghost story cocktail contest and feature all sorts of spooky surprises.

A Dark and Stormy Night benefits Big Class’s programs that help young people become published authors with the support of caring volunteers, building their toolbox of literacy skills and boosting their confidence in the process. Last year, A Dark and Stormy Night was a raging success, named one of NOLA.com’s 11 Best Parties of 2015.

Do the Monster Mash to tunes by Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra during our Patron Hour and DJ Ann Glaviano of Heatwave, who will be spinning throughout the night.

Participate in a Ghost Story Auction featuring award-winning authors like Dave Eggers, R.L. Stine, and Walter Isaacson, plus items like Saints tickets, hotel stays, amazing nights out in New Orleans, signed books, and much more.

Sip tasty spirits during our Ghost Story Cocktail Contest featuring some of the best cocktail bars in New Orleans, including Balise, Bar Tonique, The Bombay Club, Catalouha Hotel, Cafe Henri, Kingfish, Loa, Movers and Shakers, Oxalis, Pirogue's Whiskey Bayou, and Treo.

Sample spookily amazing food by Debbie Does Doberge, Frady’s, Mona’s, The Munch Factory, Pizza Delicious, Press Street Station, and Vaucresson Sausage Co.

To celebrate our unique ‘haunting supply company’ that will serve as the portal to our Youth Writing Center in the 7th Ward (opening in Summer 2017), and to raise essential funds during a crucial year of growth, we’re thrilled to welcome you to our second annual celebration of spirits and ghost stories.

[bigclass]

[bigclass]

“Big Class is not just a writing program. It’s like a movement. Kids’ voices are getting heard.”

Support the movement. Support Big Class today, GiveNOLA Day. 

https://givenola.org/npo/big-class

All donations matched by 826 National.

[bigclass]

https://givenola.org/npo/big-class

In Big Class programs, young people are transformed into published authors with the support of caring volunteers, building their arsenal of literacy skills and boosting their confidence in the process.

This GiveNOLA Day (today!), support Big Class’s free programs for New Orleans youth.

[bigclass]

A big thank you to our May volunteer of the month, Kesha! 

[bigclass]

Congrats to our April Volunteer of the Month, Maria!

Interested in volunteering? Head to bigclass.org/volunteerapp to sign up. 

[bigclass]

Congrats to Grace, our March volunteer of the month! Grace is one of our most consistent and dedicated volunteers, and has already clocked in more than 50 volunteer hours this school year working with the young writer at Akili Academy.

Interested in volunteering? Head to bigclass.org/volunteerapp to fill out an application. 

[bigclass]

Congrats to our February volunteer of the month, Erin!

Interested in learning more or becoming a volunteer? Fill out an application at bigclass.org/volunteerapp!

[bigclass]

Big Class is seeking artists to illustrate students’ stories for an upcoming publication! Email [email protected] to learn more.

[bigclass]

Big thank you to January’s volunteer of the month, Dr. Rick! 

Interested in learning more or becoming a volunteer? Fill out an application at bigclass.org/volunteerapp!

[bigclass]

A huge thank you to December’s volunteer of the month, intern extraordinaire Will Livingston Smith! Will has been a consistent, positive presence at Big Class @ Akili over the past semester, where he’s assisted with a 3rd grade bookmaking class, lead workshops in middle school aftercare, and much more!

Interested in volunteering or interning with Big Class? Head to bigclass.org/volunteerapp to fill out an application and sign up for an upcoming volunteer orientation

[bigclass]

In 2015 Big Class published over 30 books, newspapers, and 'zines (and countless pizza boxes) featuring over 1000 young writers ages 6-18 from throughout New Orleans writing made-up stories about new planets, comics and essays about real-life superheroes, thoughtful letters to America, poetry about history and social justice and New Orleans, and so much more.

This was also the year Big Class became an independent 501c3 nonprofit organization, hired a talented, passionate staff, received over 1500 hours of volunteer support, launched a Haunting Supply Company, entered Chapter Development with 826 National, and laid the groundwork for our Youth Writing Center. We also threw one of the 11 best parties of the year to support it all (seriously, check this out).

Thanks to everyone who made it happen, especially to all the brilliant young people who light the way. Together we're going to make big things happen in 2016.

[bigclass]

A big shout out to Jenna Knoblach, November’s Volunteer of the Month! Jenna has been a consistent volunteer with numerous Big Class projects over the years, from Pizza Poetry to Open Studio, and this year you can find her every Tuesday at Akili aftercare.

Jenna will also be leading the Undrawable Stories workshop coming up Wednesday, November 18th: “Something I’m really excited about is leading the Undrawable Stories workshop this year. Students will write a narrative that is so strange, so bizarre that it will be simply impossible to illustrate.  At Press Street’s 24-hour Draw-a-Thon, artists will make the stories come to life.  This exercise leads young writers to think with images in mind. Communication, for me, has always been visual--whether it is with art or with words.”

Interested in becoming a volunteer? Click here to learn more and sign up!

[bigclass]

[bigclass]

Big Class is seeking artists to illustrate students’ stories for an upcoming publication! Email [email protected] to learn more.

[bigclass]

Zipporah Legarde has been a constant, energizing presence in our programs and a creative, thoughtful voice on our Volunteer Leadership Krewe since the beginning of last school year. As she prepares to move to Boston, we're thrilled to announce her as our Volunteer of the Month!

[bigclass]

A big Big Class shout out to Glynnis, August’s Volunteer of the Month! Glynnis has been a huge supporter behind the scenes at Big Class, designing our Pizza Poetry anthology, helping to coordinate the Pizza Poetry blog, and supporting our many fundraising efforts (including the upcoming Dark and Stormy Night) as part of our Volunteer Leadership Krewe. Without folks like Glynnis, our books and marketing materials wouldn’t be so pretty, and our events wouldn’t be so fun! 

Interested in becoming a Big Class volunteer? Click here to learn more and sign up.