Sportswriter Camp for kids

826LA, the Venice writing and tutoring center where Mayor Villaraigosa pitched in as a guest editor, has cooked up a new program with the Lakers to help high school students grow as writers. Here's what they say:

826LA is thrilled announce our upcoming Sportswriting Camp in which eight dedicated and talented students have been invited to join sports writers Steven Kotler, Mike Bresnahan, Joe Donnelly, Sam Farmer, and 826LA tutors in an amazing adventure that will take them onto the courts and into the locker rooms of the Los Angeles Lakers. The project will commence February 5th and continue through February 26th.

Over the course of four weeks these eight students, from high schools such as Franklin, Jordan, Venice, and Bell, will meet with the sports writers and 826LA tutors to discuss the art of sports writing. They will attend two Lakers games, interview team players, and workshop their articles. By then end of the camp, each student will have completed a 1000 word article. Steven Kotler. who spearheads the project, is a frequent contributor to The New York Times Magazine, GQ, Wired, Outside, Details, Men’s Journal, and Variety. Mike Bresnahan is the Lakers correspondent for the Los Angeles Times. Sam Farmer is the NFL correspondent for the Los Angeles Times and Joe Donnelly is the Executive Editor of the LA Weekly.

Here's the calendar of upcoming 826LA events.