826 Boston Event Tonight!

"Get to Know Us By Filling in the __ : An Evening of Literary & Musical Entertainment" will be from 6 to 9 pm tonight, May 23, at 647 Boylston Street.

Clear your calendars because 826 Boston, the soon-to-be-opened Massachusetts division of the writing school that started in San Francisco, is holding its inaugural fundraiser.

"Get to Know Us By Filling in the __ : An Evening of Literary & Musical Entertainment" promises to get the creative juices flowing, which is the overall purpose of 826 National. Dave Eggers opened 826 Valencia in San Francisco. On the outside, 826 Valencia looks like any ol' pirate supply store.

But, in the back, children are busy taking classes and sharpening their writing skills. They also benefit from tutors and far more attention than they'd get in the schools. And they might get published in one of 826 National's many publications. Oh, and it's free for the students - which means that all kids can benefit.

826 divisions have popped up in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, and Michigan, and the writing schools masquerade as pirate supply shops, time travel supply shops, monster supply shops, and more. Now it's Boston's turn. Authors Charles Coe, Julia Glass, Tom Perrotta, and Heidi Pitlor will be reading and presenting unfinished works that you, the audience, get to finish.

Coe, a poet, was praised by former Dig editor Joe Keohane thusly: "He’s great at parties, gives the best readings in town, and can talk hilariously, at length, about pretty much anything under the sun—from George Orwell, to Barry Bonds, to house painting, to the volume of the average male ejaculate (10 cc’s, BTW)."

Julia Glass wrote Three Junes and The Whole World Over, and her writing makes the Globe very hungry. Heidi Pitlor released The Birthdays and edits Best American Short Stories. You've probably heard of Perrotta, who wrote the books that lead to the movies Election and Little Children.