I first learned of Dave Eggers last May when attending my son’s graduation at Brown University. I was so taken by his personal story and hoped that I could share a video with you taken that day. At this time I am unable to get the equipment and software together to do so, thus I will offer the following biography from the IMDB and then a video, and you will see: Dave is an inspiration; we should all know of him and what he has given the world. Then we should follow his lead.

 Mini Biography

When Dave Eggers was 21 and living in Lake Forest, Illinois, both his parents died of cancer five weeks apart, leaving Eggers to raise his 8-year-old brother, Christopher. He moved to California and, though he tried to continue his life as a cool young San Francisco bohemian, he was also leading a not-so-secret double life as a single “dad” raising a son in Berkeley. In 1993, Eggers founded the now-defunct Might Magazine. After a brief stint as a writer at Esquire, he published a tragicomic memoir entitled “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius”, recounting his family tragedies. The book became the literary sensation of the year; Eggers was hailed as “the J.D. Salinger of Generation X”, and the book was a runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize. In 1998, Eggers returned to the avant-garde magazine world with the eccentric www.McSweeneys.net online magazine. This developed into Timothy McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, a literary quarterly that comes out in a different form every issue and contains top-notch fiction from today’s leading writers. McSweeney’s has since grown into McSweeney’s Publishing which publishes two print magazines, “McSweeney’s” and “The Believer”, and prize-winning books. Eggers is the co-founder of 826 Valencia and 826NYC, non-profit student tutoring centers in San Francisco and Brooklyn, respectively. The front of 826 Valencia is a Pirate Supply Store; the front of 826NYC is a Superhero Supply Company. All proceeds from each store go toward the tutoring centers.

Dave Eggers: 2008 TED Prize wish: Once Upon a School

15 CommentsChronological   Reverse   Threaded

reply starfishred wrote on Jan 30, ’09 Really interesting-thanks

reply billatplay wrote on Jan 30, ’09 A good man.

reply shirgy wrote on Jan 30, ’09 well of course I knew of him… I am from Berkeley and San Francisco!!!!

reply sugarpiehuny wrote on Jan 30, ’09, edited on Jan 30, ’09 “The front of 826 Valencia is a Pirate Supply Store”  Thank You, loved the story…He is a handsome Pirate!

reply sassyangelac wrote on Jan 30, ’09 Ah, the irony!  I’ve had two of his books sitting on my desk waiting to be read for weeks and weeks now.

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jan 30, ’09 sugarpiehuny said “The front of 826 Valencia is a Pirate Supply Store”  Thank You, loved the story…He is a handsome Pirate! and a wonderful man!

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jan 30, ’09 sassyangelac said Ah, the irony!  I’ve had two of his books sitting on my desk waiting to be read for weeks and weeks now. Sassy, I was so impressed by his speech at my son’s commencement; I was awe-striken. I should get a hold of his books, too.

reply sugarpiehuny wrote on Jan 30, ’09 Ah, I’m on my way to the book store.. might just see what I can find!  Thanks

reply mntsinger wrote on Jan 30, ’09 an inspiration to all 🙂 thanks

reply watersong wrote on Jan 30, ’09 I just love these TED offerings.  So much to absorb and consider.

reply sharons7th wrote on Jan 31, ’09 OH this was fantastic. Such inventive imagination put to goo use. Bravo!

reply darlene57 wrote on Jan 31, ’09 ah a great mentor, indeed.  |:~)

reply nomorybr wrote on Feb 1, ’09 wow, how many people can do this??  Im always fascinated by men who bite the bullet and raise children alone, It just seems that there are so few.  What a wonderful guy

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Feb 1, ’09 and, the child he raised was not his child–raising a sibling is a different story. An orphan raising a sibling. Very sad.

reply opossumd wrote on Feb 9, ’09 A truly remarkable person. He’s got an exhaustible drive and an huge sense of humour. He’s able to concretise dreams. We need more people like Dave everywhere (and like you, my sister!)