Dave Eggers' Literacy Efforts Garner Award 10/29/2007 10:36 AM

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Dave Eggers' Literacy Efforts Garner Award 10/29/2007 10:36 AM Los Angeles Times: Dave Eggers' literacy efforts garner award 10/29/2007 10:36 AM http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-et-eggers24oct24,1,3196629.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-nba-lakers From the Los Angeles Times Books & Authors Dave Eggers' literacy efforts garner award Bestselling author and founder of nationwide literacy centers receives the Heinz Award. By Carolyn Kellogg Special to The Times V If literary lions still exist, Dave Eggers is one. His debut, "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius," hit bestseller lists in early 2000, creating a dedicated fan base. Since then, he's helped shepherd McSweeney's, the literary quarterly he founded, led its quirky yet ever-growing publishing concern, edited the annual "Best American Non-Required Reading" anthology and continued to do his creative work. While his critics debate whether he's sold out, whether he's too ironic or too sentimental, whether there is too much realism in his fiction or not enough, Eggers has put his celebrity (and his money) behind a chain of nonprofit literacy centers, the first of which, 826 Valencia, opened in San Francisco's Mission District in 2002. There are six cities with 826 centers, including Los Angeles. On Monday night at a ceremony in Pittsburgh, Eggers was honored for this combination of creative work and community involvement with a 2007 Heinz Award in Arts and Humanities. Founded 13 years ago by Teresa Heinz, the Heinz Awards honor work in technology, the human condition, the environment, public policy and the arts. At 37, Eggers is the youngest winner of a Heinz Award, which comes with a $250,000 prize. He is giving the money directly to the 826 centers. "I think Dave has been a model of somebody wise enough to do good, other-centered things with his good fortune," says author George Saunders, recipient of a 2006 MacArthur Fellowship. "And the 826 centers strike me as being so right-hearted and efficient, just in terms of teaching kids about the importance of the word in our culture." Typically, 826 centers include retail storefronts -- initially a zoning requirement for the San Francisco space -- which have become money- generating flights of fancy for the nonprofits. In San Francisco, students enter though a pirate supply store; in Brooklyn, a superhero store. Seattle offers space travel supply. Only 826LA, in Venice, doesn't have one; although it's near a school, it's not the kind of place a kid might stumble across. But that's changing: Later this year, L.A. will become the first city to have two 826 centers when an additional branch opens at 1714 Sunset Blvd. Down the block from Payless Shoes, this tutoring center will be fronted by the Echo Park Time Travel Mart. It's exactly the kind of place a kid might walk into to finger a dinosaur egg, then wind up in a poetry workshop. Tailored to needs Each 826 raises funds locally. "The idea is that they're all self-sustaining because they're all largely independent," Eggers says. "Every 826 is heavily molded according to the needs of that particular neighborhood and then the city at large. So they're all very different, in a lot of ways." They're also fun. The playfulness of the retail shops is echoed in the work of the literacy centers. In addition to standard tutoring, they emphasize creativity and storytelling. 826LA has published two books of student work, with hands-on help from Lakers Coach Phil Jackson and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. In a popular workshop, kids can make a book and take it home the same day. As the centers nurture creativity in children, Eggers' work grows in interesting ways. He has just written his first screenplay -- for the Spike Jonze film of "Where the Wild Things Are," due out next year. His most recent book, "What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng," reframes the real life story of a Sudanese refugee through a fictional filter. "We needed to breathe life into the skeletal facts of the narrative," Eggers explains. "That's why we decided to call it a novel." These efforts have tangible results; as far as "What Is the What" is concerned, "every book that was sold is a stack of bricks in Marial Bai. There's actually a one-to-one relationship," Eggers says. "The book looks like a brick and it pays for bricks." http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-et-eggers24oct2…37,print.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-nba-lakers&ctrack=1&cset=true Page 1 of 2 Los Angeles Times: Dave Eggers' literacy efforts garner award 10/29/2007 10:36 AM Then there's that $250,000 from the Heinz Family Foundation. "What was really great about hearing about the Heinz Award," he says, "was immediately knowing that I could provide something for all the chapters in a way that I felt like I should." At the ceremony Monday night, Eggers had a nervous energy that was disarming and boyish. "Oh, man, I hate going first," he said as he took the stage, breaking awards ceremony protocol. "I've never been so nervous." Wringing his hands behind the podium, he went on to thank his teachers. "Like it or not, I'm going to name as many as I can," he warned, and to warm laughter, he did. A fitting tribute Eggers' voice caught when he got to his sister's name -- she died in 2002 -- and he had to pause, choked up. He finished by thanking his wife, novelist Vendela Vida, and retreated to his seat on stage, less the golden boy who charmed the audience than someone who still feels the pain of losing a loved one. The interlude was strangely appropriate, because the Heinz Awards were created in memory of Sen. John Heinz (R-Pa.), who was killed in an air crash in 1991 and remains a key figure in the ceremony. Emotions were heightened; other award winners' voices cracked as well. But there seems to be a connection between Eggers' willingness to let his heart break and his boyish exuberance, the play of the 826 centers and his inspired creativity. "What's so great about all the 826s," he suggests, "is how gifted all the people are that run the places, and how fun it is just to see what they come up with. Just watching everything explode and unfold -- it's nice to every so often to be able to help a little bit." If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at latimes.com/archives. Article licensing and reprint options Copyright 2007 Los Angeles Times | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service Home Delivery | Advertise | Archives | Contact | Site Map | Help PARTNERS: http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-et-eggers24oct2…37,print.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-nba-lakers&ctrack=1&cset=true Page 2 of 2.
Recommended publications
  • Dave Eggars Press Release
    EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE Contacts: Jon Newman SEPTEMBER 12, 2007 (804) 788-1414 Russ Martz (412) 497-5775 Author and Founder of Children’s Writing Laboratories Honored with $250,000 Heinz Award for Arts and Humanities Youngest-ever recipient Dave Eggers recognized for literary and philanthropic achievements PITTSBURGH, September 12, 2007 – A critically acclaimed novelist whose meteoric commercial success has helped propel him into the worlds of philanthropy, advocacy and education has been selected to receive the 13th annual Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities, among the largest individual achievement prizes in the world. Dave Eggers of San Francisco, the author of best-selling works in both fiction and nonfiction as well as the founder of inner-city writing laboratories for youth and a publishing house for writers, is among six distinguished Americans selected to receive one of the $250,000 awards, presented in five categories by the Heinz Family Foundation. At age 37, he is the youngest-ever recipient of the Heinz Award. “Dave Eggers is not only an accomplished and versatile man of letters but the protagonist of a real-life story of generosity and inspiration,” said Teresa Heinz, chairman of the Heinz Family Foundation. “As a young man, he has infused his love of writing and learning into the broader community, nurturing the talents and aspirations of a new generation of writers and creating new outlets for a range of literary expression. Whether as a writer, mentor or benefactor, he has provided voice to the value of human potential.” - more - Page 2 of 4 - Heinz Awards, Arts and Humanities Having burst on the literary scene with his autobiographical bestseller, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, before he was 30, Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION: 826NYC Is a Tutoring and Literacy
    ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION: 826NYC is a tutoring and literacy center dedicated to helping underserved students, ages 6-18, with expository and creative writing, homework, college preparation, and other essential skills. Modeled after 826 Valencia (founded in 2002 by Dave Eggers and Nínive Calegari in San Francisco’s Mission District), 826NYC is located in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn and is fronted by the world famous Brooklyn Superhero Supply Store. The revenues from the store support 826NYC and its student programming. 826NYCs work is based on the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success. Through the work of talented staff and the assistance of more than 1,000 volunteers, 826NYC provides after-school tutoring, class field trips, writing workshops, in-schools programs (including special projects and full-time staffing of a writers’ at the Williamsburg Library), journal and book publication, and college preparation—all free of charge. 826NYC is especially committed to supporting teachers and publishing student work. 826 tutoring and literacy centers are in seven other cities—San Francisco, Los Angeles, Ann Arbor, Chicago, Seattle, Boston, and Washington, DC. These eight chapters operate under the umbrella of 826 National, which coordinates the work of the chapters, implements best practices as established by the chapters and the 826 National board, and raises funds to support the work of 826 National and the chapters. 826 was chosen by GOOD Magazine as one of the top 30 companies to work at. 826NYC, the other seven chapters, and 826 National are separate 501(c)(3) organizations with their own boards of directors.
    [Show full text]
  • Los Angeles Times 826 Brings Reading, Writing and Robots to Echo
    Los Angeles Times: 826 brings reading, writing and robots to Echo Park 1/8/08 3:12 PM http://www.latimes.com/features/books/la-et-eggers31dec31,0,7374625.story?coll=la-books-headlines From the Los Angeles Times BOOK NEWS 826 brings reading, writing and robots to Echo Park A time-travelers' convenience store? Must be a new literacy center from author Dave Eggers' crew. By Steffie Nelson Special to The Times December 31, 2007 At the grand opening of the Echo Park Time Travel Mart on Dec. 15, the Robot Emotions were going like hot cakes (happiness and schadenfreude were the top sellers). The mystery product Chubble, on the other hand, available in more than 50 different varieties, wasn't really moving. A worker dressed like a cowboy shrugged. "It's really hot in the future." There were also bottles of optimism and socialism, dinosaur eggs, woolly mammoth chili, a bag of shade, a King Tut action figure and all manner of head wear, tri-corner hats as well as bonnets. Fortunately, it was a chilly night, because the slushie machine was on the blink. "Out of order. Come back yesterday," read the handwritten sign. This convenience store for time travelers, whose motto is "Whenever you are, we're already then," is the whimsical retail component of the new Echo Park 826LA, a free literacy and writing center for kids that was started by author Dave Eggers in San Francisco and then spun off in New York; Chicago; Ann Arbor, Mich.; Seattle; and Boston. Located on a busy stretch of Sunset Boulevard and scheduled to open for drop-in tutoring Jan.
    [Show full text]
  • Curriculum Guide 5Th - 8Th Grades
    Final drawing for Where the Wild Things Are, © 1963 by Maurice Sendak, all rights reserved. Curriculum Guide 5th - 8th Grades In a Nutshell:the Worlds of Maurice Sendak is on display jan 4 - feb 24, 2012 l main library l 301 york street In a Nutshell: The Worlds of Maurice Sendak was organized by the Rosenbach Museum & Library, Philadelphia, and developed by Nextbook, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Jewish literature, culture, and ideas, and the American Library Association Public Programs Office. The national tour of the exhibit has been made possible by grants from the Charles H. Revson Foundation, the Righteous Persons Foundation, the David Berg Foundation, and an anonymous donor, with additional support from Tablet Magazine: A New Read on Jewish Life. About the Exhibit About Maurice Sendak will be held at the Main Library, 301 York St., downtown, January 4th to February 24th, 2012. Popular children’s author Maurice Sendak’s typically American childhood in New York City inspired many of his most beloved books, such as Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen. Illustrations in those works are populated with friends, family, and the sights, sounds and smells of New York in the 1930s. But Sendak was also drawn to photos of ancestors, and he developed a fascination with the shtetl world of European Jews. This exhibit, curated by Patrick Rodgers of the Rosenbach Museum & Library Maurice Sendak comes from Brooklyn, New York. in Philadelphia, reveals the push and pull of New and Old He was born in 1928, the youngest of three children.
    [Show full text]
  • Dave Eggers PR2.Indd
    Jules Maeght Gallery DAVE EGGERS: IDAHO February 11 to May 7, 2016 Opening Reception: February 11, 2016 - 6 to 9 pm 5:30 pm : Dave Eggers in conversation with Natasha Boas, Press and VIP preview FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DAVE EGGERS : IDAHO Jules Maeght Gallery 149 Gough Street @ Oak February 11, 2016 - May 7, 2016 January 6th, 2016 - SAN FRANCISCO - The Jules Maeght Gallery is proud to present DAVE EGGERS: IDAHO, a solo exhibition of newly commissioned work made specifically for the gallery space and organized by Jules Maeght and Natasha Boas. Eggers has been known for his works on paper and wood that usually involve renderings of animals paired with text. This new show at the Jules Maeght Gallery vastly expands Eggers’ repertoire to include sculptures made of steel and fur, interactive kinetic works, oil on canvas, acrylic on wood, and installation. “The Jules Maeght Gallery is such an inspiring space”, Eggers says. “Its size and light freed me up to take on some projects I’d been thinking about for a long time.” Using the loose theme of Idaho as a starting point, the show will invite viewers to participate. “There will be a number of pieces that people can interact with, including the pedicab”. For the show, Eggers has converted a working pedicab into an operable sculpture made of reclaimed steel. The show will also feature large-scale oil paintings, a multi-panel narrative work, and a wall of mounted animal heads. “The taxidermy will be a little different than what you expect,” Eggers says. The animals will appear lifelike and will have an interactive element, but do not use any animal matter.
    [Show full text]
  • By Dave Eggers : a Narrative Consisting of a Peculiar Form, a Traumatic Content and a Critical Commentary on Western Civilization and Culture
    The Complexity of What is the What, the Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng (2006) by Dave Eggers : A Narrative Consisting of a Peculiar Form, a Traumatic Content and a Critical Commentary on Western Civilization and Culture Eline De Moor Master Linguistics and Literature, Dutch-English, 2010-2011 Master Dissertation: English Literature Promotor: Prof. Dr. Stef Craps Table of Contents Foreword p.4 Introduction p.5 Chapter 1: The Peculiar Genesis of What Is the What p.10 1.1 A form characterized by a remarkable collaboration p.10 1. 2 An Autobiography….And a Novel p.11 1.2.1 Consequences of the Miscellaneous Form p.14 1. 3 Broadening the subject p.15 Chapter 2: What Is the What’s Goals p.17 2.1 What Is the What ’s Preface and the Notion of the “Addressee” p17 2.2 An Analysis of the “Addressees” p.20 2.2.1 Valentino and TV Boy: Diminishing and Growing Distance p.20 2.2.2 The Christian Neighbours and the Police: Two “Lost Addressees” p.26 2.2.3 Reaching out for Julian , p.27 2.2.4 The People From the Gym: Keeping Up Appearances? p.30 2.3 What Is the What ’s Last Chapter p.32 Chapter 3: Valentino’s Flight: Coping With Atrocities p. 34 3.1 The Loss of Valentino’s Mother as His Primary Trauma, p.34 3.1.1 From His Mother’s Arms into the Civil War p.34 3.1.2 Ambiguous Loss p.37 3.1.3 Only One Real Mother p.39 3.2 Valentino’s Coping Strategies p.40 3.2.1 The Lost Boys as Valentino’s Support: Finding and Losing hope p.41 3.2.1.1 Deng p.41 3.2.1.2 William K, the Storyteller of Hope p.43 3.2.2 Valentino’s Faith p.44 2 Chapter 4: The U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • From Postmodernism to Metamodernism
    FROM POSTMODERNISM TO METAMODERNISM: CHANGING PERSPECTIVES TOWARDS IRONY AND METANARRATIVES IN JULIAN BARNES’S A HISTORY OF THE WORLD IN 10 AND ½ CHAPTERS AND THE NOISE OF TIME A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY MELTEM ATEŞ IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN ENGLISH LITERATURE SEPTEMBER 2019 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Yaşar Kondakçı Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Sağın Şimşek Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts. Assist. Prof. Dr. Elif Öztabak Avcı Supervisor Examining Committee Members Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nil Korkut Naykı (METU, FLE) Assist. Prof. Dr. Elif Öztabak Avcı (METU, FLE) Assist. Prof. Dr. Selen Aktari Sevgi (Başkent Uni., AMER) I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last name : Meltem Ateş Signature : iii ABSTRACT FROM POSTMODERNISM TO METAMODERNISM: CHANGING PERSPECTIVES TOWARDS IRONY AND METANARRATIVES IN JULIAN BARNES’S A HISTORY OF THE WORLD IN 10 AND ½ CHAPTERS AND THE NOISE OF TIME Ates, Meltem M.A., English Literature Supervisor: Assist.
    [Show full text]
  • Writing Centers Seek to ...Tivity
    1/23/2015 Writing Centers Seek to Unlock Youths' Creativity - Education Week Published Online: June 10, 2014 Published in Print: June 11, 2014, as Writing Centers Seek to Unlock Creativity Writing Centers Seek to Unlock Youths' Creativity By Liana Heitin The idea of going to an after­school tutoring center is undoubtedly groan­inducing for most students. But what if they could enter the workspace through a secret door? And what if that secret door were located in the back of a store that sold supplies for superheroes— capes, truth serum, photon shooters, and invisibility­ detection goggles? A nonprofit organization called 826 National, co­ founded by author Dave Eggers and educator Nínive Calegari, now has eight such tutoring centers in urban areas around the country, each with a unique retail storefront that supports the free programming and is designed to fire up students' imaginations. The centers— all focused on creative writing—offer workshops, one­on­ one homework help, field trips, in­school support for teachers, and summer sessions. They're staffed mainly by community volunteers. The national network, which started with a single center at 826 Valencia Street in San Francisco 12 years ago, now reaches 30,000 students—a majority of whom are from underresourced communities. Partly because of the star power of Mr. Eggers, the author of the best­selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, the network has attracted a steady stream of volunteers and some celebrity attention. It's also continuing to expand across the country, and possibly internationally. The newest chapter, opened in 2010 in Washington, has quickly ramped up and now serves some 3,300 youths.
    [Show full text]
  • By 2030, Every Under-Resourced Student in San
    Dear friends, It is with great pride that we share how much you have helped 826 Valencia accomplish over the last year. With your support, we have served over 9,000 students in San Francisco and opened our third center as an anchor service in an affordable housing building for families in Mission Bay. What’s more, we engaged in a strategic planning process that helped us reflect on our rapid scaling these past six years and focus on our plans for the future. Photo by William Mercer McLeod As part of this process, we asked ourselves critical questions. What is our biggest, most audacious goal? In other words, what kind of community are we trying to create for our students, in our city, and in our world? And what is the role of writing in our lives? These questions led us to reflect on what makes our model successful, and how to leverage it to support more students more deeply. We examined how our programs transform our students’ relationships to writing, how to amplify their voices to an even wider audience, and how we can support our people (staff, volunteers, and board) to be effective allies for our youth. As we reflected, it was amazing to see our stakeholders talk and write about their ideas, and then take action! I realized that this is the power of writing—as we write and share, we are emboldened to act on things that matter to us. We see ABOUT US evidence of this every day in the young people we serve.
    [Show full text]
  • The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers Knopf Canada; 327 PP; $36
    What's up with Dave Eggers 'novelizing' the stories of others? David Hayes: Eggers conducted hundreds of hours of interviews, but this time he's written a conventional biography in the third The Monk of Mokha By Dave Eggers Knopf Canada; 327 PP; $36 Book Review by David Hayes, February 22, 2018, The National Post Dave Eggers is an eclectic literary figure, an experimenter, an impresario and an activist with a progressive agenda. He emerged in 1994 as co-founder of Might, a satirical magazine loved by cool 20-somethings who nevertheless weren’t a large or rich enough readership to sustain it. It died in 1997, but three years later, Eggers published his first book, the bestselling A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. Ostensibly a memoir about Eggers bringing up his eight-year-old brother after their parents died of cancer, it was anything but conventional. Filled with fantasy sequences and stream-of-consciousness narration, it included a 40-plus page preface with a chart, footnotes and helpful advice for reading the book, including “…many of you might want to skip much of the middle section, namely pages 239- 351, which concern the lives of people in their early 20s, and those lives are very difficult to make interesting…” Eggers also merrily admitted that some of the content was fictionalized. That self-consciously post-modern approach made Eggers a celebrity, and he has gone on to write more than a dozen books (both fiction and non-fiction) and several screenplays, as well as launching the celebrated literary journal McSweeney’s, and creating the literacy non-profit 826 Valencia and the social justice non-profit Voice of Witness.
    [Show full text]
  • Reading and Resource Guide
    IN PHILADELPHIA EVERYONE IS READING JANUARY 8 – MARCH 20, 2008 COMPANION BOOKS A PROJECT OF THE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR AND THE FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA Lead Sponsor: www.freelibrary.org RESOURCE GUIDE One Book, One Philadelphia is a joint project of the Mayor’s Office and the Free Library of Philadelphia. The mission of the program—now entering its sixth year—is to promote reading, literacy, library usage, and community building throughout the Greater Philadelphia region. This year, the One Book, One Philadelphia Selection Committee has chosen Dave Eggers’ What Is the What as the featured title of the 2008 One Book program. To engage the widest possible audience while encouraging intergenerational reading, two thematically related companion books were also selected for families, children, and teens—Mawi Asgedom’s Of Beetles and Angels: A Boy’s Remarkable Journey from a Refugee Camp to Harvard and Mary Williams’ Brothers In Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan. Both of these books provide children and adults opportunities to further understand and discuss the history of the conflict in Sudan, as well as other issues of violence in the world and in our own region. Contents Read one, or read them all—just be sure to get 2 Companion Titles out there and share your opinions! 3 Questions for Discussion What Is the What For more information on the 2008 One Book, Of Beetles and Angels: One Philadelphia program, please visit our A Boy’s Remarkable Journey from a Refugee Camp to Harvard website at www.freelibrary.org, where you Brothers In Hope: The Story can view our calendar of events, download of the Lost Boys of Sudan podcasts of One Book author appearances, 6 Timeline: A Recent History of Sudan and post comments on our One Book Blog.
    [Show full text]
  • What Features Does It Share with Classic Works Like Ho
    Reading Group Discussion Questions—What is the What 1. In what ways can What Is the What be understood as a hero’s journey? What features does it share with classic works like Homer’s Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid or more modern works like Richard Wright’s Black Boy and Cormac McCarthy’s The Road? What are the most significant features of Valentino’s journey? In what ways is Valentino’s story both unique and universal? 2. When he is in the United States, Valentino says that he wants everyone to hear his stories. “Written words are rare in small villages like mine, and it is my right and obligation to send my stories into the world, even if silently, even if utterly powerless” [p. 29]. Through Eggers, Valentino has found a way to send his stories into the world. Are they powerless to alter the suffering he and his fellow Sudanese have endured? What powers do they possess? 3. What are Valentino’s most appealing qualities—as a character in his own story and as a narrator of that story? 4. What is the significance of Valentino addressing his stories to people who aren’t listening—to Michael, TV Boy, to Julian, the intake person at the hospital, to members of his gym, etc.? Why would Eggers make this narrative choice? 5. Why is a personal story—Valentino’s story—of the violence and oppression in Sudan more valuable than any purely historical account could be? What emotions does Valentino’s story arouse that a more objective treatment could not? 6.
    [Show full text]