Dave Eggers

It was an evening of excitement, great company, and fine dining for almost 40 SF Bay Area Illini members who gathered to meet acclaimed author, literacy advocate, and TED Prize recipient Dave Eggers on February 19th. Christopher Michel (’89 Engineering) very generously donated both his home – an elegant downtown San Francisco loft – as the dazzling venue for this event, as well as gourmet catering and wine. Before starting the book reading, Dave was gracious enough to go around the room and casually chat with many attendees individually, asking alumni about their work, interests, and time at Illinois.

When Dave sat down to speak, the crowd gathered around him in an intimate seating area that allowed everyone to interact closely with each other. Dave fondly recalled lasting memories from his time spent at Illinois, particularly reminiscing about his freshman year roommate who habitually clicked away on his typewriter all night long. Since many attendees had read Eggers's books A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng, Dave was showered with questions about the various scenes and character development, and he answered each question with patience and insight.
People listened excitedly as Dave then read an excerpt from the adapted screenplay Where The Wild Things Are, a forthcoming film he co-penned with Academy Award-nominated director Spike Jonze. Dave spoke passionately about 826 Valencia: The Writer Center, the non-profit children's tutoring center and writing school he started. Many attendees expressed interest in getting involved with 826 Valencia. So it's safe to say it won't be the last time Dave graces the SF Bay Area Illini Club's presence!

The member tickets - a little under $2000 - was donated in full to Dave's non-profit 826 Valencia.

Check out more photos of the event here.