Dave Eggers, a member of the advisory board for The Story Prize, has won a $100,000 TED prize for his work in establishing drop-in tutoring centers for school age kids in cities across the U.S. Starting with 826 Valencia in San Francisco, he has done amazing work, shown real dedication, and inspired many people to get involved with a very good cause. Dave is perhaps best known as the founder of McSweeney's and the author of several books, including a very good short story collection, How We Are Hungry (the net proceeds of which continue to benefit 826 Valencia and 826NYC in Brooklyn).In teaching kids to write better and fostering a love of reading and writing, these centers not only enrich the lives of the students and communities they serve, they also are quite likely helping to create the readers of tomorrow. And nothing is more essential to books, literature, and short fiction than an audience. So, thanks Dave, congratulations, and keep up the good work.
