Speak SF Parent Enrichment Event: Dave Eggers

"Some of these kids just don't plain know how good they are: how smart and how much they have to say. You can tell them. You can shine that light on them, one human interaction at a time." 
- Dave Eggers, 2008 TED Prize acceptance speech

Moderator: Kimberly Kaz, Educator, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Chinese American International School

Dave Eggers won the 2024 Newbery Medal for The Eyes and the Impossible and is the author of numerous acclaimed books, including The Circle, What Is the What, and A Hologram for the King. He has won the American Book Award, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the National Magazine Award and the O. Henry Prize. He is the founder of McSweeney's and co-founder of 826 Valencia, a youth writing and tutoring center in San Francisco's Mission District that has inspired over 70 similar organizations worldwide, pioneering a model of one-on-one creative education that emphasizes personal attention, thoughtfully designed spaces, and analog creativity over screen time. In 2025 he opened The International Library of Young Authors in San Francisco, the first library in the world exclusively dedicated to the works of young people. He has received the TED Prize and the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for Education, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His latest project, Art + Water, will bring a large-scale artist studio and exhibition space to Pier 29 this year, anchored by an apprenticeship program pairing established and emerging artists.