On Saturday morning at Miami Dade College, author Dave Eggers told a packed room that Miami Book Fair International was "the one festival nobody says no to." He then added, mostly because of the weather. Though Eggers had a short time in the spotlight at the festival, he managed to charm the audience and talk to every one of the scores of people clamoring for his autograph.
Instead of heavily promoting his newest book, Zeitoun, Eggers spoke extensively about 826 Valencia, the literary art center he co-founded to assist students ages 6-18 with their writing skills. He said he knew lots of writers with time on their hands that were "brooding, self-loathing and self-obsessive." Those friends became the program's teachers. The space at 826 Valencia in San Francisco was zoned for retail, so their landlord told them that they had to sell something. So, of course, they opened a pirate supply shop. At the store, they sell such items as single use planks (mostly made of balsa), eye patches, and other basic and creative pirate gear. The store became a hit, and sales ended up paying all of the rent. A sweet break for a nonprofit. As other centers opened up around the country, so did other stores. The Brooklyn center took the basic model and created the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co., for a noble cause, to help fight crime.
Eggers noted that Zeitoun is a man of faith who felt he was placed in a position to help by God. It was his destiny, so he had to do it. Of course, the plot thickens when Zeitoun is detained as a suspected terrorist. How's that for a warped war on Terror.
