Dave Eggers

Dave Eggers is the author of many books, among them Contrapposto, The Eyes and the Impossible, The Circle, The Monk of Mokha, Heroes of the Frontier, A Hologram for the King, and What Is the What. Contrapposto, released in June, is a moving and funny novel about allies and art, and what it means to be an artist. A wild and beautiful examination of the rules and market forces of the art world, the novel is chiefly about two friends who believe they can change that world, and bring new meaning to it. These themes will frame this capstone presentation of the Chautauqua Lecture Series week on Art and Artists Against the Odds. This program is presented in collaboration with the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle, and Contrapposto is a 2026 CLSC selection. Eggers is founder of McSweeney's, a nonprofit, independent publishing company based in San Francisco that produces books, a humor website, The Believer and Illustoria magazines, and a journal of new writing, McSweeney's Quarterly Concern. The magazine has been edited by a long line of brilliant editors, including Eli Horowitz, Jordan Bass, Claire Boyle, and now Rita Bullwinkel. Under their leadership, McSweeney's has won the National Magazine Award for Fiction three times and has been a finalist nine times. Along with Nínive Calegari, Eggers is the co-founder of 826 National, a network of youth writing and tutoring centers around the United States. The whole thing started with 826 Valencia, their original center in the Mission District of San Francisco. Since then, more than 70 other organizations, from Louisville to Toowoomba, Australia, operate with inspiration from the 826 Valencia model.