Author wins Heinz Award for work with nonprofit literacy centers

Dave Eggers’ debut novel, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, hit bestseller lists in early 2000, creating a dedicated fan base. Since then, Eggers has put his celebrity (and his money) behind a chain of nonprofit literacy centers, the first of which, 826 Valencia, opened in San Francisco's Mission District in 2002. There are six cities with 826 centers, including Los Angeles. Earlier this week in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Eggers was honored for this combination of creative work and community involvement with a 2007 Heinz Award in Arts and Humanities. At 37, Eggers is the youngest winner of a Heinz Award, which comes with a $250,000 prize. He is giving the money directly to the 826 centers. Read about him and the centers in The Los Angeles Times.