Dave Eggers took Detroit by storm this week, with a presentation at the 2014 Richard C. Van Dusen Urban Leadership Forum at Wayne State University, titled “Buccaneers, Robots, Yetis, and Other Agents of Social Change.” The title of the presentation refers to the eclectic storefronts that act as an interface between the public and the walk-in tutoring laboratories that Eggers and the 826 National nonprofit have launched in cities like San Francisco, Brooklyn and Ann Arbor. Eggers told the story of how developing the simple concept of a “tutor army” became the launchpad for this wildly successful series of learning centers.

Detroit’s day has finally come, no longer content to receive dispatches of some 500 volunteer tutors organized out of the Ann Arbor location, 826Michigan (which hides behind a Robot Supply & Repair Shop). Eggers mentioned a community meeting would take place this week (it happened yesterday) to brainstorm strategies and false-storefront concepts for Detroit’s own place in the 826 franchise.

The Boggs School has already turned out many a published author with the premiere of “Where Is It Coming From?”

Eggers also read excerpts from “Where Is It Coming From?,” hot off the presses through his McSweeney’s publishing empire. The title marks Eggers’ debut as an illustrator, with charming line drawings paired with stories written by students from Detroit’s Boggs School, which takes the approach of community-based education. The book had its premiere at the event, with sales to benefit both the Boggs School and the new 826 chapter.

A panel discussion with some of Detroit’s own agents of social change.

Following Eggers’ presentation, a short panel discussion ensued, featuring Boggs School Co-founder and Principal Julia Putnam; Sharnita Johnson, program officer of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation; and Amy Peterson, co-proprietor of Rebel Nell, a jewelry company that was developed with and exclusively employs women from the shelter adjacent to her home.

The crew at Rebel Nell. Photo courtesy of group

Each of these women represented a strong perspective on the mix between business and social activism, and overall the night was a great booster for anyone looking to replicate the quirky balance struck by Eggers—one hopes, perhaps, the droves of Wayne State students in attendance!