Q & A Dave Eggers Reading Frenzy Friday, Oct 4, 2 pm

If you've not yet heard, Dave Eggers, aka the most famous writer in America, will be reading in Portland next week. And because of his fans' unconditional love and his mass appeal, it's tempting to hate him. But--for me at least--hatred is impossible (there are varying opinions on this matter in the office). Despite its ubiquitous appeal, I thought A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius was brilliant, and I am salivating over the mere possibility of obtaining his new book, called You Shall Know Our Velocity.

Another reason it's basically impossible to dislike Mr. Eggers is that, despite his fame and fortune, he has remained committed to independent publishing. With this latest, much-anticipated release, Eggers will be publishing his book exclusively through his own independent press, and distributing it only to independent bookstores. Plus, with most of their publications, McSweeney's distributes first to independent bookstores and second, to mainstream outlets. In Portland, for example, he will be reading twice; once at Powell's, and once at Reading Frenzy. "Everywhere he goes on this tour, he does one small reading and one big reading," says Chloe Eudaly, the owner of Reading Frenzy. "It so amazing to see someone who had a windfall and is actually doing something great with it."

Since Eggers will be reading from his book at the Powell's, Chloe figured it would be more interesting--and more interactive--for Eggers to answer audience-submitted questions at the Reading Frenzy event, which is happening earlier in the day.

So far, Chloe is planning to ask for his thoughts on independent publishing vs. mainstream publishing. "What I'm really interested in, is when he thinks it's appropriate to utilize mass media," Chloe explained. "I've always felt that even though Reading Frenzy is 99 percent devoted to independent press, there are times when it is appropriate to go with mass media, and I'd like to hear his thoughts on that." katia dunn

If you've got a question for Dave, Chloe encourages you to submit it to Reading Frenzy on or before the reading.