Ep #20: LitClubs to Lit Songs

>>>>>>Listen Here!<<<<<<

How can you get teenagers to enjoy the classics? Jeane and Karena interview Ali Dent about her book The LitClub in which she describes the literature club she created to get her kids and other kids into reading. Then they spotlight fellow CWAtCer Martin Waterhouse's musical take on Brave New World (which the gang talked about  back in May).


Where's My Bookmark (and other books we mention):

• The LitClub
• Beloved
• The Color Purple
• Brave New World
• The Handmaid's Tale
• Schindler's List
• Inferno
• A Wrinkle in Time
• The Bronze Bow
• Seanan McGuire 

Websites we mention

• Oyster
• Brave New World by Martin Waterhouse

Tator Tuesdays

Every week we ask our Tators bookish questions. This week's question is 

What book have you read that you weren't looking forward to, but ended up liking it a great deal? 

Angie

Brave New World

Heather

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. I was attending an informal book discussion group a year or two ago where it was on the list. One of the members said that, when she read it, it scared her so much she couldn’t sleep. That, coupled with the fact that the book talked a lot about architecture -- a topic I knew little to nothing about and had no interest in -- turned me off. However, while reading, I enjoyed learning about architecture, the World’s Fair, and H.H. Holmes. The research that went into the novel as well as the narrative Larson was able to weave together makes for a very compelling story that shouldn’t be missed!

Jared

 Life of Pi

Jeane

Life of Pi and Pride and Prejudice

Karena

 Life of Pi. I was not looking forward to that one at ALL, but ending up liking it a lot.

Laura

The Age of Innocence. I was about to give up on it and if it weren't for CWAtC, I would have stopped reading it early on. I ended up enjoying it very much, and this experience made me realize THAT is the reason why I joined CWAtC.

Do you have any books that surprised you?

In Short...Honoring Short Story Month

In honor of Short Story Month our ContribuTator Heather wrote some thoughts about one of her favorite stories. 

Joyce Carol Oates' famous short story, Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been? is centered around a beautiful, blonde, 15 year old -- dare I say naive -- girl named Connie. The story is split into two parts: the first half describes Connie almost in reaction to the world around her. It details her in comparison to her family members (mother, sister June, and father) and her experimenting with who is she outside of the home while she's out with girl friends and boys. The second half of the story depicts Connie's encounter with Arnold Friend, a strange man who pulls into parent's driveway while the rest of the family is away at a BBQ.

Where Are You Going? … is richly layered. There is so much to see and absorb here it definitely deserves more than one read through. Easily recommendable if you're interested in fiction, short stories, and/or women's literature. It's also good exercise for the analytically minded because Oates creates a world that is meant to be explored. It's a great example of what's makes extraordinary short stories so compelling: there's a lot of punch in a small package.

I discovered Where Are You Going? ... while reading through the Love and Pain section of Kevin Smokler's Practical Classics. Prior to this short story, I had no experience with Oates. I had seen her name on countless books, none of which had ever landed in my hands until Smokler's chapter convinced me that I needed to change that in short order. When I finished it, I wondered whether or not it was something my mother had read and whether or not it had influenced the way in which she raised me: cautious, don't talk to strangers (especially men), be careful of who you interact with. My childhood wasn't paranoid, but my mother made sure to instill the need to be alert and aware of my surroundings at all times. It's something that served me well as a teenager and into my adult years living in a major metropolitan area. Where Are You Going? … on the surface, it acts as a beware tale of what happens if you aren't careful.

Where Are You Going? … captures the feeling of being a young, female teenager. You're on the precipice of the freedom adulthood brings -- intensely curious and desirous of it, but simultaneously nervous and afraid. You try and imitate what you think adulthood is and what it means but in reality, you aren't prepared emotionally. It's in the cat-and-mouse game of pretend where valuable lessons are learned that help you on your path to adulthood. The bravado instilled by nervousness and fear pushes you forward -- just the right amount and it's a learning experience, too much and you're centered directly in harm's way.

What are some of your favorite short stories?

Tator Tuesdays

Every week we interview our Tators and ask them bookish questions. This week's question:

What is one book you wish more people would read? 

Angie

The Book Thief

Heather

Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. I feel like a lot of people have opinions about it based on what they’ve heard about the novel but have never read it all the way through -- cover to cover. I think actually reading the book would help bring/ create better understanding and discourse about Ayn Rand, objectivism, and its place in the American economic system.

Jared

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. They have to read it with an open mind and get rid of prejudices and misconceptions.

Jeane

World War Z by Max Brook

Karena

A more recent find of my own, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. The story both broke my heart and warmed it at the same time.

Laura

The Great Gatsby

So what book do you wish more people would read?

LitStarter: Bringing You the Best in Bookish Projects

Welcome to the first LitStarter! This will be a regular look at some of my favorite projects discovered through two popular crowd sourcing websites: Kickstarter and Indiegogo. The featured projects will be related to literature and comics but not limited to publishing or writing projects. For example, there is a video game being made by a small team of independent game developers called Edgar: The Great Victorian Adventure Game. It is an adventure platformer where you play as Edgar Allan Poe. The developers have plans to create a Kickstarter to help fund the rest of their development and publication. When the time comes, we will be promoting it here. Why? Because Edgar Allan Poe wrote many American classics -- and the game sounds like fun! 

The term crowd funding has been thrown around a lot in the last couple of years and refers to the way in which a group of people come together to collectively support a cause financially. The two most well-known websites utilizing crowd funding are Kickstarter and Indiegogo. There are a few differences between the two: Kickstarter is limited to the United States and the United Kingdom, while Indiegogo is international; a project creator using Indiegogo has the opportunity to keep the donated funds, even if the project does not succeed, while the creator of an unsuccessful project on Kickstarter will not receive any money. There are some other differences regarding usage and guidelines, but I wanted to simply cover the basics.

For the first installment of LitStarter features Book Riot's Start Here: Read Your Way Into 25 Amazing Authors, Vol. 2. We share the same mission with Book Riot -- making books accessible and enjoyable for everyone. They are doing this through the Start Here books, guiding readers to where to start with contemporary and classic titles. Each chapter will be written by different person; some bloggers, some critics, some well-known authors. 

I don't normally back projects like this one. I prefer to back projects that are mostly completed and are utilizing crowd funding as a way to turn their project into a polished product for distribution. For example, I backed A Pretty Good Number One: An American Family Eats Tokyo. The author, Matthew Amster-Burton, had written a book about his experience living and eating his way through Tokyo one summer with his family. He was using Kickstarter as a way to pay a professional copyeditor, hire an artist to design the cover, and get his story published as an ebook. The project was successful, and backers began downloading the ebook about a month prior to his projected delivery date.

Despite Start Here: Vol. 2 not being a finished product that just needs a little polishing, I think you should support them. I did. And here's why: they have already completed a successful Kickstarter campaign with Start Here: Vol. 1 with only one minor setback courtesy of Hurricane Sandy. As I mentioned earlier, they are looking to make great books more accessible to everyone. How can you say no to that?

Tator Tuesdays

Every week we interview our Tators and ask them bookish questions. This week's question:

What was the best book you read last year?

Angie

The Night Circus

Heather

The Last Resort: A Memoir of Mischief and Mayhem on a Family Farm in Africa. My upstairs neighbor lent it to me -- he’s from South Africa and said it was a good representation of what it’s like there. The author chronicles the struggle his family faces as the country plunges deeper into political unrest after Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe orders the “reclamation” of white-owned farms. This puts a target directly on Drifters, the travel lodge that Rogers’ parents own and operate.

Jared

Atlas Shrugged

Jeane

Ready Player One

Karena

The Night Circus

Laura

The Girl in the Lighthouse

What was the best book you read last year?

Book It: Events for Bibliophiles

This week - May 13th through 19th -- is Children's Book Week! Join us in the nationwide celebration of reading and books. Learn more about this special week and discover events in your area by clicking here. 

If you would like to see your city or event posted in an upcoming post, please email me: heather[dot]varanini[at]gmail[dot]com.

Monday May 13th

A Niece of Miss Austen: Catherine Hubback's Journey from Hampshire to California. A Talk by Zoë Klippert.

Event: Freelance editor Zoë Klippert will be discussing Hubback's unusual journey from the East Coast to the West Coast.

Learn more about the event by clicking here.

Time: 5pm - 7pm

Location: The Book Club of California

312 Sutter Street, Suite 500

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

Jessie Oleson Moore -- The Secret Lives of Baked Goods: Sweet Stories and Recipes for America's Favorite Desserts 

Event: Learn all about the history behind America's favorite sweets with Jessie Oleson Moore's new book, The Secret Lives of Baked Goods. 

Click here to learn more about this event. 

Time: 6pm - 7pm

Location: Omnivore Books

3885a Cesar Chavez Street

San Francisco, CA 

Cost: Free

Tuesday May 14th 

The 90-Second Newbery Film Festival

Event: Join authors Jenni Holm and James Kennedy as they screen the very best of the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival.

Click here for more information. 

Time: 6pm - 8pm

Location: San Francisco Public Library -- Main

100 Larkin Street

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

Arturo Mantecon, Translator of Leopoldo Maria Panero

Event: Green Apple Books and co-sponsor Asymptote bring translator Arturo Mantecon to San Francisco for a reading. Mantecon is famous for his translations of Leopold Maria Panero's writings.

Click here to learn more about the event.

Time: 7pm

Location: Green Apple Books

506 Clement Street

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

Wednesday May 15th

Never. Say. Die Book Release Party

Event: Join Green Apple Books, author Brian Murphy, and photographer Brad Mangin discuss their new book NEVER. SAY. DIE and share experiences from the excitement of the San Francisco Giants winning their second championship in three years.

For more information, click here.

Time: 7pm

Location: 540 Club

540 Clement Street & 7th Avenue

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

Joe Hill/NOS4ATU

Event: The son of Stephen and Tabitha King, Joe Hill will be discussing his new book, NOS4AU.

Learn more about the event by clicking here.

Time: 7:30pm

Location: The Booksmith

1644 Haight Street

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

Thursday May 16th 

John Gray: Men and Women in Business

Event: John Gray, author of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, and co-author of Work With Me: The Blind Spots Between Men and Women in Business comes to share his insights into the misconceptions that can plague the workplace between the two genders.

To purchase tickets and learn more about the program, click here.

Time: 5:30pm reception/6pm program/7pm book signing

Location: Commonwealth Club of California

595 Market Street, 2nd Floor

San Francisco, CA

Cost: $12 member/$20 non-member/$7 student

JCCSF Presents Jaron Lanier

Event: Jaron Lanier, author of Who Owns the Future, and father of virtual reality, comes to share his vision of the future of technology. He will also be brining a special user interface in which he will be providing a demonstration.

Click here to learn more about the event and purchase tickets. 

Time: 7pm

Location: Jewish Community Center of San Francisco

3200 California Street

Kanbar Hall

San Francisco, CA

Cost: $10

Friday May 17th

Be Kind Festival -- Michael Chase 

Event: Michael Chase, author of Am I Being Kind? and The Radical Practice of Loving Everyone: A Four-Legged Approach to Enlightenment, will be speaking at the festival. Chase is also the founder of The Kindness Center. This talk is part of the Be Kind Festival happening in Mount Washington Valley from May 17th through May 19th.

To learn more, click here. 

Time: 6:30pm - 8pm

Location: Kennett High School

409 Eagle Way, Loynd Auditorium

North Conway, New Hampshire

Cost: Free

Anne Nesbet at Books Inc. in Berkeley

Event: Author Anne Nesbet will be celebrating the launch of her new book, Box of Gargoyles. It is the sequel to The Cabinet of Earths. The celebration will be complete with tasty drinks and treats.

Click here for more information.

Time: 7pm

Location: Books Inc. Berkeley

1760 4th Street

Berkeley, CA

Cost: Free

Saturday May 18th

Marion Nestle -- Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health

Event: Marion Nestle shares from her new book, Food Politics, on how nutrition and health in the United States are influenced by the food industry.

Click here for more information.

Time: 3pm - 4pm

Location: Omnivore Books

3885a Cesar Chavez Street

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

Big Wow! ComicFest

Event: The Big Wow! ComicFest will be held over the course of two days -- Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th. Stan Lee will be making an appearance on Sunday! Other distinguished guests include Brian Azzarello, J. Scott Campbell, and Neal Adams.

Click here to learn more about the event.

Time: All day

Location: McEnery Convention Center

150 West San Carlos Street

San Jose, CA

Cost: $20 adult/$10 child/under 8 are free -- box office pricing. Check the website for early bird tickets.

Sunday May 19th

Eduardo Galeano

Event: Author Eduardo Galeano, one of the most distinguished writers in Latin America, will be reading from his book, Children of the Days: A Calendar of Human History. 

To learn more about the event, please click here.

Time: 5pm

Location: City Lights Bookstore

261 Columbus Avenue at Broadway

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

Claire Messud -- The Woman Upstairs

Messud will be sharing from her new book, The Woman Upstairs.

Click here to learn more about this event.

Time: 7pm

Location: Bookshop West Portal

80 West Portal Avenue

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

Literary Loot

Heather's Literary Loot for April

It doesn't look like much, but I promise you -- this bunch makes me feel like I've won the lottery. I really enjoy attending book events where the author gives a talk, participates in a question and answer period, and then holds a signing. Signed books are the Holy Grail for me.

On Wednesday the 17th, I took a trip down to the Commonwealth Club of California to hear Mary Roach discuss her new book, Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal. Roach is smart and witty and wildly entertaining. She also discussed her writing process as well as her other books. To hear audio from the event, click here. While I hadn't yet purchased Gulp, I did happen to bring my copy of Stiff -- the book that introduced me to her funny and informative writing style that has made her famous. She spoke with me briefly and signed my book (pictured bottom, far right).

A week later, on Wednesday the 24th, I headed over to the World Affairs Council of Northern California to hear Shannon O'Neil share her thoughts on Mexico--U.S. relations and talk about her new book, Two Nations Indivisible: Mexico, The United States, and the Road Ahead. The topic of Latin America -- U.S. relations is close to my heart as I graduated with my degree in Latin American and Latino Studies and Politics. I was curious to hear O'Neil's perspectives on the hotbed issues such as politics, immigration, drugs, and violence that dominate the discussions surrounding Mexico and the United States. She kindly signed my book after the event (pictured bottom, center).

Over the weekend, I popped into two local shops: Bookshop West Portal and Two Cats Comic Book Store. At Two Cats, I picked up Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese. It looked interesting and I liked the style. Two Cats has a nice amount of non-superhero comics and that keeps me coming back. Down the street, I headed into Bookshop West Portal in search of Kevin Smokler's Practical Classics: 50 Reasons to Reread 50 Books You Haven't Touched Since High School. There's been a lot of buzz around this place because Smokler will be joining some of the Tators for an upcoming podcast. I found the last copy of his book hidden in the back of the store in the reference section (pictured, bottom far left). It also seemed to sport his signature, but the sales lady wasn't able to verify. That led to the following Twitter encounter: 

Author Smokler verified his signature in my book via Twitter!

I definitely got more than I bargained for when I picked up Practical Classics -- but in a very good way! 

Not pictured: a digital copy of Tina Fey's Bossypants -- purchased for $0.99 on Amazon (promotion has ended).

Book It: Events for Bibliophiles

Welcome to this week's edition of Book It: Events for Bibliophiles. Did you attend any literary events last week? If so, please let us know in the comment section.

If you would like to see events listed in your area or your book event mentioned in future posts, please contact me via email at: heather[dot]varanini[at]gmail[dot]com.

Here are your events for the week of May 6th through May 12th:

Monday May 6th

Kevin Powers -- The Yellow Birds

Event: Author Kevin Powers shares from his new book, Yellow Birds.

Click here for more information. 

Time: 7pm

Location: Copperfield's Books -- Montgomery Village

775 Village Court

Santa Rosa, CA

Cost: Free

Venezuela in the Post Chávez Era

Event: Rory Carroll, US West Coast Bureau Chief for The Guardian, will be speaking about his new book -- Comandante: Inside Hugo Chavez's Venezuela.

Click here to learn more about the event and purchase tickets.

Time: 7pm - 8pm

Location: World Affairs Council of Northern California

312 Sutter Street

San Francisco, CA

Cost: $15 nonmembers/$5 students

Tuesday May 7th

Mark Bittman -- Vb6

Event: Author Mark Bittman, famous for his How to Cook Everything books, comes to share his experience on becoming a vegan and getting healthy.

Click this link for more information.

Time: 12:30pm

Location: Book Passage

1 Ferry Building

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

Word/Play: Shenanigans of the Highest Brow

Event: Put your literary knowledge to good use in this fun game. Panelists this month include Esther Inglis-Arkell, Colin Winnette, Jenni Holm, Pireeni Sundaralingam, Isaac Fitzgerald, and Phil Cousineau.

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets. 

Time: 7pm - 9pm

Location: The Booksmith

1644 Haight Street

San Francisco, CA

Cost: $15 (for pizza, open bar, and gameplay)

Wednesday May 8th

Literary Luncheon: Rita Moreno  - Rita Moreno: A Memoir

Event: Come and hear Tony, Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar award-winner, Rita Moreno, discuss her memoir. She will be telling stories from her journey -- from a young Puerto Rican girl to the silver screen.

To learn more and purchase tickets, click here. 

Time: 12pm

Location: Book Passage

51 Tamal Vista Blvd.

Corte Madera, CA

Cost: $55 (includes lunch and a signed copy of the book)

Celebrate Michelle Tea's Latest Book

Event: Join McSweeny's in celebrating the release of Michelle Tea's first young adult novel! There will be a lot of fun food and activities. 

Click here to purchase tickets and learn more about details about the event.

Time: 7pm - 9pm

Location: The Secret Alley

180 Capp Street

San Francisco, CA

Cost: $20 (Includes a copy of Mermaids in Chelsea Creek, food, cocktails, fortune teller services, and a raffle ticket)

Thursday May 9th

Jeremy Scahill's War on War

Event: Jeremy Scahill, reporter for The Nation, discusses his new book Dirty Wars.

Click here to learn more about the program and purchase tickets.

Time: 6pm check-in/6:30pm program/7:30pm signing

Location: Commonwealth Club of California

595 Market Street

San Francisco, CA

Cost: $20 nonmembers/$12 members/$7 students 

Bubbles & Bivalves with Andrew Beahrs

Event: Andrew Beahrs, author of Twain's Feast: Searching for America's Lost Foods in the Footsteps of Samuel Clemens, will be joining Aquarium of the Bay in a fundraising effort for The Watershed Project. Bubbles & Bivalves will also be featuring some of the best food and wine from the Bay Area.

To purchase tickets and learn more about the event, please click here. 

Time: 7pm - 10pm

Location: Aquarium of the Bay

Pier 39

San Francisco, CA

Cost: $60 - $120

Friday May 10th

James Kennedy at Books Inc. Laurel Village

Event: Meet author James Kennedy and listen to him share from his new book, The Order of Odd-Fish.

Click here to learn more about the event.

Time: 6:30pm

Location: Books Inc. Laurel Village

3515 California Street

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

City Arts & Lectures Presents Fran Lebowitz

Event: Satirist Fran Lebowitz will be discussing her work in conversation with Steven Winn.

To learn more about the event and to purchase tickets, please click here.  

Time: 7:30pm

Location: Nourse Theatre

275 Hayes Street

San Francisco, CA

Cost: $30

Saturday May 11th

Jim Gaffigan signing -- Dad is Fat

Event: Author and comedian, Jim Gaffigan, will be sharing from his new book, Dad is Fat.

Click here for more information. 

Time: 12:30pm

Location: Book Passage

1 Ferry Building

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

Josh Farrar -- A Song for Bijou

Event: Author Josh Farrar discusses his new book, A Song for Bijou.

Click here to learn more about the event.

Time: 7pm

Location: Book Passage Corte Madera

51 Tamal Vista Blvd.

Corte Madera, CA

Cost: Free 

Sunday May 12th -- Mother's Day!

Marc Maron

Event: Author and comedian Marc Maron shares from his memoir, Attempting Normal.

Lear more about the event by clicking here.

Time: 7:30pm

Location: Powell's City of Books

1005 W Burnside

Portland, OR

Cost: Free

Friday @ the Forums

Every Friday we check out our forums and let you know what the most popular threads are.

Source: Jared Fagan

Anna Karenina Threads - We opened our Anna Karenina threads as the Tolstoy classic is our selection for May. Jump in and add any topics you think we should talk about.


August's Book Poll - We also have started our voting for our August book. The category is 1911-1959.

Classic Book Suggestions - Have a book suggestion to put on our polls? Check the shelves to make sure we don't already have it, then add it to this thread!

Book It: Events for Bibliophiles

Welcome to the second installment of Book It: Events for Bibliophiles. We hope you will enjoy the selection of book-related events we have compiled this week.

If you would like to see your city or event listed in future posts, please contact me via e-mail at: heather[dot]varanini[at]gmail[dot]com.

Without further ado, here are your book events for the week of April 29th through May 5th:

Monday April 29th

Lemony Snicket and John Klassen

Event: The author, Lemony Snicket, and illustrator, John Klassen, will be discussing their new book The Dark.

Learn more about the event by clicking here. 

Time: 3:30pm book purchase/4:30pm event

Location: Burlingame Library

480 Primrose Road

Children's Room

Burlingame, CA

Cost: The event is free, but if you'd like a signed copy of your book it must be purchased through Books, Inc.

Little America -- Co-sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Northern California and the Marines' Memorial Association

Event: Rav Chandrasekeran will be discussing his new book, Little America. Rav has spent over ten years reporting for The Washington Post, covering the war in Afghanistan. 

Learn more about the event by clicking here. 

Time: 6pm - 7pm

Location: Marines' Memorial Club & Hotel

609 Sutter Street

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free 

Tuesday April 30th

17th Annual Effie Lee Morris Lecture

Event: Eve Bunting will be the special guest speaker for this event.  Her theme will be: Picture Books That Can't Be Written: Social Issues in Children's Literature. Bunting has penned many children's books such as Green Apple and Fly Away Home.

Click here for more information. 

Time: 6pm - 8pm

Location: SF Public Library - Main

Koret Auditorium

100 Larkin Street

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

Barbara Rose Booker -- The Viagra Diaries

Event: Author and professor at San Francisco State University, Barbara Rose Booker comes to talk about sex and love after sixty.

For more information, please click this link.

Time: 7pm

Location: Book Passage

51 Tamal Vista Blvd.

Corte Madera, CA

Cost: Free

Wednesday May 1st

RT 30th Annual Book Lover's Convention

Event: If you love all things bookish, you'll love this event. It's a five day event (runs through Sunday, May 5th) that includes speaker panels, author signings, writing competitions, and parties. There is something for everyone -- readers, publishers, booksellers, librarians, and writers.

To learn more about the convention please click here. 

Time: 8:45am - 11:55pm

Location: Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center

2345 McGee Street

Kansas City, MO

Cost: Call 800-989-8816 x12 for details

Vali Nasr: The Dispensable Nation

Event: Val Nasr will be sharing insights from his book as well as his time as an advisor to the State Department on Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Click here to purchase tickets and learn more about the event. 

Time: 5:30pm check-in/6pm program/7pm signing

Location: Commonwealth Club of California

595 Market Street, 2nd Floor

San Francisco, CA

Cost: $20 nonmembers/$12 members/$7 students

Thursday May 2nd

Kim Wong Keltner, Author of Tiger Babies Strike Back

Event: Kim Keltner discusses her new book and shares her experience growing up in the Chinese community and the product of a tiger mom.

For more information about the program and an exclusive essay by Kelther, click this link.

Time: 7pm

Location: Green Apple Books

506 Clement Street

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

Search Inside Yourself: Chade-Meng Tan, Google's Jolly Good Fellow: I-House Speaker Series

Event: Tan, author of Search Inside Yourself, will be discussing his book as well as his experience working at Google.

To purchase tickets and learn more about the event click here.

Time: 7:30pm - 9pm

Location: International House at UC Berkeley

Chevron Auditorium

2299 Piedmont Avenue

Berkeley, CA

Cost: $10 public/free for IH residents and UCB students w/ID

Friday May 3rd

33rd Annual Steinbeck Festival

Event: Come and discover all things John Steinbeck during this three day festival that runs from May 3rd through May 5th in Salinas, California. The theme this year is "Home" -- the festival will explore the home of Steinbeck with tours, lectures, films and more.

Click here to purchase tickets and learn more about the event.

Time: All Day

Location: Steinbeck Center

1 Main Street

Salinas, CA

Cost: $10 - $175

Fabio Vivani -- Fabio's Italian Kitchen

Event: Fabio Vivani is most well-known for his time on Top Chef as a contestant during the show's fifth season. He now owns and operates two Italian restaurants in Southern California. This cookbook is his life's story in recipes.

Click here for more information.

Time: 6pm

Location: Book Passage

1 Ferry Building

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free 

Eisner Award-Winner Hope Larson at Books Inc. in Berkeley

Event: Come and see Hope Larson share a slide show of her illustrations and discuss her work.

Click here for more information.

Time: 7pm

Location: Books Inc.

1760 Fourth Street

Berkeley, CA

Cost: Free

Saturday May 4th

The Big Yes Society Presents Maggie Oman Shannon at Books Inc. in Alameda

Event: Author Maggie Shannon comes to share about her new book, Crafting Calm: Projects and Practices for Creativity and Contemplation. 

To learn more about this event, please click here. 

Time: 7pm

Location: Books Inc. Alameda

1344 Park Street

Alameda, CA

Cost: Free

Sunday May 5th

An Afternoon with Author Alan Fleishman

Event: Author Fleishman will be sharing from his new novel, A Fine September Morning.

Learn more about the event by clicking here.

Time: 3pm

Location: Belmont Library

1110 Alameda de las Pulgas

Belmont, CA

Cost: Free

An Evening with David Sedaris

Event: David Sedaris will be talking about his new book, Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls, and holding a book signing afterward.

To learn more about the event and purchase tickets, please click here. 

Time: 7:30pm

Location: War Memorial Opera House

301 Van Ness Avenue

San Francisco, CA

Cost: $57 - $77