Archive
Friends,
below are some great events coming up at the Book Smith at 1644 Haight St. between Clayton & Cole (863-8688)
JESS WINFIELD
reading & booksigning for My Name Is Will
Tuesday, July 29 at 7:30 pmOriginal, witty, and often laugh out loud hilarious Jess Winfield’s My Name Is Will is the tale of two Shakespeares. Separated in time and place, the lives of William and Willie begin to intersect in curious ways, from harrowing encounters with the law (and a few ex-girlfriends) to dubious experiments with mind-altering substances. Their misadventures might be dismissed as youthful folly. But wise or foolish, the choices they make will shape the Shakespeare each is destined to become.
As a founding member of the Reduced Shakespeare Company, Jess Winfield co-created the full-length show" The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)," which premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1987 and became an international sensation, leading to multiple world tours and engagements. After leaving the Reduced Shakespeare Company, Winfield spent ten years writing and producing award-winning cartoons for the Walt Disney Company. He left Disney to write this, his first novel.
BROKE-ASS STUART
talk & booksigning for Guide to Living Cheaply in San Francisco
Friday, August 1 at 7:30 pmIn Broke-Ass Stuart's Guide to Living Cheaply in San Francisco, thrifty local and cult fave Broke-Ass Stuart uncovers city secrets for the young, the beautiful, and the broke. This gritty, anecdotal and often funny guide shows locals and tourists what to do and where to stay, eat, and drink without breaking the bank. " . . . a fun read for anyone on a budget . . . both amusing and wise." - SF Bay Guardian.
Broke-Ass Stuart has been called "an SF cult hero" (SF Bay Guardian), "Best Local Writer" (SF Weekly) and "the pimp daddy of budget travel" (Everywhere magazine). He is the publisher of a popular zine, has written for Lonely Planet, and is the author of the forthcoming Broke-Ass Stuart's Guide to Living Cheaply in New York.
JONATHAN EVISON
reading & booksigning for All About Lulu
Tuesday, August 5 at 7:30 pm"Anyone who has ever experienced obsessive love - or wanted to experience obsessive love - will find themselves at home in Jonathan Evison's All About Lulu. The voice is fresh as this morning's rain, the emotions are universal. Read this book and realize you aren't the only one knocked stupid for love." - Tim Sandlin
Jonathan Evison has worked in a wide variety of jobs - from rotten tomato server to syndicated radio talk show host. His comedy show, Shaken Not Stirred, was nominated for two Peabody Awards. He has received two Silver Microphones, and two Communicators, and was frequently nominated for the Soundie Award.
SHAWN TAYLOR
talk & booksigning for Big Black Penis
Friday, August 8 at 7:30 pmBeing black and male is serious business, but its many absurd contradictions are often laugh-out loud. In Big Black Penis: Misadventures in Race and Masculinity, Bay Area writer Shawn Taylor deftly leads us on a no-holds-barred tour of his masculine development, while acknowledging some deep but often hilarious truths about black men. Unapologetic and sharply critical, Taylor brings the subject of black masculinity into the 21st century.
Shawn Taylor is the author of People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. He is a spoken-word performer and writer whose focus is gender, cultural identity, folklore, ancestry, and ritual. His solo performance, "Slower than a Speeding Bullet," was selected as the AOL.com pick of the week.
ANNA WINGER
reading & booksigning for This Must Be the Place
Thursday, August 21 at 7:30 pmAnna Winger's debut novel, This Must Be the Place, is the moving story of friendship between neighbors in a Berlin apartment building. Walter is a fading actor and Hope is a young married woman; both are coming to terms with the past. "As smart and cosmopolitan as the twenty-first-century Berlin she chronicles so well . . . an essential love story for our confused and difficult times. Funny, touching, and unforgettable." - Gary Shteyngart
Anna Winger grew up in Kenya, Massachusetts, and Mexico as the daughter of Harvard University anthropologists. Today, she is a professional photographer and the producer of the "Berlin Stories," which is heard on NPR Worldwide. Her journalism has been published in The New York Times Magazine, and other publications.
THORINA ROSE
reading & booksigning for The Heartbreak Diet
Friday, August 22 at 7:30 pmThorina Rose's beautifully illustrated memoir (akin to a graphic novel) charts the unexpected dissolution of her marriage and the struggles and adventures of single life. With humor and insight, The Heartbreak Diet: A Story of Family, Fidelity, and Starting Over blossoms into a moving and entertaining meditation on fidelity, family, and finding one's way. " . . . funny, poignant, and wise." - Laura Fraser
Thorina Rose is a San Francisco-based artist whose work has been featured in the books Office Kama Sutra and Lovers' Yoga, as well as Travel & Leisure and numerous other publications. She lives not far from The Booksmith.
JOE NICK PATOSKI
talk & booksigning for Willie Nelson: An Epic Life
Tuesday, September 2 at 7:30 pmJoin Joe Nick Patoski (and special guests& outlaws*) as he discusses his exceptional new biography Willie Nelson: An Epic Life. Drawing on over 100 interviews with Willie and his family, friends and band, Patoski tells the country music icon's story from humble Depression-era roots to his musical education in Texas honky-tonks and his flirtations with whiskey, women, and weed. "Patoski has here conjured a biography . . . a book whose evocations of time, place, and spirit are as masterful as they are enthralling." - Nick Tosches
Joe Nick Patoski has written about Willie Nelson for publications including No Depression, Texas Monthly, Rolling Stone, TV Guide, and the Austin American-Statesman. The co-author and author of biographies of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Selena and a contributor to the Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll, Patoski lives in the Texas Hill Country. [Among those joining us for this special event will be Willie Nelson's harmonica player, Mickey Raphael aka "The Reader in the Band," who will talk about Willie, music and the charms of the road.]
MARC LECARD
reading & booksigning for Tiny Little Troubles
Monday, September 8 at 7:30 pmFrom Marc Lecard, the critically acclaimed author of Vinnie's Head, comes a fast-paced crime story about an eccentric thug chasing after a piece of nano-technology and the scientist that created it. Set locally, Tiny Little Troubles is a fast-paced crime story (recalling Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiassen) in which the protagonist, a brilliant San Francisco scientist, encounters a whole world of trouble from the smallest of sources.
Marc Lecard is the author of an earlier novel, Vinnie's Head, as well as short stories published in various anthologies. He lives in Oakland, California with his wife, 3,000 books (at last count), a roomful of musical instruments, and a growing collection of obsolete computers.