Archive
Friends,
below are some great events coming up at the Book Smith at 1644 Haight St. between Clayton & Cole (863-8688)
JANIS IAN
talk & booksigning for Society's Child: My Autobiography
Tuesday, September 9 at 7:30 pmJanis Ian has inspired generations of fans, and in Society's Child: My Autobiography, the Grammy Award winner shares the fascinating story of her life in music. In this moving memoir, Ian tells the story behind her controversial 1966 hit "Society's Child" (written when the musician was just 15 years old) and the equally acclaimed 1975 smash "At Seventeen," which earned two Grammys and five nominations.
Janis Ian is a Grammy Award-winning songwriter, singer, multi-instrumental musician, columnist, and science fiction fan-turned-author. She had a highly successful singing career in the 1960s and 1970s, and has continued recording into the 21st century. Ian has been a regular columnist for and continuing contributor to the LGBT magazine The Advocate.
NEAL STEPHENSON
multimedia event for Anathem
Tuesday, September 9New York Times best-selling author Neal Stephenson's new book, Anathem, is being released at a singular event in San Francisco on September 9, 2008. Presented by The Long Now Foundation, whose 10,000 Year Clock project inspired Stephenson's new work, this evening with the author will include live performances of music created for the book, readings by Neal Stephenson, conversations with Stewart Brand and Danny Hillis (founders of The Long Now Foundation), a demonstration of shovel-fu, and a chance to celebrate this new work in the Gothic splendor of The Regency. Please note: this is a ticketed event which will take place at The Regency, 1320 Van Ness @ Sutter in San Francisco. For tickets and further information, see
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/42323
Neal Stephenson is an American writer known primarily for his science fiction works in the post-cyberpunk genre (with a penchant for explorations of society, mathematics, cryptography, and the history of science). He also writes non-fiction articles about technology in publications such as Wired Magazine. Neal Stephenson is the author of eight previous novels and other works, including such groundbreaking books as Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon.
LILY KOPPEL
reading & booksigning for The Red Leather Diary
Wednesday, September 10 at 7:30 pmThe Red Leather Diary tells the true story of a teenage girl's discarded, Depression-era journal rescued from a dumpster in modern day Manhattan and eventually, and remarkably, reunited with its now elderly author. Found by a young writer, journalist Lily Koppel, who read its vivid entries as if letters to herself, this artifact of a forgotten time reveals the lost world of a New York teenager a young woman who dared to follow her dreams.
Lily Koppel writes for the New York Times and other publications. She lives in New York City. For more on her and her book, see
http://www.redleatherdiary.com/
TAMIM ANSARY
reading & booksigning for West of Kabul, East of New York: An Afghan American
Thursday, September 11 at 7:30 pmThe Booksmith and One City One Book: San Francisco Reads celebrate West of Kabul, East of New York: An Afghan American, by Tamim Ansary. This memoir of growing up in pre-Taliban Afghanistan also recounts the author's travels through North Africa and the Middle East as well as a personal journey through two cultures in conflict. Please join us for this special event.
Tamim Ansary writes and lectures about Afghanistan, Islamic history, democracy, schooling and learning, fiction and the writing process. He also directs the San Francisco Writers Workshop, the oldest continuous free writers workshop in America and the hub of a growing community of Bay Area writers.
BILL SANTIAGO
talk & booksigning for Pardon My Spanglish
Monday, September 15 at 7:30 pmCome hear comedian Bill Santiago read from his new book, Pardon My Spanglish: One Man's Guide to Speaking the Habla, and perform some of the hilarious Spanglish standup from his Comedy Central special. Afterwards, share your own personal experiences with Spanglish (featuring twice the vocabulary and half the grammar). Porque, because laughs for Latinos and the Latino-curious are guaranteed!
Bill Santiago is a nationally known comedian who has appeared on Conan O'Brien and Comedy Central. He became a standup comic after narrowly escaping a career as a widely published journalist, facing the fact that as a comedian he was funny, but as a reporter he was a joke. Bill Santiago's latest show, The Funny of (Latin) Dance, will be premiering at the Brava Theater Center on September 20th.
LYNDA BARRY
talk & booksigning for What It Is
Thursday, September 18 at 7:30 pmIf there were a list of 1,000, or 100, or 10, or even 1 author to see before you die at the top of that list should be Lynda Barry. She is a comic book genius - a comix goddess, and one of the most delightful and inspiring author-artists you'll ever meet. Her new book, What It Is, is a deliciously drawn, insightful, and engaging take on the process of artistic creation. "Barry is not just a storyteller, she's an evangelist who urges people to pick up a pen - or a brush . . . and look at their own lives with fresh, forgiving eyes." - San Francisco Chronicle
Cartoonist, novelist, playwright and Booksmith favorite Lynda Barry is the creator of the syndicated strip "Ernie Pooks Comeek," featuring the incomparable Marlys and Freddy. Her books include Cruddy, One Hundred Demons and The Good Times Are Killing Me.
IRVINE WELSH
talk & booksigning for Crime
Friday, September 19 at 7:30 pmIn Crime, Scottish-born author Irvine Welsh brings his unique brand of literary mayhem to the glitzed-out, drugs-and-danger state of Florida. This just published novel tells the tale of Ray Lennox (a supporting character from the novel Filth) who is cast adrift in the Sunshine State and who befriends a young girl in jeopardy. Not all, however, is as it seems. Described by the author as more "an existential thriller than a police procedural crime novel," Welsh's latest is sure to keep readers riveted.
Irvine Welsh is the author of Trainspotting, Marabou Stork Nightmares, Ecstacy, Porno and other works. He divides his time between Florida, Ireland, and Scotland.