Marliese's Corner
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Friends,

below are some great events coming up at the Book Smith at 1644 Haight St. between Clayton & Cole (863-8688)

JEFF KALISS
talk & booksigning for I Want to Take You Higher
Wednesday, October 22 at 7:30 pm

From his anthemic early hits ("I Want to Take You Higher," "Family Affair," "Dance to the Music"), through the moody meditations of "There's a Riot Going On" and beyond, Sly and the Family Stone have left an indelible mark on rock, funk, pop, and hip hop. Now, their story is told in I Want to Take You Higher: The Life and Times of Sly and the Family Stone. Author Jeff Kaliss scored the first face-to-face interview with the reclusive superstar in over 20 years, making this book a must-read for any fan of music. Among the special guests excepted to attend this event is Family Stone drummer Greg Errico. And who knows who else.

Jeff Kaliss has written about music, theater, film, and other forms of entertainment for over a quarter-century.

CECILIA CHANG
reading & booksigning for The Seventh Daughter
Thursday, October 23 at 6:00 pm

In 1961, when Cecilia Chiang opened her now-legendary San Francisco restaurant The Mandarin, most Chinese restaurants in the U.S. were serving Cantonese or heavily Americanized food. Chiang introduced authentic northern Chinese cuisine to America, earning the adoration of generations of diners. Her new book, The Seventh Daughter, is a classic collection of recipes framed by her gripping life story. Celebrate with Chiang at a festive Chinese banquet dinner at Mayflower Seafood Restaurant.

BILL MORGAN
talk & booksigning for The Letters of Allen Ginsberg
Thursday, October 23 at 7:30 pm

Allen Ginsberg (1926 1997) was one of the 20th century literature's greatest poets and most prolific letter-writers. The Letters of Allen Ginsberg, edited by Beat scholar Bill Morgan and featuring many letters published for the first time, showcases the poet's correspondence with a wide-range of individuals - including fellow Beat writers and the likes of Arthur Miller, Ken Kesey, Lionel Trilling, Philip Glass, Bertrand Russell and others. Allen Ginsberg gave his last ever public reading at The Booksmith, less then half-a-year before his death. Please join us for this special event.

Bill Morgan, Allen Ginsberg's literary archivist for many years, is the author of an acclaimed biography of the poet as well as editor of The Book of Martyrdom and Artifice, Ginsberg's early journals. Also recently published and edited by Morgan is The Selected Letters of Allen Ginsberg and Gary Snyder, 1956-1991.

JEFF GOLDEN
reading & booksigning for Unafraid: A Novel of the Possible
Friday, October 24 at 7:30 pm

Two dates burn fiercely in the memory of millions of Americans: November 22, 1963 and September 11, 2001. These two tragedies bracket Unafraid, a story grounded in a simple question: what if the fatal bullet fired on that sunny Dallas afternoon had veered three inches off target? "What an exciting, clever, imaginative book! And more, what an insightful, important one. This is the Great Read you've been looking for."? - Neale Donald Walsch, author of Conversations with God.

Jeff Golden's migration from the halls of Harvard to the backwoods of Oregon was chronicled in the book Watermelon Summer. He has built homes, farmed, logged, guided river adventures and served as a County Commissioner, mediator, columnist and public broadcasting producer and talk show host.

CHRISTIAN LANDER
talk & booksigning for Stuff White People Like
Saturday, October 25 at 7:30 pm

Blogger Christian Lander has written a provocative, wickedly funny "study"? of upper-middle-class white people. His new book, Stuff White People Like: The Definitive Guide to the Unique Taste of Millions, contains material not featured on his blog and reveals a culture that prides itself on individuality and diversity, yet also a culture that manages to express these beliefs in the exact same way! This book will make you laugh, and you'll want to come to terms with yourself and ask: "How white have I become?"

Christian Lander is the creator of the website Stuff White People Like. He is a Ph.D. dropout who was the 2006 public speaking instructor of the year at Indiana University. He has lived in Toronto, Montreal, Copenhagen, Tucson, Indiana, and now Los Angeles, where he lives with his wife, Jess, a photographer who contributed many of the photos in the book.

J. OTTO SIEBOLD
reading & booksigning for Vunce Upon a Time
Sunday, October 26 at 1:00 pm

Dagmar is not like other vampires. He's shy. He's afraid of humans and . . . he's a vegetarian! But even more than vegetables, Dagmar loves candy! When he hears about all the treats he can get on Halloween, Dagmar knows he has to be brave and venture out into the world. Vunce Upon a Time is the wonderful new book from J. Otto Siebold, author & illustrator of the Olive the Other Reindeer and other classics. Please join us for this special, not-too-spooky, pre-Halloween Sunday story time event. We'll have special prizes for kids in attendence.

Bay Area resident J. Otto Seibold has written, co-written, and illustrated many children's books, including Olive, the Other Reindeer and the widely acclaimed Mr. Lunch series.

ALLISON AMEND
reading & booksigning for Things That Pass for Love
Tuesday, October 28 at 7:30 pm

Things That Pass for Love is the exceptional new book of stories - both thoughtful and entertaining - from debut writer Allison Amend. "The stories in Amend's Things that Pass for Love are such good company that I found myself reading more and more slowly so that the collection wouldn't end. Amend's voice is so compelling, easeful and polished you feel that the stories almost rise up off the page and tell themselves. And, as we all know, the hardest thing a writer can do is make it look easy."? Alison Smith

Allison Amend was born in Chicago, Illinois on a day when the Cubs beat the Mets 2-0. She holds an MFA from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop. While there, she learned never to live downwind from a pig farm and how to put English on a cue ball. She lives in New York, writing and teaching fiction.

BILL KELTER & WAYNE SHELLABARGER
talk & booksigning for Veeps: Profiles in Insignificance
Wednesday, November 5 at 7:30 pm

Over the course of more than 200 years, American voters have sent a platoon of rogues, cowards, drunks, featherweights, doddering geriatrics, bigots, and atrocious spellers to Washington D.C. - only to sit one bullet, cerebral hemorrhage, or case of pneumonia away from the highest office in the land. In their first post-election event, authors Bill Kelter & Wayne Shellabarger discuss their newly released book, Veeps: Profiles in Insignificance.

Booksmith customer Wayne Shellabarger is a San Francisco-based artist and author (and customer at The Booksmith). Bill Kelter lives in Portland, Oregon.

ROSE AGUILAR
talk & booksigning for Red Highways: A Liberal's Journey Into the Heartland
Thursday, November 6 at 7:30 pm

As a San Francisco radio host grown tired of media stereotypes, Rose Aguilar packed up her van, picked up her boyfriend, and set out on a six-month road trip through the red-state West to find out what voters there really care about. Equal parts travelogue, political reportage, and personal discovery, Red Highways: A Liberal's Journey Into the Heartland challenges conventional wisdom and calls for a more thoughtful and productive dialogue between Red and Blue America.

Rose Aguilar is a journalist and political blogger, and the host of "Your Call," a daily public affairs radio show heard on KALW. Aguilar has also written for CNET, Alternet and the BBC.


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