Archive
Friends,
below are some great events coming up at the Book Smith at 1644 Haight St. between Clayton & Cole (863-8688)
STEFAN KANFER
reading & booksigning for Somebody
Friday, November 21 at 7:30 pmFor everything we know about Brando as a man as well as an actor and artist, he remains a fascination. What are we to make of someone whose life, both personal and professional, hit such dazzling highs and such abysmal lows? Acclaimed film critic Stefan Kanfer answers this question in Somebody: The Reckless Life and Remarkable Career of Marlon Brando. And in the process, Kafner gives us what may well be the final word on one of the most astonishing talents of the twentieth century.
Stefan Kanfer's books include The Eighth Sin, A Summer World, The Last Empire, Serious Business, Groucho, Ball of Fire, and Stardust Lost. He was a writer and editor at Time magazine for more than twenty years and was its first bylined film critic, a post he held between 1967 and 1972. He is also the primary interviewer in the Academy Award-nominated documentary The Line King and editor of an anthology of Groucho Marx's comedy, The Essential Groucho.
BUCKY SINISTER
reading & booksigning for Get Up
Monday, November 24 at 7:30 pmAs an atheist with a background in fundamentalism, Bucky Sinister was skeptical of 12-step groups when the time came for him to get sober. He was afraid of losing his artistic abilities and had big problems with the higher power concept. In spite of his hesitations, he stuck with the program and it rewarded him greatly. In Get Up: A 12-step Guide to Recovery for Misfits, Freaks, and Weirdos, he shares the knowledge he gained on his journey, from being afraid of the 12-step philosophies to embracing them, motivating others to join him in their own efforts to get clean.
Bucky Sinister, is a spoken word artist who performs about 40 times a years at comedy clubs and theaters, primarily on the West Coast, but also around the country. He has published nine chapbooks and three full-length collections of poetry, the most recent being All Blacked Out & Nowhere to Go. His first full-length CD, What Happens in Narnia, Stays in Narnia was released in 2007.OTHER AFFILIATE EVENTS
JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER BOOKFEST talks, readings & booksignings Sunday, November 2 between 10:30 am - 7:00 pm
The Booksmith will sell books at the JCCSF BookFest on Sunday, November 2nd from 10:30am to 7pm. BookFest is an annual, one-day literary event that provides a lively and intimate view of the thriving Jewish literary scene. Bringing together some of the brightest and most inventive writers from around the world, the festival fosters interest in Jewish literature and fosters a sense of the Jewish literary community. For a full list of authors please visit: www.jccsf.org/bookfest/
FREE. No reservations required to attend festival. Tickets required for keynote and closing sessions. Order tickets today! Call 415.292.1233 or visit the Jewish Community Center BookFest Box Office at 3200 California Street in San Francisco.
GRATITUDE IS IN THE AIR
readings & booksigning
Thursday, November 20 at 7:00 pm"Gratitude is in the Air" is the theme of a poetry event with local performers and audience members giving voice to the importance of extending kindnesses to others . . . and for being grateful for gifts we can share. Participating in this pre-Thanksgiving event are Dan Harder, Gail Mitchell, Stephen Kopel, Janine Mogannan, Armour Garland, Ana Elsner, klipschutz, Jeanne Powell and Jennifer Futernick.
The Booksmith supports this timely event and hopes poetry partisans will drop by. This Booksmith sponsored community event, which is free and open to the public, will take place at the Red Vic Peace Cafe (1665 Haight St.)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- An outstanding collection of the treasures of the State Museums of Berlin that honors the contributions of patron James Simon opened at the Legion of Honor. The State Museums of Berlin and the Legacy of James Simon is a case study of the history of collecting during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and features approximately 150 works from nine separate Berlin museums. This exhibition includes Egyptian and Near Eastern antiquities, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque sculptures, Old Master paintings, works on paper including eighteenth and nineteenth-century Japanese woodblock prints, art of the Silk Road, and European folk art donated by Simon for the State Museums of Berlin. The exhibition runs through January 18, 2009. http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=27541
PAPERBACK DREAMS
screening Paperback Dreams
Monday, December 1 at 7:30 pm
Are independent bookstores still relevant in the 21st century? If you've ever wondered about this question, we invite you to join us for a screening and discussion of a powerful new documentary Paperback Dreams. The film is the story of two landmark independent bookstores - Kepler's and Cody's - going back to the days of the paperback revolution. The film traces the bookstores' history as cultural institutions and explores their community relationships. It also includes interviews with several well known authors, publishers, and booksellers, including Salman Rushdie and Michael Powell.
Paperback Dreams is a co-production of Alex Beckstead, the Independent Television Service (ITVS), and KQED Public Television. Alex lives in San Francisco and is a Booksmith fan. His films have screened at the Sundance Film Festival and Public Television Stations across the US. Alex will join us for Q&A after the film screening.
JANIS BELL
talk & booksigning for Clean, Well-Lighted Sentences
Tuesday, December 2 at 7:30 pm
After thirty-five years of teaching writing, Janis Bell knows which sentences work and which sentences don't. In Clean, Well-Lighted Sentences: A Writer's Guide to Avoiding the Most Common Errors in Grammar and Punctuation, Bell describes grammar and usage problems in ways that make sense. Like a new year's resolution, this recently published book is a focused and entertaining guide to getting our sentences into good shape.
Janis Bell is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and San Francisco State University, where her graduate studies in English focused on the teaching of writing. She lives in San Francisco, California.
DAVID THOMSON
talk for Have You Seen . . . ?: A Personal Introduction to 1,000 Films
Thursday, December 4 at 7:30 pm
In 1975, David Thomson published his Biographical Dictionary of Film - few film books have enjoyed better press or such steady sales. Now, thirty-three years later, we have a companion volume, a second book of more than 1,000 pages in one voice - that of our most provocative contemporary film critic and historian. Juxtaposing the fanciful and the fabulous, the old favorites and the forgotten, Have You Seen . . . ?: A Personal Introduction to 1,000 Films presents the films that this acclaimed film writer offers in response to the question he gets asked most often. David Thomson will also be screening clips from some of the films under discussion.
David Thomson was born in London. He is a regular contributor to publications in both Britain and the United States,and was the screenwriter on the award-winning documentary "The Making of a Legend: Gone With the Wind." His other books include Showman: The Life of David O. Selznick, Rosebud, and three works of fiction.
DAN PIRARO (aka the cartoonist Bizarro)
talk, slideshow & booksigning for Bizarro Buccaneers
Friday, December 5 at 7:30 pm
Ahoy, matey! Bizarro Buccaneers: Nuttin' But Pirate Cartoons is just that a collection for both wannabe plunderers and scurvy walkin' plankwalkers! Brilliant and in full color, as well as a perfect stocking stuffer (hint-hint), its captain is one Bizarro, a cartoonist whose work we've spied in that local broadsheet, the San Francisco Chronicle. Don't miss this special event, in which Bizarro will screen lantern slides, deliver a rogue-ish speech, and sign his name on the spot. . . . Sail ho me squiffy men!
Dan Piraro was born in Kansas City, grew up in Tulsa, and lived in Dallas for many years. He is a recipient of a Reuben Award for Best Single-Panel Cartoonist and his comic strip, "Bizarro," received multiple-year designations as Best Single-Panel Cartoon by the National Cartoonists Society. Locally, his work is featured in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Happy Holidays from The Booksmith!
To celebrate the season, we are hosting two special holiday events on Sunday and Monday and we invite you to join us! We are kicking off the holidays with a fundraiser to support two of our local schools. Four wonderfully-talented children's book authors/illustrators will join us Sunday morning for breakfast treats and story time. On Monday, rock-star photographer Robert M. Knight will stop by the bookstore to sign the impressive collection of his 40-year career's work from 5-6pm.
Also timed with the holidays, the bookhounds at the Booksmith have put together reviews of their favorites titles in The Booksmith's 2nd annual holiday catalog. You can now pick up a free copy in the store or view the catalog and order online. Enjoy!