Archive
Friends,
below are some great events coming up at the Book Smith at 1644 Haight St. between Clayton & Cole (863-8688)
Thursday, March 8
7:30 PM
LARRY SMITH and Co.
THE MOMENT:
Wild, Poignant, Life-Changing Stories
from 125 Writers and Artists Famous & Obscure
SMITH Magazine celebrates the release of The Moment with its first book reading. You'll hear some talented authors share their MOMENTS with us -- and anyone from the audience is invited to share a "first line" from a Moment in his or her life.
Many of us think our lives follow a fated path, or one that comes from a route we engaged and strive to follow. But in fact so much of our existence—where we find ourselves in life, love, work, and at home, and where we might end up later—results from a single moment or decision that was made on a whim, even randomly. The stories in The Moment take all shapes and sizes— from written narratives ranging from six to a thousand words, to photographs, comics, illustrations, handwritten letters, tweets, and more.
Read more
The amazing cast of readers:
CAROLINE PAUL is a journalist and author of Fighting Fire, a memoir of her time as a San Francisco firefighter, and East Wind, Rain, about the villagers of an isolated Hawaiian island whose lives are forever changed when a plane crash-lands nearby.
AARON HUEY is a contributing editor (photographer) for Harper’s Magazine and a photojournalist who freelances regularly for National Geographic, Harper’s, the New Yorker, Smithsonian Magazine, and the New York Times.
STEVE SILBERMAN is a science writer for Wired and other national magazines.
MATTHEW ZAPRUDER is an editor for Wave Books and teaches as a member of the core faculty of UCR-Palm Desert’s Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing. His most recent book is Come On All You Ghosts.
KIRK CITRON is the founder of the digital advertising agency AKQA. He edits The Long News, and lives in San Francisco and New York City.
MO CLANCY was once a trend forecaster for Fortune 500 fashion and consumer brands. He now focuses on modern artifacts and Mayan culture.
ELLEN SUSSMAN is the author of the novels French Lessons and On a Night Like This. She is the editor of two anthologies, Bad Girls: 26 Writers Misbehave and Dirty Words: A Literary Encyclopedia of Sex.
MICHAEL CASTLEMAN is the author of twelve consumer health guides, among them Building Bone Vitality and The New Healing Herbs, and three mystery novels, most recently, A Killing in Real Estate.
JULIA HALPRIN JACKSON has written fiction, nonfiction, and poetry that has appeared in anthologies from Flatmancrooked and the American Diabetes Association, as well as the literary magazines .Fourteen Hills, Spectrum and Catalyst.
CHRISTINE MACDONALD is a writer and dancer based in her hometown of Waikiki, Hawaii. She is currently working on a memoir about her life as an exotic dancer.
Larry Smith is also the editor of numerous Six Word Memoir books, and the originator of the Six Word Memoir game.
Friday, March 9
8:00 PM
LITERARY CLOWN FOOLERY
An Evening of Cabaret and Satire
Details TK
THRILLER NIGHT!
Monday, March 12
7:30 PM
KIRA PEIKOFF
LIVING PROOF
In 2027, destroying any viable embryo is considered first-degree murder. Fertility clinics still exist, giving hope and new life to thousands of infertile families, but they have to pass rigorous inspections by the U.S. Department of Embryo Preservation. Fail an inspection, and you will be prosecuted.
Brilliant young doctor Arianna Drake is thriving in the spotlight. Her clinic surpasses every DEP requirement and its growing reputation attracts more clients every day. But when the DEP chief discovers Arianna’s radical past as a supporter of an infamous scientist, he sends undercover agent Trent Rowe to investigate her for possible illegal activity.
As the agent gleans clues about Arianna’s enigmatic operation, his own faith in the mission unravels. Split between the traditions he knows and the truth he fears, his life implodes just as he gains power over Arianna’s chances for survival. But with the clock ticking, neither realizes just how deep their closest colleagues are invested in the outcome, and how desperate they might become. Nothing less than human life—and profound scientific progress—hang in the balance.
A thought-provoking thriller, Living Proof is a celebration of love and life that cuts to the core of a major cultural debate of our time.
“Makes you think, makes you sweat, leaves you happy – everything a good book should.” -- Lee Child
"A tremendous debut, Living Proof is smart, savvy, and suspenseful. Kira Peikoff is a writer to watch." -- Alafair Burke
Kira Peikoff has written for The Daily News, Newsday, The Orange County Register, and New York magazine. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from NYU and has worked in the editorial departments of Random House and Henry Holt. She lives in New York City, where she teaches creative writing and is working on her second thriller.
Tuesday, March 13
7:30 PM
ERICKA LUTZ
THE EDGE OF MAYBE
What makes a family a family? What do we owe the people in our lives?
Adam and Kira Glazer live a quirky, Northern California liberal lifestyle, entering middle age with politically correct values, an obsession with gourmet organic food, and no idea what has happened to their punk rock, adventurous youth. When Amber—a young ex-con from Nevada who might be Adam's daughter—lands on their doorstep bringing with her a disabled child, Adam and Kira are forced to confront their disappointments—in each other and in themselves. Adam, Kira, and their 13-year-old daughter Polly take on freeways and yoga classes, explore truths and secrets, and ultimately go for broke in The Edge of Maybe, a novel of possibilities.
Award-winning author Ericka Lutz takes readers on a wild road trip, with a novel that is tender, witty, and entertaining and characters who are visceral, sexy, and real.
“An unflinching exploration of 21st century family life, California style—at once funny, complicated, earnest, and passionate, with an ending I cheered. The characters are full of surprises, and Amber is a gem.” -- Alix Kates Shulman, author of To Love What Is and Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen
“Ericka Lutz is a brave, honest, deeply observant writer. She deftly celebrates and lampoons Bay area culture as she exposes the dark side of a family which, on the surface, seems ideal. The Edge of Maybe is a timely, compulsive read.”
—Gayle Brandeis, author of Delta Girls and My Life with the Lincolns
Ericka Lutz is the author of seven previous books, including The Complete Idiot's Guide to Stepparenting. Her stories and essays have appeared in many literary magazines, journals, and anthologies. A long time columnist for Literary Mama magazine, she teaches writing and public speaking at the UC Berkeley, and performs her solo show A Widow's To-Do List around the Bay Area. She lives in Oakland, the city from which she draws much of her inspiration. The Edge of Maybe is her first novel.
Wednesday, March 14
7:30 PM
CHRISTINE PELOSI
Campaign Boot Camp 2.0
Basic Training for Candidates, Staffers, Volunteers, and Nonprofits
A Seven-Step Guide to Winning
“My political activism began in the stroller,” writes Christine Pelosi. As the daughter of Congresswoman and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Christine is almost literally a born campaigner. She knows politics and policy inside out: she’s served as an attorney in the Clinton-Gore administration, as a Congressional chief of staff on Capitol Hill, and as a San Francisco prosecutor. She has conducted “boot camps” in over thirty states and in three countries, working with dozens of successful candidates for office from city council to US congress. In Campaign Boot Camp 2.0, Pelosi presents leadership lessons from the campaign trail from a diverse array of over forty public figures, lending advice for anyone who wants to run for office, advocate for a cause, or win a public policy issue.
Campaign Boot Camp 2.0 is basic training for future leaders who hear a call to service—a voice of conscience that springs from vision, ideas, and values—and want to translate that call into positive change. Pelosi offers the seven essential steps to winning: identify your call to service, define your message, know your community, build your leadership teams, raise the money, connect with people, and mobilize to win..
In this edition, Pelosi updates the book’s “Call to Service” examples—profiles of current political leaders and what motivated them to enter public service; details the expanding role of social media, the Internet, and technology as message multipliers; explores challenges unique to women candidates; and expands on the power of volunteers.
“A passionate call to public service—and a practical guide for making that service more productive. Christine Pelosi is a sharp and knowledgeable drill sergeant looking to whip our democratic process back into shape.”
-- Arianna Huffington
Christine Pelosi currently serves as chair of the California Democratic Party Women’s Caucus, a vice chair of the Veterans and Military Families Council of the Democratic National Committee, and a board member of Young Democrats of America. She has been a US Department of Housing and Urban Development special counsel, chief of staff to US Congressman John F. Tierney, and assistant district attorney for the City of San Francisco.