You're browsing: Home / Category / Events

Ferry Plaza Book Party: Osprey Orielle Lake

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK PARTY:  Osprey Orielle Lake, Author of Uprisings for the Earth: Reconnecting Culture with Nature

Osprey Orielle Lake

Osprey Orielle Lake

Monday, , 2010 || September 13, 6pm
Book Passage || Ferry Plaza
San Francisco || www.bookpassage.com

Osprey Orielle Lake is a lifelong advocate of social and environmental justice issues. She has traveled to five continents studying ancient and modern cultures while making presentations at international conferences and universities. is the Director of the Women’s Earth and Climate Caucus and on the governing Board of Praxis Peace Institute. Osprey She is the Founder/Artist of the International Cheemah Monument Project and is creating eighteen-foot-tall bronze

Book Launch: Todd Crawshaw

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH:  Todd Crawshaw, Author of Exploits of the Satyr

Todd Crawshaw

Todd Crawshaw

Saturday, September 11, 2010 || 7pm
Book Passage-Corte Madera || 51 Tamal Vista Dr.
Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

Todd Crawshaw talks about his debut novel Exploits of the Satyr.

John Lazard Slater III, known simply as John, or Slater (or Satyr to his fans and foes, once upon a time), crash-lands after falling from the sky onto a freeway overpass. Thus ends—and begins—a biographical story about mental, physical and spiritual seduction, the tragi-comic chronicle of a man who belatedly discovers he was procreated by members of a cult to initiate the Second Coming of Christ. The result: a fast-forward-reverse-pause world where the past and the future

Literary Salon: Molly Dwyer

LEFT COAST WRITERS LITERARY SALON:  Molly Dwyer, Author of Requiem for the Author of Frankenstein

Molly Dwyer

Molly Dwyer

Tuesday, September 7, 2010 || 7pm
Book Passage || Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Drive, Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

Frankenstein was conceived during the summer of 1816 when Mary Godwin and Percy Bysshe Shelley lived on Lake Geneva in the company of the infamous Lord Byron. Frankenstein matured into a novel during the following winter, while Mary lived mostly without Shelley in Bath, keeping her pregnant stepsister Claire hidden from wagging tongues. During that winter both Mary’s half-sister, Fanny, and Shelley’s abandoned wife, Harriet, killed themselves. On January 1, 1818, one year later, Frankenstein descended upon the world. Its author, now the married Mrs. Shelley, was twenty years old.

Book Launch: Terry Sue Harms

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH: Terry Sue Harms, Author of Pearls My Mother Wore

TerrySueHarms_sSaturday, August 21, 2010 || 7pm
Book Passage-Corte Madera
|| 51 Tamal Vista Dr.
Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

Pearls My Mother Wore is about loss and recovery, resentment and forgiveness.

The novel opens on the day that forty-three-year-old “nice girl” Kelly Tremblake buries the ashes of her forty-two-year-old husband, Grayson. Devastated by his sudden and unexpected death, Kelly finds the sweet, uncomplicated life she has intentionally crafted screeching to a halt.  As she pulls increasingly inward, episodes surrounding the death of her beautiful but narcissistic, alcoholic mother, when Kelly was fifteen, threaten to overwhelm her.

Ferry Plaza Book Party: Christi Phillips

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK PARTY:  Christi Phillips, Author of The Devlin Diary

Christi Phillips

Christi Phillips

Monday, August 9, 2010 || 6pm
Book Passage || Ferry Plaza
San Francisco || www.bookpassage.com

Join us for a little wine and a magical evening with popular Bay Area author Christi Phillips. Christi’s latest book, The Devlin Diary, now out in paperback, is a dazzling novel of intrigue, passion, and royal secrets that shifts tantalizingly between Restoration-era London and present-day Cambridge. A suspenseful and richly satisfying tale brimming with sharply observed historical detail, The Devlin Diary brings past and present to vivid life. With wit and grace, Christi Phillips holds readers spellbound

Literary Salon: Michael Krasny

LEFT COAST WRITERS LITERARY SALON:  Michael Krasny, Author of Off Mike: A Memoir of Talk Radio and Literary Life and Spiritual Envy: An Agnostic’s Quest

Michael Krasny

Michael Krasny

Monday, August 2, 2010 || 7pm
Book Passage || Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Drive, Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

Everyone knows Michael Krasny, the award-winning host of NPR/KQED’s Forum with Michael Krasny, a news and public affairs program covering politics, culture, the arts, health, business and technology since 1993 and veteran interviewer for NPR’s nationally broadcast City Arts and Lectures series. He’s also an English professor at San Francisco State University, and a widely published scholar, critic and fiction writer. We are so pleased to have him as a Left Coast Writers Literary Salon Presenter in August.

Book Launch: Simplie Indie Authors

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH: Connie A. Walker, Author of The Spire of Skylet and David R. Christensen, Author of The Mystery of the Ugly Bottle

Connie Walker

Connie Walker

David Christensen

David Christensen

Saturday, July 10, 2010 || 7pm
Book Passage-Corte Madera || 51 Tamal Vista Dr.
Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

Bring the kiddies. Please join us for a delightful night of wine and juice and great readers as Left Coast Writer’s Simplie Indie publisher, Bill Walker, takes the stage with two of his authors.

Literary Salon: Ransom Stephens

LEFT COAST WRITERS LITERARY SALON:  Ransom Stephens, Author of The God Patent

Ransom Stephens

Ransom Stephens

Monday, July 5, 2010 || 7pm
Book Passage || Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Drive, Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

Ferry Plaza Book Party: Welcome ASP!

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH:  Welcome ASP: James J. Patterson, Author of Bermuda Shorts and Joanna Biggar, Author of That Paris Year

James J. Patterson

James J. Patterson

Joanna Biggar

Joanna Biggar

Monday, July 12, 2010 || 6pm
Book Passage || Ferry Plaza
San Francisco || www.bookpassage.com

Join us for an evening that will take you from the good old USA to Paris, France, as ASP writer and publisher, James J. Patterson, and noted writer and teacher, Joanna Biggar, team up for an evening of all-American chatter and fine French bonhomie. North Beach dive? French cafe? Try the wine and fancy cheese, and you tell us.

Ferry Plaza Book Party: Judith Horstman

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH:  Judith Horstman, Author of The Scientific American Brave New Brain

Judith Horstman

Judith Horstman

Monday, June 14, 2010 || 6pm
Book Passage || Ferry Plaza
San Francisco || www.bookpassage.com

Microchips in your brain. Thought-controlled technology. Cures for Alzheimer’s, depression, and mental retardation.  Treatments to erase memories, pills to make you smarter, and bionic spare parts to restore lost neural functions.

Book Launch: Rebecca Foust and Kirsten Jones Neff

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH: Rebecca Foust, Author of All That Gorgeous, Pitiless Song and Kirsten Jones Neff, Author of When the House is Quiet

Rebecca Foust

Rebecca Foust

Kirsten Neff

Kirsten Neff

Saturday, June 12, 2010 || 7pm
Book Passage-Corte Madera || 51 Tamal Vista Dr.
Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

Please join us at a book party for two of our favorite poets: Rebecca Foust and Kirsten Jones Neff. You’ll be treated to beautiful poetry, the sparkling ambiance of our favorite Bay Area bookstore, a celebratory champagne toast for the authors, cookies, and excellent company.

Literary Salon: Penny Warner

LEFT COAST WRITERS LITERARY SALON:  Penny Warner, Author of How to Host a Killer Party

Monday, June 7, 2010 || 7pm
Book Passage || Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Drive, Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

penny-nancy_sWe have a “killer evening” in store for everyone at the next Left Coast Writers Literary Salon!

Mixing fun and fundraising for charities seemed like the perfect job for Presley Parker when she’s suddenly downsized from her position teaching abnormal psychological at the university. Pres is psyched about her first big gig—hosting a “surprise” wedding for the San Francisco Mayor at notorious Alcatraz prison.

Ferry Plaza Book Party: Maria Finn

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH: Maria Finn, Author of A Little Piece of Earth, How to Grow Your Own Food in Small Spaces

Maria Finn

Maria Finn

Monday, May 17, 2010 || 6pm
Book Passage || Ferry Plaza
San Francisco || www.bookpassage.com

A Little Piece of Earth is all about starting small, with more than fifty self-contained, doable projects. Whether you have a yard, a terrace, a rooftop, or just a windowsill, there are plenty of ideas and inspirations to choose from. Harvest your own precious vanilla pods from a pot indoors. Grow savory shiitakes on a small log in your kitchen. Build a miniature vineyard trellis on your deck or build a raised bed on your patio. Recipes for using your homegrown bounty are sprinkled throughout. Charming illustrations guide you through step-by-step, and there’s a complete resources section. This is about making dirt work for you, taking some control over your food supply, and, most important, enriching your life with the quiet, simple pleasures of produce raised organically with your own hands.

Book Launch: Jessica Shepherd

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH: Jessica Shepherd, Author of A Love Alchemist’s Notebook

Jessica Shepherd

Jessica Shepherd

Saturday, May 8, 2010 || 7pm
Book Passage-Corte Madera || 51 Tamal Vista Dr.
Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

Would you like to know the secrets to attracting your soul mate and feeling profound love every day? With this hip and fun guide, you’ll learn to use the rules of attraction, magic, astrology, and your intuition to attract the partner of your dreams and experience true, soulful love.

Literary Salon: Tim Cahill

Monday, May 3, 2010 || 7pm ||

Tim Cahill, Author of Hold the Enlightenment and Lost in my own Backyard: a Walk in Yellowstone National Park

Book Passage – Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Dr., Corte Madera

51165C59a7L._SL75_We have a real treat in store for you at our May 3rd Left Coast Writers Literary Salon. Travel writer Tim Cahill is in town and will be speaking that night. Tim, who has authored many, many books including Jaguars Ripped My Flesh, A Wolverine Is Eating My Leg, Pass The Butterworms, Pecked To Death By Ducks, Hold The Enlightenment, and Lost in my own Backyard: a Walk in Yellowstone National Park, was a founding editor of Outside magazine and has been known to make readers laugh and cry in the space of a few minutes. He is also an expert on what makes a story work and the creator of Tim’s choo-choo, which is a dynamite way to quickly put an article together.

Photography for Writers

Big-Sur-Coastline-lines-and-light11-300x225_sPOINT & SHOOT YOUR WAY TO PERFECT PHOTOS

with MARSHA BLACK,  Author of The Accidental Photographer

(1 workshop) (2 weeks)

Don’t know how you got that fantastic shot that everyone it raving about? Learn simple, easy-to-remember techniques so that you can use your camera more effec­tively. Topics include how to: define your subject to tell your story; manage the available light so that it is perfect in the final photograph; use the three basic photographic composition techniques – color, pattern, and action. Bring camera; there will be an easy photo assignment. Fee includes a copy of The Accidental Photographer.

Ferry Plaza Book Party: Dave Seter

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH: Dave Seter, author of Night Duty

Dave Seter

Dave Seter

Monday, April 12, 2010 || 6pm
Book Passage || Ferry Plaza
San Francisco || www.bookpassage.com

National Poetry Month gives us an opportunity to celebrate another new poet!

Book Launch: Kathryn Ridall

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH: Kathryn Ridall, editor of When the Muse Calls: Poems for the Creative Life

Kathryn Ridall

Kathryn Ridall

Saturday, April 10, 2010 || 7pm
Book Passage-Corte Madera || 51 Tamal Vista Dr.
Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

Literary Salon: Neeli Cherkovski

Monday, April 5, 2010 || 7pm ||

Neeli Cherkovski, Author of From the Canyon Outward

Book Passage – Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Dr., Corte Madera

Neeli Cherkovski

Neeli Cherkovski

Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month is now held every April, when publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and poets around the country band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture.
In honor of National Poetry Month, our April Left Coast Literary Salon Presenter is poet Neeli Chekovski.

Book Launch: Jacqueline Luckett

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH: Jacqueline Luckett, author of Searching for Tina Turner

Jacqueline Luckett

Jacqueline Luckett

Saturday, March 13, 2010 || 7pm
Book Passage-Corte Madera || 51 Tamal Vista Dr.
Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

As a teenager, Jacqueline enjoyed telling stories to her younger cousins. To this day, they describe her as a master storyteller. So, it wasn’t a surprise to her family when she began writing a novel. She kept diaries, wrote poetry and had stories published in a local newspaper. But Jacqueline put writing aside while attending college. After graduating from California State University, Hayward in sociology, she worked in sales for a major corporation. She married, raised a family and in 1999 took a creative writing class on a dare, from herself, and happily found her love of writing re-ignited.

Ferry Plaza Book Party: Andre Le Gallo

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH: André Le Gallo, author of The Caliphate

Andre Le Gallo

André Le Gallo

Monday, March 8, 2009 || 6pm
Book Passage || Ferry Plaza
San Francisco || www.bookpassage.com

“A tale of intrigue too frightening to believe—and too believable to ignore. But you better believe it, because Le Gallo is the real thing.” —Porter Goss, former Director of the CIA

Literary Salon: Ying Chang Compestine

Monday, March 1, 2010 || 7pm ||

Ying Chang Compestine, Author of A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts

Book Passage – Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Dr., Corte Madera

Ying Chang Compestine

Ying Chang Compestine

According to Chinese tradition, those who die hungry or unjustly come back to haunt the living. Some are appeased with food. But not all ghosts are successfully mollified. In this chilling collection of stories, Ying takes readers on a journey through time and across different parts of China. From the building of the Great Wall in 200 BCE to the modern day of iPods, hungry ghosts continue to torment those who wronged them.

Making a Healthy Getaway

Nancy Bruning of Nancercize

Nancy Bruning of Nancercize

Join the conversation on blogtalk radio Thursday, January 28th at 9a.m. PST with Nancy Bruning, creator of Nancercize, and author and LCW founder, Linda Watanabe McFerrin. They’ll be talking about Great Getaways.

Ferry Plaza Reading Series: Sexy Stories & Poems

Img011Monday, February 8,  2010 || 5:30pm ||

Left Coast Writers at the Ferry Plaza

Book Passage – Ferry Plaza, San Francisco

Colette Obrien hosts: Sexy Stories & Poems

Editors Linda Watanabe McFerrin and Laurie McAndish King introduce the Hot Flashes Sexy Little Stories & Poems writers in this literary love fest in honor of Valentine’s Day and Amour!

Book Launch: Paul McHugh

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH: Paul McHugh, author of Deadlines

Paul McHugh

Paul McHugh

Saturday, February 13, 2009 || 7pm
Book Passage-Corte Madera || 51 Tamal Vista Dr.
Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

It’s a party!! Join us for major festivities as veteran journalist Paul McHugh celebrates the publication of his new novel, DEADLINES (Lost Coast Press), a tale of murder, conspiracy, and the media. McHugh, a Northern California writer, has worked in journalism for 30 years, eight as a freelancer and 22 at the San Francisco Chronicle where he was an outdoor features writer and editor, focused on sport, environment and state resource issues. Over his career, he wrote for all sections of the paper, including Metro, where he conducted several major investigative series. Adventure has been a way of life for McHugh. He ran his first marathon in 2003, at the age of 53; he celebrated his 50th birthday by kayaking down 270 miles of the Grand Canyon; he was on the first U.S. Kayak Surfing Team when it won a world championship in Ireland in 1988; he arrived in California after wandering across the U.S. on a motorcycle in the summer of 1973. McHugh undertook many outdoor adventures for the Chronicle. The most striking was a 40-day, 400-mile sea kayak voyage from the Oregon Border to San Francisco Bay, resulting in the popular North Coast Series. Over the course of that  voyage, McHugh filed 36 print and online stories, four podcasts and five videos. This epic series can be found posted at: www.sfgate.com/northcoast/

Literary Salon: Alan Rinzler

Monday, February 1, 2010 || 7pm ||

Alan Rinzler, Consulting Editor

Book Passage – Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Dr., Corte Madera

Alan Rinzler

Alan Rinzler

Alan Rinzler began as a book editor in 1962 at Simon and Schuster and has since worked as Senior Editor at the Macmillan Company, Senior Editor at Holt, Director of Trade Book Publishing at Bantam Books, Associate Publisher and Vice President of Rolling Stone Magazine, and President of the Rolling Stone Book Division Straight Arrow Books. He was also West Coast Editor for the Grove Press, Editor of the Berkeley Monthly, and for the past 17 years has been Senior Editor and then Executive Editor of Jossey-Bass, an imprint of John Wiley & Sons.

Alan has edited and published such authors as Toni Morrison, Hunter S. Thompson, Tom Robbins, Claude Brown, Oscar Acosta, Shirley MacLaine, Robert Ludlum, Irv Yalom, Jerzy Kosinski, Andy Warhol, Bob Dylan, Clive Cussler, and others.

Book Launch: Marsha Black

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH: Marsha Black, author of The Accidental Photographer for the Camera Bag

Marsha_in_the_field

Saturday, January 9, 2009 || 7pm
Book Passage-Corte Madera || 51 Tamal Vista Dr.
Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

Marsha Black has always had a textbook in one hand and a camera in the other. She has been photographing the world around her since childhood.  Decades later, when her niece asked her what she would do if she didn’t have her camera, her answer was simple:  She would never be without it.

Says Marsha, “I think just about anyone who takes a camera on a trip wants to travel with it unencumbered and come home with good photos that can be shared with friends and family. My book, The Accidental Photographer for the Camera Bag, illustrates how to use the camera effortlessly and take good pictures that reflect the passion for travel. The book is aimed at the casual photographer and the techniques described are basic and can be mastered with little practice and used with any camera.”

Ferry Plaza Reading Series: Never Again!

Colette Obrien

Colette Obrien

Monday, January 11, 2010 || 5:30pm ||

Left Coast Writers at the Ferry Plaza

Book Passage – Ferry Plaza, San Francisco

Colette Obrien hosts: NEVER AGAIN!

Join us at Book Passage in the Ferry Plaza in San Francisco when some of our favorite writers make their resolutions! We definitely think there are some things that do not need to be repeated. Come to listen in and find out just what they are.

Literary Salon: Susan West

Monday, January 4, 2010 || 7pm ||

Susan West, Founding Editor in Chief of Afar and Editorial Consultant

Book Passage – Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Dr., Corte Madera

Susan West

Susan West

Failure to launch? It’ll never happen with Guest Presenter Susan West.

Susan West is a long-time editorial consultant for magazines and websites. Most recently she was the founding Editor in Chief of Afar, a new magazine whose mission is to inspire and  guide those who travel the world seeking to connect with its people, experience their culture, and understand  their perspectives. Afar, which launched in August 2009, was named one of the 15 best launches of the year by “Mr. Magazine,” Samir Husni. Susan was also Executive  Editor of  Smithsonian and a

Family Travel: Pain or Paradise?

Nancy Bruning of Nancercize

Nancy Bruning of Nancercize

Join the conversation on blogtalk radio Thursday, December 17th at 9a.m. PST with Nancy Bruning, creator of Nancercize, and author and LCW founder, Linda Watanabe McFerrin. They’ll be talking about family travel … pain or paradise?

Will Travel Make you Sick?

Nancy Bruning of Nancercize

Nancy Bruning of Nancercize

Join the conversation on blogtalk radio Thursday, November 19th at 9a.m. PST with Nancy Bruning, creator of Nancercize, and author and LCW founder, Linda Watanabe McFerrin. They’ll be talking about health meltdowns while traveling. If you’ve had one, join the conversation!

Southern Sampler Artists Colony

A series of workshops set in the South …

SSAC_logo_smApril 13-19, 2010

Writing and Photography Workshop with Linda Watanabe McFerrin and featured local photographers …

Charleston and the South Carolina Low Country beckons! Join the organizers of the Southern Sampler Artists Colony on a journey into a place like no other—a place brushed with spirit, dipped in belonging, and brought to life in Gospel, Jazz, Blues, soul food, cooling ocean breezes, wraparound porches, and warm welcomes that begin with y’all. Relax! Let your heart open, soul sing, and spirit soar.

Poetry Publication Workshop

POETRY PUBLICATION WORKSHOP with C.B. Follett, Susan Terris, and Rebecca Foust

Rebecca Foust

Rebecca Foust

Saturday, November 7, 2009 || 10am – 1pm
Book Passage-Corte Madera || 51 Tamal Vista Dr.
Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

Learn what to do to get your poetry published in literary journals and other publications. Two experienced poet/editors and one relative newcomer to the poetry scene will address questions related to WHEN, WHERE, HOW, and WHAT to submit, with focus on how to get your work out in the world without stress, fear of rejection, or waste of valuable writing time. When is your work ready to submit? Where should you send it? What is the most efficient way to get the work out? What goes into a submission? Sample cover letters, lists of how-to’s, and website resources will be provided, and an inventory of resource books and sample literary journals will be available for review.

Book Launch: Wendy Nelson Tokunaga

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH: Wendy Nelson Tokunaga, author of Love in Translation

Wendy Nelso Tokunaga

Wendy Nelso Tokunaga

Saturday, December 12, 2009 || 7pm
Book Passage-Corte Madera || 51 Tamal Vista Dr.
Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

Literary Salon: Phil Cousineau

Monday, December 7, 2009 || 7pm ||

Phil Cousineau, Author of The Meaning of Tea: A Tea Inspired Journey

Book Passage – Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Dr., Corte Madera

Phil Cousineau

Phil Cousineau

A Health-filled Holiday and The Meaning of Tea

“When we drink tea with others we shorten the distance between people.”

—Feng Ming-Chung, a Bao Zhong tea grower, in The Meaning of Tea.

Join writer, filmmaker, photographer, teacher and editor Phil Cousineau for an exploration of the history, health benefits, rituals, spirituality and simple pure enjoyment of tea. The Meaning of Tea: A Tea Inspired Journey offers wisdom ideally suited for modern citizens facing the stress of economic uncertainty. San Francisco tea experts James Norwood Pratt and Imperial Tea Court Teamaster Roy Fong are featured in the book. Culled from more than 50 conversations with tea pickers and plantation owners, street sellers, traders, teapot makers and eloquent tea scholars spanning eight countries—from India to Ireland and Taiwan to Tea, South Dakota—readers learn about how tea has brought peace, calm, health, friendship and often wisdom into their lives. The Meaning of Tea (Talking Leave Press, 2009)

Book Launch: Mary Lou Peters Schram

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH: Mary Lou Peters Schram, author of Pursuing Happiness … One More Time

Mary Lou Peters Schram

Saturday, November 14, 2009 || 7pm
Book Passage-Corte Madera || 51 Tamal Vista Dr.
Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

LOOKING FOR LOVE AND HAPPINESS

Four women, a dead husband, a not-so-great boyfriend, a little extra weight and lots of money—is this a recipe for joy or disaster?

If a good book and a glass of wine is your idea of happiness, please grab a friend and join us for a delightful evening with local author Mary Lou Peters Schram.

“Although the pursuit of happiness is one of our inalienable rights, nowhere is it guaranteed that we shall catch it.  Mary Lou Peters Schram’s witty new novel chronicles the lives of four women, all residents of Shady Acres, an adult community in California’s wine country, as each pursues her own particular vision of happiness.

Ferry Plaza Reading Series: On the Soapbox

Colette Obrien Hosts

Colette Obrien Hosts

Monday, November 9, 2009 || 5:30pm ||

Left Coast Writers at the Ferry Plaza

Book Passage – Ferry Plaza, San Francisco

Join us at Book Passage in the Ferry Plaza in San Francisco when some of our favorite writers get up on the soapbox!

Literary Salon: Byron Belitsos

Monday, November 2, 2009 || 7pm ||

Byron Belitsos, Publisher, Origin Press, talks about the complex dance of author and publisher

Book Passage – Corte Madera

51 Tamal Vista Dr., Corte Madera

Byron Belitsos

Byron Belitsos

Marin-based small press publisher Byron Belitsos of Origin Press will share stories and wisdom drawn from his experiences of the publishing business over the last 15 years—with special focus on his perceptions of the many authors with whom he has worked. Belitsos has edited and published books on health, consciousness, spirituality, and politics, including Faith and the Placebo Effect by Lolette Kuby, Mind Science by Charles Tart, The Unfolding Self by Ralph Metzner, and Waking Up in Time by Peter Russell. He has also played the roles both of coauthor and publisher for several

Writers With Drinks

wwdfallingFor an evening of readings, laughter, wine and more wine, why don’t you come to Writers with Drinks after Litquake’s Off the Richter Scale reading on Saturday? OTRS ends at 6pm and we begin at 7:30! Come early for a good table. A line-up of awesome presenters. Check it out.

The long-running spoken word series Writers With Drinks has finally gone too far—in every possible direction!

Saturday, October 10, 2009, 7:30 to 9:30 PM, doors open at 6:30 PM

  • Linda Watanabe McFerrin
  • Anthony Swofford
  • Roz Savage
  • Irina Slutsky
  • Doug Dorst
  • Joe Loya

Book Launch: Stan Goldberg

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH: Stan Goldberg, author of  Lessons for the Living, an evening of laughter, tears, music and wine

Stan Goldberg

Stan Goldberg

Saturday, October 10, 2009 || 7pm
Book Passage-Corte Madera || 51 Tamal Vista Dr.
Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

The Grand Finale

home_bwtw2009Join Left Coast Writers Pamela Bass, Laurie McAndish King and others for an evening of challenging, amorous, dangerous, elegant, amusing, courageous, poignant, and possibly downright foolhardy women’s travel adventures. Local contributors to Travelers’ Tales’ The Best Women’s Travel Writing 2009 will read at the Larkspur Library, 400 Magnolia Avenue on Thursday, October 8 at 7 p.m.

Left Coast Writers Read

Colette Obrien

Colette Obrien

Don’t miss tonight’s event at Book Passage in the San Francisco Ferry Plaza as Left Coast Writers Paul McHugh, Maria Finn, Diana Kelly, Marylou Schram and Linda Watanabe McFerrin read tales of “Trauma and Drama” at 5:30 pm.  Colette Obrien hosts. Join some of the readers after the event for a toast and literary chat.

Literary Salon: Mary Roach

Monday, October 5, 2009 || 7pm ||

Mary Roach, Author of Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex

Book Passage – Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Dr., Corte Madera

Mary Roach

Mary Roach

Mary Roach is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, Spook:  Science Tackles the Afterlife, and Bonk:  The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex.   Stiff has been translated into 17 languages, and Spook was a New York Times Notable Book of 2005.  Bonk was chosen as a 2008 best book by the San Francisco Chronicle, the St. Louis-Post Dispatch, and the Boston Globe.  Mary has written for Outside, National Geographic, Wired, New Scientist, The New York Times Magazine, and NPR’s “All Things Considered,” among many others.  She is a contributing editor at the science magazine Discover, a frequent contributor to the New York Times Book Review, and a winner of the American Engineering Societies’ Engineering Journalism Award, in a category for which, let’s be honest, she was the sole entrant.   More info at www.maryroach.net

Book Launch: William Keener and Kathryn Ridall

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH: Bill Keener, author of  Gold Leaf on Granite and Kathryn Ridall, author of The Way of Stones

Saturday, August 8, 2009 || 7pm
Book Passage-Corte Madera || 51 Tamal Vista Dr.
Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

Celebrating the new work of two poets …

William Keener

William Keener

William Keener has been writing and publishing poetry for the past ten years.  He is also an environmental lawyer, and the former director of the Marine Mammal Center in the Marin Headlands.  His first chapbook, titled Three Crows Yelling, was co-authored with Marin County poets Bill Noble and Michael Day in 2000.  Tonight we celebrate the launch of his first solo collection of poetry Gold Leaf on Granite, which recently won the annual Anabiosis Press contest.

Literary Salon: Ayelet Waldman

Tuesday, September 8, 2009 || 7pm ||

Ayelet Waldman, Author of Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Clamities and Occasional Moments of Grace, Love and Other Impossible Pursuits

Book Passage – Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Dr., Corte Madera

Ayelet Waldman

Ayelet Waldman

Ayelet Waldman is the author of The New York Times bestseller Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities and Occasional Moments of Grace, Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, Daughter’s Keeper and the Mommy-Track Mysteries. Her personal essays have been published in a wide variety of newspapers and magazine, including The New York Times, the Guardian, the San Francisco Chronicle, Elle Magazine, Vogue, Allure, Cookie, Child, Parenting, Real Simple, Health and Salon.com. Her radio commentaries have appeared on “All Things Considered” and “The California Report.” Ayelet’s missives also appear on Facebook and Twitter. Her books are published throughout the world, in countries as disparate as England and Thailand, the Netherlands and China, Russia and Israel.

Literary Salon: Scott Rosenberg

Monday, August 3, 2009 || 7pm ||

Scott Rosenberg, author of DREAMING IN CODE and SAY EVERYTHING: How Blogging Began, What It’s Becoming, and Why It Matters

Book Passage – Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Dr., Corte Madera

Scott RosenbergBlogs are everywhere. They have exposed truths and spread rumors. Made and lost fortunes. Brought couples together and torn them apart. Toppled cabinet members and sparked grassroots movements. Immediate, intimate, and influential, they have put the power of personal publishing into everyone’s hands. Regularly dismissed as trivial and ephemeral, they have proved that they are here to stay.

Literary Salon: Andy Ross

Monday, July 6, 2009 || 7pm ||

Andy Ross, Agent at Andy Ross Literary Agency

Book Passage – Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Dr., Corte Madera

Andy Ross

Andy Ross

Andy Ross has worked in the book business for 36 years, all of his working life. He was owner and general manager of Cody’s Books in Berkeley, California from 1977-2006. Cody’s has been recognized as one of America’s great independent book stores.

During this period, Andy was the primary trade book buyer. This experience has given him a unique understanding of the retail book market, of publishing trends and, most importantly and uniquely, the hand selling of books to book buyers.

Book Launch: Rebecca Foust

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH: Rebecca Foust, Mom’s Canoe

beckystand1crop11Saturday, June 13, 2009 || 7pm
Book Passage-Corte Madera || 51 Tamal Vista Dr.
Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

Left Coast Writer Rebecca Foust will read from her new book, Mom’s Canoe, at Book Passage on Saturday, June 13, at 7:00 pm, with champagne and Ruli’s cookies to follow during the book signing.  Mom’s Canoe, winner of the 2008 Rpbbert Phillips Chapbook Prize, collects poetry about the author’s childhood in western Pennsylvania, an area devestated by the decline of the coal mining and railroading industries of the last century. Foust’s first book, Dark Card, sold out of its first print run and was reviewed in more than 20 journals including American Book Review, Hudson Review and Rattle; the reviews are posted at www.rebeccafoust.com .

Book Launch: Patricia Ljutic

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH: Patricia Ljutic. Laura Shumaker and other Contributors to A Cup of Comfort® for Parents of Children with Special Needs.

Patricia Ljutic

Patricia Ljutic

Saturday, July 11, 2009 || 7pm
Book Passage-Corte Madera || 51 Tamal Vista Dr.
Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

Patricia Ljutic is joined by four other Bay Area writers: Jennifer Gunter, Jolie Kanat, Harriet Heydemann Cellini and Laura Shumaker, who will read from A Cup of Comfort® for Parents of Children with Special Needs ($9.95). The anthology contains fifty stories by parents who have struggled with a child’s diagnosis only to embrace and celebrate the differences that make their children that much more special—and even more loved. Edited by Colleen Sell this unique story collection offers inspiration for parents of children with cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, seizure disorder and autism.

A Cup of Comfort for Parents of Children with Special Needs

A Cup of Comfort for Parents of Children with Special Needs

Literary Salon: Christi Phillips

Monday, June 1, 2009 || 7pm ||
Christi Phillips, Author of The Devlin Diary and The Rossetti Letter

Book Passage – Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Dr., Corte Madera

The Devlin Diary

The Devlin Diary

Christi Phillips will discuss the research and creation of her popular novels. She is the author of The Rossetti Letter, which has been translated into six foreign languages. Her research combines a few of her favorite things: old books, libraries, and travel. When she’s not rummaging around in an archive or exploring the historic heart of a European city, she lives with her husband in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she is at work on her next novel, set in France.

Literary Salon: April Eberhardt

Monday, April 6, 2009 || 7pm ||
April Eberhardt, Agent at Reece Halsey North

Book Passage – Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Dr., Corte Madera

April Eberhardt

April Eberhardt

April Eberhardt joined Reece Halsey North as a Literary Agent in 2008 after five years of editorial work with Zoetrope: All-Story, a literary magazine, and another agency. Her specialty is adult literary fiction, particularly ironic family dramas and realistic midlife tales, often with a twist, preferably involving strong female characters. She is attracted to collections of interlinked stories with a common character or theme. An original voice and smart, speedy delivery are critical, as is a subtle sense of the absurd. She enjoys working with new authors to edit and streamline their manuscripts before submitting them to publishers. April does consider selected non-fiction works. She does not represent mysteries or murders, thrillers, historical fiction or fantasy, nor does she represent children’s titles.

Book Launch: Best Women’s Travel Writing

The Best Women's Travel Writing

The Best Women's Travel Writing

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH: The Best Women’s Travel Writing 2009 (Travelers’ Tales)

Saturday, March 14 || 7pm
Book Passage-Corte Madera || 51 Tamal Vista Dr.
Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

Here’s the exciting line-up for The Best Women’s Travel Writing 2009 party on Saturday evening: Laurie McAndish King—tracking lions on foot in Botswana, Natalie Galli—enjoying the delicious spectacle of Easter in Sicily, Ginny Horton—finding her inner Coco at the Paris Ritz, Marybeth Bond—learning more than Spanish in Mexico, Nicole Zimmerman—adventuring to the extreme in New Zealand, Kathryn Kefauver—guarded by monks in Laos, Pamela Alma Bass—developing perspective on “Angels” in Mexico. Publisher Larry Habegger will be on hand to answer questions about the anthology and upcoming Travelers’ Tales titles.

Literary Salon: David Poindexter

Monday, March 2, 2009 || 7pm ||
David Poindexter, MacAdam/Cage, Founder and Publisher

Book Passage – Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Dr., Corte Madera

Join us in an evening with David Poindexter, MacAdam/Cage founder and publisher.

poindexter_24

After twenty years in the commercial printing industry, David Poindexter, inspired by his lifelong love of reading, decided to start an independent trade publishing house. In 1998, he founded MacAdam/Cage in order to bring new voices to the literary marketplace.

Book Launch: Roccie Hill

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH: Roccie Hill, Author of Three Minutes on Love.

Roccie Hill

Roccie Hill

Saturday, January 10 || 7pm
Book Passage-Corte Madera || 51 Tamal Vista Dr.
Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

Roccie Hill talks about Three Minutes on Love. Rosie leaves her desert town to chase her dreams in 1960s S.F. She has a chance encounter with an illegal immigrant who publishes a music magazine. He gives Rosie her first job, photographing a legendary blues guitarist, catapulting Rosie into a hot career on the scene.

ABOUT ROCCIE HILL:

Reading Series: From the Surreal to the Fantastic

Monday, January 12, 2009 || 5:30pm ||
Reading: From the Surreal to the Fantastic

Book Passage – Ferry Plaza
Ferry Plaza, San Francisco

On the second Monday of every month Left Coast Writers read from their favorite work. Colette Obrien hosts.

This month: From the Surreal to the Fantastic

Readers so far: Ethel Mays

Please contact us (leftcoastwriters@aol.com) to sign up to read.

Literary Salon: Camille Cusumano

Monday, January 5, 2009 || 7pm ||
Camille Cusumano, Author of Tango, an Argentine Love Story

Book Passage – Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Dr., Corte Madera

Please join us in a scintillating start for the New Year at the first Left Coast Writers Literary Salon of 2009! Camille Cusumano will light up the evening with a talk about her love of literature and her passion for tango. Camille has even promised a short tango demonstration. You may bring guests to this event. After all, they say it takes two …

Reading Series: Battle of the Sexes

Monday, February 9, 2009 || 5:30pm ||
Reading: Battle of the Sexes

Book Passage – Ferry Plaza
Ferry Plaza, San Francisco

On the second Monday of every month Left Coast Writers read from their favorite work. Colette Obrien hosts.

This month: Battle of the Sexes

Readers so far:

Please contact us (leftcoastwriters@aol.com) to sign up to read.

Reading Series: Poetic License

Monday, March 9, 2009 || 5:30pm ||
Reading: Poetic License

Book Passage – Ferry Plaza
Ferry Plaza, San Francisco

On the second Monday of every month Left Coast Writers read from their favorite work. Colette Obrien hosts.

This month: Poetic License

Readers so far: Rebecca Foust, Elaine Bond

Please contact us (leftcoastwriters@aol.com) to sign up to read.

Reading Series: Intoxicating Ideas

Monday, April 13, 2009 || 5:30pm ||
Reading: Intoxicating Ideas

Book Passage – Ferry Plaza
Ferry Plaza, San Francisco

On the second Monday of every month Left Coast Writers read from their favorite work. Colette Obrien hosts.

This month: Intoxicating Ideas

Readers so far:

Please contact us (leftcoastwriters@aol.com) to sign up to read.

Reading Series: On Scent and Sensation

Monday, May 11, 2009 || 5:30pm ||
Reading: On Scent and Sensation

Book Passage – Ferry Plaza
Ferry Plaza, San Francisco

On the second Monday of every month Left Coast Writers read from their favorite work. Colette Obrien hosts.

This month: On Scent and Sensation

Readers so far:

Please contact us (leftcoastwriters@aol.com) to sign up to read.

Reading Series: Colorful Stories

Monday, June 8, 2009 || 5:30pm ||
Reading: Colorful Stories

Book Passage – Ferry Plaza
Ferry Plaza, San Francisco

On the second Monday of every month Left Coast Writers read from their favorite work. Colette Obrien hosts.

This month: Colorful Stories

Readers so far:

Please contact us (leftcoastwriters@aol.com) to sign up to read.

Reading Series: The Great Outdoors

Monday, July 13, 2009 || 5:30pm ||
Reading: The Great Outdoors

Book Passage – Ferry Plaza
Ferry Plaza, San Francisco

On the second Monday of every month Left Coast Writers read from their favorite work. Colette Obrien hosts.

This month: The Great Outdoors

Readers so far: Bill Keener, Susan Alcorn

Please contact us (leftcoastwriters@aol.com) to sign up to read.

Reading Series: Wipe Outs

Monday, August 10, 2009 || 5:30pm ||
Reading: Wipe Outs

Book Passage – Ferry Plaza
Ferry Plaza, San Francisco

On the second Monday of every month Left Coast Writers read from their favorite work. Colette Obrien hosts.

This month: Wipe Outs

Special Guests:

Paul McHugh

Reading Series: Trauma & Drama

Monday, September 14, 2009 || 5:30pm ||
Reading: Trauma & Drama

Book Passage – Ferry Plaza
Ferry Plaza, San Francisco

On the second Monday of every month Left Coast Writers read from their favorite work. Colette Obrien hosts.

This month: Trauma & Drama

Readers so far: Griffin Dix, Jane Straus

Please contact us (leftcoastwriters@aol.com) to sign up to read.

Reading Series: Grizzly Tales

Monday, October 12, 2009 || 5:30pm ||
Reading: Grizzly Tales

Book Passage – Ferry Plaza
Ferry Plaza, San Francisco

On the second Monday of every month Left Coast Writers read from their favorite work. Colette Obrien hosts.

This month: Grizzly Tales (and other spooky Halloween reminders)

Readers so far:

Please contact us (leftcoastwriters@aol.com) to sign up to read.

Reading Series: On the Soapbox

Monday, November 9, 2009 || 5:30pm ||
Reading: On the Soapbox

Book Passage – Ferry Plaza
Ferry Plaza, San Francisco

On the second Monday of every month Left Coast Writers read from their favorite work. Colette Obrien hosts.

This month: On the Soapbox

Readers so far:

Please contact us (leftcoastwriters@aol.com) to sign up to read.

Reading Series: Home Sweet Home

Monday, December 14, 2009 || 5:30pm ||
Reading: Home Sweet Home

Book Passage – Ferry Plaza
Ferry Plaza, San Francisco

On the second Monday of every month Left Coast Writers read from their favorite work. Colette Obrien hosts.

This month: Home Sweet Home

Readers so far:

Please contact us (leftcoastwriters@aol.com) to sign up to read.

Book Launch: Laurie McQueen

Laurie McQueen presents An Erotic Alphabet on 2/7/09

Laurie McQueen presents An Erotic Alphabet on 2/7/09

Laurie McQueen will present An Erotic Alphabet ($9.95) at Book Passage on February 7 at 7 p.m.. This book of rhymes celebrates eroticism in all its forms, from silly to sensual, playful to to x-rated. Laurie reveals the surprising joy she discovered by liberating her “dirty mind” and embracing sexuality … and invites you to join her in the gentle sport of rhyming. This book will be printed in a very limited quantity; please pre-order for Valentine’s Day.

Literary Salon: Niloufar Talebi

Monday, February 2, 2009 || 7pm ||
Niloufar Talebi, award winning editor and translator of Belonging New Poetry By Iranians Around the World.

Book Passage – Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Dr., Corte Madera

In this time of great international misunderstanding, many things are “lost in translation.” Join us for an exciting and truly enlightening evening that will add a little clarity and introduce new voices with important things to share.

Book Launch: Michael Shapiro

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH: Writer Michael Shapiro and photographer Kraig Lieb with their new book Guatemala: A Journey Through the Land of the Maya.

Michael Shapiro
Saturday, November 8 || 7pm
Book Passage-Corte Madera || 51 Tamal Vista Dr.
Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

“This hauntingly beautiful book has brilliantly captured the current-day life and culture of the Maya in Guatemala. Michael Shapiro’s text and Kraig Lieb’s photos will cement their reputations as among our leading travel writers and photographers.”
—Arthur Frommer, founder, Frommer’s Guides

Book Launch: Dark Card

LEFT COAST WRITERS® BOOK LAUNCH: Poet BECKY FOUST and “Dark CARD” (Texas A & M University Press Consortium, 2008), her award-winning chapbook.

Rebecca Foust, poet and author of award-winning chapbook, "Dark Card"

Rebecca Foust, poet and author of award-winning chapbook,

Saturday, September 13 || 7pm
Book Passage-Corte Madera || 51 Tamal Vista Dr.
Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

“These poems will break and heal your heart, their rage, hope, insight and love carried by a poetic power as targeted as a bullet-train! ”
Barry Spacks, First Poet Laureate of Santa Barbara and
Commonwealth Club of California Poetry Medalist

Book Launch: Bob Tripp

Bob Tripp and his new novel, Last Clear Chance

Saturday, August 9, 2008 || 7pm
Book Passage – Corte Madera || Tamal Vista Dr., Corte Madera
www.bookpassage.com

Bob Tripp, author of \"Last Clear Chance\" book launch at Book PassageJoin aeronautical engineer, test pilot and author, Bob Tripp, for the launch of his suspenseful new novel, “Last Clear Chance” – a tale about airplane disaster and recovery.

Tripp is the perfect person to write this novel. He began flying at the age of 16, graduated with a degree in aeronautical engineering, spent 30 years as a pilot for Western Airlines and Delta, and has more than 25,000 hours flying and testing a wide range of aircrafts from experimental and home-built, to Lear Jets, Boeing 747’s and DC-10’s.

Literary Salon: Rita Lakin

Monday, August 4, 2008 || 7pm ||
Rita Lakin, screenwriter and author of “Getting Old is the Best Revenge”

Book Passage – Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Dr., Corte Madera ||Screenwriter/author Rita Lakin speaks at Left Coast Writers

More writing is being done for the screen than ever before. Would you like to get a successful professional’s tips and advice about the ins and outs of that market?

If so, be sure to come to our Left Coast Writers Literary Salon on Monday, August 4, 2008, at 7pm in the Gallery at Book Passage in Corte Madera for a dynamic presentation by author/screenwriter RITA LAKIN!

Book Launch: Colette Obrien

In the Gallery: Colette Obrien talks about Time and Transformation: A Novel of Mayan Mysticism. Set within the myths and concepts of the Classic Maya, 700 AD, the feminine and masculine have been separated at the level of divinity for eons. A pair of female/male twins must discover how to bring the sexes back togehter and save their culture from extinction.

Reading Series: Pure Poetry

APRIL 14 5:30pm
LEFT COAST WRITERS® READING SERIES at the FERRY PLAZA
TOPIC: PURE POETRY
READERS: BECKY FOUST, GAIL FLYNN and ELAINE BOND

Monday, April 14, 2008 5:30pm ||
Book Passage-Ferry Plaza || One Ferry Plaza #46, San Francisco
For Info: See Book Passage or mailto: leftcoastwriters@aol.com

Our Poetry Reading Series are one of our most popular events. Come listen to award-winning poet, Becky Foust, as she reads pieces from her new book of poetry, “Dark Card” (due out in May, 2008 by Texas Review Press) on raising a son with Asperger’s Syndrome, along with Gail Flynn and Elaine Bond.

Christine Krieg’s Photos of LCW Salon with Jane Juska

Christine Krieg, our LCW photographer, has just uploaded the photos from that great Salon with Jane Juska. Click here to view (and order prints) of these photos and others from previous LCW events.

By the way, Christine takes excellent portraits for your author photos and does wedding photography.

Literary Salon: Wendy Merrill

Monday, April 7, 2008 7pmWendy Merrill, Author of
Wendy Merrill, Author of Falling into Manholes

Book Passage || 51 Tamal Vista Dr., Corte Madera
For Info: See Book Passage or 415-927-0960

Meet Wendy Merrill, a quirky, attractive, in-recovery-from…well, you can pretty much name it…who, while seemingly on the quest for her perfect mate, keeps falling into manholes. After losing herself in an endless series of attachments, this serial mater comes to see how her relationships with men are indicative of all her relationships – with alcohol, food, drugs, family, friends, and most of all, herself.

Literary Salon: Karen Templer and Doug Cruickshank

Monday, March 3, 2008

Karen Templer, Editor in Chief and Doug Cruickshank, Features Editor of Readerville online

Editor in Chief, Karen Templer, and Features Editor, Douglas Cruickshank will talk about Readerville, the content and the community.

In the nearly 8 years since Readerville first appeared online, it has taken many forms. It was first a place where readers and writers and publishing insiders could meet each day to find out what’s interesting in the world of books. In 2001 a full-fledged online bookstore was added and Readerville began publishing content. In 2002 the bookstore went away and a print magazine was launched, called The Readerville Journal. The Readerville Journal ceased publication in 2003, but the website survived and continues to be the wacky and thought-provoking community it started out as.

Literary Salon: Kemble Scott

Kemble Scott ImageMonday, May 5, 2008
Kemble Scott, Author of SoMa

Kemble Scott is the author of the bestselling novel SoMa. A longtime journalist before turning to fiction, Kemble has three Emmy awards for his work in television news. He also helps run San Francisco’s literary festival Litquake, and he’s the editor of the monthly e-zine SoMa Literary Review and the weekly email blast SF Bay Area Literary Arts Newsletter.

SoMa tells the interwoven stories of young people of the tech-driven “millennials” generation on a journey of thrills and self-discovery in San Francisco’s notorious South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood. The novel is based on the true tales of the city. Publishers Weekly describes SoMa as “a fun, frisky novel of shock horror.”

Literary Salon: Jane Juska

Monday, February 4, 2008

Jane Juska, Author of A Round Heeled Woman and Unaccompanied Women

Born in 1933, Jane Juska is an old person but a new writer. Her first book, A Round-Heeled Woman, was published in 2003, followed in 2006 by Unaccompanied Women. Before that, she taught English for forty years in high school, college, and prison. Her work has appeared in magazines and anthologies. She is working on a novel. She lives in Berkeley, California.

Reading Series: Seasonal Cacophony

Monday, December 10
5:30 -7:00pm with networking at a nearby restaurant/bar
Theme: Seasonal Cacophony

Book Passage – FERRY PLAZA
One Ferry Plaza #46
San Francisco, CA
For Info: Left Coast Writers or leftcoastwriters@aol.com

Reading Series: Family Therapy and Other Relative Disasters

Monday, November 12
5:30 -7:00pm with networking at a nearby restaurant/bar
Theme: Family Therapy and Other Relative Disasters

Book Passage – FERRY PLAZA
One Ferry Plaza #46
San Francisco, CA
For Info: Left Coast Writers or leftcoastwriters@aol.com

Reading Series: Spooky Stories

Monday, October 8
5:30 -7:00pm with networking at a nearby restaurant/bar
Theme: Spooky Stories

Book Passage – FERRY PLAZA
One Ferry Plaza #46
San Francisco, CA
For Info: Left Coast Writers or leftcoastwriters@aol.com

Reading Series: Epiphanies

Monday, September 10
5:30 -7:00pm with networking at a nearby restaurant/bar
Theme: Epiphanies

Book Passage – FERRY PLAZA
One Ferry Plaza #46
San Francisco, CA
For Info: Left Coast Writers or leftcoastwriters@aol.com

Reading Series: How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Monday, August 13
5:30 -7:00pm with networking at a nearby restaurant/bar
Theme: How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Book Passage – FERRY PLAZA
One Ferry Plaza #46
San Francisco, CA
For Info: Left Coast Writers or leftcoastwriters@aol.com

Reading Series: Food Fixations

Monday, July 9
5:30 -7:00pm with networking at a nearby restaurant/bar
Theme: Food Fixations

Book Passage – FERRY PLAZA
One Ferry Plaza #46
San Francisco, CA
For Info: Left Coast Writers or leftcoastwriters@aol.com

Literary Salon: Victoria Shoemaker

Monday, July 2, 2007

Left Coast Writers Literary Salon, 7pm

Victoria Shoemaker
Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista, Corte Madera, CA

For more information: leftcoastwriters@aol.com

Victoria Shoemaker has over 30 years experience in bookselling and publishing. Her experience includes retail bookselling, book development, editing, promotion and publicity. She was co-founder of Sand Dollar Books and Bay Bridge Books in the Bay Area, and a consultant for North Point Press. She developed and ran the nationally recognized author reading series at Black Oak Books in Berkeley. She was a founding partner in Shoemaker/Handel Publicity Services. She joined The Spieler Agency in 1994 as the West Coast representative. Areas of interest include environment and natural history, popular culture, memoir, photography and film, and literary fiction.

Reading Series: Hitting the Road

Monday, June 11
5:30 -7:00pm with networking at a nearby restaurant/bar
Theme: Hitting the Road (Travel)

Book Passage – FERRY PLAZA
One Ferry Plaza #46
San Francisco, CA
For Info: Left Coast Writers or leftcoastwriters@aol.com

May Left Coast Writers Reading Series and Networking Event

Monday, May 14 5:30 -7:00pm with networking at a nearby restaurant/bar
Theme: All About Me: Memoir

Book Passage – FERRY PLAZA
One Ferry Plaza #46
San Francisco, CA
For Info: Left Coast Writers or leftcoastwriters@aol.com

Benefit for Burundi-Building Project at Book Passage – Corte Madera, coordinated by Michael Shapiro

Saturday, April 7, 7PM
Book Passage || 51 Tamal Vista Dr. || Corte Madera, CA
For Info: Book Passage

From MICHAEL SHAPIRO:
I’m coordinating a benefit with Prosper Ndabishuriye to rebuild homes in Burundi. Prosper is a director of a home-building project in Burundi’s Camara area, bringing together Hutu and Tutsi youth to construct homes for some of the country s thousands of refugees. During the 1990s, Burundi was devastated by civil wars similar to those in Rwanda, but Prosper’s group is building homes and giving employment to young men and women.

The Wilde Irish Production of “The Cripple of Inishmaan”

Martin McDonagh is “The most wickedly funny, brilliantly abrasive young dramatist on either side of the Irish Sea!.. A born storyteller.” – The New York Times.

Wed. through Sun. until April 15
Berkeley City Club
Tues. through Sun. April 19 – 29
Magic Theatre in San Francisco
Tickets $20 – $30 Discounts available
Tickets and information: http://wildeirish.org and 510-644-9940.

From HILLARY FLYNN:

If you’ve seen Pillowman, the award winning Beauty Queen of Leenane or any other McDonagh plays you won’t want to miss Wilde Irish Production’s The Cripple of Inishmaan. If you missed Pillowman, now is your chance to see another of Martin McDonagh’s masterful black comedies. The Cripple of Inishmaan has just as many twists and turns as Pillowman, and is hilarious and just as satisfying.

Book Launch: Mark Shaw


If you didn’t get to the Monticello for our March LCW Book Launch party for Mark Shaw and his latest book, Melvin Belli: King of the Courtroom, you missed a real treat.

Mark is a fabulous storyteller, and he brought the legendary San Francisco attorney, Melvin Belli, to life. Belli changed the landscape of law. He showed lawyers the power of storytelling and, in the words of Shaw, there were “so many stories about his courtroom antics, battles with judges and lawyers alike, and a personal life that seems more like fiction than fact,” that it was challenging to write his biography.

Literary Salon: Jan Yanehiro

Monday, April 2, 2007 7pm
Book Passage – CORTE MADERA || 51 Tamal Vista Dr. || Corte Madera
For Info: Book Passage or leftcoastwriters@aol.com

Broadcast journalist and Emmy-winner, Jan Yanehiro has skydived with the Army’s Golden Knights and ventured up a frozen waterfall!all in the name of getting a good story! Jan pioneered the magazine format on television as co-host of Evening Magazine, a nightly program in San Francisco from 1976-90.

Reading Series: Poetic Frenzy!

In honor of National Poetry Month, we will be in a Poetic Frenzy as this star-studded cast of Left Coast Writers poets read their work. For a special treat Dusty Miller will be performing her songs before the reading so come early!

Monday, April 9 5:30 -7:00pm with networking at a nearby restaurant/bar
Theme: Poetic Frenzy
Poets: Dusty Miller (Elaine Bond), Iris Joan Price, Lowry McFerrin, Rebecca Foust, Adrienne Amundsen, Marianne Betterly Kohn, Elizabeth Weaver, Colleen McFerrin, Mary Jean Pramik, Demian Entrekin

Book Passage – FERRY PLAZA
One Ferry Plaza #46
San Francisco, CA
For Info: Left Coast Writers or leftcoastwriters@aol.com

Literary Salon

Monday, June 4, 2007

Left Coast Writers Literary Salon, 7pm

Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista, Corte Madera, CA

For more information: leftcoastwriters@aol.com

Literary Salon

Monday, July 2, 2007

Left Coast Writers Literary Salon, 7pm

Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista, Corte Madera, CA

For more information: leftcoastwriters@aol.com

Literary Salon

Monday, August 6, 2007

Left Coast Writers Literary Salon, 7pm

Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista, Corte Madera, CA

For more information: leftcoastwriters@aol.com

Literary Salon

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Left Coast Writers Literary Salon, 7pm

Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista, Corte Madera, CA

For more information: leftcoastwriters@aol.com

Literary Salon

Monday, October 1, 2007

Left Coast Writers Literary Salon, 7pm

Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista, Corte Madera, CA

For more information: leftcoastwriters@aol.com

Literary Salon

Monday, November 5, 2007

Left Coast Writers Literary Salon, 7pm

Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista, Corte Madera, CA

For more information: leftcoastwriters@aol.com

Next Page »