Literary Salon: Jasmin Darznik

LEFT COAST WRITERS LITERARY SALON: Jasmin Darznik, Author of The Good Daughter: A Memoir of My Mother’s Hidden Life

 

Jasmin Darznik
Jasmin Darznik

Monday, November 7, 2011 || 7pm
Book Passage || Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Drive, Corte Madera ||www.bookpassage.com

Please join us for an evening with one of our favorite writers: New York Times best selling author, Jasmin Darznik, who got her start right here at Book Passage in Corte Madera.

Jasmin’s first book, The Good Daughter : A Memoir of My Mother’s Hidden Life, was published in January 2011 by Grand Central. It was a New York Times Bestseller and will be published in thirteen countries. The book has just been released in paperback.

Jasmin is an award-winning essayist and short story writer whose writing has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and other publications.

She was born in Tehran, Iran, grew up in Marin County, and received her Ph.D. in English from Princeton University. She is a professor of English and creative writing at Washington and Lee University and has also taught Iranian literature at the University of Virginia. As a 2011-2012 fellow at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, she’s now at work on a novel set in 1960s Iran.

The Good Daughter was first conceived in a Book Passage workshop led by Linda Watanabe McFerrin. She counts the aforementioned Linda Watanabe McFerrin as her best teacher, ever.

For more about Jasmin and her book you can visit www.jasmindarznik.com

Here’s what reviewers are saying about The Good Daughter.

“An eye-opening account that disturbs with its depiction of the place
of women in Iranian society, but warms the heart in its portrayal of
their gritty endurance.”—Kirkus

“Riveting.” —Vogue

“Superb … riveting … a moving tribute.” —The Cleveland Plain Dealer

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LCW at the Ferry Plaza: Spooky Tales

LEFT COAST WRITERS AT THE FERRY PLAZA:  Colette Obrien, Author of The Nobility of the Robe, emcees an evening filled with spooky tales!

 

Colette Obrien Hosts
Colette Obrien Hosts

Monday, October 10, 6pm
Book Passage || Ferry Plaza
San Francisco || www.bookpassage.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Join author and emcee Colette Obrien, Unity Barry, Debbie Goelz and Patricia Ljutic on Monday evening as Left Coast Writers share spooky tales. This event is open to the public, so share the news and bring your family and friends for a special treat.  That’s the Halloween spirit!

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Book Launch: Cyberfeasts & Foodstocks

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH:  Tina Vierra and Contributors to Cyberfeasts & Foodstocks

 

Tina Vierra
Tina Vierra

Saturday, October 8, 2011 || 7pm
Book Passage-Corte Madera || 51 Tamal Vista Dr.
Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

This is an extra yummy event!

Editor Tina Vierra presents Cyberfeasts & Foodstocks. Vierra will talk about the process of creating this cookbook, which features more than 270 recipes, tips, quips, and useful cooking instruction from the experienced chefs, caterers, food shop owners, and cooks in The International Foodwine Discussion Group. Recipes from the book will be served!

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Literary Salon: Laurie McLean

LEFT COAST WRITERS LITERARY SALON: Laurie McLean, Agent

Laurie McLean
Laurie McLean

Monday, October 3, 2011 || 7pm

Book Passage || Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Drive, Corte Madera ||www.bookpassage.com

Get the scoop on the latest trends in publishing and what agents are looking for these days from our October speaker, Laurie McLean.

Laurie McLean joined the Larsen Pomada Agency in 2005 following a 20-year stint as the CEO of a successful Silicon Valley public relations agency. Laurie was able to switch gears in 2002 to immerse herself in writing. She penned three manuscripts, and if that wasn’t enough, decided that the life of a literary agent would be the perfect complement to her duties as a writer of fantasy and romance.

Laurie has been writing professionally since high school—first as a journalist, then as a public relations agent. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from the State University of New York and a Master’s Degree at Syracuse University’s prestigious Newhouse School of Journalism.

Laurie specializes in adult genre fiction (romance, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, westerns, horror, etc.) plus middle-grade and young adult children’s books.

For more on Laurie, check out her blog at www.agentsavant.com.

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Ferry Plaza Book Party: Daniel Bacon and Laurie McAndish King

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK PARTY:  Daniel Bacon, Author of Barbary Coast Trail Official Guide and Laurie McAndish King, co-creator of the SF Waterfront App.

 

Daniel Bacon
Daniel Bacon

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who isn’t in love with the San Francisco Waterfront? We have two experts on hand to explain its most exciting points: Daniel Bacon, founder of the Barbary Coast Trail and author of Barbary Coast Trail Official Guide and Laurie McAndish King, co-creator of the SF Waterfront: Bridge to Ballpark App.

The Barbary Coast Trail is a designated path that connects 20 historic sites—many of them along the S.F. Waterfront—and local history museums in San Francisco, California.

The Barbary Coast Trail was founded by historian Daniel Bacon in collaboration with the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society. The trail was inaugurated in May 1998 and originally marked with painted images. The first 150 bronze medallions to mark the trail were installed by 2000. The medallions were designed by Daniel Bacon and illustrator Jim Blair.

Laurie McAndish King
Laurie McAndish King

Laurie McAndish King’s S.F. Waterfront App., great for anyone exploring the area, is available from Sutro Media and can be downloaded through iTunes.

We can’t think of a more appropriate Ferry Plaza event. Visitors and locals will discover new things to enjoy!

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Book Launch: Adrienne Amundsen

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH:  Adrienne Amundsen, Author of Cassandras Falling

 

 

Adrienne Amundsen

Saturday, September 10, 2011 || 7pm
Book Passage-Corte Madera || 51 Tamal Vista Dr.
Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

Please join us for a celebration and a good amount of revelation as poet Adrienne Amundsen shares her poetic observations on politics, the environment and our humanity. You’ll find a great deal to cheer in this first collection by a talented poet. Her poems are a call to action! We’ll provide (more…)

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Literary Salon: Spud Hilton

LEFT COAST WRITERS LITERARY SALON: Spud Hilton,  San Francisco Chronicle Travel Editor

 

Spud Hilton

Tuesday, September 6, 2011 || 7pm

Book Passage || Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Drive, Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

Back from those summer travels? Maybe it’s time to write about them. And what better way to find out how than during a relaxing evening with Spud Hilton.

Spud Hilton is the travel editor of The San Francisco Chronicle, where in the past 10 years he has written about, reported on and been hopelessly lost in destinations on five continents. His attempts to divine, describe and defy the expectations of places — from Havana’s back alleys to Genoa’s churches to the floor of a hippie bus in Modesto — have earned five Lowell Thomas Awards, and have appeared in more than 60 newspapers in North America, several of which are still publishing. Spud also writes the Bad Latitude travel blog at SFGate.com, and is working on a book. He lives in San Francisco with his wife, Ann, and he plays cornet in an early New Orleans traditional jazz band.

Our Tuesday night salon (Monday is Labor Day) will be a super intro to this talented writer and editor. Writers who want to spend more time with Spud can sign up for an evening with him at Book Passage in the Ferry Plaza where they will learn how to “chart their story’s course.”

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Book Launch: Mary Jo McConahay

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK LAUNCH:  Mary Jo McConahay, Author of Maya Roads: One Woman’s Journey Among the People of the Rainforest

 

MaryJo_sSaturday, August 20, 2011 || 7pm
Book Passage-Corte Madera || 51 Tamal Vista Dr.
Corte Madera || www.bookpassage.com

Join us for the launch of Mary Jo McConahay’s new book, Maya Roads: One Woman’s Journey Among the People of the Rainforest.

A transporting blend of history, adventure and eyewitness experience, this beautifully written book is a deep and authoritative account of the people, politics, archaeology and magic of the Central American rainforest, the cradle of Maya civilization.

“She is innocence and experience, discoverer and knowing witness.  The Maya believe we are nearing an end time.  I cannot imagine a better chronicler of this time and place than Mary Jo McConahay.”–PBS NewsHour Commentator Richard Rodriguez, Author of Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez, and Brown: The Last Discovery of America.

“From the moment she steps into the deep Mexican jungle, you will follow her anywhere.”–Laura Fraser, Author of An Italian Affair, and All Over the Map.

Journalist Mary Jo McConahay covered Central America as a war correspondent and lived in Mexico and Central America for fifteen years.  Her award-winning work has apeared in more than thirty magazines and periodicals and is collected in a half-dozen books, including True to Life Adventure Stories by Women and Best Travel Writing 2011. She coproduced the PBS documentary Discovering Dominga, awarded the Cine Golden Eagle and numerous other film honors, and is widely used in college classrooms.

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Ferry Plaza Book Launch: Todd Crawshaw

LEFT COAST WRITERS BOOK PARTY:  Todd Crawshaw, Author of Light-Years in the Dark

 

 

Todd Crawshaw
Todd Crawshaw

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Todd Crawshaw shares selections from his new book of story-poems, Light-Years in the Dark.

Todd Crawshaw has been writing fiction for 39 years. He attended the University of Oregon, studying at the School of Architecture and Allied Arts, where he graduated with a bachelor of science degree in psychology. He is the author of Exploits of the Satyr, the fourth in a line of five (and now approaching six) novels he has written, along with a collection of stories and poems … and a few screenplays too.

In 1975, he established a graphic design studio, Crawshaw Design. This San Francisco venture has changed and evolved over the years, significantly with the advent of computers and their global proliferation. He provides integrated brand marketing for print and the web, having developed more than 200 corporate identity programs for major corporations and individual proprietorships. It’s an interesting business. Check it out:www.crawshawdesign.com.

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Literary Salon: Kelly Booth

LEFT COAST WRITERS LITERARY SALON: Kelly Booth, Creative Director at Weldon Owen Publishing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kelly Booth
Kelly Booth

Monday, August 1, 2011 || 7pm

Book Passage || Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Drive, Corte Madera ||www.bookpassage.com

Let’s get wildly creative. Kelly Booth, Creative Director at Weldon Owen Publishing will show us how.

A life-long traveler, Kelly Booth was once told by a Cuban Santeria that her work would be translated into many languages—a prediction that came true. As an award-winning Creative Director at Weldon Owen Publishing in San Francisco, a large number of the books she helps to create are published and distributed internationally. The global phenomenon Show Me How, a visual how-to guide, has been translated into more than 25 languages and sold in over 30 different countries including China, Turkey, and Brazil.

Flip through that book, and you might spot an illustrated version of Kelly showing you how to samba dance in Rio’s Carnival, or throw knives in Pen and Teller’s Las Vegas show. Those are two examples of the experiences she collects anytime her lust for adventure lures her into another pungent, frozen, dangerous, or dazzling locale. The mountains of northern Peru turned up an especially surprising episode involving a witch doctor—Kelly’s account of that incident was anthologized in A Woman’s Path: Women’s Best Spiritual Travel Writing.

Always drawing inspiration from those far flung explorations, Kelly now leads a talented ensemble of artists and designers who collaborate closely with authors and editors to create visually compelling books and digital editions on a wide range of topics such as sex, fashion, science, and zombies—though thankfully, not usually at the same time. Some of the team’s recent bestselling titles include Parenting Magazine’s The Happiest Mom, and Field & Stream’s Total Outdoorsman Manual.

A graduate of the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, Kelly is also an accomplished fine artist who has served as Artist-In-Residence with the US Department of the Interior at Buffalo National River, and at Kala Art Institute in Berkeley California. Her art works have been shown internationally, at venues such as SFMOMA Artist’s Gallery, Art House Co-op in Brooklyn, New York, and GRID 09 in Stockholm, Sweden.

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