Latest Events in Palo Alto(December Updated)

Experience an enlightening evening with STEVEN JOHNSON at Books Inc. Palo Alto. Delve into compelling discussions and insights with the acclaimed author at this in-person event. Don't miss this chance to meet the mind behind groundbreaking works. Mark your calendars for May 15, 2024, and prepare for an engaging experience at Books Inc., located at 855 El Camino Real #74, Palo Alto, CA 94301. The event is free to attend. Steven Johnson's latest book offers a gripping narrative of the anarchists' reign of terror in New York City and the detectives who revolutionized policing to combat the threat. Explore a forgotten era of political fervor, scientific advancements, assassination plots, and innovative detective work. Johnson's account sheds light on a tumultuous period that resonates with contemporary societal issues. This event promises an insightful journey through history that is both captivating and thought-provoking. Don't miss this unique opportunity to be part of an engaging discussion with a bestselling author.

Attend the book launch of Michael Leali's latest middle grade novel at Books Inc. in Palo Alto. Immerse yourself in the captivating world of MICHAEL LEALI and engage in literary discussions with the acclaimed author. This in-person event offers a unique opportunity to connect with like-minded book enthusiasts and gain insights into Michael's newest creation. Don't miss the chance to meet the award-winning author and celebrate his literary work. Save the date for this enriching experience on May 21, 2024, at Books Inc., located at 855 El Camino Real #74, Palo Alto, CA 94301. Admission is free, so mark your calendars and join the book launch for a memorable evening of literary exploration.

Experience an evening with local author Zach Williams at Books Inc. Palo Alto on June 12, 2024. Delve into his acclaimed short story collection, Beautiful Days, as Zach reads, discusses, and signs copies. Joining him in conversation is writer Jemimah Wei. These stories explore themes of parenthood, mortality, and life's uncertainties, challenging readers to confront the mysteries of existence. With a sharp wit and poignant prose, Williams presents a collection that captivates and lingers in the mind long after reading. Award-winning authors praise his work, describing it as profound, mysterious, and transformative. Zach Williams, a Jones Lecturer in Fiction at Stanford University, has been recognized in publications like The New Yorker and The Paris Review. Take this opportunity to immerse yourself in an evening of literary exploration at Books Inc. Palo Alto, located at 855 El Camino Real #74, Palo Alto, CA 94301. Admission is free.

Don't miss the chance to meet John McNellis at Books Inc. Palo Alto for an engaging discussion on his latest book. This exciting in-person event with the esteemed author will take place at the Books Inc. Palo Alto venue. Attendees can look forward to meeting the author, getting their book signed, and participating in a lively literary conversation. Make sure to mark your calendars for this memorable event in Palo Alto. The event "JOHN MCNELLIS at Books Inc. Palo Alto" will be held on June 18, 2024, at 74 Town & Country Village, Palo Alto, CA 94301. Admission is free, so come on down to Books Inc. Palo Alto for a literary experience you won't forget.

Join Larry Jacobson at Books Inc. Palo Alto for a special event featuring a reading and signing of his book, Your Ideal Retirement Workbook. The event will take place at Books Inc. Laurel Village where Larry will share insights and stories from his latest work. This is a great opportunity to meet the author and have your book signed. In Your Ideal Retirement Workbook, former CEO Larry Jacobson provides expert advice on setting personal goals for retirement. Learn how to transition into your post-career life smoothly and purposefully. Discover practical strategies to analyze risks, manage fears, pursue passions, and create a balanced lifestyle in retirement. If you are looking for inspiration and guidance on planning your retirement, don't miss this event. Join Larry Jacobson at Books Inc. Palo Alto on June 20, 2024, for an enriching experience. Admission is free, and all are welcome to attend.

Experience an engaging evening with renowned author Linda Moore at Books Inc. Palo Alto. Explore the captivating world of Ally Blake, a gallery owner risking everything to showcase her art at a prestigious Bogotá art fair in the 1990s. Delve into a tale of intrigue, betrayal, and high-stakes as Ally discovers a deceitful money-laundering scheme intertwined with her exhibits. Navigate through a web of danger involving warring cartels, U.S. mercenaries, and shady acquaintances from her past as she fights to protect her family and salvage her gallery from financial ruin. Immerse yourself in Moore's thrilling narrative, where art, deception, and peril collide in a heart-pounding race against time. Don't miss this exclusive opportunity to meet the author, hear about her latest work, and acquire a signed copy of this mesmerizing literary masterpiece. Join the gathering of fellow book enthusiasts at Books Inc. Palo Alto on June 25, 2024, for an unforgettable literary experience. Admission is free.

Experience the unique opportunity to meet acclaimed local author and Stanford professor Nina Schuyler at Books Inc. Palo Alto. Join the celebration of her latest award-winning short story collection, "In This Ravishing World," where Nina will engage in a thought-provoking discussion with fellow author Susanne Pari. Delve into a captivating narrative that intertwines nine interconnected stories, exploring themes of joy, despair, and hope for our natural world. From activists to artists, each character offers a different perspective on the climate crisis, urging readers towards activism and resistance. Nina Schuyler, known for her previous works such as "The Translator" and "Afterword," brings a wealth of literary expertise to this event. Meanwhile, Susanne Pari, an Iranian-American novelist and journalist, enriches the conversation with her unique insights on displacement and resilience. Don't miss this enriching event featuring Nina Schuyler at Books Inc. Palo Alto on July 16, 2024. Admission is free, offering a rare opportunity to engage with these distinguished literary figures.

Join author Gina Maria Balibre at Books Inc. Palo Alto for a celebration of her debut novel The Volcano Daughters! Join author Gina Maria Balibre at Books Inc. Palo Alto for a celebration of her debut novel The Volcano Daughters! Gina will be in conversation with Yalitza Ferreras. A Most Anticipated Book from Vulture, Seattle Times, Book Riot, Electric Literature, Debutiful, and Nerd Daily A searingly original debut about two sisters and their flight from genocide—which takes them from Hollywood to Paris to San Francisco’s Cannery Row—each haunted along the way by the ghosts of their murdered friends, who are not yet done telling their stories El Salvador, 1923. Graciela, a young girl growing up on a volcano in a community of Indigenous women, is summoned to the capital, where she is claimed as an oracle for a rising dictator. There she meets Consuelo, the sister she has never known, who was stolen from their home before Graciela was born. The two spend years under the cruel El Gran Pendejo’s regime, unwillingly helping his reign of terror, until genocide strikes the community from which they hail. Each believing the other to be dead, they escape, fleeing across the globe, reinventing themselves until fate ultimately brings them back together in the most unlikely of ways… Endlessly surprising, vividly imaginative, bursting with lush life, The Volcano Daughters charts a new history and mythology of El Salvador, fiercely bringing forth voices that have been calling out for generations. “A gripping and spellbinding novel about a sisterhood ripped apart by violence, narrated by a ghostly chorus. An unforgettable debut.” —Brit Bennett, author of The Vanishing Half “Stunning: original, magical, brutal, beautiful. A sweeping yet intimate look at love, sisterhood, and resistance in the face of devastation.” —Charmaine Wilkerson, author of Black Cake “A new heir to the magical-realism throne.” —Seattle Times “A bilingual, mythological, and original debut about resistance and survival.” —Vulture “A new book to be entered into the historical magical realism canon…A staggering tome of sisterhood, disaster, and myth. Readers can expect an imaginative roller coaster of emotion as the sisters do everything they can do to reconnect.” —Debutiful “This novel is astonishing: layered, lush, lyrical, and marvelously transporting. Gina María Balibrera has woven a gorgeous and painful tapestry, rich with history, memory, and the troubling voices of the dead who will not be silenced. The Volcano Daughters is a dazzling accomplishment.” —Kirstin Valdez Quade, author of The Five Wounds “Gina María Balibrera is a tremendous new talent. The Volcano Daughters is a towering achievement at the intersection of ancient myth, political history, and vibrant storytelling. A fierce and pulsating novel, this book will capture your heart and enrich your mind.” —Kali Fajardo-Anstine, bestselling author of Woman of Light and Sabrina & Corina “The Volcano Daughters is a beautiful novel, weaving together magic and humor with tragedy and the unflinching documentary of injustice in a way that is so skillful and surprising.” —Eleanor Shearer, author of River Sing Me Home “Every character comes vibrantly to life in The Volcano Daughters. Every scene surprises with unexpected tremors of questions about the legacy of political violence, how social upheaval shapes sibling dynamics and haunts the psyches of children for the rest of their lives. Gina María Balibrera is a writer of tremendous imagination who draws on her knowledge of two languages to craft a first novel unlike any other I've read.” —Idra Novey, author of Take What You Need “Inventive, surprising, and potent, I fell under Gina Balibrera's spell from the first line and could not look away. To write a book with this much heart, where each sentence feels like it plumbs the darkest depths and soars to the brightest of skies, you have to be some sort of savant of the human heart. The Volcano Daughters blew my mind with its rich humor, its beautiful portrayal of women's lives, and its unstoppable plot, all wrapped up in a narrative voice I'd follow anywhere. How lucky we are to have Balibrera spinning tales for us this good. I'll be her reader for life.” —Chelsea Bieker, author of Madwoman “Epic and intimate, alive and mournful, The Volcano Daughters is an exquisite novel teeming with life, ghosts, pain, and hope. I was swept away by its lyrical, generous storytelling. What a gorgeous, moving work.” —Ayşegül Savaş, author of The Anthropologists “My mind and heart were blown open by Gina María Balibrera’s astonishing debut. The Volcano Daughters is a work of fierce ambition and blazing emotion, narrated by an unforgettable chorus of ghosts who trace the story of their friends, sisters Graciela and Consuelo, through a journey that spans continents and generations. As the chorus says: ‘The word makes the world,’ and with this novel, her first, Balibrera has done nothing less. Her invocation of the voices of a group of women whose lives were distorted and cut short by El Salvador’s violent dictator El Gran Pendejo left me breathless—and is one of the most powerful stories of motherhood, sisterhood, and survival I’ve ever read. A colossal achievement.” —Julie Buntin, author of Marlena “A haunting (and haunted) debut, The Volcano Daughters is a dark marvel of a book, at once lush and stark, mythic and earthy. Balibrera's fusion of history and legend, puts me in mind of a young Isabel Allende.” —Peter Ho Davies, author of A Lie Someone Told You About Yourself “Haunting…Spanish words and phrases are interwoven throughout the novel, challenging readers to sink into Balibrera’s lushly described world, where meaning is found through experience rather than translation. A devastating story of sisterhood, community, and memory, quietly magical and utterly unforgettable.” —Library Journal, starred review “Captivating…Vibrant…Their visions of Graciela and Consuelo are riveting… Striking characters…Balibrera eulogizes the lives lost in La Matanza, the real-life 1932 massacre of the Pipil people by the Salvadoran government, and underscores the value of holding one’s culture close, even when it threatens to disrupt just-scarring wounds…The resilience of sisterly bonds forms the backbone of this swirling, heart-wrenching debut.” —Kirkus “Wrenching…With keen psychological insight, Balibrera portrays how the women, each of whom doesn’t know the other has survived, make hard choices in search of fulfillment. It adds up to a powerful story of finding the strength to chart one’s own course.” —Publishers Weekly GINA MARÍA BALIBRERA earned an MFA in Prose from the University of Michigan’s Helen Zell Writers' Program. She’s been awarded grants from Aspen Words, Tin House, the Rackham Foundation, and the Periplus Collective, as well as a Tyson Award, the Aura Estrada Prize, and the Under the Volcano Sandra Cisneros Fellowship. YALITZA FERRERAS is the 2022-2023 Carol Houck Smith Fiction Fellow at the University of Wisconsin’s Institute for Creative Writing in Madison, WI. She is the recipient of a 2020 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award and a recent Steinbeck Fellow at San Jose State University. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Best American Short Stories, Kenyon Review, Bellevue Literary Review, Aster(ix), The Southern Review, Colorado Review, and elsewhere. She received an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan where she won the Thesis Prize and is the recipient of fellowships and awards from Tin House Summer Workshop, Djerassi, Yaddo, Ucross, Barbara Deming Memorial Fund for Women, San Francisco Writers’ Grotto, and Voices of Our Nation. Information Source: Books Inc. | eventbrite

Join author Kenny Gould at Books Inc. Palo Alto for a celebration of his book The Potion Master! Kenny will be joined in conversation with fellow teacher Ben Meiseles. From the author of The Castle of 1,000 Doors comes the first book of The School Beneath the City trilogy, the story of three magical students destined to save the world. For the first time in the history of Wunder's School for Brewing Excellence, three students are tied for valedictorian. To break the tie, Dr. Wunder issues a challenge: the student who makes the best final potion will earn the coveted title of Potionmaster. But as the students compete, an ancient evil is rising from a long overdue slumber. It's a magic even Dr. Wunder can't stop. And the students pitted against each other might become the world's only hope for survival. Kenny Gould writes fantasy for both kids and adults. He has a degree in English from Duke University, an MFA in Fiction from Chatham University, and an MBA from NYU Stern. He taught creative writing at Phillips Academy Andover and in the Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh, PA. Information Source: Books Inc. | eventbrite

Join Stephanie Nass at Books Inc. Palo Alto for a celebration of her book Swing By! From stylemaker and chef Nass comes a charming guide to twenty-first- century entertaining with parties and accompanying recipes. Having thrown hundreds of parties for celebrities, royals, fashion brands, and a long list of family members, Nass understands what it takes to be a stellar hostess; indeed, she believes that hosting is an art form. If the definition of art is to please and instruct, there is no more literal art than a dinner party. A founder of her own culinary lifestyle brand, Chefanie, and a successful catering business, Nass is ready to share all she knows in this, her first book. Organized by type of party—standing soirees, seated suppers, outdoor dining, and holiday celebrations—the book features sixteen fun, festive, and original ideas for hosting, from a pizzeria-based pizza party with homemade rainbow cookies to a sunflower field luncheon, martini night, and an alpine lodge-inspired dinner. Enhanced by Nass’s hand-painted menus and filled with recipes, checklists, affordable DIY tricks, flower arranging techniques, and the tablescapes for which she is known, Swing By! will delight and instruct readers eager to entertain. Stephanie Nass is a chef, influencer, and founder of the culinary lifestyle brand Chefanie. Her products are available on her website and at retailers worldwide, including Revolve and Goop. She regularly appears on TV, panels, and podcasts as a thought leader in the cooking and hosting space. Nass has been called the “Millennial Martha Stewart” and named one of the top 50 hosts in America. She is based in New York City. Information Source: Books Inc. | eventbrite

Join local author Diana Farid at Books Inc. Palo Alto for a Special Storytime, featuring her book The Light of Home! A universal story about displacement, migration, and the many ways we find home, from talented author-illustrator team Diana Farid and Hoda Hadadi. Nur has always loved her home by the sea, where water glimmers along a straight horizon. But when Nur and her family are forced to leave, they begin a long journey to an unfamiliar place. Here the horizon curves and twists, and the moonlight no longer glitters across the water. For Nur, nothing in this new place feels like home. Then one day, Nur's mother brings her a new set of paintbrushes. Nur's brushstrokes help her connect the place she's lost to this new horizon, and she finds home again through her own creativity and heart. The Light of Home will resonate with anyone who has ever had to leave a place they've loved. From author, poet, and physician Diana Farid and artist Hoda Hadadi comes this introspective story about belonging and the power of creativity. For readers of Yuyi Morales' Dreamers and Yamile Saied Mendez and Jaime Kim's Where Are You From? Diana Farid is an award-winning author and poet. Her picture book, When You Breathe, was a National Council of Teachers of English Notable poetry book. Her novel in verse, Wave, was the 2022 Cybils Award winner for poetry novel and a School Library Journal Best Middle Grade Book. She is also a physician and associate professor at Stanford University. Information Source: Books Inc. | eventbrite

Stand Up To Hate: Jewish Comedy for a Cause Come join us for a night of laughter and unity! We're bringing together top Jewish comedians from around the Bay Area to stand up against hate through humor. We are partnering with Hillel at Stanford and Hillel of Silicon Valley. Proceeds from the event will go to help them support Jewish students and ensure that campuses are a safe and welcoming environment for everyone regardless of religion. The event is recommended for ages 14+ (okay, 13 if they had a bar/bat mitzvah). There will be adult material - not Andrew Dice Clay level but definitely not a kids show. Snacks and refreshments will be available in the lobby, and alcoholic beverges can be purchased (we're talking beer and wine, no Long Island Ice Tea). Doors open at 6:30pm. Other than paying for the facility, ticket proceeds will all go to local Hillels to fight Jew hate on campus and support students having a tough time. We're not making any money on this, we swear! And we'll have links to these and other worthy organizations where you can make an additional tax-deductible donation. ˙Hosted by Rob Irony Man Block, produced by Rob B and Rachael Berman Huck. Information Source: Irony Man Comedy | eventbrite

Gardens Around Us: A Progressive Walking TourSaturday, October 05, 2024 | 01:00 PM to 04:00 PM FREEMeet at the Art Center for a special community walk to highlight unique community garden sites in Palo Alto. Information Source: Palo Alto Art Center | eventbrite

Join Bike Palo Alto for a pedal-powered adventure through the beautiful streets and trails of our vibrant city Bike Palo Alto Get ready to pedal your way through Palo Alto and beyond on two wheels. Whether you're a beginner or a more experienced cyclist, this in-person event will provide you with maps that help you discover convenient bike routes around Palo Alto, with hundreds of other families biking exploring the same routes at the same time. Starting from Fairmeadow Elementary School, the on-campus Bike Palo Alto Safety Fair will offer everything you need to be ride-ready. More information coming soon . Information Source: Bike Palo Alto | eventbrite

Join local author Lynn Stegner at Books Inc. Palo Alto for a celebration of her novel The Half-Life of Guilt! Lynn Stegner’s acclaimed novels and story collections have drawn comparisons to the works of Margaret Atwood, Barbara Kingsolver, Alice Munro, and John Updike. Now in her new novel, The Half-Life of Guilt, Stegner tells the story of Clair Bugato and Mason Comstock. Together they journey to the world’s largest saltworks in Baja California, where a proposed expansion threatens the California gray whale population, recently come back from the brink of extinction. In the midst of a conservation battle, they meet a mysterious son of Mexico, Rubio Cantú, who leads them to the powers that be. Their two-week journey sends Clair deep into the past, where she reviews the divergent paths she and her near-identical twin sister have taken away from a childhood tragedy. At the same time, Mason confronts his own unhappy past in Cornwall, England, with a father whose hate was stronger than his love. No other work of fiction patterns the warp and weft of human guilt, the homesickness only love can cure, environmental crises, the intrinsic conflict between international commerce and planetary health, and the necessity of forgiveness. The Half-Life of Guilt is woven from these themes, delivering to the reader an engrossing and transformative literary experience. “The Half Life of Guilt adroitly braids paired narratives: a risk-filled present journey down the coast of Mexico and the fraught past of a family in northern California. The twins at the center of the story—Nina and Clair—compel our close attention, and the novel somehow manages to be both action-packed and contemplative. Lynn Stegner gives us scientists and vintners and idealists and cynics: troubled creatures all. And she does so in prose as vivid as her scenery; the dead remain wholly alive.”—Nicholas Delbanco, author of Why Writing Matters “As Stegner explores both personal responsibility and our responsibility to care for the natural world, she illuminates the ways we love, fail to love, and repair our failures. Her unique sensibility makes for a fascinating read.”—Andrea Barrett, author of Natural History and Ship Fever “In this beautiful and layered novel Lynn Stegner takes us on a passionate tour of self-discovery and family history written so closely and with such astonishing sincerity that the entire novel becomes a kind of surprising tenderness. Stegner has the writer’s gift of creating a dear victory from the uneasiness of pristine places. This is a rich, rich book.”—Ron Carlson, author of Return to Oakpine “The Half-Life of Guilt is a powerful tale of family loyalty, romantic love, and the long reach of a single, shocking childhood tragedy. Lynn Stegner has a profound understanding of how sisters relate—or fail to relate—and how the truth of the past can be lost to our misperceptions. This sobering and insightful story is beautifully told.”—Elizabeth Crook, author of The Madstone and The Which Way Tree “Lynn Stegner is a beautiful writer. This fiercely wrought family saga will take your breath away with its sharpness and depth.”—Rick Bass, author of For a Little While: New and Selected Stories Lynn Stegner’s books include the novels Undertow, Fata Morgana, and Because a Fire Was in My Head, which won the Faulkner Award for Best Novel and was a New York Times Editors’ Choice. Her novella triptych, Pipers at the Gates of Dawn, was awarded a Faulkner Society’s Gold Medal. She divides her time between San Francisco and northern Vermont. Information Source: Books Inc. | eventbrite

Join local illustrator and comic artist Hannah Hillman at Books Inc. Palo Alto for a celebration of her first collection which poses the question: What if our cats were responsible for taking care of us for a change? Following an unwitting human who finds herself in a world where humans' and cats' roles have reversed, Cat People examines the special and inscrutable relationship we have with our feline companions, revealing the delightful absurdities of both species along the way. Only the keen eyes of cats could so sharply examine the most bizarre human behaviors we don't think twice about, including grooming, eating, sleeping, working, and competing with other humans for attention and territory. By flipping the script and casting humans in the role of pet, Hannah Hillam spins an unforgettable tail of the unique love and often baffling coexistence between cats and people. “Simultaneously hilarious, thoughtful, and bizarre! Cat People is Hannah Hillam at her weirdest and best. Extremely re-readable and full of magnificent details.” —Nathan W. Pyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Strange Planet “Zany and entirely different, Cat People is an exciting new work that shows off the depth of Hillam’s genius.” —Sarah Andersen, creator of Sarah’s Scribbles and author of Herding Cats “Delightfully weird and funny, and it somehow made me a better cat owner.” —Zach Weinersmith, New York Times bestselling co-author of Soonish and A City on Mars “Wickedly funny, visually inventive, and somehow both adorable and twisted in equal measure—I was crying laughing. A hilarious, heartfelt and subversive exploration of the pet/owner relationship!” —Tommy Siegel, author of Candy Hearts “While I was expecting, and got, the darkly absurd, observational humor Hannah’s mastered for the internet, I was surprised to find it accompanying a touching story of feline anthropomorphism that left me wanting to be kinder to the animals in my life, and myself.” —Henry James Garrett, author of This Book Will Make You Kinder “Cat People is equal parts hilarious, adorable, and unhinged—okay, maybe a touch more unhinged. Hannah’s signature art style and visceral humor are coupled with the best subject matter: cats! This is a must-buy for all cat lovers out there, especially if your beloved animal was rescued from the outside . . . or through a vomitous portal.” —Andrew Marttila, The Cat Photographer “Every cat lover will understand this book to their core. Hilarious and sweet all the way through.” —Tillie Walden, author of On a Sunbeam “Such a fun read . . . with vivid imagination and remarkable attention to detail. One of the many reasons I love Hillam’s work is how far she’s willing to go to explore her ideas, even if it gets hilariously weird (and it usually does!).” —Cassandra Calin, author of I Left the House Today! Hannah Hillam is an illustrator and comic artist living in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, two kids, and two cats. Information Source: Books Inc. | eventbrite

Jason Reynolds has done it again!… Fresh from start to finish… This is what it could be, should be, if only we were all as lucky as Aria. Girls (and everyone) wait for your Neon!—Judy Blume, author of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. and Forever...Jason Reynolds is a New York Times bestselling author and one of the most prominent voices in contemporary young people’s literature. We are honored to host him for Twenty-Four Seconds from Now…: A Love Story, an unfiltered and undeniably sweet stream-of-consciousness story about a teen boy on the cusp of experiencing a huge first. Twenty-four months ago: Neon gets chased by a dog all around the parking lot of a church. Not his finest moment. And definitely one he would have loved to forget if it weren’t for the dog’s owner, Aria. Dressed in sweats, a t-shirt, hair in a ponytail. Aria. Way more than fine. Twenty-four weeks ago: Neon’s dad insists on talking to him about tenderness and intimacy. Neon and Aria are definitely in love, and while they haven’t taken that next big step…yet, they’ve started talking about…that. Twenty-four days ago: Neon’s mom finds her—gulp—bra in his room. Hey! No judging! Those hook thingies are complicated! So he’d figured he’d better practice, what with the big day only a month away. Twenty-four minutes ago: Neon leaves his shift at work at his dad’s bingo hall, making sure to bring some chicken tenders for Aria. They’re not candlelight and they definitely aren’t caviar, but they are her favorite. And right this second? Neon is locked in Aria’s bathroom, completely freaking out because twenty-four seconds from now he and Aria are about to…about to… Well, they won’t do anything if he can’t get out of his own head (all the advice, insecurities, and what-ifs) and out of this bathroom! Intrigued? Join us at the Haymarket Theater to hear from this master of compelling stories. About the author Jason Reynolds is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, a Newbery Award Honoree, a Printz Award Honoree, a two-time National Book Award finalist, a Kirkus Award winner, a UK Carnegie Medal winner, a two-time Walter Dean Myers Award winner, an NAACP Image Award Winner, an Odyssey Award Winner and two-time honoree, and the recipient of multiple Coretta Scott King honors and the Margaret A. Edwards Award. He was also the 2020–2022 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. His many books include Stamped; the Track series (Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu); and Long Way Down, which received a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, and a Coretta Scott King Honor. He lives in Washington, DC. You can find his ramblings at JasonWritesBooks.com. Photo of Jason Reynolds by Adedayo Dayo Kosoko _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ COVID SAFETY PROTOCOLS: We strongly encourage attendees to wear masks at our events, although they will NOT be required. We will have masks available for attendees who want them. Do NOT attend the event if you, or any member of your family, have any respiratory symptoms (e.g. cough, runny nose, and/or sore throat), or have had a significant exposure to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. We can refund your ticket(s) in this case. Information Source: Kepler's Literary Foundation - Youth | eventbrite

From New York Times bestselling author and adored comedian Randy Rainbow comes a new essay collection, Low-Hanging Fruit: Sparkling Whines, Champagne Problems, and Pressing Issues from My Gay Agenda. Randy Rainbow has a few things on his mind that he wants to talk about. As a savvy social commentator who is keenly attuned to the public discourse, Randy’s unfailing intuition tells him that the perspective everyone in America is clamoring for is that of a privileged white male complaining about a bunch of shit. While writing his bestselling memoir, Playing With Myself, Randy saw an America in crisis. He knew that what the country needed to get back on its high heels was a hard-hitting gay agenda, and here it is—Low-Hanging Fruit—a book filled with sparkling whines, a few flutes of Champagne problems, and a Birkin bag of the most pressing issues facing the US, from dancing TikTok grandmas, to Elon Musk, the GOP, and Donald Jessica Trump. Randy dishes up some sex talk about life on the dating apps, Craigslist hookups and more. (“Gurl, wait till you hear the story about the fireman and the goggles…”) Randy’s longtime companion, the glamorous Chinchilla Silver Persian cat Tippi, makes an appearance as she dishes about her life Chez Randy. And, in the most highly anticipated sequel since Top Gun: Maverick, Randy continues the conversation with his mother, Gwen, because who knows better than the Jewish mother of a gay man about how to solve America’s problems? Low-Hanging Fruit is a bold manifesto for a nation desperately in need of a makeover. Rainbow will be joined on stage by journalist in residence Angie Coiro. COVID SAFETY PROTOCOLS: We strongly encourage attendees to wear masks at our events, although they will NOT be required. We will have masks available for attendees who want them. Do NOT attend the event if you, or any member of your family, have any respiratory symptoms (e.g. cough, runny nose, and/or sore throat), or have had a significant exposure to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. We can refund your ticket(s) in this case. Information Source: Kepler's Literary Foundation | eventbrite

From New York Times bestselling author and adored comedian Randy Rainbow comes a new essay collection, Low-Hanging Fruit: Sparkling Whines, Champagne Problems, and Pressing Issues from My Gay Agenda. Randy Rainbow has a few things on his mind that he wants to talk about. As a savvy social commentator who is keenly attuned to the public discourse, Randy’s unfailing intuition tells him that the perspective everyone in America is clamoring for is that of a privileged white male complaining about a bunch of shit. While writing his bestselling memoir, Playing With Myself, Randy saw an America in crisis. He knew that what the country needed to get back on its high heels was a hard-hitting gay agenda, and here it is—Low-Hanging Fruit—a book filled with sparkling whines, a few flutes of Champagne problems, and a Birkin bag of the most pressing issues facing the US, from dancing TikTok grandmas, to Elon Musk, the GOP, and Donald Jessica Trump. Randy dishes up some sex talk about life on the dating apps, Craigslist hookups and more. (“Gurl, wait till you hear the story about the fireman and the goggles…”) Randy’s longtime companion, the glamorous Chinchilla Silver Persian cat Tippi, makes an appearance as she dishes about her life Chez Randy. And, in the most highly anticipated sequel since Top Gun: Maverick, Randy continues the conversation with his mother, Gwen, because who knows better than the Jewish mother of a gay man about how to solve America’s problems? Low-Hanging Fruit is a bold manifesto for a nation desperately in need of a makeover. COVID SAFETY PROTOCOLS: We strongly encourage attendees to wear masks at our events, although they will NOT be required. We will have masks available for attendees who want them. Do NOT attend the event if you, or any member of your family, have any respiratory symptoms (e.g. cough, runny nose, and/or sore throat), or have had a significant exposure to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. We can refund your ticket(s) in this case. Information Source: Kepler's Literary Foundation | eventbrite

Join Sophia Falco and Farnaz Fatemi at Books Inc. Palo Alto for a reading and discussion of their books If My Hands Were Birds and Sister Tongue! They will be joined in conversation with Allison Herman. Praise for My Hands Were Birds: “Sophia Falco is a born learner and seeker, as her very name suggests, questing after the wisdom of a psychic-spiritual order that will transform herself lastingly. The title of her award-winning new book, If My Hands Were Birds: A Poem, suggests this utter yearning for flight, for release into becoming little birds lost, doves or falcons in flight across heaven and earth. This long quasi-narrative poem holds these felt tensions of embodiment as well as a Buddhist-like release from the prison-house (or bird cage) of flesh-meat into some airy creature of metamorphosis via sustained expression and a tender openness to change and future love. Poetry grounds and sustains these tensions, storms, and inner flux of mind and affect into achieved diary-like form, an ethos of creative activism and compassion, all elegantly and brilliantly collated daily as original poetry as in a state of renewed innocence, healing, and rebirth: for “my life was on the line” once again in these life-saving lines of poetry or like “a basketball in flight” as one last perfect shot.” —Rob Wilson is a poet-scholar who teaches in the Literature Department at UC Santa Cruz & author ofWhen the Nikita Moon Roseas well asBe Always Converting, Be Always Converted: An American Poetics. Sophia Falco wields her poetry as lamp and lance against the darkness that surrounds us all — claiming her place proudly within the ranks of poets past whose private lifelong struggles with mental illness, sexuality, and silence she both echoes and embodies (from Emily Dickinson to Allen Ginsberg to Mary Oliver). In doing so she achieves brief flights and flashes of an almost zen-like insight: graceful as the arc of a basketball at the buzzer; gentle as the rustle of hands over paper. Reaching “outwards instead of inwards” for “a way out of this / mind maze.” And finding it here within these pages.” —Dr. Scott Lankford, Professor of English (emeritus), Foothill College Stanford GEN Global Educators Network “Sophia Falco’s If My Hands Were Birds is a poem that shines a light on things often left in the dark. With her willingness to lay bare her struggles with mental health, sexuality, identity, and the intergenerational transmission of trauma, Falco reaches “below the surface” of “fear, and more fear, and more fear” into a place of compassion to discover that “maybe hope lies on that tiny songbird’s wings.” This epic poem asks the reader to consider not only what poetry is, but what it can be—a “lifeboat on land.”” —Kaecey McCormick, author of Pixelated Tears and Sleeping With Demons “Sophia Falco reminds us in her powerfully resonant, deeply affecting work that the game is meant not for the NBA, NCAA, or AAU but for the championship of our souls.” —David Hollander, New York University Professor, and AuthorHow Basketball Can Save the World “Falco's epic poem is at once emotional and expressive but wholly accessible to the reader. Drawing on personal experiences and relationships, Falco's autoethnographic observations about themes such as life, love, sexuality, and mental health - to name but a few - provide deep insight into her personal journey through self-development and -awareness.” —Marlen Elliot Harrison, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief,The AutoEthnographer Sophia Falco'sfourth, award-winning book of poetry, is titled: If My Hands Were Birds: A Poem is forthcoming soon in August 2024 to be published by UnCollected Press. Her third poetry book titled: Chronicles of Cosmic Chaos: In The Fourth Dimension (December, 2022) has been entered into the Northern California Book Awards; results pending. In addition, she is the author of: Farewell Clay Dove (2021), and of her award-winning chapbook The Immortal Sunflower (2019). She is the winner of the Mirabai Prize for Poetry, she was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and she has over 50 individual poems published in various literary journals and magazines. Sister Tongue: The poems in Sister Tongue explore negative spaces—the distance between twin sisters, between lovers, between Farsi and English, between the poet’s upbringing in California and her family in Iran. This space between vibrates with loss and longing, arcing with tension. Fatemi’s poetry delves into the intricacies of the relational space between people, the depth of ancestral roots, and the visceral memories that shimmer beyond the reach of words. Language is one of the origins of the poet’s displacement and the evidence of her non-belonging—in both Farsi- and English-speaking communities. The long lyric essay which makes up the spine of this book plumbs years of wordlessness and a journey of reconciliation, as Fatemi asks how her tongue might be a passport to the otherwise inaccessible territories within a self. The poems in Sister Tongue metabolize longing while holding space for the poet’s multiple inheritances, offering a vision of a porosity of self. Through the work of this reckoning, Fatemi reveals how connections between people and places might be forged. Praise for “Sister Tongue”“Delicious, provocative, and incredibly wise, Farnaz Fatemi transcends years and oceans in these pages. Like gripping a cup and string to the ear, Sister Tongue is a hopeful missive, proof of words and their witnesses, an atlas of the wonder of becoming.”—T Kira Madden, author of Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls “Poet Farnaz Fatemi is the soulful Iranian American truth-teller and wonder-wanderer we’ve needed to hear. In Farsi, in English, in Tehran, or California, these poems cherish the miracle of connectedness by weaving family threads through time and space—through sisters, mothers, grandmothers, through a changed and changing world. Sister Tongue is a luscious love letter to language(s), spoken in a trusting, intimate voice. The poet recognizes the twinned solace of silence and song, of sister and self. Loss takes its seat, as it does, at the table, and Fatemi, with tea, family history, powerful memory, and a new/old tongue, inscribes it alongside the depths of beauty and joy in this radiant book of passionate understanding.”—Brenda Shaughnessy, author of The Octopus Museum “I praise the present tense of these poems for its tensile strength, its ability to hold the struggle that is happening in the past, present, and future. The way it speaks of the perpetual, of what it is to be tongue-tied in the presence of one’s other self. ‘Language is geological,’ this speaker tells us, ‘a process of accumulation, and accretion accompanied by landslides.’ In setting out to speak the language of her blood, she finds herself at once estranged and embraced. Thrilled and defeated. What to do with such a natural disaster? These poems persist in their attempts to bridge worlds, offering hope of a complex and hard-won reconciliation, one richly crafted line at a time. In the words of Fatemi, ‘I want the foreigner in me / to meet the foreigner in me.’”—Danusha Laméris, author of Bonfire Opera“ Sister Tongue, Farnaz Fatemi’s debut poetry collection, transports us to a place where language must stretch to fit the largeness of human love and longing, and in doing so, fills the absences we did not even know we harbored. Sister Tongue begins to say what many of us already know—that borders and countries are too limiting to define us. Her poems offer us both a reckoning and a salve.”—Persis M. Karim, chair of the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies at San Francisco State University “Neither exile nor immigrant, Farnaz Fatemi writes with a double intelligence that transcends any presuppositions we might bring to a poetry of the other. She claims her strategic advantage with confidence and laser-like insight, the gift of deep listening and the power of naming, as she slips back and forth freely across borders like a master spy reporting from an uncharted world suspended between two cultures. I am optimistic that Sister Tongue speaks the language of our future.”—Zara Houshmand, writer “Thick with striking sensory detail and lingering images, Sister Tongue traces the narrator’s return to Tehran after 25 years abroad. It is lush and lamenting, returning again and again to the tongue, the mouth, the breath, considering both the power and constraints of language and the work of silence in family connections and the continuous shift of one’s sense of self. A truly gorgeous piece of writing.”—International Literary Awards, Penelope Niven Prize in Creative Non-Fiction 2018; JudgeSeema Reza I am a sucker for any story that is a search for language--there's something beautiful about trying to find the words to say something while using a tongue that is familiar to us--to somehow write ourselves into a form of translating what we cannot understand. This piece, about overcoming being a stranger in a place where one should feel at home, is a beautiful examination of all of the words that we mispronounce.”—Kurt Brown Prize, 2017; Judge Brian Oliu Farnaz Fatemi is currently serving as Poet Laureate of Santa Cruz County, California. Her book, Sister Tongue زبان خواهر,, was chosen by Tracy K. Smith as winner of the 2021 Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize. Sister Tongue was published by Kent State University Press on August 31, 2022. You can read her Poet Laureate blog, For Better or Verse, here. Information Source: Books Inc. | eventbrite

Author and friend of Books Inc. Mike Chen will be visiting our Palo Alto shop for a celebration of his contribution to the Marvel What If...? series, with his newest bookMarc Spector was Host to Venom? Mike will be joined in conversation with fellow local author Tara Sim! Marc Spector and Venom engage in a battle of wills in the next adventure of an epic multiversal series reimagining iconic Marvel origin stories. So many worlds, so little time. Infinite possibilities, creating infinite realities. Long have I watched Marc Spector cheat death in the name of the Egyptian god Khonshu. But…what if Moon Knight was subsumed by a Venom from another universe? Marc Spector is used to voices in his head. He’s used to waking up disoriented, unsure what his alters, Jake and Steven, might have been up to. He’s used to having an Egyptian god command him as Moon Knight, his avatar of justice and revenge. What he’s not used to: staring into the face of a literal, out-of-body doppelganger. Another Marc, crash-landed from an alternate reality, begging for help? Yeah, that is a new one, even for him. But before he can really process anything beyond Khonshu’s incessant alarm bells, it becomes clear this other Marc didn’t travel solo. Some kind of alien — a symbiote named Venom— casts off its current host and begins to merge with Marc, forcing Khonshu away from his chosen champion and claiming Moon Knight for its own. The formerly stark white suit that struck fear into the hearts of criminals now looms as a jet-black shadow over friends and foes alike. Marc’s lethal prowess fueled by Venom’s penchant for violence carves a trail of chaos as they comb through the vigilante’s torturous past. Yet a sliver of hope remains: Finally free of Venom’s control, the other Jake and Steven re-gain consciousness to find themselves in a strange reality, without their Marc, but with a strange bird-like god insisting that “they will do.” Desperate, lost, and running out of time, the pair make a deal: become Khonshu’s new avatar to track Venom’s path of destruction, save this universe, and just maybe figure out a way back to their own. Mike Chen is the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Brotherhood, Here and Now and Then, A Quantum Love Story, and other novels, as well as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine comics. He has covered geek culture for sites such as Nerdist and The Mary Sue, and in a different life, he's covered the NHL. A member of SFWA, Mike lives in the Bay Area with his wife, daughter, and many rescue animals. Follow him on Twitter, Bluesky, and Instagram: @mikechenwriter Tara Simis the author of The Dark Gods trilogy, the Scavenge the Stars duology, and the Timekeeper trilogy. She can typically be found wandering the wilds of the Bay Area, California. When she’s not chasing cats or lurking in bookstores, she writes books about magic, murder, and mayhem. Information Source: Books Inc. | eventbrite

Violinist Jennifer Choi, cellist Angela Lee, and guitarist Marc Teicholz join forces to play a delightfully varied and colorful program. The music ranges from Paganini to Piazzolla, Baroque to Balkan, light and humorous to darkly sensual and intense. These seasoned performers bring their vast experience, love of their craft, as well as the pleasure they take in each other's company to make music that is fresh and personal. Angela Lee - cello Cellist Angela Lee is a graduate of The Juilliard School and Yale School of Music. She is a recipient of a Fulbright scholarship to study in London with William Pleeth; a grant from the Foundation for American Musicians in Europe; the Jury Prize in the Naumburg International Cello Competition; and a cello performance fellowship from the American-Scandinavian Foundation. She is a founding member of The Lee Trio, which won top prizes in the Kuhmo International Chamber Music Competition in Finland and the Gaetano Zinetti International Chamber Music Competition in Italy. The Trio has commissioned and premiered works of numerous living composers and has recordings on Delos, Innova and the Chelsea Music Festival Records labels. In its third decade, the Trio regularly gives master classes worldwide and performs in major venues across North America, Asia and Europe including the South Bank Centre and Wigmore Hall in the UK, Carnegie Hall, Berlin Philharmonie, Leipzig Gewandhaus, The National Philharmonic in Kyiv and the Shanghai Oriental Art Center. Using music to foster peace and goodwill, Ms. Lee has made humanitarian trips to the Republic of the Philippines and the former Yugoslavia. While on a UN-sanctioned tour of six war-torn cities throughout Bosnia-Herzegovina, she performed for NATO troops and displaced civilians. As a member of Ensemble SF since 2022, she continues to delve into a vast array of chamber music, allowing this multi-faceted art form to inspire and connect with others in unconventional settings. Ms. Lee has been coaching chamber music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music since 2017 and serves on the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra Alumni Association Leadership Council and on the Board of Directors of The Resonance Project, which promotes empathy through live music. Jennifer Choi, violin Award winning violinist, Jennifer Choi has charted a career that breaks through the conventional boundaries of solo, chamber music, and the art of improvisation. Hailed by The New York Times as an “excellent violinist, soulful, compelling,” she has performed worldwide in venues such as the Library of Congress in Washington D. C., the RAI National Radio in Rome, Hong Kong National Radio, and the Mozartsalle in Vienna since giving her debut recital at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall in 2000. As a soloist, she has performed with the Oregon Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, the SONYC (String Orchestra of New York City), among others. A prominent chamber musician, Jennifer has performed for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, The Metropolitan and Guggenheim Museums, Santa Cruz's Music In May, and numerous other chamber music series across North America, Europe, and Asia. She performs on a 1718 “Firebird” Stradivarius generously bestowed upon her by Finrebel. www.jenniferchoi.com Marc Teicholz - guitar Guitarist Marc Teicholz was awarded first prize at the 1989 International Guitar Foundation of America Competition, the largest, most prestigious contest of its kind in the United States. He was also a prize winner at the 1991 New York East-West Artists Competition. Described by Gramophone as “arguably the best of the new young guitarists to have emerged,” and by Soundboard magazine as “among the best we have ever heard”. Teicholz’s performances throughout the world include tours of the United States, Canada, Russia, Poland, Switzerland, Southeast Asia, New Zealand and Fiji. His recitals and master classes have received critical acclaim, and he has been featured in concert with orchestras in Spain, Portugal, California and Hawaii. He has also had new works written specially for him. Most recently, Teicholz debuted Clarice Assad’s Concerto for Guitar, O Saci-Pererê, at the Biasini Festival in San Francisco. Teicholz tours the United States extensively with The Festival of Four. He is featured on the pilot soundtrack for George Lucas’ Young Indiana Jones, and has recorded solo CDs for Naxos, Sugo, Menus and Music, and most recently, Guitar Salon International. His latest solo disc, Valseana, presents works performed on historic guitars of the period of each musical selection. On Delos records, he has recently released “Open your Heart” with soprano Laura Claycomb, featuring mixed 19th and 20th century composers. For Naxos, Marc Teicholz has made his mark with two collections of Sor’s music already committed to disc. In a show of his versatility, he has also recorded the fifth volume of the collected works for guitar by the 19th Century French virtuoso guitarist and composer Napoleon Coste. Teicholz is on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory, teaches in the summer at the California Summer Arts Festival and the Weatherfield Music festival in Vermont. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Yale School of Music, and holds a J.D. from the University of California Berkeley Boalt School of Law. Information Source: Oshman Family JCC | eventbrite

Премʼєра фільму “Конотопська відьма– відбудеться 30-го жовтня о 19:30 українською мовою з англійськими субтитрами! Прадавня відьма з Конотопу, закохавшись у звичайного хлопця, давно зреклася своїх відьомських сил, але після того, як із початком війни російські солдати захоплюють місто і жорстоко вбивають її коханого, вирішує помститися, повертаєсвої сили і обрушує жахливі та криваві кари на голови та інші частини тіл убивць її нареченого. Фільм українською мовою з англійськими субтитрами. An ancient witch from the Ukrainian town of Konotop (always believed to be a place where witches are born) has renounced her powers after falling in love with a mortal guy, but when the war starts and russian soldiers occupy the city and brutally murder herbeloved, she decides to exact revenge on them, so she restores her powers and subjects her fiancé`s killers to some horrifying and bloody acts of retribution. The film is in Ukrainian with English subtitles. Age restriction: 18+ Information Source: Ukrainian Films USA | eventbrite

Experience an enchanting evening with Carole Bumpus at Books Inc. Palo Alto. Dive into the captivating world of her latest book, "Adventures on Land and Sea: Searching for Culinary Pleasures in Provence and the Cote d'Azur." Immerse yourself in the medieval villages, rich cultures, and tantalizing recipes of France's Provence, a journey that has earned Bumpus the prestigious IPPY gold medal for Best Culinary Travel Series. Join the author as she embarks on a quest to unravel the mysteries of Provençe, exploring hidden gems from Nice to Nîmes, Moustiers to Marseilles, and beyond. Delve into the essence of Provençe with Bumpus, a retired family therapist turned acclaimed author, as she uncovers the heart of the region through intimate encounters with locals, traditional cooking, and heartwarming hospitality. Don't miss this opportunity to discover the real Provençe through the eyes of Carole Bumpus at Books Inc. Palo Alto on November 14, 2024. Admission is free.

Noa Levy joins forces with fabulous pianist Art Khu's trio to bring to life Porter’s masterpieces. You will hear the likes of “Night & Day,” “You're The Top,” and “I Get a Kick Out of You”. Get set for a de-lovely evening of a vibrant and heartfelt tribute to Porter’s rich musical legacy. Noa Levy - vocals Art Khu - piano Noa Levy A rising vocal talent Noa Levy, originally from Israel and of Egyptian-Polish background, is described by JAZZIT Magazine as “a unique vocalist, at the same time classic & contemporary. Noa excites audiences with her individual style, her captivating stage presence and charming wit. Her debut album “You, Me & Cole”, a voice & bass tribute to Cole Porter, garnered thousands of streams and rave reviews worldwide. Like a buttery Cruffin, Noa is a tasteful hybrid of firecracker charisma with an emotionally expressive, beautiful tone that creates a fun and heartfelt performance. Art Khu- A multifaceted musician who has carved a niche for himself in the music world with his exceptional talent on a variety of instruments. His journey began at a young age, and over the years, he has honed his skills on the piano, organ, guitar, and bass, blossoming into a vibrant career spanning over 35 years. His dedication to music is evident not only in his performances but also in his educational background and compositional endeavors. Khu's passion for music ignited at a young age. He immersed himself in classical piano studies throughout high school, receiving private instruction from Donald Currier at the prestigious Yale School of Music. He further enriched his knowledge by attending theory classes at Yale. This foundation set the stage for his formal training at the Oberlin Conservatory, where he earned a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance. Following his graduation from Oberlin, Khu embarked on a successful career as a freelance jazz musician. Over the past three and a half decades, he has graced stages worldwide, performing and teaching. He has collaborated with renowned artists like Jacqui Naylor, Laco Deczi, Donald Byrd, and Idina Menzel, both in the studio and on international tours. Khu's creative talent extends beyond the realm of jazz. His compositional skills were acknowledged with a commission from the Oakland East Bay Symphony, enabling him to compose the Symphony of Souls. This piece premiered on April 20, 2012, with Michael Morgan conducting the Oakland/East Bay Symphony, showcasing Khu's versatility and compositional depth. Currently residing in San Francisco, California, Khu continues to actively perform and share his musical knowledge by teaching. His dedication to his craft, combined with his extensive experience and collaborative spirit, solidifies his position as a prominent figure in the jazz landscape. Information Source: Oshman Family JCC | eventbrite

Join author, storyteller, and educator S. Bear Bergman at Books Inc. Palo Alto for a eye-opening discussion of his book Special Topics in Being a Parent! An illustrated guide of practical parenting advice informed by queer experiences for anyone doing the work of parenting, from the author and the illustrator of Special Topics in Being a Human Being a parent is enormously joyful, but it is also an enormous amount of work. Parenting requires you to make dozens of decisions a day, every one of which in some way shapes the person your child will grow into. It can be difficult to know in these moments whether you’re on the right track. Progressive parents especially can feel adrift when caregiving in ways that were not modelled for them. From S. Bear Bergman—advice columnist, educator, and queer dad with fifteen years of parenting under his belt—comes Special Topics in Being a Parent, a witty and insightful collection of child-rearing tips for those in search of realistic ideas about screens and lunches that don’t come with a side order of judgment. Using his own choices—and errors—by way of example, Bergman offers suggestions for various stages of the parenting journey, from asking “Are we ready to have a kid?” to talking with children about diversity and difference, to questioning gender expectations placed on both kids and parents. With plenty of humor and compassion, and featuring charming illustrations by Saul Freedman-Lawson, this guide helps parents to live their parenting values while enabling their kids to grow their capacities, understand the world, and above all, feel connected and loved. S. Bear Bergman's books are the new essentials: they belong on every bookshelf in every home, and if you're looking for a gift for literally anyone at any time, Bergman's books are gifts that give and give and give. Special Topics in Being a Parent might seem like it's only for parents, but it's for everyone who's ever around kids: it offers beautiful advice, practical advice, and advice so ingenious that it feels like it should be torn out and framed. And luckily, thanks to gorgeous illustrations by Saul Freedman-Lawson, framing pages from this book to hang in your living room or kitchen isn't out of the question—so maybe buy two for everyone you know? Bergman's gift for bringing out the graciousness, gentleness, and humanity in us all cannot be overstated, and this book is required reading. —Sophie Lucido Johnson, artist and author of Dear Sophie, Love Sophie Honest, loving, and inclusive, Special Topics in Being a Parent takes much consideration when discussing the perspective of both the parent and the child. Beautifully illustrated with truly heartwarming, funny moments, this thoughtful look at compassionate parenting would make a wonderful gift for anyone welcoming a child into their home. —Liz Climo, cartoonist and author of I'm So Happy You're Here S. Bear Bergman knows that when it comes to parenting, all you need is love—but that's a bit like saying when it comes to physical reality, all you need is atoms. The practical, surprising, upending, exhausting, and exalting ways that love actually happens are the heart of this touching, funny, helpful, and beautifully illustrated book. —Charles Demers, comedian and author of Property Values Bravery, honesty, curiosity, and joy. If you're raising children in this complicated, messy world (or at least thinking about it), Special Topics in Being a Parent encourages you to meet your children with the same kind of bravery, honesty, curiosity, and joy that you hope they will carry with them throughout their lives. Full of encouragement, compassion, and practical tips for everything from how to get small people out the door on time without losing your last shred of sanity to how to talk about injustice and upsetting current events, it is the perfect resource for imperfect parents who are ready to let go of the need to constantly optimize themselves and their kids and to embrace all that is weird and wonderful. —Jennifer Peepas, writer of CaptainAwkward.com S. Bear Bergman has done it again—this time with a book about the challenging task of raising more ethical, more loving kids (and their parents). Special Topics in Being a Parent is infused with wisdom, wry humour, and most importantly, a wealth of actionable, genuinely novel tips and tricks for getting through parenthood with more wholeness, more joy, more love. I so wish I'd had this book when my kids were younger, but since I'm not done parenting, I'm not done needing this. —Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, author of Nurture the Wow and On Repentance and Repair Special Topics in Being a Parent is an honest, humorous, sincere, and powerful guide for parenting. As a queer parent myself, I found this book to be so relatable. The stunning illustrations by Saul Freedman-Lawson complement the text wonderfully. I definitely learned a few tips and tricks from Bear that I will use for my own parenting. This is one of my favourite new books, and I recommend it to every parent out there. —Hasan Namir, author of Umbilical Cord and Banana Dream In , Bergman gives his trademark compassionate, joyful and at times vulnerable parenting advice on a variety of important topics, from how to discuss non-traditional family structures (the 'family garden' as opposed to a 'family tree') to how to introduce new foods to how to deal with big life transitions, along with sweet, slice-of-life 'joy recipes' along the way. —Kveller S. Bear Bergman is an author, storyteller, educator, and the founder and publisher of children’s book press Flamingo Rampant, which makes feminist, culturally diverse children’s picture books celebrating LGBT2Q+ kids and families. He writes creative non-fiction for grown-ups, fiction for children, and the advice column “Asking Bear” and was the co-editor (along with Kate Bornstein) of Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation and the author of Special Topics in Being a Human (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2021). Information Source: Books Inc. | eventbrite

Join Cindy Paley's Klezmer trio for a rich and rousing evening of Yiddish Favorites, Old & New! Come ready to learn and sing along to the vibrant and colorful songbook of the Eastern European Jewry’s unique cultural history. The popular Yiddish folk songs of Itzik Manger and Mordechai Gebirtig, among others, are sure to stir your nostalgia. Newer melodies by Chava Alberstein and Arkady Gendler will remind you that Yiddish is timeless, thriving and meaningful even today. Guitarist/vocalist Cindy Paley will be joined by accordionist Zina Pozen and clarinetist Asaf Ophir, for what has been described as “an exercise in pure joy”! Cindy Paley - vocals and guitar Zina Pozen - accordion Asaf Ophir - clarinet CINDY PALEY has delighted Jewish communities across the country for over 36 years with her rich repertoire of Jewish music, as featured in her timeless audio recordings and dynamic live performances. Cindy has served over twenty-two years as the cantorial soloist for Lev Eisha and the Valley Beth Shalom Neshama Minyan, two creative Shabbat women's services in Los Angeles. She is also the High Holiday Cantorial soloist for Kehillah Chen v’Chesed in Encino. For three summers prior to the pandemic, Cindy toured Poland, performing Yiddish concerts with a Polish klezmer band and presenting Yiddish music workshops at the Krakow Jewish Culture Festival. She is also part of The Folk Experience, a trio which performs American folk songs from the 1960’s. Cindy's workshops and performances are brimming with a contagious energy that is guaranteed to get everyone singing. ZINA POZEN is a familiar face in the Bay Area and Seattle Balkan music scene. Originally from Ukraine, she grew up in a family of classical musicians, playing piano from a tender age. As an adult, Zina picked up the accordion and stared playing traditional Eastern European repertoire. She is a founding member of Seattle’s infamous Bucharest Drinking Team. Since moving to the Bay area in 2015, Zina has been playing klezmer with Orchestra Euphonos, rembetika with MetaNastys, and old Soviet songs at so many afterparties and impromptu jams. ASAF OPHIR began his professional career in musical theaters in Israel, on some of Israel's most distinguished stages. Having moved to the United States in 2014, Ophir can most often be seen in world music projects on Jewish, Arabic, and Balkan stages. Throughout his career he has shared the stage with artists such as Miri Mesika, Avi Kushnir, Galit Giat, David De’or, Rana Farhan, and Barbara Streisand. The San Francisco Chronicle writes: Asaf Ophir gives the clarinet the timbre of a trumpet, then a violin, then a raspy scream... the instrument's wail almost becomes too plaintive and beautiful to bear. Information Source: Oshman Family JCC | eventbrite