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42 upcoming book talks and author readings in Berkeley. 13 are in the next seven days; the list is updated daily.
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A witty, chess-playing stray cat tries to elude a catnapper while helping two tournament-bound schoolkids navigate life's challenges. Authors Ilona Bray and Stephen C.S. Soong discuss their novel.
A book talk on China's prison camps, their Soviet roots, and the threats to journalists investigating them. Orville Schell, Arthur Ross Vice President of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at Asia Society and former Berkeley Journalism dean, discusses his research with Adam Hochschild, author of *The Unquiet Ghost* and *King Leopold's Ghost* and lecturer at Berkeley Journalism. Welcoming remarks from Sasha Schell, supervising reporter at the Human Rights Center. Hosted by the Human Rights Center at Berkeley Law.
A release-night celebration for the new ACOTAR novel featuring wine tasting with a special guest winemaker, book & wine trivia, costume prizes, photo opportunities, and the Suriel's Prophecy Board for reader predictions. Attendees are encouraged to dress in character — Night Court black, Spring Court florals, full Illyrian leathers, or power wear of choice. NA options available.
Screenwriter Matthew Aldrich discusses his debut novel about a billionaire tech visionary who discovers a method to stop aging. A propulsive exploration of ambition, mortality, and the ethics of technological transcendence, featuring a book signing.
A book talk and launch celebration for critical theorist and UC Berkeley author Grace Lavery's new work, *Personal Demons*. Lavery discusses her writing with Damon Young.
Historian David Henkin (UC Berkeley) discusses *Out of the Ballpark* (Oxford, 2026), a reconsideration of baseball's character and meaning that challenges familiar mythologies about the sport. Rather than treating baseball as uniquely American or examining only on-field action, Henkin traces the game's history across borders and centuries, exploring its structures, rituals, and resonances with labor, imperialism, race, media, and modernity. He's joined in conversation by philosopher Alva Noë (UC Berkeley), followed by audience questions.
A discussion of decolonial approaches to human rights practice, examining the power imbalances between Global North and Global South advocacy organizations. The authors of *Decolonial Human Rights Practice: Tactics, Obstacles, and Futures* explore how domination persists within transnational human rights work and strategies for transforming it.
A conversation with Professor Emeritus Charles P. Henry about his new memoir exploring his involvement in pivotal social movements—the search for social identity and the fight for civil and human rights. Drawing on personal experiences of place, memory, family, and Black Studies, Henry's narrative expands to broader issues including the Black diaspora, global community, and intersectionality. Henry is Professor Emeritus of African American Studies at UC Berkeley, former chair of Amnesty International U.S.A., and author of eight books on Black politics, public policy, and human rights.
Award-winning author Erika Krouse, the 2026 Joyce Carol Oates Prize recipient, reads from her work and discusses writing, storytelling, and the art of paying attention in conversation with Hannah Onstad. Krouse's most recent collection, *Save Me, Stranger*, was longlisted for The Story Prize; her memoir *Tell Me Everything* won the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime and was a New York Times Editors' Choice. Her fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Esquire, and The Kenyon Review, and her story "Eat My Moose" won the 2025 Edgar Award for Best Short Story. She teaches at Lighthouse Writers Workshop in Denver.
A discussion of Mark Danner's essay collection *Crossing the Rubicon*, which examines the erosion of American democratic institutions and the rise of authoritarianism from the 2000 election through 2026. Danner, a renowned political journalist and contributor to The New Yorker and The New York Review of Books, traces how the U.S. arrived at its current state of polarization, offering portraits of key figures like Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld and critiquing mass media's role in politics. He is joined in conversation by Emeritus Professor Michael Pollan, followed by audience Q&A.
Eric Beck Rubin discusses his fictional account of the final stages of pursuing the right to die. A deeply personal exploration of end-of-life autonomy and mortality through narrative.
A monthly poetry and literary reading series curated by Sharon Coleman, featuring local and visiting writers. Hosted at Pegasus Books Downtown.
A lunchtime conversation with Professor Anna Spain Bradley, Distinguished MacArthur Foundation Chair in International Justice and Human Rights at UCLA School of Law, discussing her forthcoming book *Global Racism: A Challenge for the World* (Oxford University Press, October 2026). Bradley examines racism as a global phenomenon operating across continents and centuries, arguing it poses a serious threat to humanity and human rights. She draws on two decades of legal scholarship on peace, dignity, and human rights worldwide. Executive Director Savala Nolan moderates. Attendees enter a raffle for a signed copy.
A book launch talk on the strategic gaps between AI ambitions and organizational readiness to deploy automation effectively. Stefanie Hutka, design leader and author of *What Your Machines Should Do: The Science and Strategy of Human-Centered Automation*, examines what she calls the "Automation Strategy Gap"—the distance between companies' AI plans and their actual capability to implement them usefully. Drawing on human factors, cognitive science, and management theory, she argues that automation accelerates existing organizational systems and beliefs, making it essential to map your organization's foundational assumptions before automating anything. Essential for anyone navigating AI roadmaps and deployment strategy.
Emmy Award–winning investigative journalists Michael Rey and Oriana Zill de Granados of 60 Minutes discuss their book investigating the Havana Syndrome attacks that have wounded hundreds of U.S. intelligence officers, diplomats, and special operators. Drawing on nearly a decade of reporting, more than 70 victim interviews, and evidence of Russian intelligence operations, the authors reveal whether a mysterious energy weapon was deployed or whether the U.S. government has covered up a multi-year mystery. A tour de force of investigative journalism examining how government prioritizes its own interests over those who serve the country.
An intimate evening with chef and food writer Rachel Gurjar celebrating her debut cookbook, East to East: Recipes and Stories from Mumbai to New York. A Culinary Institute of America graduate who cooked at New York's ABC Kitchen and served as food editor at Bon Appétit, Gurjar brings a produce-forward, market-driven sensibility to 101 Indian-inspired recipes that fuse Mumbai and New York pantries—Caesar salad meets chicken kebab marinade, shrimp biryani finished with pineapple raita. Part cookbook, part memoir, East to East tells stories of leaving home and building a life between two cultures.
A launch celebration and conversation with Bay Area poet and writer Truong Tran discussing his memoir *How to Exi(s)t*, in conversation with Esmé Weijun Wang.
Lisa Hanawalt discusses her memoir *I Can't Stop Thinking About Horses and Sex*, a candid, humorous exploration of sexuality, relationships, and self-discovery. In conversation with cartoonist and author Julia Wertz. Hanawalt is the cartoonist behind Netflix's *BoJack Horseman* and *Tuca & Bertie*.
A conversation with journalist Jordan Ritter Conn about his New York Times Editors' Choice book *American Men*, a narrative nonfiction work exploring what it means to be a man in America through the intimate stories of four diverse men navigating identity, heritage, and modern masculinity. Conn, a Senior Staff Writer at The Ringer and host of narrative podcasts including *What If? The Len Bias Story*, spent five years reporting on men across institutions of power and precarity. In conversation with Jennifer Kahn, staff writer for the New York Times Magazine and lecturer in UC Berkeley's Magazine Program.
Join Book Society's Romantasy Fan Book Club for discussion of *The Knight and the Moth* by Rachel Gillig, a gothic fantasy romance set in the kingdom of Traum. The group explores Gillig's moody narrative of Sybil Delling, a Diviner whose nine years of service at Aisling Cathedral are disrupted by a heretical knight and the mysterious disappearance of her fellow Diviners. This recurring book club gathers to read and discuss speculative fiction with romance elements in an intimate, participatory setting.
Oakland author and librarian Dorothy Lazard discusses her work in conversation with Jeneé Darden, Sights & Sounds host and author at KALW. Lazard shares insights into her career at Oakland's main library and her writing on the Bay Area literary and library landscape.
A conversation on staying present through the holiday season's overwhelm. Cecily Mak, author of *Undimmed: The Eight Awarenesses for Freedom from Unwanted Habits*, and Libby Stockstill, integrated life and leadership coach and author, discuss how intuition helps us recognize early signs of distraction and busyness, and how to return to what matters most when the calendar fills and our minds drift to tomorrow's agenda.
A gathering of cookbook enthusiasts, food lovers, and home and professional chefs celebrating Ukrainian chef, food stylist, and writer Anna Voloshyna and her new cookbook *Ukraïne: Recipes and Stories from Kyiv to the Black Sea*. The event features Voloshyna discussing her culinary journey across Ukraine—from Carpathian peaks to the Black Sea—and the recipes, stories, and traditions she collected. Hosted by the Cookbook Lovers Club in collaboration with food stylist and cookbook author Bebe Carminito, the evening combines conversation, food, and wine.
An intimate salon featuring novelist Marie Darrieussecq in conversation with Transit Books publisher Adam Levy about her novels *How to Make a Woman* and *Our Life in the Forest*, published by Transit Books. Part of Transit's ongoing Book Club Salon series, which brings readers and authors together for behind-the-scenes discussions of Transit titles.
Ignacio Navarrete (UC Berkeley, Spanish & Portuguese) discusses *Sneaking into Print*, his forthcoming book examining how early printing technology transformed narrative literature in Spain. The study integrates historical bibliography, material book features, and literary analysis to reveal how new print capabilities enabled circulation of older texts, translations, and newly written works alongside one another, giving rise to a distinct narrative culture. Through close readings of hagiography, the epic, and sentimental fiction, Navarrete illuminates the intersections of literature, materiality, and the early print marketplace. He is joined in conversation by Nicholas Paige (UC Berkeley, French), followed by audience questions.
Pulitzer Prize–winning author Miriam Pawel discusses her new book *California Dreams: The Making and the Remaking of the University of California*, an institutional history of how the UC system was built, transformed, and shaped by forces of politics, economics, and social change across the state.
Lyrics & Dirges is a monthly reading series hosted and curated by Sharon Coleman featuring poetry and literary work. This August 26th session brings together writers to share and discuss their work in an intimate bookshop setting.
A book talk with Esha Niyogi De, UCLA Senior Lecturer, on her new monograph examining the overlooked histories of women directors, producers, performers, and "star-authors" across the film industries of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. De traces how these women used stardom, collaboration, and creative labor to claim authority over filmmaking and challenge structures that obscured their contributions to South Asian cinema. The talk covers two eras—the "star-authors" of the 1950s–90s and the "woman director" period from 2000 onwards—and includes rare archival footage from films by Kohinoor Akhtar Suchanda, Babita, Nargis Akhter, Shamim Ara, and Kanan Devi. Discussant: Maya Sidhu (UC Berkeley, film and media studies); moderated by Elora Shehabuddin (UC Berkeley, Gender & Women's Studies).
Latinx writer Tomas Moniz discusses his debut novel *Big Familia* (a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway and Lambda awards) and his second novel *All Friends Are Necessary* (winner of the 2024 California Golden Poppy Award), alongside his forthcoming novel *The King of Aloe Vera*, due from Algonquin Books in September 2026. The conversation explores his writing process, the role of community in his work, and his editorial legacy on the *Rad Dad* and *Rad Families* anthologies. Moniz teaches at Berkeley City College, the Antioch MFA program, and St. Mary's College.
A gathering of the ACOTAR Book Club to discuss Sarah J. Maas's newest novel *A Court of Splintered Harmony*. This is the club's first read of a new installment without prior knowledge of the ending — no rereading, no hindsight, only first-hand reactions and live theories. Attendees are invited to bring predictions, annotations, and observations as the group explores the latest chapter of the Prythian saga together.
Three Bay Area poets share new work in an intimate evening at Solano Cellars. Dorianne Laux, Joseph Millar, and Chris Martin read and discuss their poetry over wine. Part of a new series pairing literary voices with wine.
A book talk on anticolonial development, examining the history of schooling, race, and emancipation in twentieth-century West Africa. Elisa Prosperetti will discuss her forthcoming Cambridge University Press work and its argument about how education functioned within and against colonial systems in the region.
A book launch by Harjant S. Gill, professor of anthropology at Towson University and award-winning documentary filmmaker, discussing his ethnographic study *Coming of Age in Macholand* (University of Chicago Press, November 2026). Based on four years of fieldwork in Indian Punjab, Gill examines how boys learn to become men within patriarchal systems shaped by violence, migration, and economic change—and how patriarchy constrains not just women and queer people, but also men's emotional and intimate lives. The event is moderated by Lawrence Cohen, professor of anthropology and South & Southeast Asian studies at UC Berkeley.
A 1930s Hollywood-themed evening celebrating audiobook narrator and publisher Daniel Henning, a three-time Audie Award finalist and narrator of over 300 audiobooks including TJ Klune's The House in the Cerulean Sea. Henning will discuss Queer People, Carroll and Garrett Graham's 1930 satire of early Hollywood that he is rescuing from obscurity—a gin-soaked romp through the studios and starlets of the Jazz Age written by two industry insiders. Attendees are invited in cocktail attire for an evening evoking a 1930s movie palace.
A celebration of cookbooks and baking culture with Susan Spungen, founding food editor at Martha Stewart Living, culinary consultant for Julie & Julia, and author of Cookie Queen. Spungen will discuss her years shaping one of publishing's most influential food brands and the stories behind her latest book—80+ cookie recipes from a baker The New York Times called 'the Babe Ruth of Cookies.' The intimate gathering, co-hosted with food stylist and cookbook author Bebe Carminito, brings together cookbook enthusiasts for conversation, tasting, and savoring good company.
Book Society's "WTF Did I Just Read?!" Book Club discusses Shark Heart by Emily Habeck, a novel about newlyweds Wren and Lewis, whose marriage undergoes a metamorphosis when Lewis transforms into a great white shark over nine months. The facilitated discussion explores this intergenerational love story's themes of marriage, motherhood, and letting go. Attendees enjoy lively conversation with a glass of house wine included.
A celebration of cookbooks and cookbook culture centered on Debbie Berne's *Cookbooking: A Fan's Guide*, a pop history of the genre Berne designed and loved before writing her own book. Kate Leahy, cookbook author and host of the Everything Cookbooks podcast, leads a conversation with Bebe Black Carminito, author of *The Curated Board*, and Dianne Jacob, author of *Will Write for Food*, the standard guide to food writing. For cookbook enthusiasts, food lovers, and home or professional chefs.
Book Society's Leading Ladies Book Club discusses Arundhati Roy's debut memoir *Mother Mary Comes to Me*, a candid and sweeping account of Roy's relationship with her single-mother activist Mary Roy, who founded a school in Kerala and advocated for women's property rights. Roy explores grief, ambivalence, and love across her own life from Kerala childhood through her years in Delhi and her career as a novelist and essayist.
Stacey Lindsay, author of *Being 40*, explores the Autumn Queen—a mythological archetype embodying courage, creativity, intuition, and power that has been conspicuously absent from how we narrate women's lives. Historically, the Maiden, Mother, and Crone dominated storytelling; Lindsay argues this erasure was deliberate and shows how to reclaim this missing stage. The event combines conversation about the Autumn Queen with hands-on creative practice: guided journaling, sketching, and crafting to uncover your own inner Autumn Queen, including designing a tarot card and making a personal ornament.
A practice-based workshop anchored in Katherine May's Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times. Rather than a book report, this session explores rest as a radical practice — reframing winter (both seasonal and personal) not as failure but as necessary dormancy. Drawing on May's reframing of fallow, slowed-down seasons as integral to a whole life, participants reflect on how to integrate rest into their own rhythms and resist the cultural pressure to perpetually produce. The workshop provides space, ideas, and guidance to move from understanding the concept to actually practicing it.
A book club for readers interested in yoga philosophy and ethics, held at Book Society. The group gathers to discuss texts that deepen understanding of yoga's philosophical foundations and ethical teachings, integrating meditation and journaling for reflection. This month focuses on the origins and sources of yoga's ethical teachings. Open to teachers, students, and anyone curious about the practice.
The UC Berkeley Center for Korean Studies honors the 2026 winner of the Hong Yung Lee Book Award: I. Jonathan Kief, assistant professor at UNC Chapel Hill, for *Triangle Republics: Cross-Border Literary Transits between the Cold War Koreas and Japan* (Columbia University Press, 2025). Kief's groundbreaking work traces how North and South Korean literature circulated through Japan's diaspora communities between 1945 and the 1980s, revealing creative transnational exchanges that challenge conventional Cold War narratives of division. The ceremony includes remarks, book signing, and refreshments. Established in 2022 to honor Berkeley political scientist Hong Yung Lee's legacy, the award recognizes exceptional English-language scholarship advancing Korean Studies.
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