Book talks and author readings in the Bay Area

Meet paranormal romance novelist Marilyn Vix at Copperfields Books Calistoga, celebrating the omnibus edition of Thankful in Vegas. A casual drop-by meet-and-greet with the author.

Author and Education Programs Director at Monterey Bay Aquarium Katy Scott reads and signs her illustrated children's book about a hermit crab's 24-hour journey through a tide pool ecosystem. Through the crab's search for a new shell, readers learn about tide cycles, marine adaptations, predator-prey relationships, and the interconnected life of tide pool creatures. Scott brings expertise from nearly 15 years developing STEM education programs at one of the world's leading aquariums.

An eye-opening guide to understanding and appreciating poetry. John Timpane, author of *Poetry for Dummies*, 2nd Edition, explores how to read, analyze, and write poetry for anyone from curious beginners to practicing writers and devoted poetry lovers. Perfect for aspiring poets and anyone interested in deepening their engagement with the form.

A conversation about Harold Pinter's play Betrayal with Carey Perloff, artistic director of American Conservatory Theater, and Larry Eilenberg, contemporary theatre expert. The discussion explores the themes and dramatic structure of one of Pinter's most celebrated works.

Join Kepler's Community Reads program for an interactive event centered on *Her Right Foot*, Dave Eggers and Shawn Harris's illustrated exploration of America's identity, borders, immigration, and Lady Liberty's meaning. The afternoon features a collage workshop led by illustrator Shawn Harris (2:00–2:45 PM, all ages welcome) followed by an open community discussion (3:00 PM) about the book's themes of resistance, oppression, and American ideals as the nation marks its 250th anniversary.

Fantasy author Kiri Callaghan discusses writing, worldbuilding, and magic, drawing on her USA Today bestselling works including The Hemlock Saga and The Terra Mirum Chronicles. The event includes a Q&A, book signing, and a special treat courtesy of Wingen Bakery. Books available for purchase from Towne Center Books.

A bimonthly book club discussion of Priya Parker's *The Art of Gathering*, exploring how to create meaningful, intentional gatherings. Hosted by Climate Action Club, a Bay Area community turning climate anxiety into collective action and civic power. Participants bring snacks and discussion, meeting in Washington Park in Burlingame. No prior experience required. Friends, children, and furry companions welcome.

Ethel M.H. Reddy discusses her memoir *I, Ethel*, sharing career advice, beauty guidance, personal stories, and wisdom from close friends and colleagues. The book offers insight into her entrepreneurial spirit and lifelong commitment to excellence.

Chef and food writer Fuchsia Dunlop celebrates the launch of her cookbook *Five Tastes* with a banquet-style dinner at Mister Jiu's. The evening features dishes from the book prepared by Mister Jiu's kitchen, and each ticket includes a signed copy of *Five Tastes* to take home. Dunlop is the author of *The Sichuan Cookbook* and *Every Grain of Rice*, and her work explores the depth and regional diversity of Chinese cuisine.

Joshua Frank reads from and discusses his book *Bad Energy* in conversation with Scott Parkin at Nomadic Bookshop.

The final graduating class of California College of the Arts' MFA in Writing program reads from their work at this Litquake event. The emerging writers—working in fiction, memoir, poetry, and hybrid forms—present pieces that move across borders, histories, families, and imagined futures with wit, ambition, and emotional precision. This reading marks both a farewell to a decades-long program and an introduction to the writers who will carry its legacy forward, affirming that literature remains one of our most powerful ways of attending to one another, to history, and to ourselves.

A book discussion for adult children of immigrants exploring mixed cultural identity and belonging. Participants will gather in a small-group salon format to discuss Sahaj Kaur Kohli's memoir and reflect on how bicultural experiences shaped their upbringings and sense of self. The event centers on shared questions about navigating multiple cultural worlds.

Nebula and Hugo Award–winning author Charlie Jane Anders celebrates the launch of her new Star Trek comic series, Star Trek Zero Point, set a few years after Star Trek: Picard season 3. Anders will discuss the inspiration behind the series, Trek's message of fighting intolerance in 2026, and why it resonates now. The story follows Captain Raffi Musiker commanding a starship tasked with preventing future disasters, guided by a powerful A.I. wearing the face of a familiar ally. Meet-and-greet and signing follow. Special guests include the USS Golden Gate fan club, formed in 1993, which celebrates Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations across the Bay Area.

Examining the rise and fall of the Voting Rights Act from its triumphant passage in 1965 to its recent evisceration by the Supreme Court's Louisiana v. Callais decision, Kevin T. Morris explores the ongoing struggle to protect voting rights in America. Morris contextualizes the landmark 1965 legislation within decades of civil rights history and analyzes the legal and political forces that have systematically dismantled its protections.

Adam Wilson discusses his darkly comic novel *Fail Sons*, about two estranged brothers who drive their father's cryonically frozen body across a divided America to its final resting place. A 21st-century story exploring masculinity and grief. In conversation with Nina Schloesser Tárano.

We are pleased to host author Linda Drattell for Coffee & Conversation on Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 2:00 pm at Towne Center Books (555 Main St, Pleasanton, CA). We will also be joined by sign language interpreter Becky Kasyanova. This is a free event but RSVP's are appreciated. You can RSVP below or you can call 925-846-8826 during store hours.

Comedian and Monty Python founder Eric Idle discusses his memoir *Idle in Provence: A Brief History of Thyme*, an equal-parts memoir and travelogue exploring his time in the French countryside. In conversation with author Dave Eggers, Idle reflects on a life of comedy, creativity, and misadventure. Hosted by Book Passage.

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.

Medical anthropologist and author Sherine Hamdy discusses her debut graphic novel Landing in Place (Penguin Random House, 2026), illustrated by Myra El Mir. The coming-of-age story follows Anisa, an Egyptian American college freshman navigating premed expectations, identity, and artistic aspiration as she spends time in Cairo discovering her own voice. Hamdy is a leading scholar of Muslim medical ethics and the political economy of disease in Egypt, and a pioneering advocate for academics sharing research across multiple media forms, including her co-authored graphic novel Lissa: A Story of Friendship, Medical Promise, and Revolution.

Blake J. Harris discusses his authorized biography of Larry David, the legendary comedian and co-creator of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm. The book draws on exclusive interviews with David himself and explores his career, creative process, and cultural impact. Harris is a bestselling author and cultural critic.

Brandon Mull discusses his new novel Guardians: Forbidden Mountain, sharing insights into his writing process and answering questions from readers. The bestselling author of The Fablehaven series and Beyonders returns to Rakestraw Books for an after-school event.

Emily Ogden discusses her biography *Darkness Becomes Bright: On the Brief Life and Immortal Art of Edgar Allan Poe* (Viking) in conversation with Point Reyes Books owner Stephen Sparks. Ogden explores Poe's life and enduring influence on American literature and culture.

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 practical guide to eliminating hallucinations, optimizing computational resources, and deploying secure, trustworthy, and compliant AI systems. Rush Shahani discusses concrete steps for building reliable AI in production environments.

Timothy Pakron, cookbook author and food blogger, discusses his latest book *Garden Variety*, a collection of recipes inspired by his garden. Pakron is the creator of Mississippi Vegan, which explores plant and mushroom cooking by merging Southern culinary traditions with veganism. His work has been featured by NPR, Garden & Gun, Food & Wine, and other national outlets. He will be joined by Erica Schneider.

Daniel Peña, Pushcart Prize-winning writer and Associate Professor at the University of North Texas, discusses his essay collection How to Look Away, which explores how fringe elements of his Texas childhood—AM radio, conspiracy theories, post-Cold War paranoia—came to dominate American political discourse and enabled tolerance for human rights abuses against Latin American migrants. Through journalism, cultural criticism, and memoir, Peña reflects on American citizenship, belonging, and complicity, asking: what compels us to look away from these abuses, and how do we wake ourselves into action?

A celebration of Fatimah Asghar's sophomore poetry collection *Daughter of the Mountains*, with writers R.O. Kwon and Ingrid Rojas Contreras. Asghar's collection explores exile, ancestry, spirituality, and belonging through meditative poems that grapple with loss, longing, and love. Kwon is author of the National Book Critics Circle finalist *The Incendiaries* and *Exhibit*. Rojas Contreras is author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist memoir *The Man Who Could Move Clouds* and the novel *Fruit of the Drunken Tree*. Hosted at The Booksmith. Seats available by advance book purchase or $3 sliding-scale donation; general admission on a first-come, first-served basis.

National Book Award finalist Fady Joudah discusses Exhibit G, a collection of poems, essays, and photographs offering a Palestinian representation of Gaza's devastation and resilience. Writing from his perspective as a Palestinian American physician, Joudah explores the paradoxes of witnessing destruction from afar while caring for the sick in the US. The book combines personal reflection with images from Gaza, insisting on Palestinian interiority and the survival of beauty amid genocide. Proceeds benefit Gaza Soup Kitchen.

A talk with Ken Knabb, translator of Guy Debord and the Situationist International and author of The Joy of Revolution. Knabb's masterwork examines modern revolutionary possibilities through a situationist lens, analyzing radical tactics across ordinary and extraordinary conditions, and envisioning postrevolutionary liberated communities. This new edition includes updates, detourned comics, reviews, analyses of Occupy and Trump-era resistance, and reflections on the coronavirus shutdown.

A reading and conversation with Palestinian American physician, poet, and translator Fady Joudah, whose newest collection, Exhibit G, comprises poems, essays, and photographs offering a Palestinian perspective on grief, resilience, and survival amid genocide. Joudah is an acclaimed translator of Arabic poetry, including works by Mahmoud Darwish, and has won the Yale Younger Poets Prize, Griffin Poetry Prize, Guggenheim Fellowship, and American Book Award, among others. He co-founded the Etel Adnan Poetry Prize and practices internal medicine in Houston.

A reading and conversation with Fady Joudah, Palestinian American physician, poet, and translator. Joudah will discuss his newest collection, *Exhibit G: Poems, Essays, and Photographs of Gaza*, which combines poetry, essays, and photographs to document Palestinian grief, resilience, and life under genocide. A multiple-award winner—including the Yale Younger Poets Prize, Griffin Poetry Prize, and American Book Award—Joudah has also translated works by Mahmoud Darwish and co-founded the Etel Adnan Poetry Prize. *Exhibit G* will be available for purchase and signing.

USA Today bestselling author Adam Plantinga discusses his latest thriller, Dark Country, the newest installment in the Kurt Argento series. Argento finds himself shielding a teenage boy caught up in a dangerous manhunt in this explosive crime novel.

A reading and conversation celebrating *Best Literary Translations 2026*, an annual anthology edited by National Book Award winner Arthur Sze featuring poetry and prose translated from 62 languages—from French to Xitsonga, Korean to Guaraní. Translators Wendy Call (author and co-founder of the anthology, recent Fulbright Scholar to Colombia), Dmitri Manin (whose translation of Nikolay Zabolotsky's *Columns* was shortlisted for the NCBA and ALTA First Translation Prize), and Ilze Duarte (translator of Marilia Arnaud's *The Book of Affects*) will read from their work, discuss the craft and discovery of translation, and answer questions. The event concludes with a book signing.

Fatimah Asghar discusses her debut poetry collection *Daughter of the Mountains*, which explores exile, displacement, belonging, spirituality, and lineage through meditative, formally inventive verse. The collection grapples with fulfillment, betrayal, love, loss, and longing, using vivid imagery and disruptive form to examine how place and environment inform spiritual practice. Asghar appears in conversation with poet Hieu Minh Nguyen.

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.

Julie Orringer, bestselling author of *The Invisible Bridge*, discusses her new novel *Luna, Phoenix, Queen*—a work exploring infidelity, literary provenance, and storytelling's transformative power. Orringer's fiction is known for its intricate narratives spanning continents and eras, weaving together historical and contemporary themes. This is an opportunity to hear directly from the author about her creative process and the ideas animating her latest work.

Learn how to craft a powerful pitch to land an agent, secure a book deal, or succeed at self-publishing. Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry, co-authors of *The Essential Pitch*, share strategies for one of publishing's most critical but underestimated tools. Ideal for aspiring and established writers seeking to navigate the publishing landscape.

Poet, author, filmmaker, and educator Amber Allen-Peirson reads from her poetry collection *The Unrooted Bloom*, exploring race, biracial identity, motherhood, family, grief, love, ancestry, and belonging. The intimate, lyrical poems move through the spaces between identities and expectations, asking where we belong, who we are when freed from others' needs, what we've inherited, and what we choose to carry or release. Throughout the reading, audience members are invited to turn these questions toward their own lives and identities.

Morgan Eckroth (@MorganDrinksCoffee), 2022 US Barista Champion and Director of Onyx Academy, discusses their book *Coffee, for Here*, a practical handbook for brewing with confidence at home. From bean origins and flavor profiles to approachable brewing techniques, Eckroth meets readers at every level—whether beginners or refiners—breaking down each step with the warm hospitality and inventive approach that has made them a leading voice in coffee education across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

Rabbi Shais Rishon, spiritual leader of Ohel Eidot CHeMDaT"A (the first African American-led and -centered synagogue in Washington, D.C.), discusses his book *The Souls of Black Jewish Folk*, published under his pseudonym MaNishtana. Drawing on a personal legacy of African American Judaism stretching to the 1780s and his upbringing in the Chabad-Lubavitch community, Rishon explores how Jewish tradition, racial identity, and contemporary American life intersect. He will be in conversation with a member of the USF faculty.

Elena Dudum celebrates her debut memoir, *They Told Me Back Home Would Be Beautiful*, at the independent bookshop where she grew up in the West Portal community. Dudum discusses her new work exploring memory, identity, and homecoming.

Veteran journalist Jonathan Weber, founding editor of The San Francisco Standard, discusses his book *City on the Edge* in conversation with Bloomberg Businessweek editor Brad Stone. Drawing on nearly 200 interviews with elected officials, tech leaders, activists, and artists, the book chronicles San Francisco's transformation from cultural hub to global technology center, exploring the conflicts and pivotal decisions that shaped one of the world's most influential cities—and what they reveal about its future.

Thomas Frank discusses his new book *The Creativity Con*, a critique of how 'innovation' and 'creativity' have become ideological cover for policies that entrench class inequality and protect elite interests. Frank charts the construction of America's self-image from Sputnik to Silicon Valley, examining how these concepts have been deployed by business leaders, technologists, and politicians while actual policies reinforce the status quo—tax cuts for the wealthy, deregulation, offshoring, and urban reorientation. Frank is the bestselling author of *What's the Matter with Kansas?* and *Listen, Liberal*, founding editor of *The Baffler*, and former Wall Street Journal columnist.

Bestselling historian and former criminal defense attorney Mark Shaw discusses his book *Girl Around the World*, which reveals the untold friendship between pioneering journalist Dorothy Kilgallen and aviator Amelia Earhart in the mid-1930s. Shaw explores how these trailblazing women supported each other's groundbreaking achievements—Kilgallen's famous 1936 24-day solo race around the globe and Earhart's historic transatlantic flights—and Kilgallen's response to Earhart's mysterious disappearance in 1937. Shaw is the author of *The Reporter Who Knew Too Much* and nearly 30 other books, with presentations garnering over 16 million YouTube views.

A discussion of Jenn Scott's debut novel *All the Tiny Beauties*, which spans 90 years in Oakland and explores shifting notions of self across generations through interconnected stories: a reclusive man, his estranged daughter, and a young housemate who form an unlikely friendship that defies age and expectation. Scott and facilitator Andrea Gough examine how the novel grapples with the fragility of identity, societal constraints on authentic selfhood, and the question of who we might become under different circumstances. Scott's work has appeared in *Fiction*, *Gettysburg Review*, and *Alaska Quarterly Review*; her debut collection *Her Adult Life* was longlisted for the PEN America/Bingham Award. Gough is an educator specializing in discussion-based curricula and the transformative power of literature to unsettle and expand thinking.

Zara Marielle reads from and discusses her debut fantasy novel *The Café of Infinite Doors*, a story woven from Scottish mythology and feminist themes. The novel follows Marceline, a sheltered twenty-three-year-old who discovers a magical café—a refuge from her controlling husband—run by a mysteriously feathered woman named Lucretia, her partner Kilda, and Sylvan. When the café's portals begin closing and darkness looms, Marceline must choose between her hard-fought freedom and protecting her newfound family. Marielle is a former ESL teacher and holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Edinburgh.

A celebration of San Francisco's stairways featuring authors Mary Burk (Stairway Walks in San Francisco) and Alexandra Kenin (Urban Trails series). Moderator Liz Novoa hosts an SF stairway trivia game while Burk and Kenin share stories of the city's known and hidden stairways, best views, secret gardens, and a detailed map of SF's roughly 1,000 stairways. The grand finale of SF Stairway Month, organized by Glen Park Beautiful as part of the inaugural Walktober celebration.

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 celebration of *Mark of the Warrior*, the sequel to the New York Times bestseller *Breath of the Dragon*, featuring authors Shannon Lee and Fonda Lee in conversation with Andrea Stewart. The novelists discuss their collaborative fantasy epic.

Award-winning poet, translator, and physician Fady Joudah discusses and reads from Exhibit G: Poems, Essays, and Photographs of Gaza (2026), a finalist for the National Book Award. Writing from the perspective of a Palestinian American doctor witnessing Gaza's destruction from the United States, Joudah examines the paradoxes of his position—caring for the sick while complicit in their suffering, writing in English while defending a colonized people, finding beauty and survival amid devastation. The book explores how beauty persists through Palestinian resilience and the nonhuman world as refuge from human-inflicted war. Hosted by UC Santa Cruz's Center for the Middle East and North Africa with the Humanities Institute.

Author-researcher Ashia S. Ajani and community organizer Keala Uchôa discuss *Tending the Vines*, which unpacks the rhetorical and ethnobotanical lives of plants moved across the Western Hemisphere. The book examines how plants have served as metaphors for Black incursion and symbols for Black liberation, while complicating notions of "invasive" species and belonging. Ajani contextualizes plant migration through an eco-griot and abolitionist lens, while Uchôa brings her work at the intersection of abolition and environmental justice. A conversation on diasporic plant relatives and tender living amid the decline of empire.

Author Mary R. Thompson presents and reads from her work exploring the intersection of human language and natural world expression. The evening begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by the reading at 6:00 p.m. at Readers Books.

Join poet and bookseller Haley Hutchinson for a reading and conversation about her debut collection *Her Womanhood of Mine*, a lyric chronicle of girlhood, embodiment, and becoming. Rich with sensory detail and emotional nuance, the poems explore domestic life, relationships, and the raw grittiness of self-discovery. Hutchinson is a graduate of Middlebury College, editor at Gal Pal Media, and bookseller at Russian Hill Bookstore.

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.

Five published authors read from their latest work in horror, science fiction, and speculative fiction. Featured writers include Cynthia Gómez (The Nightmare Box and Other Stories), Loren Rhoads (In the Wake of the Templars, Unsafe Words), Sumiko Saulson (Happiness and Other Diseases, Black Magic Women editor), Kristina Ten (Tell Me Yours, I'll Tell You Mine), and Tamika Thompson (The Curse of Hester Gardens, 2024 Indie Book Award winner). Hosted by Telegraph Hill Arts and Literature at Telegraph Hill Books.

Parini Shroff, bestselling author of *The Bandit Queens*, discusses her new novel *Some People*, a witty and poignant story about a man on the brink of divorce forced to care for his injured future-ex-mother-in-law. Over seven days of recuperation, Nathan Whitlock navigates complex family dynamics, cultural misunderstandings, and unresolved tension with Malti Patel while her daughter is away. Shroff explores themes of love, forgiveness, and the search for understanding and acceptance amid personal upheaval.

A discussion of Rebekah Moyer's *Simple Kitchen Magic*, which offers whole-food recipes and home remedies for common ailments grounded in holistic nutrition. Moyer is a content creator and third-generation nutrition enthusiast who spent a decade pursuing self-directed study in holistic health, inspired by her family's food traditions and her kombucha-brewing mother. She shares accessible, nourishing meals using whole-food ingredients and practical remedies for everyday wellness.

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.

Booker Prize-shortlisted author Andrew Miller discusses his novel *The Land in Winter*, a masterpiece set in December 1962 in the English countryside. The story follows two couples—doctor Eric and his pregnant wife Irene, and farmer Bill with his expectant wife Rita—whose quiet lives unravel when the mildest December gives way to the harshest winter in living memory, exposing secret resentments in both marriages. Miller, whose debut *Ingenious Pain* won the James Tait Black and International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, has established himself as a chronicler of the human heart across 14 acclaimed novels, including *Pure* (Costa Book Award) and *Now We Shall Be Entirely Free*. *The Land in Winter* won the Winston Graham Historical Prize and the 2025 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. In conversation with Yangsze Choo at Kepler's Books.

A monthly poetry and literary reading series curated by Sharon Coleman, featuring local and visiting writers. Hosted at Pegasus Books Downtown.

Douglas Stuart celebrates his Booker Prize-longlisted novel *John of John*, a portrait of a young artist returning to his Hebridean island home and the tensions between duty, desire, and family secrets. Stuart, author of the Booker Prize-winning *Shuggie Bain*, is in conversation with Matthew Clark Davison, co-author of *The Lab: Experiments in Writing Across Genre* and creative writing educator at San Francisco State University.

Julie Orringer reads from and signs her new novel Luna, Phoenix, Queen, a multigenerational story spanning four decades and four thousand miles. The novel explores infidelity, artistic theft, and the power of storytelling through interwoven voices: a Midwestern couple—one a fiction writer, one a literature professor—whose marriage fractures as she secretly writes a novel and he steals and publishes it as his own after she develops early-onset Alzheimer's. Orringer, author of The Invisible Bridge and The Flight Portfolio (basis for Netflix's Transatlantic), teaches at NYU and Stanford.

Ann Liang, New York Times bestselling author, reads from and discusses her lush historical fantasy *To Dream in Darkness*, set in ancient China where a Death God and a healing goddess strike a bargain with devastating cosmic consequences. The novel explores an unlikely alliance that blooms into romance while threatening to unravel the balance of the celestial realms. Event includes Q&A and signing; ticket includes admission and a copy of the book.

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.

An inspiring guide to the art of letter writing as a tool for deepening connections and healing wounds. Frish Brandt, a beloved 'letter midwife,' shares prompts and exercises for exploring the transformative power of written correspondence. Ideal for anyone seeking to reconnect with others or process unfinished emotional business through the written word.

Join SFMOMA's Works on Paper Book Club for a discussion of Carribean Fragoza's *Eat the Mouth That Feeds You* (City Lights), moderated by Assistant Curator of Photography Delphine Sims. Sims opens with a short talk connecting the book to SFMOMA's current exhibition *Graciela Iturbide: Between Two Worlds*, including how Iturbide's photograph appears on the book's cover. The group then discusses guided by Sims's own questions. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for informal discussion among members. Partial reading is welcome.

Paul Rogat Loeb discusses his anthology *The Impossible Will Take a Little While*, which collects powerful voices from around the world to inspire ordinary citizens to keep working for change in an age of despair. The collection celebrates hope, courage, and sustained activism, offering readers inspiration and practical wisdom for long-term social engagement.

A conversation with Deb Olin Unferth, 4-time Pushcart Prize winner and National Book Critics Circle Award finalist, on her latest novel *Earth 7*. Hosted at Mechanics' Institute, a trusted San Francisco civic institution.

Two Bay Area novelists discuss their new works. Tomas Moniz presents *The King of Aloe Vera*, a novel about the Mission, intergenerational friendship, and aging. Laleh Khadivi discusses *Female Life on Planet Earth*, exploring mothers, daughters, and family secrets. Khadivi chairs the creative writing MFA at USF and is author of *The Age of Orphans* and *A Good Country* (New York Times Editors' Choice); Moniz teaches at Berkeley City College, Antioch MFA, and USF, and his novel *All Friends Are Necessary* won the 2024 California Golden Poppy Award.

A book release event for Maya-Gawonii Shabazz-Saleh's debut novel *My Roommate Is Trying to Kill Me*, a queer horror romance about Hakeem Morales, a horror actor and aspiring screenwriter, and his suspiciously charming roommate Antonio. The novel blends dark humor with gothic tension and unexpected tenderness. Shabazz-Saleh is a critical essayist and author of essays in *Dead Pretty: Beauty in the Horror Genre* and *Echoes of the Earth: Black Voices Reclaiming Ecology and Justice*. She was recently awarded first runner-up for Red Hen Press' Quill Prose Award for her manuscript *Her Bite*, a Black Southern gothic sapphic vampire novella.

Three Bay Area writers read and discuss flash fiction and short stories. Claudia Monpere, Senior Lecturer at Santa Clara University, will read from her forthcoming collection *The Periodic Family* (Cowboy Jamboree, 2026). Kathryn Silver-Hajio, whose upcoming collection *Spinning* draws on years lived in Beirut, will share her work. Patricia Bidar, moderator and author of *Pardon Me for Moonwalking* (Unsolicited Press, 2025), a collection of short stories and flash fiction, will frame the conversation.

An evening celebrating David Maisel's career survey *View from the Precipice*, a comprehensive monograph spanning forty years of photography, painting, and video. Maisel's aerial works address landscapes transformed by mineral extraction, resource reclamation, and military testing—sites rendered as destabilizing abstractions that use beauty to force attention on environmental catastrophe. His large-scale paintings respond to wildfire and flood; his immersive installations layer spatial ambiguity with human-altered geographies. Maisel will appear in conversation with art historian Alexander Nemerov (Carl and Marilynn Thoma Provostial Professor at Stanford, author of *Fierce Poise*) and Clio's founder Timothy Don to discuss the artist's practice and the monograph's development.

A celebration of Daisy Fried's poetry collection *My Destination*, featuring Fried in conversation with Katie Peterson. Fried's poems explore grief, desire, motherhood, illness, and public anger with unflinching attention to bodies, objects, and moments where private life meets moral force. Peterson, professor of English at UC Davis and author of *Fog and Smoke*, brings her expertise as both a celebrated poet and editor of Robert Lowell's selected poems. The event includes a reading and discussion of Fried's work.

Douglas Stuart, Booker Prize–winning author of *Shuggie Bain* and *Young Mungo*, discusses his Booker Prize Longlisted novel *John of John*. Set in the remote Outer Hebrides, the novel follows John-Calum Macleod's return home after art school, navigating family secrets and fractured relationships with his father John, a sheep farmer and lay preacher, and his grandmother Ella. In conversation with fellow acclaimed author Karen Joy Fowler, Stuart explores this intensely character-driven story of impossible struggles and hidden truths unfolding across a single transformative season.

An illustrated graphic history examining ten major genocides across five centuries—from the mass slaughter of First Peoples in the Americas to the genocide in Gaza. Award-winning writer, artist, and genocide-survivor descendant Dana Moshoian Walrath reveals how dehumanization operates through violence and the political systems that enable it. Her interactive graphic narrative uses visual manipulation to mirror the mechanisms of dehumanization, then restores victims' humanity, making their suffering undeniable. Walrath's previous works include the graphic memoir *Aliceheimers* and the verse novel *Like Water on Stone* on the Armenian genocide.

Retired LAPD detective Harry Bosch returns in this thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly. Connelly will discuss The Hollow, which delves into the darkest chapter of his protagonist's past, with the author.

Adam Plantinga, author of the Kurt Argento thriller series and nonfiction books on crime and policing, discusses his latest novel *Dark Country*. The story follows Argento, a former Detroit cop living undercover in small-town South Dakota, who becomes entangled with a Syrian refugee teenager fleeing powerful pursuers. Plantinga, an investigator with the San Francisco Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children unit, brings authenticity from his law-enforcement background to his crime fiction, which has earned Agatha and Macavity nominations and USA Today bestseller status.

Kirk Lombard celebrates the release of his book *The Shadow Stream* with an author talk, refreshments, and live music at The Dairy (Sports Basement Presidio). The event combines conversation around the book with music and community gathering.

Erika Krouse, the 2026 Joyce Carol Oates Prize winner, discusses her collection of short stories *Save Me, Stranger* (Flatiron Books), longlisted for The Story Prize. Krouse is a two-time Edgar Award winner and author of four books of fiction and nonfiction, including the memoir *Tell Me Everything: The Story of a Private Investigation*, a New York Times Editors' Choice. In conversation with Hannah Onstad, NewLit's Communication director.

Jacob Weisberg, editor of Slate and author of *Profiles in Cowardice*, examines the people and institutions that failed to resist Trump's agenda. Drawing on the book's devastating reckoning with political and moral capitulation, Weisberg explores how leaders across government, media, and business abandoned democratic principles when it mattered most. A sharp inquiry into institutional failure and the cost of silence.

Julianna Glasse, a former Christian pop star, discusses her memoir about how reading transformed her life and enabled self-actualization. Her story traces an empowering journey of personal discovery through literature, offering insight for women navigating identity and transformation.

What if Earth came with a user manual? David Gottfried, founder of the Living Building Challenge and author of *Regen360*, argues that humanity's environmental crisis stems not from a lack of care but from a broken operating system. He introduces the Earth Code, a practical framework for regenerative living and systemic change. Gottfried explores how rethinking our relationship with planetary systems can address climate, biodiversity, and resource challenges.

How should democracies deal with an unreliable superpower? Former Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland discusses her new book examining power inside government, the intersection of trade, security and democracy, and how democracies might resist authoritarian states and oligarchs. Drawing on her careers as a foreign correspondent covering Russia's oligarchs and as a senior Canadian official who renegotiated the USMCA, Freeland offers insights into international political economy and democratic resilience. Moderated by Kathryn Stoner, Freeman Spogli Institute Senior Fellow and Director of CDDRL, with audience Q&A to follow.

Julianna Glasse, founder and CEO of This Is What Happens When Women Read, discusses her memoir about leaving a life as a Christian pop star and MLB wife to pursue education and autonomy. The book traces her transformation after discovering forbidden literature—works by de Beauvoir, Dickinson, Emerson, and others—that challenged her faith and marriage. Glasse holds a master's from Oxford and now runs a global organization providing scholarships to women leaving restrictive religious communities.

Khir Johari discusses his multi-award-winning book *The Food of Singapore Malays: Gastronomic Travels Through the Archipelago*, which explores the cultural anthropology of Malay food and its role in shaping Singapore's Malay culture. The result of 11 years of research spanning from the 7th-century Srivijaya Empire to the present, the book combines historical anecdotes with rich photography. It won Best of the Best in Food Culture at the 2025 Gourmand World Food Awards. Johari has since founded Dialogues by Khir Johari, a platform dedicated to exploring Nusantara's food, culture, and history.

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.

Tommy Orange, author of *There There*, discusses the new Indigenous horror anthology *Back for Blood: Never Whistle at Night Part II* with co-editor Shane Hawk. This collection features 21 stories by established and emerging Native and First Nations writers—including Stephen Graham Jones—drawing on Indigenous experiences, histories, and traditions to showcase horror as a vehicle for survival and transformation. The editors describe the work as 'sustained dread, sustained appetite, sustained consequence.'

Kristen Naiman, Chief Brand Officer at The RealReal and co-author of Real Style, discusses her book, which reframes style beyond traditional fashion guides to explore personal expression, sustainability, and intentional consumption in the age of resale and circular fashion.

Frish Brandt, a letter-writing teacher at Stanford Medical School, discusses her book *Unfinished Business: Writing the Five Essential Letters of Your Life* — a guide to crafting five essential letters: thank you, I'm sorry, I miss you, I love you, and goodbye. Drawing on her experience teaching at Stanford, Harvard Divinity School, and in workshops across the country, Brandt weaves practical writing prompts with reflections on grief, connection, forgiveness, and closure. In conversation with Roberta Katz, PhD in anthropology and former Associate Vice President for Strategic Planning at Stanford.

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.

Richard Louv, author of the influential *Last Child in the Woods*, discusses his new book *Noticing: Intimate Encounters with the Natural World*. Louv explores how paying attention to nature restores focus, reduces stress, and deepens our connection to the living world—a counterpoint to the nature-deficit disorder he documented in his earlier work. Drawing on research and personal observation, he reflects on the power of noticing as a practice and a path to well-being.

A book launch celebrating Stanford in Haus Cramer: A Berlin Microhistory, which documents the 50th anniversary of the Stanford Berlin Bing Overseas Studies Program. The book examines the history of Haus Cramer as a witness to Berlin modernity, Jewish-German life between the wars, and as a refuge for residents, faculty, and students. Featuring presentations from editors Karen Ruoff Kramer and Cheryce von Xylander, and Faculty Emeritus Larry Friedlander, with reception to follow.

Aryeh Green, who has lived in Israel for over 40 years, explores themes of peace and place in an intimate setting at Book Passage. The event features Green discussing his experience and insights on life in Israel.

Join Kristen Naiman, Chief Brand Officer at The RealReal and co-author of *Real Style*, for a discussion of her book. Rather than a traditional style guide, *Real Style* reimagines how we think about fashion and personal expression in the contemporary moment.

Mark Danner, one of America's foremost political thinkers and author of *Crossing the Rubicon*, discusses essays spanning fascism, the war on terror, Abu Ghraib, Dick Cheney, the Iraq War, and the Bush-Gore and Trump elections. A wide-ranging exploration of power, democracy, and the defining crises of the post-9/11 era from a leading voice in political journalism and analysis.

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.

Historian Kelly Lytle Hernández discusses her book *Racist by Design: Two Centuries of U.S. Immigration Control*, which traces how the United States has systematically used immigration law and enforcement as a tool of racial subordination from the early 19th century to the present. The conversation examines the legal and policy architecture that has shaped immigration control as a fundamentally racialized practice. Lytle Hernández is a UCLA professor and author of multiple works on US immigration and racial history.

A signature reading series featuring four Northern California fiction authors sharing work from their debut and latest titles. The evening includes a reception with authors at 6:00 PM, followed by readings, discussion, and Q&A, concluding with a book signing at 7:30 PM.

Law professor and civil rights activist Robin Knauer Maril discusses her book *A Queer Guide to Saving American Democracy*, which examines the assault on LGBTQ rights as a symptom of broader democratic crisis and fascism in America. Drawing on her decade in the LGBTQ civil rights movement, including her work as Associate Legal Director at the Human Rights Campaign, Maril argues that queer and trans people are at the frontlines of defending democratic institutions. The event centers queer and trans voices leading resistance movements and explores pro-democracy frameworks rooted in queer resilience and joy. Hosted by City Lights Bookstore and Cambridge University Press.

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.

Priyanka Mattoo, author of *Bird Milk & Mosquito Bones* and contributor to The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Vulture, reads from and signs her memoir *How to Be Less Useful: The Joy of Inefficiency*. Mattoo explores how American culture has become obsessed with optimization and efficiency, especially in work, parenting, and self-care, and investigates why pleasure gets pushed aside as we age. With humor and insight, she examines what we systematically cut out—solo travel, dessert, dancing, unhurried time with friends—and shows how to reclaim joy, authenticity, and ease. A reading and signing.

Meet graphic novelist Judd Winick, creator of the New York Times bestselling Hilo series, at a special event celebrating the first-ever Hilo Holiday Special. In this graphic novel, Hilo and friends must solve the mystery of a giant, grumpy snowman crashing their holiday celebration. Winick is also the author of the acclaimed graphic memoir Pedro and Me and the spinoff series The Mighty. Perfect for families and fans of action-packed, heartfelt storytelling.

A debut coffee table book of photography documenting San Francisco's evolving spirit, self-expression, activism, and community from the early 1970s onward. Photographer Greg Gaar discusses his visual chronicle of the city's cultural life alongside Jay Blakesberg.

Dr. Bryant Lin, a primary care physician and cancer researcher living with terminal cancer, shares a personal reflection on serious illness, hope, and living fully amid uncertainty in 'My Cancer Journey: Happiness and Sadness, Hope and Fear.' In conversation with Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider, a physician, journalist, and leading voice in patient-centered care, they explore the emotional and practical dimensions of cancer diagnosis—fear, purpose, relationships, and navigating life-limiting illness with honesty. Dr. Lin's new book, *Sunshine: An Exploration of Living When You Are Dying*, launches November 10; signed copies available for purchase to in-person attendees. Hors d'oeuvres and refreshments served after the talk.

Taiwanese-American writers Shawna Yang Ryan and Grace Loh Prasad discuss Ryan's novel Anatomy, a formally inventive meditation on an unnamed Asian American performance artist's journey toward female consciousness, desire, and autonomy across the Clinton and Trump eras. The conversation explores Asian American fiction, the writing life, and the intersections of race, gender, politics, and embodiment. Ryan is author of Anatomy, Green Island (a Boston Globe Pick of the Week and Amazon Best Book of the Month), and Water Ghosts (a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller), and recipient of an American Book Award. Prasad is author of The Translator's Daughter, a memoir finalist for the Northern California Book Award, and her essay won the inaugural 2025 Panorama Prize.

Two poets explore how ordinary moments—conversations, gardens, kitchen tables—reveal extraordinary belonging. Prartho Sereno, Poet Laureate Emerita of Marin County and author of *Starfall in the Temple*, *Indian Rope Trick*, and *Causing a Stir*, draws on 4 years in an Indian ashram and her work as a counseling psychologist and poet-in-schools educator. Michelle Latvala brings her own lyric exploration of domestic rhythms and spiritual practice. Together they read and discuss how poetry transforms the familiar into invitations to wonder, finding wisdom in the everyday patterns that shape us.

James Beard award-winning chef, author, and television personality Melissa King discusses her intimate memoir about family, food, and discovering her voice as a queer Chinese American chef. King explores how embracing her love of cooking empowered her to embrace all dimensions of her identity—her Chinese heritage, American upbringing, and the parts of herself that felt both too much and not enough. A powerful story of self-acceptance and finding freedom.

Jonathan Weber discusses City on the Edge, his account of San Francisco's tech boom and near-collapse, tracing the intersection of technology, politics, and urban identity. Moderated by Jeanne Carstensen. Hosted at the Mechanics' Institute, a trusted civic institution.

Chad Harbach, bestselling author of *The Art of Fielding*, discusses his new novel *The Brightness*, an urgent story of friendship, art, love, and grief following two young women navigating transformative life moments.

Stacey Gordon discusses her debut novel *The Pearl Farm*, a multigenerational family saga about three estranged sisters navigating the collapse of their freshwater pearl farm in rural Tennessee while reckoning with family secrets and inherited legacies. Gordon, who grew up in Appalachian Ohio and spent her early career as a trade journalist covering the cultured pearl industry before transitioning to Silicon Valley tech, brings both intimate family insight and industry knowledge to this exploration of love, loss, ambition, and resilience. In conversation with Bronwyn Emery.

Rachel Gurjar, chef and food writer, discusses her memoir-cookbook *East to East: Recipes and Stories from Mumbai to New York*, which traces her culinary journey from Mumbai to Brooklyn. Gurjar has worked at acclaimed NYC restaurants including ABC Kitchen and served as food editor at Bon Appétit; her writing appears regularly in Food52, The Kitchn, and Forbes. In conversation with Hetal Vasavada, cookbook author and creator of the popular Milk & Cardamom platform, who brings her innovative approach to Indian-inspired desserts and Western techniques. Vasavada's cookbooks *Milk & Cardamom* and *Desi Bakes* have been praised by The New York Times and Bon Appétit.

A monthly poetry reading series featuring two poets with new collections: Angie Minkin (Lineage Songs) and Heather Saunders Estes (Crosswinds). After the featured readings, the community is invited to share their own poems during an open mic. Hosted by Michael Koch and Jerry Ferraz. No charge to attend or read; donations support the featured poets.

Where does the data shaping our democracy actually come from? Danah boyd, author of *Data Are Made, Not Found*, discusses her investigation into the U.S. Census Bureau during the 2020 Census—one of the nation's most challenging periods. Drawing on rare access to the agency and hundreds of interviews, boyd reveals the people, decisions, and effort required to produce trustworthy public datasets and what was at stake when that process came under pressure. The conversation explores the forces that shape public data and why protecting institutions that produce reliable information matters to democracy.

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*.

An evening discussion on *The Havana Syndrome*, the investigative book by Emmy-award-winning 60 Minutes producers Michael Rey and Oriana Zill de Granados, in conversation with Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Lowell Bergman. Rey and Zill de Granados recount their decade-long investigation into a mysterious weapon that has targeted U.S. diplomats, intelligence officials, and military personnel from Havana to Vienna. They discuss how they interviewed victims, uncovered suppressed government documents, and identified evidence of a highly specialized technology—all while the U.S. government denied the attacks. Bergman, a legendary investigative journalist and professor of journalism at UC Berkeley, will explore their groundbreaking reporting and the obstacles they faced breaking through classified material and institutional resistance.

A reading and conversation about Tricyclist, Joon Oluchi Lee's debut novel set in early-2000s San Francisco. The book follows Howie Song, a former ballet dancer navigating romantic entanglements, creative ambition, and identity across decades and cultural shifts. Lee's prose is poetic, sensual, and formally inventive—an exploration of queer desire, artistic failure, and the unexpected grace of being the "third wheel." Lee is a writer and performer whose work blends fiction, criticism, and performance art.

Oakland librarian and public historian Dorothy Lazard discusses her memoir *Behind the Desk at Main: A Librarian's Memoir*, an insider's account of modern American library work. Through personal stories spanning decades at the Oakland Public Library's flagship branch, Lazard reveals how libraries serve as vital civic hubs defending knowledge, connection, and community life. Drawing on her experience as keeper of Oakland's public history archives, she shares the joys and dilemmas of serving one of the nation's most diverse cities.

The Believer magazine celebrates its fall issue with a conversation between managing editor Ginger Greene and author Katherine Cusumano about Cusumano's feature essay on the indie professional wrestling circuit of the Pacific Northwest. Cusumano is a reporter and essayist whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Orion, and Longreads; she holds an MFA from Oregon State University and received an Oregon Literary Fellowship in 2025. The Believer, a fifteen-time National Magazine Award finalist, is a quarterly journal of literature, arts, and culture featuring criticism, literary nonfiction, immersive reportage, journalism, interviews, comics, and poetry.

A book launch and guided reflection evening with Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tiago Forte, creator of the Building a Second Brain methodology. Forte will lead a live guided journaling, meditation, and visualization exercise attendees can practice annually, followed by a Q&A on reflection, planning, and building a purposeful life, and a book signing. His new book, Life in Perspective, distills two decades of personal practice into the ARC Method—Appreciate the Past, Reflect on the Present, Create the Future—offering a framework for annual life review in an era of constant digital distraction. Every attendee receives a hardcover copy as part of their ticket.

Haera Shin, author of *Korean Cocktails: From Traditional Spirits to Modern Drinks*, explores the evolving world of Korean drinking culture—from traditional sool to modern cocktails and Korean pantry ingredients. She discusses the distinctive flavors of Korean spirits, their reimagining in contemporary cocktails, and how ingredients from the Korean kitchen shaped beverage programs she developed during seven years as Momofuku's beverage director. In conversation with Tess Anne Sawyer, a hospitality industry veteran with two decades of experience in brand advocacy and beverage programming, and a personal connection to Korean culinary traditions through her grandmother.

Restaurateur, entrepreneur, and New York Times bestselling author Danny Meyer discusses his leadership philosophy and the tools he uses to build energized, cohesive teams. Meyer, founder of Shake Shack and Union Square Hospitality Group, draws on decades of experience in the restaurant industry to explore how leaders can cultivate purpose-driven cultures and unlock human potential in their organizations.

Kirk Lombard, author of the award-winning *Sea Forager's Guide to the Northern California Coast*, reads from his new children's novel *The Shadow Stream*, an epic family adventure following Gabriel, a boy in juvenile detention, and a cast of talking animals who must save their river from being dammed. Lombard is an angler, sustainable fishmonger, tuba player, and former juvenile rehabilitation counselor whose work has been praised by NPR for its poetic approach to nature.

A conversation celebrating Rosanne Annoni's debut memoir *Unfolding the Heart*, which explores spiritual practice and personal transformation through the lens of psychotherapy and contemplative practice. Annoni, a psychotherapist and spiritual teacher, discusses her journey with Sandra Maitri, bringing together insights from both the therapeutic and wisdom traditions. Hosted at Copperfield's Books in Petaluma.

Comedian Nigel Ng, known globally as Uncle Roger for his viral food critiques and defense of authentic Asian cooking, appears in conversation with Chef Martin Yan to discuss his comedy, food culture, and culinary authenticity. Ng has built a massive following through razor-sharp humor and fiercely opinionated takes on cooking technique and cultural representation in food media.

A screening of Stacey Gordon's multigenerational novel *The Pearl Farmers*, which follows three sisters upholding their family's Tennessee pearl farm legacy. Gordon explores themes of family history, inheritance, and resilience through the symbolism of pearls—beauty born from struggle.

Kirk Lombard discusses his epic children's novel *The Shadow Stream*, a throwback to family reads of yesteryear following a troubled boy and a host of hilariously vexed animals who must save a river before it's dammed—and save themselves.

Author and historian Asya Pereltsvaig discusses her novel *Murder in Petrograd*, a historical thriller set in Imperial Russia's final years. The story follows a young Oxford graduate working for British Intelligence tasked with stopping Rasputin—and eliminating him if necessary. Pereltsvaig, a native of Saint Petersburg with a doctorate in Linguistics and teaching experience at Cornell and Stanford, blends archival research with espionage, romance, and moral suspense to explore the people behind one of history's most infamous murders and the ethical questions surrounding political assassination.

A conversation with Greg Sarris (Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria) and Jennifer Foerster (Muscogee/Creek Nation) celebrating Natalie Miller's (Chickasaw) debut poetry collection *Radiant Connection*. The event brings together three Native American voices to discuss contemporary indigenous literature and artistic practice.

Three She Writes Press memoirists—Robin Rosenbluth, Rosanne Annoni, and Georgine Hodgkinson—discuss reckoning with the past and self-discovery through memoir writing. The panel explores how writers transform formative relationships with mothers and daughters into narrative, navigating memory, family dynamics, and personal truth.

Prize-winning historian Kevin Waite presents the first book-length biography of Biddy Mason, an enslaved woman who escaped the cotton South and built a remarkable life of freedom, wealth, and social activism in California. Waite's narrative traces Mason's extraordinary journey from bondage through the Civil War era to her emergence as a pioneering entrepreneur and community leader in Los Angeles. A significant contribution to African American history and the untold stories of Black achievement in the American West.

New York Times bestselling author Lucy Foley returns to Sonoma County for the kickoff event of her first U.S. book tour, joined by author Amy Meyerson for conversation. Foley's appearance follows a sold-out 2024 event. Hosted by Copperfields Books at Sebastopol Community Cultural Center.

Tech critic Paris Marx discusses his book *Hyperscale*, which exposes how tech companies exploit vulnerable communities to power their data infrastructure while pursuing digital dominance. The conversation explores the industry's deceptive practices around energy and water resources, the growing public backlash—including Oakland's recent moratorium on new data centers—and pathways toward technology that serves the social good rather than billionaire profits. Marx, host of the podcast *Tech Won't Save Us*, is joined by Dr. Alex Hanna, a sociologist of technology and labor at the Distributed AI Research Institute and co-author of *The AI Con*.

Artist and bestselling author Lea Redmond explores gift-giving as an act of relational care and human connection. Rather than reducing gifts to consumer products, Redmond proposes that thoughtful gift-giving honors the spaces between us and practices our best humanity. She shares her vision from *This Is for You*, her latest book, and leads an interactive workshop with practical gift ideas ahead of the holiday season. Redmond is author of *Knit the Sky*, *Wonder Hunt*, *Paint Chip Poetry*, and the bestselling *Letters to My…* keepsake journal series, and runs the World's Smallest Post Service.

Jennifer Liss discusses her middle-grade novel Wide Eye, a heartwarming adventure about a 10-year-old girl spending summer at her grandfather's quirky monster museum on Wide Eye Lake, where she uncovers a long-buried family secret while navigating friendship and the power of imagination. Liss is an educational publishing veteran and regional coordinator for the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Wide Eye was a London Times Children's Book of the Week.

A reading and generative workshop celebrating Emilie Lygren's anthology *How to Get Home in the Dark: Poems on Mental Health and Healing*. Lygren reads alongside poets Alegria Barclay, Zeina Hashem Beck, Melissa Fowlks, and Antwan Linton Penn, followed by a brief panel discussion. Attendees then write their own pieces in conversation with the anthology—paper, pens, and journal space provided. A space for poetry, reflection, and shared creative practice around healing and mental health.

Two-Way Mirror books celebrates the release of two new works: Danny Rosen's *A Love Poem Called War* and J Grabowski's *POMPEI: or The Notes Are In The World*, with live music by Starry Skemes (featuring J Lee on modular synthesis and vocals). Rosen, founder of Lithic Press and Lithic Bookstore, is a poet, geologist, and former astronomical observatory director whose recent collections include *Suspended Erosion* (2024) and *The Tuscan Journals & Other Poems* (2022). Grabowski is a New York–based multimedia artist and co-founder of PUSH Press and Turtle Records. Publisher Marina Lazzara hosts.

A member-led mystery book group meeting on the second Monday of each month at the Mechanics' Institute Library. Open to readers interested in discussing mystery fiction.

A discussion of investigative journalist Melanie D.G. Kaplan's book *Lab Dog*, which traces her adopted beagle Hammy's mysterious past and explores the ethics and realities of laboratory animal research. Kaplan joins USF law professor Matthew Liebman to discuss how her dog's story became a window into the complex world of animal research, institutional practices, and the animals behind scientific discovery.

A book launch and illustrated lecture on how emerging technologies are reshaping architectural imagination and the material world. Katherine Lambert and Christiane Robbins, founders of MAP Studio, examine the relationship between technological systems, architectural speculation, and environmental inquiry—exploring what technology allows architecture to imagine, what it obscures, and what it ultimately builds. Following the presentation, they join Keith Krumwiede, Dean of Architecture at California College of the Arts, for a conversation on implications for architectural practice and education. Copies available for purchase through William Stout Architectural Books.

A conversation about *With Tea: Culture, Accoutrements, and Rituals*, Maria Geyman's debut exploring tea's health benefits and the rituals of a new generation of tea drinkers. Geyman is a naturopathic doctor and writer whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Vogue, and Goop. She is joined by Lauren Haynes, an herbalist, writer, and founder of Wooden Spoon Herbs whose work on medicinal plants has been featured in Bon Appétit, the New York Times, and Vogue. The book combines detailed recipes, tea wisdom, and visually stunning photography and watercolor illustrations.

Local author Katherine McCarty signs copies of her debut LGBTQ+ romance novel *Conversing with Cardinals*, a multigenerational story set in a small North Carolina town where a young woman named Camella experiences mysterious visions of a boy from the 1930s while navigating her grandfather's wisdom, a midnight musician, and her town's resistance to corporate development. McCarty holds degrees in Literature and Chiropractic, and has built a chiropractic practice, nonprofit organization, and writing career since moving to San Francisco.

A reading and conversation with graphic novelist Emil Wilson about his debut graphic novel *The Nightingales*, hosted by graphic novelist Sophie Yanow. The story follows Lou Miller in spring 1985 as her family takes in Jim, a recently evicted coworker, and his two dogs. As Jim's arrival disrupts their small-town Oregon household, Lou discovers an unlikely bond with him while her mother grows uneasy. A tender exploration of compassion, resilience, and how one person's life can alter another's.

Swiss author Nelio Biedermann discusses his debut novel *Lázár*, a sweeping historical family saga that drew comparisons to Thomas Mann and landed on German bestseller lists before the author turned 25. The English translation by Jamie Bulloch earned a New York Times feature and a Publishers Weekly starred review calling it "a marvel." Biedermann speaks in conversation with Blaise Zerega of Alta.

A reading and discussion of *The Flying Death*, historian Matt O'Hara's account of 1930s explorers racing to harvest curare from the Amazon—a poisonous vine used by Indigenous tribes that became foundational to modern medicine and surgery. The book traces Richard Gill's obsessive quest to broker deals between Indigenous poison masters and American pharmaceutical companies, his competition with rival Boris Krukoff, and the human cost of their success: curare became central to shock therapy and surgical innovation, eventually earning a Nobel Prize, yet the story raises urgent questions about who profits from discovery and who bears the price. O'Hara is a professor of history at UC Santa Cruz and author of *The History of the Future in Colonial Mexico* and *A Flock Divided*.

An evening exploring how artist and activist Harry Belafonte used fame as a force for political change. Geographer and writer Joshua Jelly-Schapiro discusses his book *Daylight Come: Harry Belafonte and the World He Made*, tracing Belafonte's pivotal role in the civil rights movement, his friendship with Sidney Poitier and Martin Luther King Jr., and how he brought Caribbean music into American consciousness. UC Berkeley English professor Nadia Ellis, author of *Territories of the Soul: Queered Belonging in the Black Diaspora*, joins the conversation alongside cultural anthropologist and Clio's founding member Cari Borja, who brings her own fieldwork from Jamaica. Together they explore the intersections of music, migration, race, and activism, asking what it means when an artist becomes a force capable of changing the world.

Jeff and Molly celebrate the release of *The Land*, a memoir documenting a decade-long journey building cabins, tree decks, and community on a small plot in the Northern California redwoods. After a wildfire destroyed their initial structures, they rebuilt with a more intentional approach, chronicling lessons in hands-on learning, DIY adventure, and the surprising power of rallying friends to create something together. Part cabin-building guide for the non-builder and part community chronicle, *The Land* is a scrapbook of experiments in approachability and shared growth.

A guide to crisis leadership in high-stakes situations, from life-or-death scenarios to business emergencies. Henry J. Evans explores essential frameworks for decision-making and organizational resilience when the pressure is greatest. Presented at Book Passage Ferry Building.

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.

A debut novel exploring reinvention, trauma, and redemption. Luke Griffin, a former reality-TV contestant whose football career ended in a car accident, returns to the competition show Endeavor a decade later as a father and husband to a U.S. senator—only to confront the betrayals and guilt he spent ten years trying to escape. Blending the drama of The Traitors with the physical stakes of The Challenge, the novel examines what it costs to rebuild your life when your past is permanently recorded. Lovell Holder reads and discusses his work at Fabulosa Books.

Scott Lambridis reads from and discusses his debut novel *St. Ulphia's Dead*, a psychological mystery about a disgraced medical researcher and his supervisor investigating an outbreak of mass psychosis on a remote island where villagers claim to be possessed by a cannibalistic demon. The novel explores how trauma warps truth, how isolation breeds belief, and the line between fact and folklore. Lambridis holds a degree in neurobiology from the University of Virginia and an MFA from San Francisco State University.

International Booker Prize-winning translator Jennifer Croft celebrates her debut memoir, *Notes on Postcards*, a collection of personal essays exploring wanderlust, love, and motherhood through a lifelong archive of postcards. The event is presented by Litquake's AfterShocks series at City Lights Bookstore. Free to attend; seating is first-come, first-served.

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.

An evening of poetry featuring Avia Tadmor, author of *Song in Tammuz* (Tupelo Press, 2026), winner of the International Berkshire Prize, and Clinical Associate Professor at NYU; and Keetje Kuipers, author of four poetry collections from BOA Editions and Editor-in-Chief of *Poetry Northwest*. Kuipers' *Lonely Women Make Good Lovers* won the Isabella Gardner Poetry Award, and her work has appeared in *The New York Times Magazine*, *POETRY*, and *American Poetry Review*. A rare shared reading from two acclaimed contemporary poets.

An intimate evening with Joyce Maynard, author of seventeen books including the novel *To Die For* and the bestselling memoir *At Home in the World*. Maynard, who captured national attention at 18 with a New York Times cover story, discusses her decades-long career as a journalist, NPR contributor, Moth storyteller, and novelist. She will reflect on the art of storytelling, her novels and memoirs, and her latest book, *In Wonderland*.

Leading cancer researcher and physician Bryant Lin discusses his memoir *Sunshine*, which explores living with terminal illness from both a doctor's and patient's perspective. After his own lung cancer diagnosis, Lin created a Stanford Medical School course called "From Diagnosis to Dialog: A Doctor's Real-Time Battle with Cancer," which gained international attention. In conversation with Laurel Braitman, Lin offers philosophical and scientifically grounded insights into navigating medical crises, finding hope and resilience, and making meaning in life's most challenging moments.

Acclaimed sports journalist Marcus Thompson II presents Game Changers, exploring the unique players who transformed basketball and sparked endless GOAT debates. Thompson examines the statistical and cultural impact of these game-changing figures on the sport's evolution.

Paul Wagner, author of the mystery novel *A Murderous Vintage*, discusses his latest book set in Napa Valley. When a winemaker is found dead in a tank of fermenting Pinot Noir, a local newspaper editor becomes entangled in a dangerous investigation that threatens both his life and livelihood. Wagner, who taught viticulture and enology at Napa Valley College for over thirty years, brings authentic wine-country expertise to this page-turner filled with quirky characters and intriguing riddles.

Santiago Lastra, chef and author of *Mexican Soul*, discusses his debut book exploring Mexican culinary traditions and contemporary cooking. Lastra, who trained at Michelin-starred establishments including Mugaritz and noma, opened KOL in London to international acclaim before launching Fonda in 2024. His philosophy centers on celebrating Mexico's rich cultural tastes, aromas, and textures through meticulously sourced seasonal ingredients. The event takes place at Omnivore Books on Food.

A poetry reading celebrating Kelly Grace Thomas's debut collection *Future Tense*, a memoir-in-verse reckoning with infertility, adoption, and love under pressure. Thomas spent three years struggling to conceive while her mother died of Stage IV cancer—a collision of desire and loss she transforms into intimate, unflinching poems about womanhood, motherhood, and meaning-making in grief. Featuring Kim Addonizio (author of *Exit Opera*, NEA and Guggenheim fellow), Tracey Knapp (poet of *Swerve*), and Yaccaira Salvatierra (author of *Sons of Salt*, named one of the New York Public Library's Best Books for Adults 2024).

What happens when the desire to know becomes inseparable from the desire for something to be true? Scott Lambridis and Yance Wyatt, authors of the debut novels *St. Ulphia's Dead* and *The Watersmith*, explore how grief, love, memory, and loss complicate the boundaries between evidence, belief, obsession, and hope. Their conversation moves between psychology, science, faith, and mythology to ask what makes a belief reasonable, where skepticism becomes its own certainty, and whether emotion distorts inquiry or gives it urgency. At stake: when ordinary explanations fail us, what are we willing to believe in order to keep making sense of the world?

Andy Richter presents his oral history of the beloved holiday film Elf, drawing on his firsthand experience on set. Richter shares behind-the-scenes stories and anecdotes from the making of the movie, offering fans an intimate look at the film's production and the on-set dynamics that shaped this cultural touchstone.

Susan Stryker, professor emerita of gender and women's studies at the University of Arizona and distinguished visitor at Stanford's Clayman Institute for Gender Research, discusses her latest book Changing Gender. Stryker traces the gender concept from its grammatical roots through the culture wars, exploring surprising historical moments—from "Yankee Doodle" to 19th-century phrenology to present-day anti-trans conspiracy theories. Drawing on her lifetime as a historian, filmmaker, activist, and founding figure of transgender studies, Stryker argues that to change gender is to change what it means to be human. The book exposes limiting assumptions about gender across the political spectrum and imagines possibilities beyond them.

How do we prepare ourselves and our children for fulfilling careers when the nature of work itself is changing rapidly and opaquely? Roboticist and author Illah Nourbakhsh discusses his book *Crunch Time*, examining the future of labor, education, and opportunity in a shifting economy. A conversation on work, meaning, and adaptation in an uncertain technological landscape.

Join artist-naturalist Laura Cunningham for a reading and presentation on the reissue of her natural history masterpiece *A State of Change: California's Forgotten Landscape*. Cunningham, who studied paleontology and biology at UC Berkeley and has worked field biology jobs for the California Department of Fish and Game and USGS, presents illustrated scientific detail of California's precolonial ecology and historical biodiversity. This fully redesigned edition features new material on wolf reintroduction, regenerative agriculture, and traditional Indigenous uses of fire. A book signing follows. Hosted at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.

Kate Doerge presents her guide Reimagining Grief, which reframes the traditional stages of grief into five actionable healing practices. Drawing on personal experience, Doerge offers a compassionate roadmap for navigating loss and finding meaning in the aftermath of darkness.

David D. Schmidt discusses his California Book Award–winning environmental history of the San Francisco Bay Area, tracing how natural forces and human choices have shaped the region's landscape over thousands of years. Schmidt will present his research with particular focus on Oakland and the East Bay, followed by audience Q&A and book signing.

San Francisco Poet Laureate emerita Kim Shuck and special guests celebrate This Music, a memoir in prose poems by the late Native poet and essayist Janice Gould. Part of SFPL's Monthly poetry reading series, the event honors Indigenous voices and artistic expression. Shuck, the city's seventh Poet Laureate, draws on her Polish and Cherokee heritage in her own work, including her 2024 poetry collection Pick a Garnet to Sleep In and her 2022 essay collection Noodle, Rant, Tangent. During her tenure, she launched major citywide initiatives to honor Native American and Indigenous Peoples' heritage in partnership with the San Francisco Arts Commission.

A writing workshop on embodying memoir, led by Savala Nolan, author of *Good Woman: A Reckoning* and *Don't Let It Get You Down: Essays on Race, Gender, and the Body*. Nolan explores how writers draw from and contend with the body to craft honest, fresh memoir — what our bodies can tell us that minds cannot, how to work with embodiment when we live in a society hostile to our bodies, and concrete approaches to honest representation. The session includes examples of embodied writing from celebrated authors and a skills-building exercise. Bring pen, notebook, or laptop.

Journalist and activist George M. Johnson discusses their adult memoir *And If I Die Before I Wake*, which recounts 15 transformative years navigating an HIV diagnosis, alcoholism, grief, and the fight against book banning. Johnson's previous work, *All Boys Aren't Blue*, remains a frequent target of censorship despite critical acclaim. In conversation with Maggie Tokuda-Hall, children's and YA author and co-founder of Authors Against Book Bans. Doors at 6 p.m.

A monthly romance book club for readers of all subgenres—historical, paranormal, enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, and more. This month discusses *The Isle in the Silver Sea* by Tasha Suri. The club meets the second Thursday of each month in person at Mill Valley Library. Audiobook and Large Print editions available upon request.

A reading and signing featuring three acclaimed poets and fiction writers published by Black Lawrence Press. Taayba Kanwal reads from *Talking with Boys*, a collection of linked stories exploring the Pakistani diaspora in Houston, Dubai, and Lahore. James Cagney presents *Ghetto Koans: A Personal Archive*, poems capturing Bay Area urban life through monologue and documentary narrative. Tureeda Mikell shares work from *The Body Oracle of Memory*, visceral poems of healing and ancestral connection. All three authors will be available to sign copies of their latest collections.

Journalist and NYU professor Rachel L. Swarns discusses her award-winning book *The 272*, which examines the history of American slavery and its ongoing impact on institutions today. Swarns investigates how slavery shaped American society and institutions, and how we reckon with this legacy in the present. The talk, honoring Black Catholic History Month, will be followed by a reception and book signing.

An evening with three authors exploring weird science, strange beliefs, and the impossible. Scott Lambridis, Martha Conway, and Yance Wyatt discuss their work and ideas around the unexplained and unconventional.

Celebrated political journalist Mark Danner discusses his new essay collection *Crossing the Rubicon: The Betrayal of American Democracy, 2000–2026*, published by NYRB. Drawing on three decades reporting on foreign wars and American politics, Danner traces the erosion of democratic institutions and rise of authoritarianism from the Bush–Gore election through Trump, offering portraits of key architects like Cheney and Rumsfeld alongside critiques of mass media's role in politics. Danner is Class of 1961 Distinguished Chair in Undergraduate Education at UC Berkeley and has received a MacArthur Fellowship, Guggenheim, National Magazine Award, and three Overseas Press Awards.

Two debut novelists longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize discuss their publication journeys with independent presses. Devon Halliday, author of *To Stay, To Stay, To Stay* (McSweeney's 2026) and a former literary agent, and Rebecca Handler, author of *Edie Richter Is Not Alone* (Unnamed Press) and *In the Round* (McSweeney's 2026), explore the long, meandering path to getting a book into the world. In partnership with Same Page SF.

Bing Gordon, legendary video game industry strategist, and his daughter Chloe discuss *Everybody Wins*, their guide to applying game design psychology to product development and customer engagement. Drawing on four decades shaping companies like EA Sports, Amazon Prime, Spotify, and Duolingo, Gordon presents his "Gamification Checklist"—eight core principles including Wow Moments, Social Integration, Retention Hacking, and Game Loops—with Paul Saffo moderating. The event explores how the psychological drivers that make games irresistible can unlock better business strategy and user experience across industries.

A book talk with Spencer R. Scott, biologist and cofounder of Solar Punk Farms, celebrating his new memoir *As If We Were Staying*. Weaving personal narrative with scientific inquiry, Scott explores how we might reimagine our relationship to capitalism and ecology, drawing on his experience building a queer regenerative community. The book bridges science and lived experience to ask: how do we live on this planet as if we were staying? Event at The Booksmith, San Francisco's independent Haight Ashbury bookstore. Seats guaranteed with book purchase or $3 sliding-scale donation; first-come, first-served thereafter. Check-in begins 6:45 PM.

A conversation with filmmaker and graphic novelist James Spooner about his graphic novel *It Starts with Anger: A Punk Beginning. An AFROPUNK Ending*, which traces the origin of the multi-million-dollar AFROPUNK festival from a mixed-race teenager's search for belonging in the nineties New York City punk scene. Moderated by cartoonist Johnny Damm. The event includes a book signing by Spooner, and local author and punk historian John Malkin will also sign his new book *Punk Spirit! – An Oral History of Punk Rock, Spirituality, and Liberation*, with Damm's latest comic *I'm a Cop: Real Life Horror Comics No. 3* available.

Devon Halliday discusses *To Stay, To Stay, To Stay*, exploring love's central contradiction—how it generates both bewilderment and clarity simultaneously. The book examines how love ultimately transcends this paradox through hard-earned understanding.

An exploration of the craft of children's picture book writing with Monica Wesolowska. The session examines the structural and stylistic conventions that govern picture books and how creative constraint can actually fuel imaginative storytelling. Learn both the established rules and the strategies for breaking them effectively.