Events

Bookshop Santa Cruz is in love with this book, and of course, its author, the ever- talented Julia Glass (author of National Book Award winner Three Junes). In The Widower's Tale we are introduced to seventy-year-old Percy Darling who enjoys a vigorous but mostly solitary life--until, in a complex scheme to help his oldest daughter through a crisis, he allows a progressive preschool to move into his barn. The abrupt transformation of Percy's rural refuge into a lively, youthful community compels him to reexamine the choices he's made since his wife's death, three decades ago, in a senseless accident that haunts him still. No longer can he remain aloof from his neighbors, his two grown daughters, or, to his shock, the precarious joy of falling in love.

With equal parts affection and satire, Julia Glass spins a powerful tale about the multigenerational loyalties, rivalries, and secrets of a family. Yet again, Ms. Glass plumbs the human heart brilliantly, dramatically and movingly. Fans of Three Junes will not be disappointed, and anyone that hasn’t had a chance to read Glass’s writing yet will welcome this tale with gratitude.

Please help us welcome Julia Glass to Bookshop Santa Cruz for a reading, book signing, and author q&a. 

$3 suggested donation to Poetry Santa Cruz.

Keith Ekiss is a former Wallace Stegner Fellow and Jones Lecturer in Poetry at Stanford University and the past recipient of scholarships and residencies from the Bread Loaf and Squaw Valley Writers’ Conferences, Santa Fe Art Institute, Millay Colony for the Arts, and the Petrified Forest National Park.  He is the author of Pima Road Notebook (New Issues Poetry & Prose, 2010).

Read “Pima Road Notebook (I)” and “Pima Road Notebook (II)” on the Blackbird website.

Read an interview with Keith Ekiss in Leland Quarterly.

C.J. Sage is the author of three collections of poems: The San Simeon Zebras (Salmon Poetry, 2010), Oddyssea (Turning Point, 2007) and Let’s Not Sleep (Dream Horse, 2002); and the editor of two anthologies: Field Notes in Contemporary Literature (Dream Horse, 2006), And We The Creatures: Fifty-One Contemporary American Poets on Animal Rights and Appreciation (Dream Horse, 2003).  Her poems have appeared in The Antioch Review, Black Warrior Review, Boston Review, Ploughshares, Shenandoah, The Threepenny Review and elsewhere.  She has an MFA in Creative Writing/Poetry, is the editor of The National Poetry Review, has taught at Hartnell College and De Anza College, and now lives in Rio Del Mar where she works as a Realtor.

Read three poems by C.J. Sage on Verse Daily: “The San Simeon Zebras”, “Goat” and “No Wasn’t Full ”

J. P. Dancing Bear is the author of four collections of poems: Inner Cities of Gulls (Salmon Poetry, 2010), Conflicted Light (Salmon Poetry, 2008), Billy Last Crow (Turning Point, 2004), and Family of Marsupial Centaurs (and other birthday poems) due later this year from Iris Press.  He also has authored seven poetry chapbooks, the latest being Gacela of Narcissus City (Main Street Rag, 2006).  His poems have appeared in or are forthcoming in over a thousand publications including Shenandoah, North American Review, Verse Daily, Poetry International, Puerto Del Sol, and Rattle, and nine have been nominated for Pushcart Prizes.  He is the editor of The American Poetry Journal, owner of Dream Horse Press, and host of Out of Our Minds, a weekly radio show for public radio station KKUP (91.5 FM, Wednesdays 8 to 9 pm) in Cupertino.

Read poems on Verse Daily by J. P. Dancing Bear.

“There is a natural ecstatic in Steven Nightingale, whom one might situate on a scale somewhere between Emerson and Rumi. And there is also a craftsman--with a jeweler's or a watchmaker's meticulousness---who wants to make the sonnet mimic his wonder at the architecture of things. They are both very present in this his third sonnet sequence and they make a labor of praise and praise out of labor.”
     --Robert Hass, former US Poet Laureate

“Steven Nightingale proves that the sonnet, like rock ‘n roll, will never die.”
     --Billy Collins, former US Poet Laureate
 
We need not say more, but basically this is a night of poetry you don’t want to miss.  Steven Nightingale is the author of two critically acclaimed novels, The Lost Coast and Thirteenth Daughter of the Moon, as well as four books of poetry, and a number of essays.  He asked that we pass along this message about his event:
“Warning: the reading will include wild speculations, a ramble of proverbs, improvised  stories, curious personal musings, irresponsible overtures, as well as sonnets, which as everyone knows are sensual, or spiritual, or both...”

Bookshop Santa Cruz’s next Community Book Group event will be with local author Bill Domhoff to discuss his title, The Leftmost City. A research professor of sociology and psychology at UCSC, Domhoff has co-authored a book that not only looks at the politics of Santa Cruz, but critiques theories of urban power everywhere—questioning just how far and exactly what local power can and cannot do.  

With November elections right around the corner, we invite you to read The Leftmost City, then to join us on September 28th for a community discussion of the book as well as of politics and movement in general—looking widely at who and what can lead to political change.

The Leftmost City is discounted 10% off its cover price through the September 28th meeting date. 

Is there a writer in you that wants to come out? If you have stories you want to tell or would like to explore writing as a way to know yourself better, join 7-time local author, Laura Davis, for her monthly introductory evening of writing practice. Being part of an impromptu writing community is inspiring, illuminating, and fun. You don't have to pre-register. Just bring a notebook, a pen, and the willingness to write; Laura will bring writing prompts that will open the channel from your heart to your head to your pen.

Bookshop Santa Cruz's Outdoors 2010 series concludes once again with a Hike & Sketch event led by artist Tom Killion in the beauty of the Pogonip. Known for his gorgeous woodcut prints of the local landscape, Killion begins each of his printing projects with extensive on-site sketching (he never works from photos). You can check out photos and art from last years event.

We are delighted to team up with him to provide participants with an unforgettable afternoon of beauty and inspiration. An autographed copy of the companion book, Killion's The Coast of California, will be included in the ticket price.

INDIVIDUAL PRICE: $40 (Includes 2-1/2+ hour event with moderate-strenuous hiking, sketching activities, refreshments, and an autographed copy of The Coast of California.)

COUPLE'S PRICE: $60 (Includes 2-1/2+ hour event with moderate-strenuous hiking, sketching activities, refreshments, and one autographed copy of The Coast of California for the couple to share.) There are a limited number of couples spots available.

To register call (831)423-0900
or stop by the information desk. 

Photo of Tom Killion and last year's group of sketchers by Joy McCauley

Bookshop Santa Cruz is incredibly excited to welcome Leslie Marmon Silko, bestselling author of Ceremony, for a book talk and signing of her new memoir, The Turquoise Ledge.

We are expecting a great turnout to hear this wonderful author, so we will be issuing prioritized seating and signing vouchers with the purchase of The Turquoise Ledge (publication date: October 7th).

Please check back for more information or sign up for our Email Newsletter to stay informed!

Outstanding cookbook author Madhur Jaffrey returns to Bookshop to discuss and sign copies of her newest book, At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

Sample recipes from the book at this event!

Check back for more information or sign up for our Email Newsletter to stay informed!

Charles Burns is one of the most respected and widely read graphic novelists. The author of Black Hole, he will be at Bookshop to discuss and sign copies of his new graphic novel, X’Ed Out.

Check back for more information or sign up for our Email Newsletter to stay informed!

Santa Cruz’s own Greg Archer, editor of The Good Times, will celebrate the release of his new book, Shut Up, Skinny Bitches: The Common Sense Guide to Following Your Hunger and Your Heart.

Check back for more information or sign up for our Email Newsletter to stay informed!

Harold McGee, bestselling author of the acclaimed culinary bible On Food & Cooking, returns to Bookshop discuss his new book, Keys to Good Cooking: A Guide to Making the Best of Foods and Recipes.

We’ll be serving delicious food at this event--using Harold’s wonderful suggestions, of course--for all to enjoy.

Check back for more information or sign up for our Email Newsletter to stay informed!

Michele Norris, co-host of NPR’s All Things Considered, will be here to discuss and sign copies of her first book, The Grace of Silence.

Named Journalist of the Year in 2009, Norris set out through original reporting to write a book about “the hidden conversation of race” that is going on in this country upon the ascendance of Barack Obama as president of the United States. The result of Michele’s journey is a personal tale that also looks at Norris’s own complex racial legacy.

This book is already creating an incredible buzz months before its publication date and The Grace of Silence, while told with personal candor, is also informed by scores of interviews with ordinary Americans and wise observations about evolving attitudes—at once encouraging and disturbing—toward race in America.

Check back for more information or sign up for our Email Newsletter to stay informed!

Yep, you read that correctly. The insanely funny, crafty, and creative Amy Sedaris is returning to Bookshop Santa Cruz to share her new book, Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People.

According to Amy, it's often been said that ugly people craft and attractive people have sex. In her new book, Simple Times, she sets the record straight. Demonstrating that crafting is one of life's more pleasurable and constructive leisure activities, Sedaris shows that anyone with a couple of hours to kill and access to pipe cleaners can join the elite society of crafters.

We expect a phenomenal turnout for this event and will be distributing seating and signing vouchers with the purchase of Simple Times (publication date: November 2nd).

Please check back for more information or sign up for our Email Newsletter to stay informed!