Events

We are honored to host a reading, book talk, and signing with author and activist, Judy Shepard for her book, The Meaning of Matthew. In this poignant memoir, the mother of Matthew Shepard shares her story about her son’s death and the choice she made to become an international gay rights activist.   Today, the name Matthew Shepard is synonymous with gay rights, but before his grisly murder in 1998, Matthew was simply Judy Shepard’s son. The Meaning of Matthew follows the Shepard family from the days immediately after the crime to Judy Shepard’s decision to open up to the public and give her son’s life and death a political meaning by founding The Matthew Shepard Foundation. (The Matthew Shepard Foundation works hard to share Matthew's dream of replacing hate in the world with understanding, compassion, and acceptance. The Foundation honors Matthew’s legacy by fighting for passage of The Matthew Shepard Act, strengthening the LGBTQ & Allied Youth online community (at http://matthewsplace.com), providing resources and support to schools performing The Laramie Project, and continuing to build their national speaking program. Please visit their website: (http://mathewshepard.org for more information).   Heart-wrenchingly honest, Ms. Shepard’s memoir captures both the historical significance of one young man’s life and death, as well as one ordinary woman’s struggle to cope with the unthinkable.   We anticipate a large crowd for Ms. Shepard's event, and have, for the first time ever, made priority seating/and signing available. ANYONE and EVERYONE in the community is welcome at this free event, but due to its expected popularity, we’ve implemented a system that with a purchase of The Meaning of Matthew, people will be given a voucher for prioritized seating and signing. We will also be changing our event space layout to allow for additional standing room for those without seats, to ensure that as many people as possible have the chance to take part in this night.   Bookshop Santa Cruz will be giving 10% of our book sales to benefit our event’s co-sponsors: The Diversity Center’s Equality Action Project & Pisces Moon’s Young Company Program. Pisces Moon will be performing a scene from The Laramie Project at our event.   And speaking of Pisces Moon check this out: Before our event, from 5:30 - 6 PM on October 23 at the Vets Hall, 846 Front St., Santa Cruz, Pisces Moon Productions and The Equality Action Project of Santa Cruz County will honor Judy Shepard with a wine and cheese Reception. Then, from 6 - 7 PM, there will be a benefit honoring "The Power of the Individual", also at the Vets Hall. The program will feature Susan Myer Silton, John Laird, Cynthia Mathews, Neal Coonerty, Gennefa Jonker and others from Santa Cruz County who will join her in addressing the ways we effect change through the arts, activism and community. Proceeds from the Reception and " The Power of the Individual" Benefit will support the missions of Pisces Moon Productions, The Equality Action Project of Santa Cruz County, and the Matthew Shepard Foundation. These are ticketed events, please see www.santacruztickets.com, however the first 100 copies of The Meaning of Matthew purchased from Bookshop Santa Cruz will come with a free entry ticket to the 6-7pm benefit.   The Equality Action Project of Santa Cruz County was created by The GLBT Alliance of Santa Cruz County and is an affiliate of The Diversity Center of Santa Cruz County.         There will be priority seating available at this event. A priority seating voucher is free with a purchase of The Meaning of Matthew and an additional seating voucher can be purchased for $5. To reserve your seating online, please purchase the item "The Meaning of Matthew--with Priority Seating Voucher". If you are also interested in an additional voucher, please purchase the item "The Meaning of Matthew--Extra Voucher” (limit one extra voucher per purchase of book). These items cannot be shipped, are subject to availability, and must be paid for in advance. Please DO NOT choose the "pay in store" payment method.