Events

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.

Teens and adults alike are invited to join our facilitaed discussion of the young adult novel, Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi. This stellar book—a gritty, high-stakes adventure set in a futuristic world where oil is scarce, but loyalty is scarcer—won the Michael L. Printz Award and was a finalist for the National Book Award.

"Bacigalupi's future earth is brilliantly imagined and its genesis
anchored in contemporary issues...The characters are layered and
complex, and their almost unthinkable actions and choices seem totally
credible. Vivid, brutal, and thematically rich, this captivating title
is sure to win teen fans for the award-winning Bacigalupi." —Booklist (starred review)

Have you ever ached for a loved one but lacked the ability to convey it? Had them rock your terra firma but didn't know how to tell them? Help is on the way!

The weekend before Valentine's Day, Santa Cruz Writes, a grass roots non-profit, will hold a pre-launch event for its local literary online magazine, phren-Z. The event is co-sponsored by The Museum of Art and History, Bookshop Santa Cruz, and Felix Kulpa Gallery.

"Love Letters" will take place on Saturday, February 11th at three locations: The Museum of Art and History, Bookshop Santa Cruz, and Felix Kulpa Gallery. Anyone can sign up with the on-site Guide for a 15-minute time slot. Lovers will answer questions about their beloved before meeting with writers who will create a letter or poem using a typewriter or handwriting on stationery. The heart revealed!

Writers participating in the event include Wallace Baine, Stephanie Golino, Neil Hellman, Erin Johnson, Wincy Liu, Cheyenne Street Houck, Alyssa Young and more. Guides will be available to register Lovers for appointments beginning at noon. 

Love Letters is a linked interactive event requiring permission from Lovers to publish poems and letters in the inaugural issue of Santa Cruz Writes' online literary magazine, phren-Z.org, and to display them during the Museum of Art's upcoming exhibit, "All You Need Is Love."

And that ache in your heart? It'll be down on paper. Old style.

Come celebrate the local organic/sustainable foods movement and the UCSC Library’s publication of Cultivating a Movement: An Oral History of Organic Farming and Sustainable Agriculture on California’s Central Coast.

Santa Cruz County is a seedbed of pioneering organizations and farms that have transformed the food system locally and beyond over the past four decades. The sampling of narratives in this collection documents a multifaceted and interdependent community of change-makers who speak for themselves, offering a window into the dynamic history of the movement.

The editors will read colorful, inspirational stories from this anthology based on extensive oral history interviews released in 2010. This event will be lively and informative and we look forward to seeing you there for the presentations, signing, and Q&A.

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 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.

From sleek, silken tofu with delicate toppings to piping-hot fried satchels in a robust sauce, tofu provides a versatile canvas for the intricate flavors and textures that Asian and vegetarian cooks have long enjoyed. America has embraced tofu as a healthy, affordable ingredient. And while it has been welcomed into sophisticated mainstream dining, tofu is often hidden in Western guises and in limited applications. In her third intrepid cookbook, celebrated food writer, popular blogger and teacher, and one of Santa Cruz’s own, Andrea Nguyen, aims to elevate this time-honored staple to a new place of prominence on every table. This is a comprehensive guide to making tofu and cooking with it, featuring over 75 versatile recipes from one of the country's leading voices on Asian cuisine. Please join Bookshop Santa Cruz in welcoming Ms. Nguyen and be sure to come hungry as there will be sample recipes inspired by Asian Tofu at this event!

James Beard Cookbook Award Finalist and Santa Cruz resident Andrea Nguyen, author of Into the Vietnamese Kitchen and Asian Dumplings, will celebrate the publication of her delicious new cookbook, Asian Tofu. “This exquisite book restores tofu to its proper place—one based on deep craft, elegance, and imagination.” —Deborah Madison 

Read about Andrea Nguyen's recent feature in Martha Stewart Living magazine.

See San Francisco Magazine's review of Asian Tofu (it got an "A"!)

Read our bookseller Holly's account of throwing a party using Nguyen's book, Asian Dumplings.

Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Raymond Bonner will discuss Anatomy of Injustice: A Murder Case Gone Wrong, a gripping story of a grievously mishandled murder case that put a twenty-three-year-old man on death row. Moving, enraging, suspenseful, and enlightening, Bonner’s book is a vital contribution to our nation’s ongoing, increasingly important debate about inequality and the death penalty.

“Masterful . . . Eloquent, important, and accessible . . . The book of the century about the death penalty.” --Andrew Cohen, The Atlantic

“A lucid, page-turning account . . . Elmore’s defense winds through nearly three decades of legal maneuverings as suspenseful as the investigation of the mysterious crime itself."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review

 UPDATE:

After 30 years in prison, Edward Lee Elmore (the subject of Anatomy of Injustice) was released from prison on March 2nd.

In the courtroom was former New York Times reporter Raymond Bonner,
who has followed the case for more than a decade and recently wrote a
book about it. He said police were anxious to make an arrest to allay a
community's fears that a rapist and murderer was among them and the
little evidence that links Elmore to the crime was planted.

"Don't dare call it justice," he said after the hearing. "A man served 30 years for a crime he did not commit."

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Ex-death-row-inmate-in-SC-walks-out-a-free-man-3377074.php#ixzz1oYql0DKt

It's time for our Spring Reading Sale! 20% OFF ALL BOOKS IN THE STORE!

Friday, March 23rd, 9:00am-11:00pm

PREVIEW SALE FOR READERS' CLUB MEMBERS: 20% OFF ALL BOOKS

Saturday, March 24th,  9:00am-11:00pm

PUBLIC SALE: EVERYONE SAVES 20% OFF ALL BOOKS

It's time for our Spring Reading Sale! 20% OFF ALL BOOKS IN THE STORE!

Friday, March 23rd, 9:00am-11:00pm

PREVIEW SALE FOR READERS' CLUB MEMBERS: 20% OFF ALL BOOKS

Saturday, March 24th,  9:00am-11:00pm

PUBLIC SALE: EVERYONE SAVES 20% OFF ALL BOOKS

With medical marijuana legal in 16 states (and 3 more pursuing it this year)
hungry cannabis connoisseurs all over the country are venturing beyond the
brownie for a range of delicious “high” concept foods. The Official High Times Cannabis
Cookbook, the first-ever cookbook from High Times magazine is the deliciously
definitive guide to cannabis-infused cooking. Easy, accessible recipes and
advice demystify the experience of cooking with grass and offer a cornucopia of
tasty appetizers and entrees, stoner sweets, cannabis cocktails, and
feasts for any occasion. Enticing color photos and recipes inspired
by stoner celebrities such as Snoop Dogg, Cheech and Chong, and Willie Nelson
will spark the interest of experienced cannabis cooks and “budding” chefs,
whether they’re looking for the perfect midnight munchie or just to take dinner
to a higher level. Author Elise McDonough will join us for the evening to
discuss the cookbook, sign copies, and participate in an audience Q&A.
Please join us at this event.

"There's no word for what Young does, only for what he accomplishes--the capturing of small, daily miracles."  --Dorianne Laux 

To help celebrate National Poetry Month, Bookshop Santa Cruz welcomes acclaimed poet and writer Gary Young to debut his new collection, Even So.

Young is one of the most well-known practitioners of the prose poem and his unique sinuous, brief style has a flavor all its own. This collection includes work selected from six previously published volumes and two unpublished sequences of new works.

Young has received numerous awards including the Pushcart Prize, James D. Phelan Award, and Peregrine Smith Poetry Prize. He is the author of several other collections of poetry including Hands, Days, Braver Deeds, No Other Life (winner of the William Carlos Williams Award of the Poetry Society of America), and Pleasure.  

Please join us for a book talk, signing, and Q&A 

with this celebrated poet  

In Best Sex Writing 2012, sex columnist Rachel Kramer Bussel and Santa Cruz’s own Susie Bright, (this year's guest judge), collect the most challenging and provocative work on this endlessly evocative subject.

Find out what's behind the latest political sex scandals in "Sex, Lies, and Hush Money", learn about how "Atheists Do It Better", and find out "Why Lying About Monogamy Matters". From an insider look at being gay in the military pre-DADT to an impassioned defense of circumcision to a dating site for people with STDs, nuanced explorations of teen sex laws, prostitution, sex at 66, SlutWalks, female orgasm workshops, and more, Best Sex Writing 2012 explores the smarter side of sexuality.

This is bedtime reading for erotic intellectuals and those who want to go behind the latest leering headlines for real talk about the topic on everyone's lips.

Please join us for this reading, discussion, signing, and Q&A.

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 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.

This book group meets montly to discuss young adult literature. If you are interested in joining the Young Adult Book Group, please leave your name and email address at our information desk, and our facilitator will email you with further information.