Monday, October 8, 5:30-7:30 pm
The Journey to Being Discovered:
First-Time Authors Reveal All
Foundation Center, 312 Sutter St., Second Floor Conference Room. FREE

Learn from a panel of newly published, first time writers at this panel discussion, a co-production with The Foundation Center. Three novelists and one nonfiction author will talk about all that was involved in making their dream of writing a reality. We’ll cover finding the time and discipline to write regularly, identifying potential publishers, getting noticed by literary professionals, dealing with rejection, and publicizing your book. In Litquake festival fashion, the writers will also be reading from their newly published works. Bring your questions. Space is limited and advance registration required. Please visit http://foundationcenter.org/sanfrancisco/wksjourneyOct_8.html to register.

Participants include: Anita Amirrezvani, Bridget Kinsella, Erika Mailman, and Kemble Scott

“A well-constructed novel and a gripping, well-told story of faith and truth.”
– Khaled Hosseini, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Kite Runner

“A linguistic enchantress has arrived among us, gifted in transmogrifying the mundanities of historical fiction into tableaux of indelible terror and abiding beauty.”
– James Morrow, author of The Last Witchfinder

“Beautifully written, nary a word out of place, and with a few moments that throw you beyond–the way good books do.”–The San Francisco Chronicle

Read a review in the SF Guardian written by Kemble Scott here.

Join me, Annalee Allen and William Wong for a lecture sponsored by Oakland Heritage Alliance.  All of us have published neighborhood histories through Arcadia Publishing, and we’ll discuss our process of researching and writing.

Chapel of the Chimes is an architectural marvel designed by Oakland’s famous female architect Julia Morgan. It’s not so much a chapel as it is a columbarium. Beautifully morbid, this space is, with ash containers shaped as books, placed upon a bookshelf.

Annalee’s book is Oakland: A Postcard History and William’s book is Oakland’s Chinatown. Mine is Oakland Hills.

I will be reading from Woman of Ill Fame along with five other published authors from the same writers group.
Michael Chorost’s memoir Rebuilt won the 2006 PEN award. Erika Mailman’s Woman of Ill Fame tells a tale of a Gold Rush prostitute. Joe Quirk’s Sperm Is from Men, Eggs Are from Women explains why men and women are different. Kemble Scott’s Soma peeks at the sexual underbelly of SF. Melodie Bowsher’s My Lost and Found Life chronicles the redemption of an embezzler’s daughter. David Sterry (author of Chicken) has a new memoir forthcoming: Master of Ceremonies, A True story of Love, Murder, and Chippendales.
We’re charging a small fee because this is a fundraiser for the Meridian Gallery, the art gallery that has given us free meeting space for a decade. They run a wonderful afterschool arts program for at-risk teens and we absolutely love them. Their building, however, is GOING CONDO and they’re being evicted, so we’re raising money to help them with the big move.

I am so excited to read at Litquake; it’s the most fabulous week-long literary extravaganza EVER! I’ll be reading as part of an event called Off the Richter Scale, during the That’s History portion. In a one-hour segment, they have scheduled six writers… we are asked to each read for SIX MINUTES ONLY. I love it! Perfect for my short attention span. Off the Richter Scale continues all day; check out the schedule here.
I’ll be reading from Woman of Ill Fame, the novel about a Gold Rush prostitute appearing from Heyday Books in February 2007.

I’ll be appearing on Denny Smithson’s Cover to Cover program, discussing Oakland’s Neighborhoods. Tune in and hear our stentorian tones!

This weekend!
3:00 Saturday, Aug. 12
Laurel World Music Festival
Laurel Bookstore Booth

I’ll be at the booth with Luan with a stack of Oakland’s Neighborhoods for an hour or so. Stop by and chat with us! MacArthur Boulevard will be closed off between 35th and 37th for this extravaganza of a block party.