Events

Eight Wednesdays: Feb. 1-Mar. 21
This class will continue review work in its textbook Quaderno degli Esercizi. Emphasis is on review of difficult structures (il congiuntivo) but also on mastery of the language through conversation, vocabulary work and reading. Wendy Walsh, Ph.D. in Italian Literature from UCB, has been teaching Italian language, literature, and cooking since 1979. She leads a yearly Language Study Tour Program to Italy.

Krys Lee presents her story collection Drifting House ($25.95), an unflinching portrayal of the Korean immigrant experience. Spanning Korea and the United States, from the postwar era to contemporary times, Lee’s fiction debut illuminates a people torn between the traumas of their collective past and the indignities and sorrows of their present.

Free event - no tickets required

Robert N. Bellah presents Religion in Human Evolution: From the Paleolithic to the Axial Age ($39.95). Bellah’s ambitious book probes our biological past to discover the kinds of lives that human beings have imagined were worth living. Bellah’s theory goes deep into cultural and genetic evolution to identify a range of capacities (communal dancing, storytelling, theorizing) whose emergence made religious development possible in the first millennium BCE.

Lysley Tenorio discusses Monstress ($13.99), a collection of heartbreaking, vivid, original stories set amongst the Filipino-American communities of California and the Philippines. Tenorio’s writing is deft and self-assured. He has won a Pushcart Prize and a Whiting Writer’s Award. Tenorio teaches at St. Mary’s College in Moraga.

Eight Wednesdays: Feb. 1-Mar. 21
This class will continue review work in its textbook Quaderno degli Esercizi. Emphasis is on review of difficult structures (il congiuntivo) but also on mastery of the language through conversation, vocabulary work and reading. Wendy Walsh, Ph.D. in Italian Literature from UCB, has been teaching Italian language, literature, and cooking since 1979. She leads a yearly Language Study Tour Program to Italy.

This event is canceled. We will look forward to a future event with the author.

Beth Aldrich presents Real Moms Love to Eat: How to Conduct a Love Affair with Food, Lose Weight, and Feel Fabulous ($15.00). Aldrich’s approach to healthy eating is simple and realistic for busy moms. She shows how you can learn a lot about the food you eat and its impact on your body while still enjoying life.

Eight Wednesdays: Feb. 1-Mar. 21
This class will continue review work in its textbook Quaderno degli Esercizi. Emphasis is on review of difficult structures (il congiuntivo) but also on mastery of the language through conversation, vocabulary work and reading. Wendy Walsh, Ph.D. in Italian Literature from UCB, has been teaching Italian language, literature, and cooking since 1979. She leads a yearly Language Study Tour Program to Italy.

NOT YET A MEMBER OR NEED TO RENEW?  

NOT YET A MEMBER OR NEED TO RENEW?  

$60 - Reserve by phone: (415) 927-0960, ext. 1
48-hour advance registration required - Class limited to six
You’ve written a brilliant story and can’t wait to hear what others think. You’re stuck and need a critique. What to do? Bring your manuscript—a picture book, a chapter, or even just an idea (ten-page limit) and we’ll workshop on the spot. Amy Novesky is an independent children’s book editor, author, and experienced workshop leader.

Veteran industry insider Alan Rinzler will analyze the recent development of new options for greater control, profit, and success with self-publishing. An editor for 49 years at mainstream publishing companies like Simon and Schuster, Bantam Books, and John Wiley, Alan Rinzler has acquired many self-published books for conversion to mainstream publishing.

Keija Parsinnen talks about her novel The Ruins of Us ($14.99). Parsinnen, a Saudi-born author presents the story of a Saudi billionaire and the turmoil and heartbreak that rock his family after his American wife discovers he has taken a second bride, and his son begins an ominous journey towards radicalism.

Bring your laptop! Blogger extraordinaire Sophie Epstein, from the young adult book blog MrsMagooReads.com, teams up with her mother Liz Epstein (Jane Austen Literary Salon) as they present their ever-popular blogging workshop—now with a twist! Beginning bloggers of all ages are invited to learn how to start a blog, how to attract readers, how to position your blog, and much more. New to this workshop, using Blogger.com as a platform, you will receive hands-on help to create your own blog before you leave class!

Gary Geddes presents Drink the Bitter Root ($26.00). This is an international story about the ethical and environmental footprint that the nations of the world are leaving in Africa as they destabilize and loot the continent. In the spirit of Robert Kaplan and Samantha Power, Geddes sets out in search of justice and healing.

Left Coast Writers Event! Join us for a Pre-Valentines Day Celebration with Hot Flashes: Sexy Little Stories & Poems series editors Linda Watanabe McFerrin and Laurie McAndish King. Experience sexy short stories and poems that demonstrate how simple it is to find pleasure.

Judith Horstman talks about The Scientific American Book of Love, Sex, and the Brain ($25.95). Horstman takes us on a tour of the brain and our many kinds of love—the whole smorgasbord of emotions, including the love between parent and child, the affectionate love of companionship, the passion of erotic love, the love of animals, and the love of God.

Eight Wednesdays: Feb. 1-Mar. 21
This class will continue review work in its textbook Quaderno degli Esercizi. Emphasis is on review of difficult structures (il congiuntivo) but also on mastery of the language through conversation, vocabulary work and reading. Wendy Walsh, Ph.D. in Italian Literature from UCB, has been teaching Italian language, literature, and cooking since 1979. She leads a yearly Language Study Tour Program to Italy.

introduced by Al Young
Poet Giovanni Singleton presents Ascension ($14.00). In these poems of intentionality, the behearer and the beholder approach the world with an attitude of longing—for less: less sorrow, less suffering. Daily practice delivers the speaker to profound meditations on the nature of the self.

Virginia Beane Rutter and Thomas Singer, both Jungian analysts, will discuss the relevance to our modern psyches of some aspects of ancient Greek thought, mythology, and art. Ancient Greece, Modern Psyche ($23.95) springs from a conference that took place on the island of Santorini in 2009. Virginia's chapter deals with prehistoric frescoes from the excavation of Akrotiri on this island, fabled to be Atlantis; Tom's brings to light the Greek goddess of social order and civility, Themis. The public is invited to Santorini for the second Ancient Greece, Modern Psyche conference in September 2012.

Link to PDF flier for 2012 Santorini Conference program: http://iaap.org/Download-document/346-Ancient-Greece-Modern-Psyche-2012.html

Mastering Children’s Writing
A New Workshop Salon Led by Andrea Alban
2nd Sunday each month • Corte Madera
5:00-8:00 pm • $180 per year (annual membership comes with one free private consultation with Andrea, a $60 value!) or $30 per monthly meeting

Spark your imagination and polish your manuscript in a community of enthusiastic writers. Listen to an engaging craft presentation, practice new writing and editing techniques, give and receive peer feedback, and go home to your desk with a monthly assignment — energized and inspired. Craft topics will include style and voice, point of view, characterization, fictional time and place, plot and story arc, and the art of revision. We will also explore manuscript submission, book promotion, and establishing an online presence and platform as a writer. Andrea Alban is the author of nine books including The Happiness Tree and a YA novel, Anya’s War. She holds a B.A. in Creative Writing.

Eight Wednesdays: Feb. 1-Mar. 21
This class will continue review work in its textbook Quaderno degli Esercizi. Emphasis is on review of difficult structures (il congiuntivo) but also on mastery of the language through conversation, vocabulary work and reading. Wendy Walsh, Ph.D. in Italian Literature from UCB, has been teaching Italian language, literature, and cooking since 1979. She leads a yearly Language Study Tour Program to Italy.

Topic: Readings on “Romance”

Left Coast Writers®
A Literary Salon • Led by Linda Watanabe McFerrin
1st Monday each month • Corte Madera
7:00-9:00 pm • $120 per year
Left Coast Writers provides literary connections, support, counsel, readings, writing tips, literary chat, unabashed networking, and great fun. Many local authors are active members of this group. Meetings feature presentations by Bay Area literary figures. LCW hosts a variety of other activities to launch the books of members, explore publishing alternatives, and network with others in the industry. See also Marin Events and San Francisco Events for other LCW happenings. Visit www.bookpassage.com/left-coast-writers for more information.

joined by acoustic guitarist, Andrew Castro
Amy Franklin-Willis discusses her novel The Lost Saints of Tennessee ($25.00). With dazzling agility, she mines the fault lines in one Southern working-class family. Driven by the soulful voices of 42-year-old Ezekiel Cooper and his mother, Lillian, this work takes us on a journey from the 1940s to 1980s.

Andrew Castro was commissioned by Amy Franklin Willis to compose songs inspired by the novel. He recorded the songs in his hometown of Castro Valley with the help of sound engineer Kevin Crawford. The album is a collection of nine original songs that complement the stories and characters in the book. 

Eight Wednesdays: Feb. 1-Mar. 21
This class will continue review work in its textbook Quaderno degli Esercizi. Emphasis is on review of difficult structures (il congiuntivo) but also on mastery of the language through conversation, vocabulary work and reading. Wendy Walsh, Ph.D. in Italian Literature from UCB, has been teaching Italian language, literature, and cooking since 1979. She leads a yearly Language Study Tour Program to Italy.

Five Tuesdays: Feb. 14, Mar. 13, Apr. 10, May 15, June 12
Call (415) 927-0960, ext. 1 to reserve

Pat Holt leads a discussion of books that have captured the contemporary imagination. Holt is the former book review editor of the San Francisco Chronicle and publisher of Holt Uncensored.

Reading List:

February:Tiger's Wife by Tea Olbrecht $15.00
March:Child Wonder by Roy Jacobsen $15.00
April: Atmospheric Disturbances by Rivka Gaichen $14.00
May: Snowdrops by Andrew Miller $15.00
June: The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright $15.95

Eight Wednesdays: Feb. 1-Mar. 21
This class will continue review work in its textbook Quaderno degli Esercizi. Emphasis is on review of difficult structures (il congiuntivo) but also on mastery of the language through conversation, vocabulary work and reading. Wendy Walsh, Ph.D. in Italian Literature from UCB, has been teaching Italian language, literature, and cooking since 1979. She leads a yearly Language Study Tour Program to Italy.

Join us for lunch as Lisa See presents her novel Dreams of Joy. She returns to the story of sisters Pearl and May from Shanghai Girls, and Pearl’s strong-willed 19-year-old daughter, Joy. Reeling from newly uncovered family secrets, Joy runs away to Shanghai in early 1957 to find her birth father. Dazzled by him, and blinded by idealism and defiance, Joy throws herself into the New Society of Red China, heedless of the dangers. Pearl is determined to save her daughter, no matter the personal cost.

Book Passage hosts literary luncheons with celebrated authors at our Marin store. These events are catered by the outstanding Insalata’s Restaurant of San Anselmo.

Three Wednesdays: Feb. 15-29
There is much talk recently about the repatriation of art, from The Bust of Nefertiti to the rape of Europe by the Nazis and the plundering of the National Museum in Bagdad. What are the ethics involved? Should a museum accept and keep purloined art? Topics include The Rosetta Stone, The Elgin marbles, the Cross of Edmund St. Bury, frescoes from Catalonian churches, The Alter of Zeus from Pergamon, Klimt’s Portrait of Anna Bloch-Bauer, and the Getty Museum scandal.

Paula Broadwell presents All In: The Education of General David Petraeus ($29.95). Broadwell gives us an examination of Petraeus, one of the most important military leaders in recent years, including his influence in Iraq and Afghanistan and his ascent to the CIA. Broadwell appraises Petraeus’s impact on the entire U.S. military.

Three Thursdays: Feb. 16-Mar. 1
Reading from primary sources is often the best way of learning the truth about the religions of the world. We will study The Quran to learn about important subjects such as peace, freedom, ethics, and contemporary misinterpretations used in political rhetoric. We will also explore the notion of The Quran as a guide for attaining happiness and as a map for growth and development.

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED: Mary Karlin discusses Artisan Cheese Making at Home ($29.99). Karlin inspires and encourages do-it-yourselfers with approachable, easy-to-follow instructions to produce mouthwatering cheese at home. From quick and satisfying ricotta and panir to higher payoff cheeses like triple creme camembert, tallegio, and blue gouda. THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED

Confused about how to get the most from social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn? This practical, hands-on session will teach you ten simple and proven ways to build a platform for your business using social media. Learn how to get thousands of Twitter followers, connect with high-profile people on LinkedIn, utilize YouTube and Facebook to drive traffic to your Web site, and become a thought leader in your field. Karen Leland is the author of six books, a PR consultant, and marketing strategist. She has placed over 500 articles in newspapers and magazines and booked hundreds of radio and television interviews in national media. She is also a freelance writer.

Chip Conley presents Emotional Equations: Simple Truths for Creating Happiness & Success ($24.00). Using simple math to illuminate universal emotional truths, Emotional Equations crystallizes some of life’s toughest challenges into manageable facets that readers can see and control. Conley is the founder of the popular Joie de Vivre hotels in San Francisco.

Five Fridays: Feb. 17, Mar. 16, Apr. 13, May 18, June 8
Pat Holt leads a discussion of books that have captured the contemporary imagination. Holt is the former book review editor of the San Francisco Chronicle and publisher of Holt Uncensored.

Reading List:

February:Tiger's Wife by Tea Olbrecht $15.00
March:Child Wonder by Roy Jacobsen $15.00
April: Atmospheric Disturbances by Rivka Gaichen $14.00
May: Snowdrops by Andrew Miller $15.00
June: The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright $15.95

Katherine Boo talks about Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, & Hope in a Mumbai Undercity ($27.00). Pulitzer Prize-winner Boo presents a landmark work of narrative nonfiction that tells the dramatic and sometimes heartbreaking story of families striving toward a better life in one of the 21st century’s great cities, Mumbai.

Almost everyone tells you how to get in touch with your inner voice, but no one says what comes after “Once upon a time…” Nearly all great stories, from cave drawings through Bill Bryson’s latest work, follow some version of the same road map—and without it, most stories just wander. Learn the structure of storytelling, from a great lead to a solid angle to an ending that makes readers remember your name. Spud Hilton is the award-winning travel editor of the S.F. Chronicle. A journalist for 20 years, Hilton has written columns, travel essays, and features for more than 70 newspapers. He is a faculty member of the Book Passage Travel Writers and Photographers Conference.

James Dalessandro is the author of the bestselling novel 1906, and screenwriter of the Warner Brothers film of the same name. He is a 24-year veteran of the Writer’s Guild. He has sold more than 20 feature film and television projects. In this fast-paced workshop, he covers structure, scenes, and character development, as well as pitching, polishing, and marketing the finished screenplay.

David Scheffer discusses All the Missing Souls: A Personal History of the War Crimes Tribunal ($35.00). Scheffer, U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crimes during the Clinton administration, recounts his efforts to establish U.N. war crimes tribunals to prosecute mass killings in the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Cambodia.

Margaret Wurtele presents her novel The Golden Hour ($15.00). It is autumn 1943 when German forces invade the peaceful vineyards and olive groves of Giovanna Bellini’s village in Tuscany. Events take a drastic turn when she’s asked to hide a wounded freedom fighter. He is not just a partisan—he’s also a Jew. As Giovanna helps him heal, their bond deepens.

Thomas Peele talks about Killing the Messenger ($26.00). In the vein of Jon Krakauer’s Under the Banner of Heaven comes the mesmerizing story of how charlatans exploited the tragedy of racism and created a radical religion of bloodshed and fear that culminated in the murder of an Oakland, California, newspaper editor.

Five Mondays: Feb. 20, Mar. 19, Apr. 16, May 21, June 11

Carol Benet received her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Berkeley. She currently teaches book discussion groups in San Francisco and Marin and writes for The Ark newspaper and ARTSSF.com.

• The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht (the Orange Broadband Prize) $15
• To the End of the Land by David Grossman (German Peace Prize and JQ Wingate Prize) $15.95
• Paradise Reclaimed by Halldor Laxness (Nobel Prize) $15
• Chronicle in Stone: A Novel by Ismail Kadare (Man Booker International Prize) $18.95
• Within a Budding Grove by Marcel Proust (Prix Goncourt) $14.95

Five Mondays: Feb. 20, Mar. 19, Apr. 16, May 21, June 11

Carol Benet received her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Berkeley. She currently teaches book discussion groups in San Francisco and Marin and writes for The Ark newspaper and ARTSSF.com.

• The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht (the Orange Broadband Prize) $15
• To the End of the Land by David Grossman (German Peace Prize and JQ Wingate Prize) $15.95
• Paradise Reclaimed by Halldor Laxness (Nobel Prize) $15
• Chronicle in Stone: A Novel by Ismail Kadare (Man Booker International Prize) $18.95
• Within a Budding Grove by Marcel Proust (Prix Goncourt) $14.95

Priority seating with book purchase
Sebastian Junger discusses War ($15.99). Junger turns his empathetic eye to the reality of combat—the fear, the honor, and the trust among men whose survival depends on their absolute commitment to one another. His on-the-ground account follows a single platoon through 15 months in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley. Junger is the author of The Perfect Storm.

Alex Gilvarry presents his novel From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant ($26.95), a Signed First Editions Club selection. Boyet Hernandez is a small man with a big American dream when he arrives in New York in 2002, fresh out of design school in Manila. He sets up shop in a Brooklyn factory, but mere weeks later, there’s a knock on the door: the flamboyant Boyet is brought to Gitmo, handed a Koran, and locked away indefinitely.

Thomas Christensen talks about 1616: The World in Motion ($35.00). Christensen illuminates an extravagant age by focusing on a single riotous year. Woven with color images and artwork from that period, 1616 tells the surprising tales of the men and women who set the world on its tumultuous course toward modernity.

Kevin Fox talks about Until the Next Time ($15.95). Fox presents a romance cloaked in mystery and suspense that takes readers inside the rich heritage of Irish history and faith. Until the Next Time is a remarkable story about time and memory and the way ancient myths affect everything from what we believe to who we love.

cosponsored by Senior Access Marin
Dr. Gary Small discusses The Alzheimer’s Prevention Program ($24.95). Written by the author of The Memory Bible, this guide is a whole-body, whole-mind, easy-to-follow regimen based on the latest research on Alzheimer’s disease, emphasizing the connection between lifestyle and susceptibility.

Senior Access Marin offers creative arts, exercise, brain games and socialization for those with memory loss.

Nina Simonds talks about Simple Asian Meals: Irresistibly Satisfying and Healthy Dishes for the Busy Cook ($29.99). Simonds presents over 100 recipes for accessible Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Vietnamese specialties—packed with fresh, seasonal ingredients and health-giving benefits from immune support to ease of digestion to cholesterol reduction. Almost all her dishes require only one pot to prepare, and to make meal preparation asmanageable as possible, she also provides freezing and storing techniques, recipe variations for convenience and personal taste, and lists of basic staples readers should always keep on hand. Colorful, comprehensive, and informed by Simonds’s own culinary travels and memorable moments in Asia, Simple Asian Meals is every home chef’s guide to creating exquisitely flavored Asian cuisine quickly and effortlessly.

It’s one thing to drive traffic to your website, it’s another to insure that people want to stay and play once they get there. This practical session will cover the ten most important things your website needs to be, do and have to be marketing driven and PR friendly. See how your current website compares against a checklist of PR and marketing best practices for online excellence. Karen Leland is the author of six books, a PR consultant, and marketing strategist. She has placed over 500 articles in newspapers and magazines and booked hundreds of radio and television interviews in national media. She is also a freelance writer.

Former New York Times Beijing bureau chief Jim Yardley presents Brave Dragons: A Chinese Basketball Team, an American Coach, and Two Cultures Clashing ($26.95), the wonderfully original story of a struggling Chinese basketball team and its quixotic, often comical attempt to right its fortunes by copying the American stars of the NBA—a season of cultural misunderstanding that transcends sports and reveals China’s ambivalent relationship with the West. Yardley tells the story of the resulting culture clash with sensitivity and a keen comic sensibility. Jim Yardley has worked as a journalist for The New York Times for the past 14 years, including eight years as a foreign correspondent and bureau chief in China and India. His reportage on China’s legal system won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting.

Meredith Maran presents A Theory of Small Earthquakes ($15.95). Filmmaker Johnny Symons will show a brief clip from his award-winning film, Daddy and Papa; Meredith will read briefly from her novel, and they’ll discuss the challenges and joys of portraying non-traditional families in books and film.

Josh Bazell presents his thriller Wild Thing ($25.99). A reclusive billionaire offers Dr. Peter Brown a job accompanying a sexy but self-destructive paleontologist on the world’s worst field assignment. Brown has no real choice but to say yes, even if it means that he will be dealing with an army of murderers, mobsters, and international drug dealers.

Tickets $35 (includes a signed copy of Ensler’s book)
Call (415) 927-0960, ext. 1 to reserve

Eve Ensler and Isabel Allende in conversation, for one evening only! If you live even remotely near the Bay Area, it is well worth coming to hear these two inspiring women talk about activism, women and girls, and the power of stories. Eve is the Tony Award-winning author of The Vagina Monologues and founder of V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls.

Eve will blow you away and Isabel will get you through it. Together they will fill you with hope.

You'll also get a sneak peak at Eve's latest theatrical work, the stage adaptation of Emotional Creature, which will premiere at Berkeley Rep this June. This event is a benefit for V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls.

Hit the refresh button. Learn how the meditative arts can support the writing life. Brief periods of guided meditation alternate with written exercises designed to expand creativity, reduce internal noise, and breathe new life into your story, characters, and craft. Catherine Flaxman is a writer and story consultant, and has sold two screenplays and received two artists’ grants from the Marin Arts Council. She’s a licensed psychotherapist and seminar leader, with a background in the creative and contemplative arts.

The San Francisco International Tea Festival brings the world of artisan teas and tea culture to the Bay Area. Experience the elegance of a traditional Chinese Gongfu Ceremony and a Chanoyu, Japanese Tea Ceremony with visiting tea master Masahiro Takada. Attend classes by tea experts while you sip your way around the world. Vendors will offer samples of whole-leaf single estate teas from most of the countries of origin, exotic chai blends and some of the finest new flavored blends and ready-to-drink infusions. Several writers about tea will be participating in the festival events, including Norwood Pratt, Roy Fong, Frank H. Murphy and Babette Donaldson.

At the festival enjoy a preview of the film:
The Meaning Of Tea

Meet the Authors of the Companion Book:

Please join author and editor Phil Cousineau, filmmaker Scott Chamberlin Hoyt, and world-renowned tea authority Norwood Pratt for an authors' reception for The Meaning of Tea: A Tea-Inspired Journey at Book Passage in the Ferry Building at 1:00 p.m.

Phil Cousineau edited and compiled The Meaning of Tea book from more than 50 of his and Scott Hoyt's interviews with tea pickers and plantation owners, street sellers, traders and teapot makers and tea scholars spanning eight countries. It is a celebration of the history, rituals, spirituality and simple pure enjoyment of tea.

"America's tea sage," Norwood Pratt, who is featured in The Meaning of Tea book and film, is possibly the world's most widely read authority on tea. His award-winning books are James Norwood Pratt's New Tea Lover's Treasury and James Norwood Pratt's Tea Dictionary.

Meet the authors, taste some world-class tea, and experience the deeper meaning of tea! This reception is part of the first annual San Francisco International Tea Festival. Scott Hoyt will be showing clips from his award winning film, also called The Meaning of Tea, at 3:30 pm on the Ferry Building's Second Floor.

Richard Mason presents his novel History of a Pleasure Seeker ($25.95). Piet Barol has an instinctive appreciation for pleasure and a gift for finding it. Piet’s father is an austere administrator at Holland’s oldest university. His mother, a singing teacher, has died—but not before giving him a thorough grounding in the arts of charm. Piet applies for a job as tutor to the troubled son of Europe’s leading hotelier: a child who refuses to leave his family’s mansion on Amsterdam’s grandest canal. As the young man enters this glittering world, he learns its secrets—and soon, quietly, steadily, finds his life transformed as he in turn transforms the lives of those around him.

This practical “How to” workshop will give you the tools you need to get your writing published in magazines, newspapers, and other media. We’ll look at writer’s guidelines from various publications, as well as where to send your work and how to get editors to read your submissions (and accept them!). We discuss sending query letters instead of completed pieces, writing cover letters that work, formatting your piece for submission, and more. “Laura was terrific—organized and original, a generous and talented teacher. This is one of the best classes I’ve taken.”

This event is canceled. We will look forward to a future event with the author.

Shakti Gawain discusses Living in the Light ($14.95). With her trademark insight and accessibility, personal growth pioneer Gawain highlights the transformative power of bringing the light of awareness to every aspect of the self—intuitive wisdom and rationality, power and vulnerability, peacemaker and warrior.

in conversation with Peter Robinson
Karen Kondazian talks about her novel The Whip ($15.00). This work is inspired by the true story of Charlotte “Charley” Parkhurst (1812-1879) who lived most of her life as a man. As a young woman in Rhode Island, her husband was lynched and her baby killed. Dressed as a man, she went to California to track down the murderer. Peter Robinson is the head of the San Francisco Literary Society.

Annie Rohrbach discusses Conscious Order ($18.95). Veteran professional organizer, Rohrbach shows you how to use the power of your thoughts and imagination to create the order you desire. She helps you learn to trust your own instincts and make decisions more easily, as you release your clutter and create beautiful spaces.

Matt Abrahams presents Speaking Up Without Freaking Out ($12.95). Concerned about an upcoming interview? Anxious about being asked to provide your thoughts during a meeting? Abrahams delivers a workshop designed to provide you with several, practical techniques you can use to manage your speaking anxiety.

Topic: “Writing Travel Stories” • Marianne Rogoff, whose travel stories, fictions, and essays appeared in numerous publications, including Best Women’s Travel Writing 2011, presents a mini-workshop on the Travel Story—a story that describes a meaningful encounter between the self and place. She teaches writing and literature at California College of the Arts. She is the author of the biography Silvie’s Life.

California Writers Club
A Professional Writing Club
4th Sunday each month • Corte Madera
2:00-4:00 pm • $5 members/$10 non-members per meeting
The Marin branch of the California Writers Club meets monthly at Book Passage, except July, August and December, on the 4th Sunday of the month (unless it’s a holiday) 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Meetings may feature a guest speaker, a workshop, or a panel discussion, along with networking and writing news. CWC, a 501c educational corporation, is the nation’s oldest professional club for writers ... “educating writers of all levels of expertise in the craft of writing and in the marketing of their work.” All are welcome. Visit www.cwcmarinwriters.com.

Bill Broder presents A Prayer for the Departed ($12.99). Broder honors the elders of his family through a series of short stories and intimate vignettes. As the youngest son, he acts as witness to the lives of his parents, his uncles and his aunts—lives steeped in the rich mix of a secular America and Jewish belief and ritual.

Join us for a joint poetry event with Donna Emerson, author of Wild Mercy and Zara Raab, author of Swimming the Eel.

Pulitzer finalist Gregg Jones discusses Honor in the Dust: Theodore Roosevelt, War in the Philippines, and the Rise and Fall of America's Imperial Dream (24.95). On the eve of a new century, an up-and-coming Theodore Roosevelt set out to transform the U.S. into a major world power. The Spanish-American War would forever change America's standing in global affairs, and drive the young nation into its own imperial showdown in the Philippines.

From Admiral George Dewey's legendary naval victory in Manila Bay to the Rough Riders' heroic charge up San Juan Hill, from Roosevelt's rise to the presidency to charges of U.S. military misconduct in the Philippines, Honor in the Dust captures an era brimming with American optimism and confidence as the nation expanded its influence abroad.

Tim Dorsey presents his crime novel Pineapple Grenade ($25.99). In the latest laugh-riot thriller from the author of Hurricane Punch, Serge Storms has finagled his way into becoming a secret agent in Miami, spying for the president of a banana republic. Will he still have time for a cocktail before Homeland Security brings him down?

All authors need to be prepared to “present” themselves and their project in the best possible manner at all times. The listener might be an agent, publisher, bookseller, or future reader—or related to one! Acheson shares what works, what doesn’t—and why. The pre-class assignment is to write a 30-second pitch. (Instructions will be received upon registration.) You’ll leave the workshop with tools to create a well-honed, ever-useful, selling description. Alice Acheson is an independent publicist and consultant who has negotiated contracts and edited books. She is the former publicity director for Simon & Schuster and has more than 30 years’ experience promoting books.

You owe it to yourself—and your pocketbook—to learn the advantages/pitfalls of each type of publication. No option is appropriate for all authors. Who pays for what? What services does each provide? With each option will your book be eligible to be reviewed and sold in bookstores? Are you likely to make as much money with each? To guide you in making this crucial decision, Acheson draws on decades of working with all three publishing choices. Alice Acheson is an independent publicist and consultant who has negotiated contracts and edited books. She is the former publicity director for Simon & Schuster and has more than 30 years’ experience promoting books.

Jennifer Chiaverini talks about Sonoma Rose ($25.95). Chiaverini’s powerful and dramatic Prohibition-era story, set in California, is the latest in her Elm Creek Quilts series. It follows the fortunes of one woman who plunges into the unknown for the safety of her children and the love of a good but flawed man. Chiaverini is the author of The Quilter’s Apprentice.

Sat., Mar. 3 & Sun., Mar. 4
Your book is progressing. Now what? Publishing has made a quantum shift. How do you interact with the industry to ensure that you and your manuscript receive deserved recognition? Whether self-publishing, using print-on-demand or the traditional publisher, how do you allot time, energy, and money to the marketing tasks and demands of the digital world? The pre-class assignment: write a query letter (instructions provided upon registration).

This class is canceled. We will look forward to a future class with Martha Alderson.
Plot demands an interweaving of dramatic action, character emotional development, and thematic significance. Learn the mystery of the Universal Story, character emotional development versus emotional change, long- and short-term goals and more. Martha Alderson is known as the Plot Whisperer. Her book is The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master. She has an award-winning blog and vlog by same name. Class participants will receive a 10% discount on Alderson’s The Plot Whisperer.

Jill Nussinow signs copies of The New Fast food: The Veggie Queen Pressure Cooks Whole Food Meals in Less than 30 Minutes. Jill is a Registered Dietitian, freelance writer, speaker and cooking teacher. Her real love is the food part of nutrition and she has been teaching cooking for the past 25 years.

Jeff Clements presents Corporations are Not People ($17.95). With a foreword by Bill Moyers, this is the first practical guide for every citizen on the problem of corporate “personhood” and the tools we have to overturn it. Clements explains why the Citizens United case is the final win in a campaign for corporate domination that began in the 1970s under Richard Nixon.

Brian Andrews and Charles Wilson discuss Cherokee Neurosurgeon ($19.99). Andrews presents the biography of famed neurosurgeon, Dr. Charles Wilson—one of America’s great neurosurgical pioneers. Of Cherokee heritage, Dr. Wilson was a founder of the field of neuro-oncology and one of the world’s leading practitioners of microneurosurgery for the treatment of brain tumors and intracranial aneurysms. The book also highlights UCSF and the development of its world famous neurosurgery program. Join us for a wine and cheese reception.

Eight Mondays: Mar. 5-Apr. 23
Develop reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. Readings include examples of Italian poetry, plus short stories and plays by Moravia, Calvino, and Ginzburg. Gisella Petrone has a Masters degree from the University of Calabria. She has taught English, Italian, Latin, Roman History, and Italian cooking.

Matt Ruff talks about The Mirage ($25.99). From the author of Set This House in Order and Bad Monkeys comes a mind-bending thriller, in which an alternate history of 9/11 uncovers harrowing truths about America and the Middle East. Ruff is also the author of the cult classics Fool on the Hill and Sewer, Gas & Electric: The Public Works Trilogy.

Eight Mondays: Mar. 5-Apr. 23
Continuation of grammar and language immersion through conversation. Must have prior Spanish experience to speak to instructor to join. Graciela Pera was born in Buenos Aires. She is a graduate of the University of Buenos Aires. She has been teaching Spanish for 35 years.

Eight Tuesdays: Mar. 6-Apr. 24
A very basic introduction for students who have never studied Spanish. Study guide can be purchased onthe first day of class. Graciela Pera was born in Buenos Aires. She is a graduate of the University of Buenos Aires. She has been teaching Spanish for 35 years.

Eight Tuesdays: Mar. 6-Apr. 24
This class is for beginners and for those who have previously had some exposure to German. You’ll focus on conjugating verbs in the present tense, declension of nouns, articles, and your ability to carry on a simple conversation with a native German speaker. Hamid Emami has a Masters from the University of Hamburg, and he is fluent in German, English, French, Spanish & Farsi. He has taught German for many years.

In Crazy Enough ($25.00), Storm Large speaks frankly about the forces, friendships, and life-changing events that helped her become the unstoppable woman she is today. This memoir is about an artist’s journey toward realizing her own strength and unique sources of inspiration, and is a love song to the flawed parts in all of us that are often deemed “crazy.”

Jack Kornfield presents Bringing Home the Dharma ($24.95). Kornfield offers observations about the rise of mindfulness in the West and shares his insights on finding freedom. Topics range from cultivating loving- kindness to overcoming the obstacles to awakening, spirituality and sexuality. Priority seating with book purchase.

Eight Wednesdays: Mar. 7-Apr. 25
Develop listening, speaking and reading skills through literary texts, news clippings, and film. The class covers the subjunctive and other grammatical structures. Gisella Petrone has a Masters degree from the University of Calabria. She has taught English, Italian, Latin, Roman History, and Italian cooking.

Four Wednesdays: Mar. 7-28
Exhibit Opening at the Legion of Honor on February 18
In their operetta Patience, Gilbert and Sullivan skewered the Aesthetic movement, the anti-industrial stance adopted by a talented and opinionated group of artists, poets and architects that had an enormous impact on painting, architecture, interior design and dress. Closely related to the Arts and Crafts movement, Aestheticism attempted to redefine the relationship between “Fine Arts” and design. The exhibit, originated by the Victoria and Albert Museum, celebrates the creations of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, James McNeill Whistler, Burne-Jones, Godwin, William Morris and a host of others. Let’s educate ourselves about the philosophy, interaction and production of these creative geniuses in preparation for this gorgeous show.

Eight Thursdays: Mar. 8-May 3 (no class Apr. 5)
A very basic introduction for students who have never studied Spanish. Study guide can be purchased from the instructor the first day of class. Graciela Pera was born in Buenos Aires. She is a graduate of the University of Buenos Aires. She has been teaching Spanish for 35 years.

Special for kids!

Ashley Wolff talks about Baby Bear Sees Blue ($16.99). Baby Bear has so much to learn about the world! From the moment he wakes until it’s time to curl up and go to sleep, he explores outside with his mama. They see green leaves, blue jays, brown trout, and—best of all—a patch of yummy red strawberries.

Charles Baxter says flash fiction stories “are between poetry and fiction, the story and the sketch, prophecy and reminiscence, the personal and the crowd.” Writing these short-shorts causes you to flex your best writing muscle: precision. New outlets make this a growing market for publishing. Learn how to write and publish these stories Peg Alford Pursell’s flash fiction piece is the title story of the Burrow Press Anthology Fragmentation and Other Stories. She is the fiction editor at Prick of the Spindle and curates the “Why There Are Words” Literary Reading Series.

This session is now sold out.
You’ve written a brilliant story and can’t wait to hear what others think. You’re stuck and need a critique. What to do? Bring your manuscript—a picture book, a chapter, or even just an idea (ten-page limit) and we’ll workshop on the spot. Amy Novesky is an independent children’s book editor, author, and experienced workshop leader.

Join us for coffee and tea as Carol Edgarian talks about Three Stages of Amazement ($16.00). Set in San Francisco, Edgarian’s novel deftly charts the struggles and triumphs of Lena Rusch and her husband Charlie Pepper, who believe they can have it all—sex, love, marriage, children, career, brilliance. But life delivers surprises and tests.

Ramon Resa discusses Out of the Fields ($19.95). At age 3, Resa became a farmworker in California’s Central Valley. The odds were stacked against him—poverty, low self-esteem, and prejudice. But Resa went to medical school and then returned to the Central Valley. He opened a pediatric practice and has spent two decades working with poor and under-served children.

Left Coast Writers Launch!

Stan Goldberg presents Leaning into Sharp Points:Pratical Guidance and Nurturing Support for Caregivers ($14.95). There are an estimated 35 million in the U.S. who currently provide care for someone terminally or chronically ill. Those who accept this responsibility often feel alone in a frightening world. Goldberg offers an honest, caring, and comprehensive guide.

Carol Wallace presents To Marry an English Lord ($15.95). This is the book that inspired Downton Abbey! A rich tapestry of essays, sidebars, fact-filled boxes, and lively anecdotes combined with wealth of portraits, drawings, photographs, and other rare Victoriana—this work chronicles the era of Mrs. Astor, Edith Wharton, King Edward VII, and the Marlborough House Set. Join us for tea!

Calling all third grade girls...this is the “play-shop” for you. We’ll erect a tent of wonder, make magic word tickets, experiment with poems and mini story “blasts,” and take our creations home. All materials provided. All that’s required is a sense of wonder and a willingness to surprise yourself. Karen Benke has inspired kids’ creative journeys in the form of poem-making for 17 years as a California Poet in the Schools and has authored a collection of poems, Sister, and a new book for kids and kids-at-heart, Rip the Page! Adventures in Creative Writing. Class limited to 15.

Mastering Children’s Writing
A New Workshop Salon Led by Andrea Alban
2nd Sunday each month • Corte Madera
5:00-8:00 pm • $180 per year (annual membership comes with one free private consultation with Andrea, a $60 value!) or $30 per monthly meeting

Spark your imagination and polish your manuscript in a community of enthusiastic writers. Listen to an engaging craft presentation, practice new writing and editing techniques, give and receive peer feedback, and go home to your desk with a monthly assignment — energized and inspired. Craft topics will include style and voice, point of view, characterization, fictional time and place, plot and story arc, and the art of revision. We will also explore manuscript submission, book promotion, and establishing an online presence and platform as a writer. Andrea Alban is the author of nine books including The Happiness Tree and a YA novel, Anya’s War. She holds a B.A. in Creative Writing.

Judith Horstman talks about The Scientific American Book of Love, Sex, and the Brain: The Neuroscience of How, When, Why, and Who We Love ($25.95).

Chloe Coscarelli presents Chloe's Kitchen: 125 Easy, Delicious Recipes for Making the Food You Love the Vegan Way ($18.00). Making waves with her healthful, beautiful, delicious vegan food, Chef Coscarelli, winner of the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars, presents more than 100 original recipes that bring fun and energy to a wide range of dishes.

Four Tuesdays: Mar. 13-Apr. 3
Have you always wanted to write but weren’t sure where to begin? Do you think you don’t have the time or the discipline? Leslie Keenan has 28 years’ experience in helping people uncover and release their ideas. She has worked on over 80 published books. She knows what it takes to get a book from the first glimmer of an idea into its published form. A student wrote, “Leslie is inspiring, compassionate and has a natural gift for creating a safe place for a writer. She’s like a living life preserver.”

"If it weren't for Leslie Keenan's courses at Book Passage, I would never have written a word of fiction, and I would never have been published. To this day, I still use the tools she gave me for understanding my process, finding my voice, and fighting my fears."
-Tammy Kaehler, author of Dead Man's Switch, Poisoned Pen Press

Eight Wednesdays: Mar. 14-May 2
Prerequisite: Spanish I or Spanish II. Conversation will focus on Spanish and Latin American literature. There will also be a review of Spanish grammar. Graciela Pera was born in Buenos Aires. She is a graduate of the University of Buenos Aires. She has been teaching Spanish for 35 years.

Marc Lewis talks about Memoirs of an Addicted Brain: A Neuroscientist Examines His Former Life on Drugs ($26.99). Lewis applies his professional expertise to study his former self, using his own journey through addiction to tell the universal story of addictions of every kind. He explains the effects of a variety of powerful drugs.

The renowned author of Lift and The Middle Place shares her provocative insight about some of her favorite contemporary writers, including Anne Lamott, Michael Chabon and John Hodgman. She will provide details about the Notes & Words Essay Contest that she is sponsoring.

Visit www.notesandwords.org for more information about the Notes & Words Essay Contest.

Four Thursdays: Mar. 15-Apr. 5
THIS CLASS HAS BEEN CANCELLED: Have you always wanted to write? Are you excited about putting stories onto paper but intimidated by the blank computer screen? Whether you’re just starting out or have some writing experience, learn structures and techniques that will bring your fiction or nonfiction to life. This class will include handouts, take-home assignments, and in-class writing. Tanya Egan Gibson is the author of the novel How To Buy a Love of Reading as well as numerous short stories and essays. Her articles about the craft of writing have appeared in The Writer magazine.

Tiffany Baker talks about her novel The Gilly Salt Sisters ($24.99). The Gilly sisters are as different as can be. Although their isolated Cape Cod village community half-suspects they might be witches, it doesn’t stop the town’s wealthiest bachelor from forcing his way into their lives. Baker is the author of The Little Giant of Aberdeen County.

50+ Writers, 3 Minutes Each!
Joins us for an irreverent evening as we showcase new work from the students of the San Francisco Writer's Grotto writing classes. Fiction and nonfiction writers from our fall classes will read their work - but only for 3 minutes each! Their instructors (Grotto authors) will enforce the time limit. Join us for wine, fun, and fresh new writing.

Tickets: $30 - Available at the Door
International Association of Sufism is pleased to announce Songs of the Soul 2012 Poetry & Sacred Music Festival. March 16-18 in San Rafael, California, USA. Join us for a weekend of poetry, music, and heart-centered conversation.

Friday Night Event: Albert Flynn DeSilver, Renee Owen with Brian Foster, and winners of the Songs of the Soul Poetry Contest

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Jon Carroll (winner of the National Association of Newspaper Columnists Ernie Pyle Award for Lifetime Achievement) shares his wit, wisdom, and essay-writing talents. This is a chance to learn personal essay writing from one of the best. One student wrote, “Jon Carroll is witty, patient, knowledgeable, inspiring. He anticipates people’s concerns in their questions and problems they can’t express. Gives tons of examples...”

Ben Hellwarth talks about his just published Sealab: America's Forgotten Quest to Live and Work on the Ocean Floor ($28.00). Hellwarth tells the story of how the U.S. Navy program tried to develop the marine equivalent of the space station—and why the Navy pulled the plug. Hellwarth has interviewed surviving members of the three Sealab experiments and conducted archival research to tell the first comprehensive story about this program.

Tickets: $30 - Available at the Door
International Association of Sufism is pleased to announce Songs of the Soul 2012 Poetry & Sacred Music Festival. March 16-18 in San Rafael, California, USA. Join us for a weekend of poetry, music, and heart-centered conversation.

Saturday Night Event: Coleman Barks

Carol Sheldon talks about Mother Lode ($14.95). Was Catherine’s mysterious death a horrible accident—or was it murder? Sheldon presents a psychological mystery, set in the late 1800s during the heyday of copper mining in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The story deals with dark secrets and twisted passions that lie deep below the surface.

Anacaria Myrrha talks about An Invitation to An Extraordinary Life ($19.95). Myrrha offers a process to help us discover our life purpose and then build a structure to support that purpose in the world. She talks about befriending those internal dragons who terrorize and annoy us and gives steps for creating sacred space in which to live.

Larry Fritzlan talks about We are the 99% and We Are Running for Office ($9.95). Fritzlan, a local Family Therapist and addiction specialist, concluded after finishing his first book (Intervention on America) that getting money out of politics is the only way to get rid of the special interests’ control of our elected officials. His latest book shows how ‘we the people’ can run for office ourselves, take the pledge to accept no contributions greater than $100, and take back control of our own government.

Rebecca Costa talks about The Watchman's Rattle: Thinking Our Way Out of Extinction ($26.00).Why are economic, social and political problems leaping ahead faster than governments can patch them up? Costa reveals the four patterns which paralyze innovative thinking and civilization’s ability to solve complex problems.

Eight Mondays: Mar. 19-May 7
This class reviews all grammar, tenses and vocabulary at an advanced level. Focus is on improving the ability to debate issues, give and obtain information, and feel at ease in conversations while traveling. Up-to-date articles and issues that interest the French are discussed. Anne Bishop lived and taught in France for 20 years. She has taught French language, culture, and literature at Book Passage for many years.

Eight Tuesdays: Mar. 20-May 8
This class is for students who are proficient in French but want feedback in grammar or vocabulary in order to express themselves with more precision and ease at an advanced level. We discuss and debate current issues, and read a popular novel in French. Anne Bishop lived and taught in France for 20 years. She has taught French language, culture, and literature at Book Passage for many years.

Learn how to write a compelling proposal for your nonfiction book, and then go from book idea to book tour. Literary agent Ted Weinstein covers all the key facets of the publishing business and all the elements—style and substance—that go into a successful book proposal. Attendees can bring a synopsis of their own book for critique and tuneup. Weinstein represents a wide range of nonfiction clients, including NPR’s “Math Guy” Keith Devlin, New York Times bestseller Leander Kahney (Inside Steve's Brain), and the 826 Valencia writing centers.

Upstairs at the Ferry Building
Cosponsored by CUESA
Tracie McMillan, author of The American Way of Eating ($25.00), will be joined in conversation by a panel of speakers. Join CUESA and Book Passage for a conversation between McMillan, journalist and author of the recently released book The American Way of Eating, and Sandy Brown, co-owner of Swanton Berry Farm. After going undercover to labor in the fields of industrial farms, stock groceries at Walmart, and work in the kitchen at Applebee’s, McMillan—called "a voice the food world needs" by the New York Times—has some eye-opening tales to tell about the people behind our food and the inner workings of the corporate food system. Swanton Berry Farm’s Sandy Brown, who is also a UC Berkeley graduate student researching farm labor and fair trade certifications, will talk with McMillan about labor, privilege, politics, and eating in America.

Jodi Kantor talks about The Obamas ($29.99). Kantor takes us inside the White House as the Obamas grapple with their new roles, change the country, raise children, and figure out what it means to be the first black President and First Lady. Kantor’s much discussed portrait may surprise readers who thought they knew the Obamas.

Eight Wednesdays: Mar. 21-May 9
This class (formerly Beginning French) focuses on French for travel, and covers basic vocabulary, expressions, grammar and pronunciation for communicating during travel. Introduction of past and future tenses. Anne Bishop lived and taught in France for 20 years. She has taught French language,
culture, and literature at Book Passage for many years.

Daniel Halperin & Craig Timberg talk about Tinderbox: How the West Sparked the AIDS Epidemic & How the World Can Finally Overcome It ($29.95). In this groundbreaking narrative, longtime Washington Post reporter Craig Timberg and award-winning AIDS researcher Daniel Halperin tell the surprising story of how Western colonial powers unwittingly sparked the AIDS epidemic and then fanned its rise. Drawing on remarkable new science, Tinderbox overturns the conventional wisdom about the origins of this deadly pandemic and how to fight it.

Eight Thursdays: Mar. 22-May 10
This class is the second session for beginners. The focus is on French for travel, getting and giving information, and interacting on a basic level. Grammar, vocabulary, useful expressions, comprehension, pronunciation is introduced. Anne Bishop lived and taught in France for 20 years. She has taught French language, culture, and literature at Book Passage for many years.

Eight Thursdays: Mar. 22-May 10
This class (formerly Lower Intermediate French) widens the ability to communicate for travel or conversation. We learn new vocabulary, expressions, and grammar (the imperfect past tense as well as the simple past, and conditional tenses are presented). Anne Bishop lived and taught in France for 20 years. She has taught French language, culture, and literature at Book Passage for many years.

Roger Housden talks about Ten Poems to Say Goodbye ($16.00). A goodbye is an opportunity for kindness, for forgiveness, for intimacy, and ultimately for love and a deepening acceptance of life. In the newest addition to his Ten Poems series, Housden highlights the magic of poetry, this time as it relates to personal loss, respite, and joy.

50+ Writers, 3 Minutes Each!
Joins us for an irreverent evening as we showcase new work from the students of the San Francisco Writer's Grotto writing classes. Fiction and nonfiction writers from our fall classes will read their work - but only for 3 minutes each! Their instructors (Grotto authors) will enforce the time limit. Join us for wine, fun, and fresh new writing.

Ellen Sweets talks about Stirring It Up with Molly Ivins: A Memoir with Recipes ($29.95). We know Ivins as a writer who used her wit and good sense to excoriate political figures unworthy of our trust and respect. But did you also know that Molly was one helluva cook? Molly’s longtime friend and fellow reporter takes us into the kitchen with Molly.

Even the most accomplished writers experience writer’s block. Whether you’re having problems starting, finishing, or you’re flat-lining in the middle, this class will help loosen the grip of creative blocks. Using guided imagery, visualization, mindfulness practices, and evocative writing exercises, participants will receive practical tips on getting into the zone, dealing with obstruction and exploring how to write from the “big space.” Catherine Flaxman is a writer and story consultant, and has sold two screenplays and received two artists’ grants from the Marin Arts Council. She’s a licensed psychotherapist and seminar leader, with a background in the creative and contemplative arts.

Dr. Robin Zasio talks about The Hoarder in You: How to Live a Happier, Healthier, Uncluttered Life ($24.99). According to psychologist Dr. Zasio, most of us fall somewhere on thehoarding continuum. Even  though it may not regularly interfere with our everyday lives, to some degree or another, many of us hoard. This work provides practical advice for decluttering and organizing, and reducing stress.

Using your life as the source for personal essays, stories, and memoir, you’ll learn techniques to access and shape your material and approach it from new angles. This class is ideal for beginning and more experienced writers who want to learn new creative writing techniques and review the elements of personal essays. Whether writing for yourself, your family, or a wider audience, you’ll learn how to craft engaging, compelling pieces. This workshop includes instruction, in-class writing, and feedback. We will cover topics from character development and dramatic tension to story arc and epiphanies. We will also touch on how and where to get your essays and stories published.

Nina L. Shapiro presents Take a Deep Breath ($16.95), a comprehensive, accessible, and indispensible guide for parents, caregivers, teachers, pediatricians, and other healthcare providers. The book provides a thorough review of children's breathing issues, differentiating the normal and abnormal for all ages, and at all levels of breathing passages. Take a Deep Breath explains all of the puzzling and oftentimes distressing breathing patterns our children have throughout development.

Ashley Ream discusses her novel Losing Clementine ($14.99). A world-renowned artist decides she’s done. After flushing away her prescription drugs, she gives herself 30 days to finish one last painting. But what she doesn’t expect is to uncover secrets surrounding the tragedy that befell her family. Will we lose Clementine or will we find her?

Clive Rosengren talks about his novel Murder Unscripted ($8.80).Nobody is going to mistake part-time actor, part-time sleuth Eddie Collins for a star. While shooting a TV commercial, Eddie gets a call from a bonding company on the hook for a film whose female lead has died. But the dead actress is Eddie’s ex-wife, and her death looks like murder.

Harlan Coben presents Stay Close ($26.95). With his trademark combination of page-turning thrills and unrivaled insight into the dark shadows that creep into even the happiest communities, Coben delivers a thriller that cements his status as the master of domestic suspense. Three people living lives they never wanted, hiding secrets that even those closest to them would never suspect, will find that the past doesn't recede. Even as the terrible consequences of long-ago events crash together in the present and threaten to ruin lives, they will come to the startling realization that they may not want to forget the past at all. Coben is the acclaimed author of The Woods and Promise Me.

Priority seating with purchase of the book
The former governor of Michigan, Jennifer Granholm and her husband Dan Mulhern present A Governor’s Story: The Fight for Jobs and America’s Economic Future ($27.99). In January, 2002, Granholm became the first woman governor of Michigan. This is a first-hand account of her battle to create jobs and to repair healthcare, education, and infrastructure systems—issues that are now sweeping the country. Granholm is host of the new show about politics the War Room with Jennifer Granholm on Current TV.

Eight Mondays: Mar. 26-May 21
Note: Beginning Session started in January
Students will continue to develop basic proficiency in speaking, reading, understanding and writing. They are introduced to vocabulary, grammar and syntax through spoken and written exercises. Wendy Walsh, Ph.D. in Italian Literature from UCB, has been teaching Italian language, literature, and cooking since 1979. She leads a yearly Language Study Tour Program to Italy.

Mike Berger discusses The High Life ($15.95). Berger's first-person accounts of some of San Francisco's most famous characters from the 60's and 70's include legal colleagues Nate Cohn, Jim MacInnis, Pat (Butch) Hallinan and some of their clients, notably Sally Stanford, Mel Belli, and the People's Temple survivors. Berger also writes of his 40-year devotion to the Delancey Street Foundation and his friendship with founders John Maher and Mimi Silbert. 

Eight Tuesdays: Mar. 27-May 22 (no class Apr. 10)
Class will continue with second half of the text Ultimate Italian. Emphasis is on building vocabulary and using basic structures in conversation. Wendy Walsh, Ph.D. in Italian Literature from UCB, has been teaching Italian language, literature, and cooking since 1979. She leads a yearly Language Study Tour Program to Italy.

Eight Wednesdays: Mar. 28-May 23 (no class Apr. 11)
This class will continue review work in its textbook Quaderno degli Esercizi. Emphasis is on review of difficult structures (il congiuntivo) but also on mastery of the language through conversation, vocabulary work and reading. Wendy Walsh, Ph.D. in Italian Literature from UCB, has been teaching Italian language, literature, and cooking since 1979. She leads a yearly Language Study Tour Program to Italy.

Eight Wednesdays: Mar. 28-May 23 (no class Apr. 11)
Class will begin a new textbook (TBA) to review difficult structures. Emphasis is on conversation and mastery of following tenses: il passato prossimo, l’imperfetto, il trapassato prossimo e il condizionale. Wendy Walsh, Ph.D. in Italian Literature from UCB, has been teaching Italian language, literature, and cooking since 1979. She leads a yearly Language Study Tour Program to Italy.

Jacqueline Winspear discusses Elegy for Eddie: A Maisie Dobbs Novel ($25.99). Maisie Dobbs takes on her most personal case yet, a twisting investigation into the brutal killing of a street peddler that will take her from working-class neighborhoods into London’s highest circles of power. Jacqueline Winspear is the co-chair of the 2012 Book Passage Mystery Writers Conference.

Eight Thursdays: Mar. 29-May 24 (no class Apr. 12)
Class will continue reviewing difficult grammar structures (il periodo ipotetico, la forma passiva e la forma impersonale) and we will begin reading some famous Italian novelle. Emphasis is on conversation. Wendy Walsh, Ph.D. in Italian Literature from UCB, has been teaching Italian language, literature, and cooking since 1979. She leads a yearly Language Study Tour Program to Italy.

Noah Hawley discusses his novel The Good Father ($25.95). Hawley delivers an intense, psychological novel about one doctor’s quest to unlock the mind of a suspected political assassin: his 20-year-old son. Told alternately from the point of view of the guilt-ridden, determined father and his meandering, ruminative son, this work is a powerfully emotional page-turner.

in association with The Marin Poetry Center, Gan HaLev, and the Jewish American Fiction Book Club
Acclaimed poet and translator, and winner of both the MacArthur Genius and National Jewish Book Awards, Peter Cole will read from his forthcoming book The Poetry of Kabbalah.

in conversation with Peter Coyote
Terry Bisson talks about Any Day Now ($24.95). Library Journal says, "This excellent novel is a poignant fictional recollection of growing up in the 1950s and 1960s that gradually veers into a kind of post–apocalyptic survival story. Bisson deftly resurrects 1960s America..."

Journalists Cokie and Steve Roberts share their interfaith Passover traditions captured in their unique Haggadah.

Seven Fridays: Mar. 30-May 18 (no class Apr. 13)
Class will begin a new textbook (TBA) to review difficult structures. Emphasis is on conversation and mastery of following tenses: il passato prossimo, l’imperfetto, il trapassato prossimo e il condizionale. Wendy Walsh, Ph.D. in Italian Literature from UCB, has been teaching Italian language, literature, and cooking since 1979. She leads a yearly Language Study Tour Program to Italy.

Adair Lara shows how to get your memoir started—or finished. You will learn all the vital elements: the arc, reflective voice, scene vs. narrative, fact vs. truth, and writing about family members. She also explains what it takes to get published. There will be in-class exercises and assignments. Writers of fiction and essays are welcome too. A former San Francisco Chronicle columnist, Lara is the author of 12 books, including Naked, Drunk and Writing, her popular guide to essay and memoir.

Frances Mayes signs copies of The Tuscan Sun Cookbook ($29.99). For readers of Mayes’ bestselling phenomenon Under the Tuscan Sun comes The Tuscan Sun Cookbook, in which Mayes and her husband Ed celebrate the ease of the Tuscan kitchen and the joys of the table with more than 125 recipes, stunning food and lifestyle photography, and Frances and Ed’s delicious stories. Buy a book and get it signed.

Developing a Dialogue with Your Inner Voice is an experiential and interactive workshop, based on the book written by Mark Hughes, I Am Not a Prophet, Therefore I Know. Participants will explore some of the concepts described in Mark’s book such as fear, the rational mind, trust, various ways one’s Inner Voice comes, and learn techniques to develop a dialogue that goes both ways. Attendees should bring a writing journal or a charged laptop, whichever they prefer.

William J. Broad presents  The Science of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards ($26.00). Broad unveils a burgeoning global industry that attracts not only curious scientists but true believers and charismatic hustlers. In the end, he shatters myths, lays out unexpected benefits, and offers a compelling vision of how the ancient practice can be improved.

Owen Laukkanen presents his crime novel The Professionals ($25.95). Four friends, recent college graduates caught in a terrible job market, joke about turning to kidnapping to survive. And then, suddenly, it’s no joke. For two years, the strategy they devise—quick, efficient, low risk—works like a charm. Until they kidnap the wrong man.

Special for kids!

Amy Novesky talks about her picture book for all ages, Georgia in Hawaii: When Georgia O'Keefe Painted What She Pleased ($16.99). Georgia O’Keeffe was famous for painting what she wanted. Who would dare tell her what to paint? The Hawaiian Pineapple Company tried. Novesky’s telling of this little-known story and Yuyi Morales’s gorgeous paintings perfectly capture Georgia’s strong artistic spirit.

Admission $110 per person/ $185 per couple 

SOLD OUT!

In all of Frances Mayes’s bestselling memoirs about Tuscany, food plays a starring role. This cuisine transports, comforts, entices, and speaks to the friendly, genuine, and improvisational spirit of Tuscan life. Both cooking and eating in Tuscany are natural pleasures. In her first-ever cookbook, The Tuscan Sun Cookbook: Recipes from Our Italian Kitchen, Frances and her husband, Ed, share recipes that they have enjoyed over the years as honorary Tuscans: dishes prepared in a simple, traditional kitchen using robust, honest ingredients.
          
A toast to the experiences they’ve had over two decades at Bramasole, their home in Cortona, Italy, this cookbook evokes days spent roaming the countryside for chestnuts, green almonds, blackberries, and porcini; dinner parties stretching into the wee hours,  and garden baskets tumbling over with bright red tomatoes.
          
Lose yourself in the delectable food, the people, and the place, as Frances’ lyrical introductions and headnotes put you by her side in her Tuscan kitchen. Join us for dinner with Frances as we raise a glass at the table in celebration of the flavors of Tuscany! The price includes the meal, wine, coffee, tax, tip & a signed copy of the author’s book.

Can't attend the event? Order a signed copy

Hogan Gorman discusses Hot Cripple: An Incurable Smart-Ass Takes on the Health Care System and Lives to Tell the Tale ($16.00). Inspired by her acclaimed one-woman show, this is a keenly observed account of the cracks in our medical and social welfare system. She shows how one woman’s resilience, combined with a generous dollop of humor, helped her fight her way to recovery.

Join Diane Ackerman for lunch as she presents One Hundred Names for Love. In narrating the recovery of her husband, Paul West, from a stroke that reduced his vast vocabulary to a single syllable, Ackerman evokes the joy and mystery of the brain’s ability to find and connect words. In this deeply rewarding book, Ackerman gives us a literary love story, accessible insight into the science and medicine of brain injury, and invaluable spiritual sustenance in the face of life’s myriad physical sufferings. Ackerman is the author of The Zookeeper’s Wife.

Book Passage hosts literary luncheons with celebrated authors at our Marin store. These events are catered by the outstanding Insalata’s Restaurant of San Anselmo.

Cheryl Strayed presents Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail ($25.95). In the wake of her mother’s death, with her family scattered and her marriage on the rocks, Cheryl Strayed makes the most impulsive decision of her life: to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State—and to do it alone.

Jessica Maria Tuccelli presents her novel Glow ($25.95). In the autumn of 1941, a young woman puts her young daughter, Ella, on a bus bound for Georgia—alone. What seems like neglect is an act of desperation. Ella’s father is one of hundreds of African-Americans jailed for resisting the draft, and his family has been threatened with violence.

Four Wednesdays: Apr. 4-25
The ancient myths sought to explain the fears and delights of existence and continue to do so today. We’ll explore the stories of Hesiod, Homer, the Greek dramatists, Ovid , Apulius and others as interpreted by Greek vase painters, Roman sculptors, Medieval book illustrators, Renaissance and Baroque painters and sculptors. What do the images tell us of the concerns of times in which they were produced? Artists from Exekias to Salvador Dali, including Botticelli, Titian, Rembrandt, Velazquez, Poussin, Durer and others will be examined as we unravel the many conquests of Zeus, Cupid and Psyche, Narcissus and Echo, Diana and Endymion, Demeter and Persephone, Peleus and Thetis, Venus and Mars , Aeneas, Achilles, Medusa and others.

Joanna Macy talks about Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in Without Going Crazy ($14.95). Most books addressing global issues focus either on our dire problems or grand-scale solutions. Co-authors Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone focus instead on equipping readers with a transformational mindset.

Tom Epperson discusses his suspense novel Sailor ($24.99). Acclaimed novelist of The Kind One and screenwriter of such films as One False Move and The Gift, Epperson brings the violence-soaked world of Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men and the heroism of Jack Schaefer’s Shane together to create an action thriller for the 21st century.

Carolina de Robertis talks about her novel Perla ($25.95). Perla Correa grew up a privileged only-child in Buenos Aires, with a cold, polished mother and a straitlaced naval officer father. Her parents supported the dictatorship. When Perla is confronted by an uninvited visitor, she is forced to confront the unease she has suppressed all her life.