Events

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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..."

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.

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.

Three Tuesdays: Apr. 10, May 1 & June 7 - Class is taught in French
Nicolas Wolff offers a three course overview on the French electoral process. The first class takes place ahead of the primary round of voting, with the second occurring just head of the final vote. The third class will meet after the elections conclude. Learn about procedures, governmental structure, campaign finance and more in an educational and fun atmosphere. Take your knowledge with you on a trip to France and impress the locals! Nicolas Wolff grew up in Paris and studied at one of France’s top business schools. He has worked extensively across Europe and the US and has taught French at all levels.

Six Tuesdays: Apr. 10-May 15
Have you started a book but haven’t been able to finish it? Leslie Keenan has 28 years of experience helping writers get their books done. She has worked on over 80 published books. She knows the most frequent reasons writers get stuck, and can help writers discover how to get back in flow and write effortlessly again. Students will leave with a strategy for completing their book. Also covered is advice on the best way to get a book published, with suggestions for agents, editors, publishers, and printers. A student wrote, “Thank you for your honesty, your courage, your support and your kindness. I needed you to help me complete my book.”

"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 

Richard North Patterson discusses his new thriller Fall From Grace ($26.00). Using his training as a CIA operative, Adam Blaine seeks to find the truth of his father’s death, even if it means exposing his own family member as the killer and discovering secrets about himself he was never supposed to know. Patterson’s many acclaimed books include In the Name of Honor. Priority seating with book purchase.

Priority seating with purchase of the book

Join us as Anne Lamott and son Sam Lamott discuss Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son’s First Son ($26.95). Lamott enters a new and unexpected chapter of her own life: grandmotherhood. Stunned to learn that her son, Sam, is about to become a father at 19, Lamott begins a journal about the first year of her grandson Jax’s life. In careful and often hilarious detail, Lamott and Sam—about whom she first wrote so movingly in Operating Instructions—struggle to balance their changing roles with the demands of college and work, as they both forge new relationships with Jax’s mother, who has her own ideas about how to raise a child.

Lynn Sherr presents Swim: Why We Love the Water ($25.99). Swimming enthusiast Sherr explores every aspect of the sport, from the biology of swimming to the fame of Esther Williams; from turquoise pools and wild water to the training of Olympians; and she reveals the secret of buoyancy so that anyone can avoid the example of the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, who lamented, “Why can’t I swim, it seems so very easy?” When his friend, the biographer Edward John Trelawny, said, “because you think you can’t,” Shelley plunged into Italy’s Arno River and dropped like a rock. With Swim, you can avoid that happening to you. Sherr was an award-winning correspondent for more than 30 years at ABC News.

Join us for a gin and tonic as Monte Schulz speaks easy about his new novel, The Big Town ($29.99). A novel of the Jazz Age, The Big Town is the story of a failed businessman whose dreams of prosperity hinge on the secret proposition of a millionaire industrialist and a dangerous relationship he finds with a poor orphan girl chasing love in the great American metropolis. "Those who savor authentic details of a bygone era will be rapt by Schulz’s delightful displays of staccato, wise-guy diction (‘Say, hatchet face, what’s the dope?’) and his cascading sheets of period description that set the scenes." -- Booklist

"Beautifully written and thoroughly researched, a veritable time-machine that whirled me through time to the dirty back roads of the American midwest in the year before the Depression. Did I mention how good the writing is? The writing is excellent… This book is a masterpiece of setting and storytelling." -- Cory Doctorow

Monte Schulz received his M.A. in American Studies from UCSB. He published his first novel, Down By the River, in 1990, and spent the next twelve years writing a novel of the Jazz Age — This Side of Jordan. He wrote it for his father, the late cartoonist, Charles M. Schulz. It is followed by The Last Rose of Summer and a third book in the trilogy, The Big Town.

Katherine Jenkins talks about Lessons From the Monk I Married ($15.00). Jenkins went to Korea on a whim, hoping to find the answers to her deepest questions about peace and her purpose in life. During her first months there, she sought out a remote temple, where she unknowingly crossed paths with an unassuming Buddhist monk. Months later, they met again by chance—and fell in love.

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.

Admission $120 per person/ $195 per couple SOLD OUT!

Can't attend the event? Order a signed copy - Email orders@bookpassage.com

Ambush Review and Book Passage celebrate National Poetry Month! Join co-editors Bob Booker and Patrick Cahill with contributors Katherine Hastings, Kit Kennedy, Roy Mash, Todd Melicker, Nancy Wakeman and others for an afternoon of experimental and innovative poetry for the 21st century. Come and be ambushed!

Gallery Reception: Sat., Apr. 14, 5:30-7:00 pm
On Display April-May
Susan Hall, born and raised in Point Reyes Station, moved to New York and spent over 20 years living and working in New York City before returning to her home town. Since then she has been painting and drawing the beauty of Point Reyes. She has shown her work in major museums and galleries, including the Whitney Museum of Art in New York City and the San Francisco Museum of Art.

Chana Wilson presents Riding Fury Home: A Memoir ($17.00), which spans 40 years of the intense, complex relationship between Chana and her mother—the trauma of their early years together, the transformation and joy they found when they both came out in the 1970s, and the deep bond that grew between them.

So, you’re ready for an exciting alternative to the modern day BS that has you stressed out and working harder than ever? Ever wished you had access to the “control, alt, delete” button for your brain? Come to our fun and enlightening workshop and we’ll show the wonders of a Feng Shui-ed mind! Yes, you can learn how to declutter your mind so that you use the least amount of energy to generate maximum success. When you discover how to harmonize your energy with universal energy, the results are amazing and your enthusiasm for life expands exponentially! Local experts in holistic health and dynamic motivational speakers, Maureen Raytis, L.Ac. and Jill Lebeau, MFT have provided fun, engaging and inspirational workshops to thousands of people around the Bay Area.

Introduced by Nancy Roen

Kenny Johnson presents The Last Hustle ($16.45). For 31 years, Johnson was a hustler, thief, and pimp. But he had a persistent seed of spiritual longing. Kenny spent much of his life in prison, but eventually his desire for lasting freedom would drive him to find a power that would free him forever.

Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, inaccuracies will sink your book into the chasm of sloppy writing and lazy work habits. Learn the skills for fast, reliable Internet search techniques that boost your book out of the slush pile. Geri Spieler is an author and investigative reporter. Geri has written for LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and Forbes. She is the author of the fourtime award winning Taking Aim at the President: The Remarkable Story of the Woman Who Shot Gerald Ford. She is a research associate at Stanford University.

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.

Sixteen Rivers Press poets Jacqueline Kudler and Judy Hablesky talk about Easing Into Dark and Space Gap Interval Distance. Kudler’s poems trace a delicate and tensile arc. Halebsky’s experience of living in Japan infuses her poetry with dance, haiku, and Japanese imagery.

Seven Mondays: Apr. 16-June 4 (no class May 28)
This class will incorporate French cinema into a French conversation course. You watch the movies in the comfort of your home. In class there will be discussions and exercises related to the film. Films are selected to provide a wide range of exposure to French culture. Students should view “Le retour de
Martin Guerre” (“The Return of Martin Guerre”) prior to the first class. Required text: Mise en Scene, By C. Krueger, E. Weber and B. Martin. Genevieve Blaise-Sullivan has taught French at College of Marin for over 30 years. She is a French native from Paris and graduated from the Sorbonne with degrees in French, Russian, and Bulgarian.

SOLD OUT - Thank you!

Clint Hill & Lisa McCubbin discuss Mrs. Kennedy and Me: An Intimate Memoir ($26.00). For four years, from the election of John Fitzgerald Kennedy in November 1960 until after the election of Lyndon Johnson in 1964, Clint Hill was the Secret Service agent assigned to guard the glamorous and intensely private Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. During those four years, he went from being a reluctant guardian to a fiercely loyal watchdog and, in many ways, her closest friend. Now, looking back fifty years, Clint Hill tells his story for the first time, offering a tender, enthralling, and tragic portrayal of how a Secret Service agent who started life in a North Dakota orphanage became the most trusted man in the life of the First Lady who captivated first the nation and then the world.

Clint Hill is a former United States Secret Service agent who was in the presidential motorcade during the John F. Kennedy assassination. Hill remained assigned to Mrs. Kennedy and the children until after the 1964 presidential election, and he was then assigned to President Lyndon B. Johnson. He retired in 1975.

Lisa McCubbin is an award-winning journalist who has been a television news anchor and reporter, hosted her own radio show, and spent more than five years in the Middle East as a freelance writer. She is the coauthor of the New York Times bestseller The Kennedy Detail.  Visit her at www.lisamccubbin.com.

Eight Tuesdays: Apr. 17-June 5
This class is for students who want to gain proficiency and confidence communicating in French using nuances and idiomatic expressions. “En Bonne Forme” book offers selections from French speaking authors, past and present and review of French grammar. Articles from the French press and videos from TV5 will also be discussed in class. Required texts: En Bonne Forme and Schaum’s Outline of French Grammar (4th or 5th edition). Genevieve Blaise-Sullivan has taught French at College of Marin for over 30 years. She is a French native from Paris and graduated from the Sorbonne with degrees in French, Russian, and Bulgarian.

Delia Ephron talks about her novel The Lion Is In ($24.95). Three women on the run take refuge in a roadside nightclub and come face-to-face with a lion. One’s a runaway bride and kleptomaniac, one’s a recovering alcoholic, and one’s a minister’s wife. The lion is a retired circus performer. Ephron’s movies include The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, You’ve Got Mail, Hanging Up (based on her novel), and Michael.

Join us for a special Earth Day event as David Milarch discusses The Man Who Planted Trees: Lost Groves, Champion Trees, and An Urgent Plan to Save the Planet ($25.00), by Jim Robbins. Twenty years ago, Milarch, a nurseryman with a penchant for hard living who is the subject of Robbins' new book, had a vision: angels came to tell him that the earth was in trouble. Its trees were dying, and all human life was in jeopardy. The solution, they told him, was to clone the champion trees of the world and create a kind of Noah’s ark of tree genetics.

David Milarch will be giving away tree clones at this event. 

Jim Robbins, who will not be able to attend this event, is a frequent contributor to the science section of The New York Times. He has written for Smithsonian, Audubon, Scientific American, Discover, and Condé Nast Traveler.

Bill Clegg presents Ninety Days: A Memoir of Recovery ($24.99). This is the excruciating and eye-opening story of one man’s struggle, but it offers an unvarnished look at the painful journey of stops and starts that all addicts —and their loved ones—share. A book that any person whose life has been touched by the devastation that is addiction—and the battle that is recovery—should have. Bill Clegg will be in conversation with David Sheff, the author of Beautiful Boy ($14.95).

This class is canceled.
Three Thursdays: Apr. 19-May 3
Dominican University credit available
What’s next year’s seafood trend? What sort of flavors will be hip in homemade sodas? In this food writing class we’ll create pitches for articles that will get your foot into the doors of top publications. We’ll research topics, find angles, craft a query letter, and write a polished article. Maria Finn is a regular contributor to Sunset magazine. She also writes for The Wall Street Journal, Wine Spectator, Saveur, Gastronomica, and many other places.

Anat Baniel talks about Kids Beyond Limits: The Anat Baniel Method for Awakening the Brain and Transforming the Life of Your Child With Special Needs ($16.00). Supported by the latest brain research, The Anat Baniel Method uses simple, gentle movements and focus to help any child who has been diagnosed with autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, ADHD, Cerebral Palsy, or other developmental disorders. Baniel guides parents through the essentials of the method.

Special for kids!

Gianna Marino talks about Meet Me at the Moon ($16.99). When Mama Elephant must leave Little One, the young elephant is worried. Who will care for Little One? Who will sing Mama’s special songs? When will she return? Mama is very reassuring —Little One will hear her song on the wind and feel her love in the warmth of the sun.

Edgar Award-winning Anne Perry discusses her latest novel Dorchester Terrace ($26.00). Perry’s latest work invites us not only into the secret places of Britain’s power but also into the innermost sanctums of the fin de siecle Austro-Hungarian Empire. Perry is the acclaimed author of Bethlehem Road and Death of a Stranger.

Jenny Lawson presents / talks about / discusses / reads from / has something to say about and generally speaks on the subject of her new book Let’s Pretend This Never Happened ($25.95). Join Book Passage for this exclusive Northern California event. Oh, and did we mention taxidermy may be involved....

What's it all about? Well, let's say Lawson realized that the most mortifying moments of our lives — the ones we’d like to pretend never happened — are in fact the ones that define us. In Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, the author takes readers on a hilarious journey recalling her bizarre upbringing in rural Texas, her devastatingly awkward high school years, and her relationship with her long-suffering husband, Victor. Chapters include: “Stanley the Magical, Talking Squirrel”; “A Series of Angry Post-It Notes to My Husband”; “My Vagina Is Fine. Thanks for Asking”; “And Then I Snuck a Dead Cuban Alligator on an Airplane.” Pictures with captions (no one would believe these things without proof) accompany the text.

With this already bestselling book internet sensation Jenny Lawson, aka The Bloggess, makes her literary debut. Recommended for fans of Tina Fey and David Sedaris — "Even when I was funny, I wasn't this funny" — Augusten Burroughs.

Special for kids!

Susan Katz presents My Mama Earth ($16.99). Watch the wonder experienced by a small boy as he journeys through the world, taking in the many gifts of nature. With a simple, lyrical narrative, Katz celebrates the three-way relationship between Mama Earth, a mother and a child, making this an intimate picture book to share with little ones.

Elizabeth Weil presents No Cheating, No Dying: I Had a Good Marriage. Then I Tried to Make It Better ($25.00).

 PLEASE NOTE THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO ILLNESS! 

Weil examines major universal marriage issues by bravely recounting her own hilarious, messy, and sometimes difficult relationship. She seeks out the advice of financial planners, psychoanalysts, therapists, household management consultants, priests, rabbis, and the US government.

Special for kids!

 Sandra Feder talks about Daisy’s Perfect Word ($14.95). Curly-haired Daisy loves words and compiles lists of her favorites in a notebook. When Daisy’s beloved teacher must move to another town, Daisy decides to give her the ultimate gift: the perfect word. But with so many good words to choose from, finding just the right one isn’t easy.

Dominican University credit available
Learn how to weave the magic of history through writing with Barbara Quick, author of the bestselling novel Vivaldi’s Virgins and new young adult novel A Golden Web. Barbara will provide tips and techniques for doing historical research and will discuss the elements of place and time in stories.

Journalist John Stossel presents No, They Can’t: Why Government Fails-But Individuals Succeed ($27.00). Utilizing his three decades in journalism, Stossel combines sharp insights, common sense, and documented facts to debunk conventional wisdom and challenge popular opinion about the role of our nation’s government. Stossel was previously co-anchor of ABC’s 20/20, and is now a commentator for Fox News.

This dynamic workshop by Marney Makridakis, ArtellaLand.com founder and author of Creating Time: Using Creativity to Reinvent the Clock and Reclaim Your Life, explores the concept of kairos (non-linear, numinous time) through creative writing and art. In this inspiring adventure, you’ll explore new dimensions of time as you create mixed-media artwork to represent your own inspiring awareness and ability to redefine time to be anything you want it to be. Note: this workshop has a small supply list.

Optional Supplies:

(bring whatever you have and can easily carry. You can share with others if necessary)

-          Paintbrushes or sponge brushes (whatever you have on hand; there will be extras to share)

-          A few favorite colors of paint

-          Pens and markers

Eric Jerome Dickey discusses his latest novel An Accidental Affair ($25.95). James Thicke is a man with a violent streak who has channeled his intensity into twin passions—his success as a screenwriter and his marriage. While filming his latest script, James receives a video of his wife caught in the most compromising of situations. Dickey is the author of Chasing Destiny.

Spending the night in Paris? The precious hours can slip away faster than a good bottle of Bordeaux. Nicolas Wolff provides an overview of everything a night in Paris has to offer: museums, walks, underground movie theaters, jazz clubs and, of course, food and wine. Bring questions about your upcoming trip and get expert, tailored advice. Nicolas Wolff grew up in Paris and teaches French.

Christopher Tilghman and Peter Cameron talk about The Right-Hand Shore ($27.00), a novel that confronts the dilemmas of race, family, and forbidden love in the wake of America’s Civil War, and Coral Glynn ($24.00), a novel exploring how quickly need and desire can blossom into love and then transform itself again.

Daniel Handler is the author of the literary novels The Basic Eight, Watch Your Mouth, and, most recently, Adverbs. Under the name Lemony Snicket he has also written a sequence of books for children, known collectively as A Series of Unfortunate Events, which have sold more than 53 million copies. His intricate and witty writing style has won him numerous fans for his critically acclaimed literary work and his wildly successful children’s books. His newest book, with illustrations by Maira Kalman, is Why We Broke Up. It was named a 2012 Michael L. Printz Honor Book by the ALA.

Maggie Stiefvater is an artist, and musician and the New York Times bestselling author of The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy. Her latest novel, The Scorpio Races, was also named a 2012 Michael L. Printz Honor Book by the ALA, a New York Times Notable Children’s Book, and The New York Times Book Review raved, “[Stiefvater] not only steps out of the young adult fantasy box with The Scorpio Races but crushes it with pounding hooves….If The Scorpio Races sounds like nothing you’ve ever read, that’s because it is.”

John Corey Whaley grew up in Springhill, Louisiana, where he learned to be sarcastic and to tell stories. He has a B.A. in English from Louisiana Tech University, as well as an M.A in Secondary English Education. He started writing stories about aliens and underwater civilizations when he was around ten, but now writes realistic YA fiction, including Where Things Come Back - which was given the 2012 Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature by the ALA. He is a very picky eater and has never been punched in the face. His favorite word is defenestration, which is the inspiration for his second book.

in conversation with John Lescroart

Melanie Thorne talks about her novel Hand Me Down ($25.95). It begins with Liz’s mother swearing, “I would never hurt you, Liz.” This act propels Liz between guest beds in two states searching for a safe home. All the while, Liz is burdened by her stake in a bleak pact with a deceitful adult attempting to force her to tell the truth about the darkest of her circumstances.