Daniel James Brown - The Boys in the Boat
In conversation with Phil Cousineau
Daniel James Brown’s robust book tells the story of the University of Washington’s 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic gold medal, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the attention of millions of Americans. The sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the boys defeated elite rivals first from eastern and British universities and finally the German crew rowing for Adolf Hitler in the Olympic games in Berlin, 1936. Drawing on the boys’ own diaries and journals, their photos and memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, The Boys in the Boat ($27.95) is an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times—the improbable, intimate story of nine working-class boys from the American west who, in the depths of the Great Depression, showed the world what true grit really meant.
Daniel James Brown is the author of two previous nonfiction books, Under a Flaming Sky and The Indifferent Stars Above. He has taught writing at San Jose State University and Stanford. He lives near Seattle.
Watch a video of the Washington Varsity Men's 8 winning the Olympic gold medal in Berlin, Germany:
- Street:
- 1 Ferry Building
- City:
- San Francisco ,
- Postal Code:
- 94111
Colum McCann - Transatlantic
Corte Madera store
Tickets: $30 (includes signed copy of Transatlantic)
Newfoundland, 1919. Two aviators—Jack Alcock and Arthur Brown—set course for Ireland as they attempt the first nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, placing their trust in a modified bomber to heal the wounds of the Great War.
Dublin, 1845 and ’46. On an international lecture tour in support of his subversive autobiography, Frederick Douglass finds the Irish people sympathetic to the abolitionist cause—despite the fact that, as famine ravages the countryside, the poor suffer from hardships that are astonishing even to an American slave.
New York, 1998. Leaving behind a young wife and newborn child, Senator George Mitchell departs for Belfast, where it has fallen to him, the son of an Irish-American father and a Lebanese mother, to shepherd Northern Ireland’s notoriously bitter and volatile peace talks to an uncertain conclusion.
These three iconic crossings are connected by a series of remarkable women whose personal stories are caught up in the swells of history in acclaimed novelist Colum McCann's latest work. Beginning with Irish housemaid Lily Duggan, who crosses paths with Frederick Douglass, Transatlantic follows her daughter and granddaughter, Emily and Lottie, and culminates in the present-day story of Hannah Carson, in whom all the hopes and failures of previous generations live on. From the loughs of Ireland to the flatlands of Missouri and the windswept coast of Newfoundland, their journeys mirror the progress and shape of history. They each learn that even the most unassuming moments of grace have a way of rippling through time, space, and memory.
Colum McCann is the internationally bestselling author of the novels Let the Great World Spin, Zoli, Dancer, This Side of Brightness, and Songdogs, as well as two critically acclaimed story collections. His fiction has been published in thirty-five languages. He has received many honors, including the National Book Award, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, a Chevalier des Arts et Lettres from the French government, and the Ireland Fund of Monaco Literary Award in Memory of Princess Grace. He has been named one of Esquire’s “Best & Brightest,” and his short film Everything in This Country Must was nominated for an Oscar in 2005. A contributor to The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, and The Paris Review, he teaches in the Hunter College MFA Creative Writing Program. He lives in New York City with his wife and their three children.
- Street:
- 51 Tamal Vista Blvd
- City:
- Corte Madera ,
- Postal Code:
- 94925
Elizabeth Fishel - When Will My Grown Up Kid Grow Up?
When Will My Grown-Up Kid Grow Up? ($23.95) covers every aspect of life for an 18- to 29-year-old, from that first taste of independence at college to that time at the end of the 20s, when the majority of kids are settling down. It explains what grown children are going through: intense self-focus, instability, a feeling of being in-between mixed with a breathtaking sense of possibilities and how parents should deal with these changes, from six ways to listen more than you talk, to money 101 (and why never to use money to control your child s life), to troubleshooting their failure to launch, to, finally, the dos and don'ts of promoting a successful transition to adulthood.
Elizabeth Fishel is the author of Sisters, Reunion, I Swore I’d Never Do That, and The Men in Our Lives, and a journalist who’s written for Vogue, O, Good Housekeeping, Parents, Family Circle, More, and other magazines and newspapers. She has two sons in their 20s and lives in Oakland, California.
- Street:
- 1 Ferry Building
- City:
- San Francisco ,
- Postal Code:
- 94111
- Country:
- United States
Mac Barnett - An Evening with Mac Barnett
Join New York Times bestselling children’s book author Mac Barnett as he discusses his many acclaimed works, including Extra Yarn (2013 Caldecott Honor recipient), Chloe and the Lion, The Clock Without a Face, Guess Again, Billy Twitters and his Blue Whale Problem and the Brixton Brothers mysteries.
This event is part of the Children’s Writers & Illustrators Conference. Preferential seating for Conference attendees.
- Street:
- 51 Tamal Vista Blvd
- City:
- Corte Madera ,
- Postal Code:
- 94925
Carl Hiaasen - Bad Monkey
Andrew Yancy--late of the Miami Police, soon-to-be-late of the Key West Police--has a human arm in his freezer. There's a logical explanation for that, but not for how and why it parted from its owner. Yancy thinks the boating-accident/shark-luncheon explanation is full of holes, and if he can prove murder, his commander might relieve him of Health Inspector duties, aka Roach Patrol. But first Yancy will negotiate an ever-surprising course of events--from the Keys to Miami to a Bahamian out island--with a crew of equally ever-surprising characters. Carl Hiaasen is back doing what he does best with Bad Monkey ($26.95), a wickedly funny, fiercely pointed tale in which the greedy, the corrupt, and the degraders of pristine land get their comeuppance in mordantly ingenious, diabolically entertaining fashion.
Carl Hiaasen was born and raised in Florida. He is the author of twelve previous novels, including the best-selling Star Island, Nature Girl, Skinny Dip, Sick Puppy, and Lucky You, and four best-selling children's books, Chomp, Hoot, Flush, and Scat. His most recent work of nonfiction is The Downhill Lie: A Hacker's Return to a Ruinous Sport. He also writes a weekly column for the Miami Herald.
- Street:
- 51 Tamal Vista Blvd
- City:
- Corte Madera ,
- Postal Code:
- 94925
- Country:
- United States
CWC Presents: Chris Durham - "Why Writers Can No Longer Afford to Ignore Social Media"
There a number of different ways to grow your brand and it can be overwhelming with all the different tools and resources available. But there is one critical tool, Social Media, which you can’t afford to overlook.
You Will Learn:
· Social Media Foundation – What you need to know as writers.
· How many social networks should you be on
· Top 5 Social Media Marketing Tips
· It doesn't take much to become impressive
· The importance of social networking in writing industry
· Action Steps
Chris Durham is the Director of Digital Development for Uhuru Network, LLC.
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 a holiday. 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Meeting may feature a guest speaker, a workshop or a panel discussion along with networking, encouragement and writing news. All are welcome. www.cwcmarinwriters.com.
- Street:
- 51 Tamal Vista Blvd
- City:
- Corte Madera ,
- Province:
- California
- Postal Code:
- 94925
- Country:
- United States
