The story of a small AI company that gave facial recognition to law enforcement, billionaires, and businesses, threatening to end privacy as we know it.

Let's make time to write together! Instructor Britta Stromeyer Esmail leads you in a series of rapid fire writing prompts to connect you to your creative mind and get the words flowing.

Acclaimed Harvard sociologist makes the case for reexamining what we value to prioritize recognition—the quest for respect—in an age that has been defined by growing inequality and the obsolescence of the American dream.

In this sweeping work of science and history, the renowned climate scientist and author of The New Climate War shows us the conditions on Earth that allowed humans not only to exist but thrive, and how they are imperiled if we veer off course.

All four organizing classes in our October series.

For the first in our Organized in October series, join Liza Algar, Certified Professional Organizer, to learn more about the nuts and bolts of organization.

A brilliant takedown and exposé of the great con job of the twenty-first century—the metaverse, crypto, space travel, transhumanism—being sold by four billionaires (Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg, Marc Andreesen, Elon Musk), leading to the degeneration and bankruptcy of our society.

We are at an inflection point, with artificial intelligence reshaping nearly everything, including business, medicine, creative work, and education. Join writer Nina Schuyler as she leads this exploration into how we got here, where we are now, and where we might be headed.

In 1889 a group of artists calling themselves Nabis (the Hebrew word for Prophets) abandoned Impressionism and Academic painting calling for a new art. This class will study their works and learn of their supporters: poets, critics and journalists, and how their committment to Art as Decoration abolished the difference between Art and Craft and - we could say - returned painting to its origins on walls.

We all have life stories to tell. But how do we write about our lives in a way that will engage a reader? This series focuses on the craft of writing memoir. Each class provides concrete tools and strategies for transforming memory into compelling narrative. Format includes reading, discussion and writing exercises. 

When we begin writing a story, a poem, or memoir, thoughts can be foggy and unclear. Identifying that elusive something in our writing can be challenging. In this class we will explore the art of discovery and delve into the power of meaningful storytelling by examining interiority as a craft tool.

Dispatches from a land of extremes, by writers and movie stars, natives and visitors, activists and pioneers, and more.

Join us for a special meet and greet signing with legendary chef Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin for his latest cookbook, Seafood Simple.

In this debut poetry collection Eggtooth, Jesse Nathan matches an exquisite feeling for the music of lines and sentences with his profound explorations of the idea of home. Ecology, family, history, sexuality, and poetry itself are his subjects, but in all these matters, Nathan’s rich formal imagination travels our fundamental feelings of alienation and belonging.

Special event for kids! Join beloved local children's book authors Michael Genhart, Aida Salazar and Robert Liu-Trujillo in a fun reading celebration of Latine Heritage Month at Book Passage.

From Paul Holes, the detective who found the Golden State Killer, Unmasked is a memoir that "grabs its reader in a stranglehold and proves more fascinating than fiction and darker than any noir narrative."

An interactive guide to help readers connect with, learn, and process their emotions creatively. Draw Your Feelings will stretch creative muscles you didn’t know you had. At the end of the journey, you will transform the way you interact with yourself and the world. 

Please join us at Book Passage to celebrate the extraordinary new anthology 50 Years of Ms.: The Best of the Pathfinding Magazine That Ignited a Revolution and engage in critical conversation – with Ms. executive editor Katherine Spillar, managing editor Camille Hahn and contributors Martha Mendoza and Carol Seajay.

Are you overwhelmed with the ever-increasing mass of photos on your iPhone? In this class, photographer and photo curator Laura Barker will show you how to declutter and organize the photos on your iPhone so you can easily find, enjoy and share them. A curated camera roll will also save you time and frustration while freeing up storage space.

Join us for a rare evening with legendary author Barbara Kingsolver as she presents her Pulitzer Prize Winning novel Demon Copperhead. A brilliant novel that enthralls, compels, and captures the heart as it evokes a young Appalachian hero’s unforgettable journey to maturity

Want to become a pro with your smartphone camera? This hands-on workshop will set you on that path. Combining discussion and demonstration with the iPhone Camera, Susan and Neil Silverman will share their photography experience with you.

The author of the acclaimed City of a Thousand Gates returns with an intense, page-turning love story between a twenty-seven year old Canadian woman and a nineteen-year old Israeli soldier, set in contemporary Israel.

After more than twenty-five years of bringing comfort to tens of thousands of people, Hollister Rand brings her incredible knowledge and experience to this accessible and comprehensive book that takes you on an eye-opening journey into the afterlife. Hollister Rand’s book, Everything You Wanted to Know About the Afterlife but Were Afraid to Ask is the perfect guide for helping people navigate these times of grief and uncertainty.

Please join us for a poetry reading by Catharine Clark-Sayles, MD from her book, The Telling, The Listening, and a Q&A hosted by Book Passage for this event organized by the Left Coast Writers.

Join us for an evening of contemporary poetry organized by poet Loisa Fenichell, and featuring Catherine Pond, Alexandria Hall, Liala Zaray & Tanya Castro, on the occasion of the publication of Fenichell's first collection: Wandering in all directions of this earth.

Illustrator Paige Peterson and seasoned journalist Jesse Kornbluth team up once again to present an abridged and gorgeously illuminated edition of Anne Sewell's classic, Black Beauty.

Emmy Award-winning and New York Times bestselling writer, comedian, and actor Bob Odenkirk and his daughter, illustrator Erin Odenkirk, present poetic nonsense for all ages perfect for fans of Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky! Join Bob and Erin in-conversation with Dave Eggers. 

A trenchant reclamation of the Chinese American movie star, Anna May Wong, whose battles against cinematic exploitation and endemic racism are set against the currents of twentieth-century history.

A prize-winning scholar draws on astonishing new research to demonstrate how Black people used the law to their advantage long before the Civil Rights Movement.

Author of the award-winning and bestselling IQ series, Joe Ide, joins Book Passage for this one-night course covering all the fundamentals needed to write and publish the perfect crime novel.

Do you struggle with accumulating piles of paper that never seem to stop growing? This class is for you! Even in our digital world, our homes overflow with pieces of paper: from household bills to kids’ artwork to conference handouts. Professional organizer Lucy Milligan Wahl will walk you, step-by-step, through the exact process she uses with her clients to create a system to stop you from drowning in paper.

From the award-winning, bestselling author of Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk comes a brilliant and propulsive new novel about greed, power, and American complicity set in Haiti.

We are thrilled to launch our new season of Cooks with Books with the return of beloved and legendary author, chef and restauranteur Lidia Bastianich. She be presenting her latest cookbook, Lidia's From Our Family Table to Yours, as you dine on a lunch of recipes directly from the book prepared and hosted by local favorite Insalata's in San Anselmo.

SPECIAL EVENT FOR KIDS!

Join us in the gallery for a wonderful children's event with Rachel Montez Minor as she presents See You on the Other Side, a touching picture book helping children and adults face loss.

If the idea to explore the French language through conversation and creative writing is bringing sparks to your eyes, this workshop is for you. Join Claude Convers, a coach and teacher specializing in increasing joy, curiosity, and creativity through the French language and take your written and spoken French to the next level.

BroadwaySF and Book Passage welcome you to an extraordinary on-stage event with Emmy Award–winning  host and #1 New York Times-bestselling author Rachel Maddow. Delve into the world of current events, politics, and insightful analysis as Maddow takes the stage to share her unique perspectives, answer audience questions, and speak about her new book PREQUEL.

The beloved New York Times bestselling author of Heart Talk, hailed as “the poet of her generation” (Time), charts a path away from exhaustion and endless crises and toward a place of renewal and radiant love with a new, soulful collection of original poetry and prose.

 In THE EVERYDAY FEMINIST: The Key to Sustainable Social Impact–Driving Movements We Need Now, Global Fund for Women CEO Latanya Mapp Frett shows how grassroots feminists are changing the world—and what we can all do to support them as allies.

Join Los Angeles Times reporter Rosanna Xia in conversation with environmental journalist Christina Gerhardt as they discuss Xia's debut book, California Against the Sea: Visions for our Vanishing Coastline.

Pushing intimacy to its limits in prose of unearthly beauty, Vauhini Vara explores the nature of being a child, parent, friend, sibling, neighbor, or lover, and the relationships between self and others in this haunting and gorgeous collection of stories. Join her and novelist R.O. Kwon in conversation.

A SheReads "Most Anticipated" Thriller

Join New York Times Bestselling authors Lisa Unger in conversation with Mary Kay Andrews.   Coupling a picturesque, cozy setting with a deeply unsettling suspenseful plot, Christmas Presents is a chilling seasonal novella that can be enjoyed all year long. 

From Emmy-winner, Brazilian best-seller PJ Caldas, comes, The Girl From Wudang, a story about immortality, martial arts and AI that will make you change the way you look at life, science, and the crazy times we are living in.

Led by Lauren Winters West, founder and chief expert organizer of Next Highest Good Professional Organizing, this interactive class will offer creative ways to rethink, reframe and rehome your unwanted items.

WRITE ABOUT YOUR LIFE IN A COMIC STRIP is designed to teach writers and creatives of all levels how to tell their stories using photographs, dialogue, interior voice, and narration to complete a comic strip. 

For 35 years the Authors Luncheon has welcomed nearly 1,000 Bay Area guests to celebrate renowned, bestselling authors. We will be hosting this event in-person at San Francisco's Palace Hotel and we will again take the event VIRTUAL; connecting with our guests where they are – from the comfort of their favorite reading nooks all over the GLOBE.  

From journalist Alec Scott comes, Oldest San Francisco (which) draws a picture of the sudden city that exploded in the Gold Rush and has since drawn generations of dreamers to it. Together the stories distill something of the ebullient, entrepreneurial spirit of San Francisco. 

Raise a glass to Cece Barton, a widowed single mom and recent L.A.-to-California-wine-country transplant who suddenly finds herself at the center of a murder investigation in this sparkling new mystery series from Agatha Award-winning author Maddie Day.

Join Valentina for a fun and communicative introduction to the Italian language. You will start from the basics, learning and practicing in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

For students continuing from Beginner 1.

Join Valentina for a fun and communicative introduction to the Italian language. You will start from the basics, learning and practicing in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

 In 2018, Rob Delaney's two-year-old son, Henry, died of a brain tumor. A Heart That Works  is Delaney's intimate, unflinching, and at times fiercely funny exploration of Henry's beautiful, bright life and the devastation of his loss.

Cooks with Books returns with a lunch celebrating the publication of Shelley Lindgren & Kate Leahy's latest collaboration, Italian Wine
The History, Regions, and Grapes of an Iconic Wine Country. The legendary wine director of A16 and cookbook author are back with a definitive guide, a culmination of two decades of traveling to Italy and tasting Italian wines.

Slow down and appreciate the little moments in daily life with this inspirational mindfulness book from Willow Older and Deborah Huber, the team behind Today I Noticed.

Discover your authentically humorous voice in this engaging, fun writing workshop from master humor writer Jenny Jedeikin. The two-hour class will focus on personal narrative writing, aiming to explore and cultivate material for a comedic essay through a series of generative writing exercises.

 The first history of the United States told from the perspective of indigenous peoples. Join us for a virtual discussion with Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz.

The New York Times best-selling author of The Nix is back with a poignant and witty novel about marriage, the often baffling pursuit of health and happiness, and the stories that bind us together.

Professor and author Gerald Warburg presents the triumph of grassroots community organization that is the creation of our beloved Point Reyes National Seashore. Saving Point Reyes is an environmental policy history that draws on archival materials, oral histories, and new interviews with veteran federal policymakers to understand how legislative bargaining and grassroots politics succeeded in achieving this victory for environmental protection.

In this class, you will learn some of the rules for writing a picture book for publication today. You will also be encouraged to play around with those rules, unleashing your own unique creativity.

For fans of Jacqueline Winspear and Charles Todd, Murder by Degrees is a historical mystery set in 19th century Philadelphia, following a pioneering woman doctor as she investigates the disappearance of a young patient who is presumed dead.

Join Victoria for a Spanish class for those with some experience and comfort with the language. Students will work towards fluency by reading, writing, addressing grammar and responding to written text. We will also engage in conversation through readings and prompts to promote organic conversation.

Big Heart Little Stove is your new go-to inspiration for cooking thoughtful and meaningful, yet refreshingly simple meals. Erin French—author of The Lost Kitchen cookbook and the New York Times-bestselling memoir Finding Freedom—invites readers to bring a piece of her beloved restaurant, The Lost Kitchen, home with them.

 Join us for this free online event with Paul Auster, celebrating his brilliant eighteenth novel.

From historian and author of the popular daily newsletter LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN, a vital narrative that explains how America, once  a beacon of democracy, now teeters on the brink of autocracy -- and how we can turn back.

Join Victoria for a continuing introduction to Spanish, for new and former students. You will learn the basics of the language through reading, writing, addressing grammar and responding to written text. We will also engage in conversation through readings and prompts to promote organic conversation.

Join us for a special meet and greet signing with the sensational Joshua Weissman in celebration of his new cookbook Texture Over Taste.

 Join Mandy Aftel in conversation with Daniel Patterson as they discuss Mandy's breathtaking new work The Museum of Scent. Breathe in the natural and cultural history of scent with this richly illustrated book inspired by the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg, comes an explosive, page-turning investigative thriller - with a mind-blowing twist. Join him in conversation with Cara Black as they discuss this thrilling ride into the Mojave.

Join us in the gallery for a wonderful children's event with local author Britta Stromeyer Esmail celebrating uniqueness and identity.

Welcome acclaimed cookbook author Janet Fletcher joined by Chef Brian Streeter, as they present Gather, a Wine Country cookbook that celebrates sustainable, garden-to-table dining. Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc will be served to accompany a sumptuous audio visual presentation of gastronomic delight!

Join Victoria for a continuing introduction to Spanish, for new and former students. You will learn the basics of the language through reading, writing, addressing grammar and responding to written text. We will also engage in conversation through readings and prompts to promote organic conversation.

A two-time Pulitzer finalist explores the story of American urban design through San Francisco’s iconic Ferry Building, fitting hosted at our Ferry Building store.

A practical, heartfelt guide to the art of truly knowing another person in order to foster deeper connections at home, at work, and throughout our lives—from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Road to Character and The Second Mountain.

Gracie feels like a minor character in her own life story—until a mysterious journal turns her fictional stories into reality. Join author Shannon Takaoka as she present this mind-bending tale of growth and discovery for readers grade 9 and up.

Secret Service agent Clint Hill reveals the stories behind the iconic images of the five tragic days surrounding President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in this 60th anniversary edition of the New York Times bestseller.

San Francisco lures people in search of a wide variety of treasure: fame, wealth, property, inspiration, love, family, community, freedom, and a fresh start. With this book in your hands, you hold a treasure map to the history of the City by the Bay—from its earliest days to more modern times.

Kelly Sather's new short story collection Small in Real Life invokes the myth and melancholy of Southern California glamor, of starry-eyed women and men striving for their own Hollywood shimmer and the seamy undersides and luxurious mystique of the Golden State.

From Emmy-award winning actor, author, comedian, producer, and director Henry Winkler, Being Henry: The Fonz...and Beyond [is], a deeply thoughtful memoir of the lifelong effects of stardom and the struggle to become whole.

 From the New York Times bestselling author who inspired the hit Netflix series about a struggling mother barely making ends meet as a housecleaner—a gripping memoir about college, motherhood, poverty, and life after Maid.

A hypnotic, sexy, and incisive debut adult novel following one woman’s affair with her daughter’s best friend that tests the limits of love and ambition from #1 New York Times bestselling author of Red Riding Hood.

Join us for a special meet & greet featuring Shelley Lindgren & Kate Leahy for a book signing event following Foodwise demo at SF Ferry Building marketplace. In Italian Wine, journey through all twenty regions of Italy to discover the grapes, terrain, and historical techniques that have influenced modern Italian winemaking in this accessible and stunning guide to Italian wines.

Celebrate the striking flavor of the jewel-like, delectable nut in PISTACHIO: Savory & Sweet Recipes Inspired by World Cuisines, Georgeanne Brennan's recipes draw inspiration from culinary traditions stretching the middle-east to the tip of Spain, all gorgeously photographed by legendary travel and food photographer Robert Holmes. 

Our lives are filled with moments, large and small, from which we emerge a different person. The memoir is made up of such moments, one revealed and then another, as the memoirist seeks answers.

The first full biography of America’s most renowned economist.

 In the turbulent times of a young man's high school experience, one must find his way, make himself known to his peers, and most of all, establish himself in the oftentimes hostile world he is trapped in. JFK & the Muckers of Choate takes a look at John F. Kennedy's time in high school at Choate, a preppy, Waspish, all-boys boarding school.

 Join us for this virtual event celebrating the publication of the latest novels from writers Alice McDermott and Lisa Gornick.

From TikTok phenomenon Whitney Hanson, a brand-new collection of poems exploring the cadences of love, loss, grief, and healing.

Neal Allen and his wife, the celebrated author and friend of Book Passage Anne Lamott, launch his new book Better Days: Tame Your Inner Critic with what promises to be a heartfelt, funny, and rich conversation about solutions to conflict, marital and otherwise.

Want to become a pro with your smartphone camera? This hands-on workshop will set you on that path. Combining discussion and demonstration with the iPhone Camera, Susan and Neil Silverman will share their photography experience with you.

Join poets Louise Nayer and Alexandra Teague as they discuss their new memoirs, writing, family, memory and truth.

This book group will review modern classics from four titans of travel literature: Tim Cahill, Bill Bryson, Frances Mayes and Pico Iyer. Led by longtime Book Passage Travel Writers Conference faculty member, Michael Shapiro, this group will be hosting some of the authors to discuss their books.

Learn to decode the Hebrew alef-bet! Being able to read Hebrew fluently is the foundation for all successful Hebrew language learning. Students of all ages and levels will master reading Hebrew in Hebrew with regular daily practice in this comprehensive course.

In this conversational Hebrew course we will develop basic speaking skills through dialogues and vocabulary. Throughout the course students will develop fluency and accuracy in speaking, communicating and interacting at a beginner Hebrew level.

H Is for Hawk meets Joan Didion in the Pyrocene in this arresting combination of memoir, natural history, and literary inquiry that chronicles one woman’s experience of life in Northern California during the worst fire season on record.

Get empowering, period-positive, no-nonsense facts about the science, medicine, and myths surrounding menstruation from Dr. Jen Gunter, New York Times-bestselling author of The Vagina Bible!

Join Joel Paul, a constitutional law professor and author, for a lively wide-ranging discussion of the legal struggle for racial justice in our country.