Kate Evans, a lecturer at San Jose State University, will be reading from her new novel “For the May Queen”  twice in November and twice in February. Her first local reading is 7:30 p.m. tomorrow night at an author’s open mic at the Barnes & Noble Almaden Plaza, San Jose.

Reviews of the novel:

“Can a novel about college freshman be a page turner? In Kate Evans’ capable hands, you bet! …  Evans hooks the reader from the first paragraph with this story of love and friendship among compelling characters who grapple with the essential question we all have to face: Who are you?” –Patricia Valdata, author of “The Other Sister”

“Evans skillfully reminds us all of what it means to be young, questioning, and prone to get a lot wrong on our way toward an adulthood where we know ourselves–and those around us— just a little better.” –Jayne Pupek, author of “Tomato Girl”

Read her first chapter here for free, read reviews here, buy the book here, or listen to an interview here.

Events featuring FOR THE MAY QUEEN:

Friday, Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m., Reading and Booksigning
(with several other California Writers Club Writers)
Barnes & Noble, Almaden Plaza, San Jose

Wednesday, Nov. 12, 12-1 p.m.
Reading and Booksigning (with Dan White)
San Jose State University, Student Union, 3rd floor (Umunhum Room)

Thursday, Feb. 5, 7 p.m.
Reading and Booksigning (with Patricia Harrelson)
Books Ins. in the Castro, San Francisco

Wednesday, Feb. 18 (2009), 7:30 p.m.
Reading and Booksigning, followed by reception
San Jose State University, MLK Library, 5th Floor (Schiro Program Room)

Diana Spechler, a Steinbeck Fellow at San Jose State University from 2004-2005, will read from her newly published book on Thursday. Who by Fire is an account of the rending and eventual re-ordering of a family suffering from the loss of their kidnapped child.

From Publishers Weekly:

In her affecting debut, Spechler raises the question of whether, in rescuing others, we risk ruining ourselves. Thirteen years after the abduction of youngest child Alena at the age of six, the remaining members of the Kellerman family are still deeply damaged by their shared loss. The irresponsible oldest daughter, Bits, seeks out random sexual encounters with near strangers to fill the voids in her life. Son Ash, meanwhile, dabbles in a variety of compulsive behaviors before settling on Orthodox Judaism, cutting himself off from the rest of the family and moving to Jerusalem. The mother, Ellie, enlists the help of a charismatic stranger to help save Ash from what she views as a cult, and when Alena’s remains are discovered, Bits determines to bring Ash home for their sister’s long-overdue memorial service. Told in alternating chapters by Bits, Ellie and Ash, the narrative is notable in large part for how little these family members actually interact with one another despite the drama that confronts them all. Though the ending is overly tidy, Spechler’s debut raises provocative questions about religion, violence and the resilience of families and individuals. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The reading takes place Oct. 23 at the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies, San Jose State University, 7:00 p.m. The Center is located in room 590 of the King library and features the world’s largest Steinbeck archive, featuring manuscripts, correspondence, photos, oral histories, first editions, films, memorabilia, art.

In Book Arts, the container works with the content. Some of the books are narrative, some contain poetry, and some have no words, but tell a story through illustrations and images. Book Arts is about making books by hand. It encompasses the traditional techniques of bookbinding, papermaking, calligraphy, and letterpress as well as the capabilities of electronic media. It touches on many other forms of contemporary art, including printmaking, photography, painting, sculpture and mixed media.

This Saturday, October 18, is Book Arts Jam 2008 at Foothill College with talks by exhibiting artists; hands-on demonstrations; an exhibitors’ showcase with work by more than 40 artists and craftspeople in the book, paper, and print arts; a slideshow of recent member work; silent auction; prize drawing and refreshments.

Visitors will be able to connect directly with letterpress printers, prominent regional artists and craftspeople, and representatives of Bay Area book arts organizations. There will be artists’ talks throughout the day beginning at 10:30. Presentations and hands-on demonstrations begin at 11:00. Schedule of events here.

Directions, best parking, printable map here.

Book Arts Jam 2008
Foothill College, Campus Center
12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills

Saturday, October 18
10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Free admission, parking $2

San Jose: City with a Past

The San Jose Auxiliary of the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health held its annual “Pumpkin Patch Boutique” fundraiser yesterday. The foundation raises funds mostly to support the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto.

I came away with a box set of Johnny Cash for $5, and, more to the point of this blog, the book you see in the photo. This was a premium (gift) for members of the San Jose Historical Museum Association (a predecessor organization of History San Jose) in 1989, containing mostly old photos of the downtown area from the 1870’s to 1980’s. If you’re a local history buff, you might have seen many of these photos before, but this book gives them in a larger format than some recent publications.

It’s fascinating to see the various reconstructions of the downtown over time, as events like the 1906 earthquake, World War II, and economic changes of the late 20th century repeatedly forced the city to renew its center. Possibly even more fascinating, though, is the outlook of the authors on then-ongoing redevelopment efforts. The transit mall and “Retail Pavilion” between First and Second Streets, and the “Park Center Plaza” were expected to transform the downtown back into the retail and social center it was until the 1950’s or ’60’s. Today, I doubt if most San Jose residents even know what or where the Retail Pavilion and Park Center Plaza are; I am mostly guessing myself what these grand titles refer to.

Apparently the Museum Asociation sponsored a long series of publications. I’ll be keeping my eye out, and hopefully I’ll luck on to some more of them soon.

This week from Sept. 27-Oct. 4 kicks off an annual celebration of freedom of thought and speech — Banned Books Week.

Check out the American Library Association’s website on banned books here, check out a list of frequently banned books here and here, or become a fan of Banned Books Week on Facebook or Myspace.

The MLK library is already planning some activities:

Sat, Oct 4
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
150 E. San Fernando St. - Rooms 225/229, 2nd Floor
(408) 536-6046

Speakers Dr. Jim Schmidt, professor at the School of Library and Information Science, will speak on Intellectual Freedom, and Amy Sonnie will speak on her challenged book, Revolutionary Voices. There will also be games as well as people reading passages from their favorite banned or challenged books. For additional information contact Heather Devine (408) 536-6046. This event is sponsored by ALASC and LISSTEN.”

April 13-19 is National Library Week, a time to celebrate the contributions of all libraries, librarians and library workers along with promoting library use and support.

Many of the San Jose Branch Libraries have been or are being rebuilt. The new libraries have more study areas, teen areas, and cool reading areas, along with an increase in the number of computers. Most libraries in the South Bay now have Wi-Fi access. I noticed a large number of computers available at the Santa Clara City Library along with some nice areas to sit with your laptop computer.

If you have not been to the library in some time, then drop by and visit you local branch. You will find DVDs, CDs, books on tape/CD, and of course, a zillion books.

You may get a library card for any Bay Area library by providing proof that you are a California resident.

San Jose Public Library

Santa Clara County Library

Santa Clara City Library

Los Gatos Public Library

Sunnyvale Public Library

Alameda County Library

It wasn’t a stormy night; rain was not falling in torrents, even though earlier thunder had rattled the sky, while driving the wet streets of San Jose near the University, I thought of the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest* - thought up by Professor Scott Rice and sponsored by the English Department.

The inspiration for the contest was the opening run-on sentence from the novel by Paul Clifford: It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents, except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness. — Bulwer-Lytton (1830)

See what a disaster and bathroom humor did for Jim - the $250 prize. The 2007 overall winner: “Gerald began — but was interrupted by a piercing whistle which cost him ten percent of his hearing permanently, as it did everyone else in a ten-mile radius of the eruption, not that it mattered much because for them “permanently” meant the next ten minutes or so until buried by searing lava or suffocated by choking ash — to pee.” –Jim Gleeson

Snoopy, the Peanuts comic strip, has pawed some of his own - It was A Dark and Stormy Night, Snoopy.

See the 2007 Results
(more…)

In Book Arts, the container works with the content. Some of the books are narrative, some contain poetry, and some have no words, but tell a story through illustrations and images. Book Arts is about making books by hand. It encompasses the traditional techniques of bookbinding, papermaking, calligraphy, and letterpress as well as the capabilities of electronic media. It touches on many other forms of contemporary art, including printmaking, photography, painting, sculpture and mixed media.

This Saturday, October 20, is Book Arts Jam 2007 at Foothill College where over 50 exhibitors will display unique and limited edition books, ‘zines, handmade paper, fine art prints, assembled ephemera and bookworks that challenge conventional views of what it means to “be a book.”

Visitors will be able to connect directly with letterpress printers, prominent regional artists and craftspeople, and representatives of Bay Area book arts organizations.

Bay Area Book Artists will provide a “behind-the-scenes” look at the creative processes, tools, and techniques used in book arts providing demonstrations of numerous book arts skills including sewing a fine binding, making gelatin prints, capturing images using a pinhole camera, folding a book out of a single sheet of paper, and more.

Book Arts Jam 2007
Foothill College, Campus Center
12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills

Saturday, October 20, 2007
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Free admission, parking $2

Directions, best parking, printable map here.

Who knew that Safeway, Hamilton and Meridian, would have 6 boxes of the new Harry Potter.

Some have often wondered if books are a thing of the past. Sure, there was that one book by that one guy who may have claimed a few things as truth when they really weren’t.. or hey what about that little book about some wizard kid– that one is pretty popular right?

Well the community at LitMinds.org believe otherwise. They’ve developed an online community for users that “aspire to be a place for celebration and a catalyst for change.”

LitMinds.org has partnered with SJSU’s Campus Reading Program this year. Essentially, faculty, students and even staff read the same book over the summer break. From the LitMinds Blog:

“When the school year begins, readers participate in discussion groups and events inside and outside of the classroom such as plays and author talks to analyze the book and how it affected them. This year, the book SJSU has chosen is ZZ Packer’s Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, a collection of short stories. “

More information can be found at the LitMinds Blog and the SJSU Campus Reading Program site.