Friday, September 15, 2006, 7pm

Enjoy an evening of music and verse at the Sonoma County Book Festival's opening event celebrating Mexican Independence Day.

The program will feature the musical group Cuyuy and bilingual poets Beatrice Lagos and Armando Garcia-Davila, who will bring to life the folklore, traditions, and values of their native lands. The event at the Public Library Forum Room is free and open to the public.
Information: 707.527-5412 or email info@socobookfest.org

Thursday, August 17, 2006 5-7pm

Jane Hirshfield and Elizabeth Herron share their poetry in Bruce Johnson’s Poetry House Sculpture at Paradise Ridge Winery. Fine wines and hors d’oeuvres will enhance the evening. Suggested minimum donation is $40 per person

These special venues and celebrated authors promise exceptional events. Suggested minimum donation is $40 per person for the Windrush Farm and Paradise Ridge receptions. For reservations and directions to this event, please call 707.527-5412 or email info@socobookfest.org

Sunday, July 16, 2006 2-5 pm

Windrush Farm, Petaluma
2263 Chileno Valley Road, Petaluma

Jonah Raskin in conversation with Gerald Haslam at the Windrush Farm in Petaluma.

The afternoon includes festive beverages, artisan foods, and music, opening with South Bend's blend of americana and closing with Sarah Baker singing Country, in a tribute to Gerry Haslam, a California treasure.

Gerald Haslam is the author and editor of numerous books of fiction and nonfiction, including Workin' Man Blues: Country Music in California, Haslam's Valley, and the forthcoming novel, Grace Period. Haslam was a professor of English at Sonoma State University until his retirement in 1997. Suggested minimum donation is $40 per person.

For reservations and directions to this event, please call 707 527-5412 or email info@socobookfest.org.

Friday, July 7, 2006 7pm

Copperfield’s Books Petaluma
Donations at the door and a portion of book sales to benefit the Book Festival.

National Book Award winner Julia Glass draws us in with her nuanced characters and her ability to capture the extraordinary complexities of love. Her latest book, The Whole World Over, set in Greenwich Village and New Mexico, stars Greenie Duquette, a talented baker and chef. Glass describes the events and aftermath of September 11 and shows us what New Yorkers experienced. Glass received the National Book Award for her debut novel, Three Junes.

Author Greg Sarris

The Sarris home, Penngrove

Greg Sarris will host an afternoon In Conversation with Jonah Raskin Sunday, June 4, from 2:00 to 5:00 pm to benefit the Sonoma County Book Festival. Guests at Sarris’ Penngrove home will hear the two writers discuss Hollywood movies and the Great American Novel, storytelling and truth telling, Jack London, and other literary topics.
Sarris, an acclaimed novelist, screenwriter and scholar, holds the Endowed Chair in Native American Studies at Sonoma State University. His books include Watermelon Nights and Grand Avenue, which he adapted and produced as an HBO miniseries. He currently serves as chairman of his tribe, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria.
Raskin, Chair of the Communications Studies Department at Sonoma State University, has written eight books, including American Scream: Allen Ginsberg’s 'Howl' and the Making of the Beat Generation and For the Hell of It: The Life and Times of Abbie Hoffman. For 23 years, he was the Sunday book critic for the Press Democrat. He teaches media law and magazine writing at Sonoma State.

The event will open with a social hour at 2pm. Sarris and Raskin will speak at 3pm, followed by a question-and-answer session and more informal conversation.
A minimum donation of $40.00 includes wine and canapes. The intimate venue allows limited seating, so please call 707.527.5412 or email info@socobookfest.org for reservations. Confirmed reservations will provide directions to the location.

Soho (Zebulons) Lounge, Petaluma

Enjoy an evening of poetry and music, hosted by poet Armando Garcia-Davila. Readings by poets Terry Ehret, Armando Garcia-Davila, Jodi Hottel, Arlene Mandell, and Sonoma County’s new Poet Laureate Geri Digiornio.

Peter Mayle • Confessions of a French Baker

Copperfield's Books, Petaluma

SoCo Book Festival Sponsor Copperfield’s Books welcomes Francophile Author Peter Mayle, author of nine books on Provence including Encore Provence, French Lessons, Toujours Provence, and A Year in Provence. Mayle discussed the fine art of bread baking in his tenth book, Confessions of a French Baker, in which he ventured into the kitchen of Gerard Auzet, the proprietor of the most glorious of Provencal bakeries, Chez Auzet, to learn his secret techniques.

Devotees of independent bookstores– especially those that are offbeat—joined retired English Professor J.J. Wilson and Poet Armando Garcia on a rollicking tour of, in J.J.’s words "fiercely independent and charming"bookstores in Oakland, San Francisco, and our home turf, Sonoma County. J.J. Wilson is also co-founder of The Sitting Room, a community library in Cotati.

Listeners are enraptured

Special guest Dana Gioia was the featured speaker at Coffee Grounds, the home of Jane and Jack Stuppin in West Sonoma County. Mr. Gioia spoke about literature and the arts and the state of literacy in America. The event, sponsored by the Literary Arts Guild, included a reception with Mr. Gioia, aperitifs and dinner.

Pegasus Theater, Russian River

Andrei Codrescu, poet, novelist, essayist, screenwriter, NPR columnist, and editor of the on-line literary journal Exquisite Corpse, was among the artists gathering on the Russian River at Pegasus Theater to remember the life and poetry of their friend, Jeffrey Miller--the original punk poet--and reminisce about an electric era on the river. Codrescu was joined by Pat Nolan, David Bromige, Gail King, Alexandra Appel, Joanne Kyger, Michael Rothenberg, Gloria Frym, Mike Tuggle, and Dick Gallup in this unique evening of discovery.

Poetry House at Paradise Ridge Winery

Poetry House, Paradise Ridge Winery Sculpture Garden

This unique recitation, accompanied by music and sound effects took place in the sculpture garden at Paradise Ridge Winery in Santa Rosa, where the Poetry House was installed as part of Sculpture Sonoma 2005. Poetry House is a collaborative project between Sculptor Bruce Johnson and Poet Elizabeth Carothers Herron. The sculpture was conceived as a meditative sacred space and constructed of redwood and copper. Lines from Ms. Herron's book-length poem "The Poet's House"are transcribed under the roof layers, imbuing the structure with poetry. A handwritten copy of the entire book is displayed there too.