Celebrate the launch of Lauren’s Campbell’s historical fiction book, “When They Were in Vogue.”Join us as we explore this powerful work of historical fiction that covers race, art, friendship, and identity during one of America’s most dynamic cultural moments. The book takes place in the summer of 1929, where siblings Scott and Alice travel from the South to a vibrant and bustling Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance.
This event is perfect for readers of historical fiction with heart, depth, and modern resonance.
About the Author:
Lauren Campbell has been writing stories since childhood, drawn to narratives that illuminate overlooked histories and explore the complexities of human nature. A third-year law student at UC Berkeley School of Law, Lauren brings a keen eye for justice and nuance to fiction that interrogates themes of race, belonging, and social change.
The first 5 attendees will receive a copy of the book thanks to our sponsor, Sobrato Foundation.
Join Carolyn Bass a native San Franciscan, who retired from the University of California, San Francisco with over thirty years of service in Human Resources.
‘Unstoppable,’ the book she co-authored with Lisa Nichols, achieved best-seller status; her original short story was published in an anthology; and she was a featured writer/reader at Ruth’s Table in San Francisco. Books will be provided to attendees.
Carolyn is passionate about developing delicious SOS-free vegan recipes—free of salt, oil, and sugar.
Agenda:
Talk about chapter in detail and backstories
Q & A Session
Yummy treats
Trivia contest around health questions
Hat contest- wear a hat with a vegetable or fruit theme for a prize
Join author Chanchal Garg in conversation with Mansi Goel to discuss Chanchal’s new book “Unearthed” and her journey of healing. Hope to see you here.
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Chanchal Garg is a speaker, executive coach and facilitator at The Stanford Graduate Business School. She is also the author of Unearthed: The Lies We Carry & The Truths They Bury.
Previously Google’s Global Head of Product Policy, Mansi Goel is now ranked among the Top 5 Executive Coaches in Silicon Valley. Her core passion is to rewild herself and this earth.
Join author Victoria Fong for a Spooky Storytime on Sunday, October 26th. She will read her book, “The Legend of Sutro Tower” then we will have a costume contest and there will be treats for all. See you there.
I Have the Heart of a Warrior – Book Launch & Community Gathering
Join us for an inspiring and heart-centered celebration of I Have the Heart of a Warrior, the newest children’s empowerment book by author, humanitarian, and speaker Leslie Lew.
This powerful event is for parents, educators, caregivers, and conscious community members who believe in raising the next generation with courage, confidence, and compassion.
Whether you’re nurturing your own child’s voice or healing your inner child, this gathering is a reminder that we all have the heart of a warrior — and it’s time to live from it.
What to Expect:
A heartfelt reading of I Have the Heart of a Warrior
Interactive Q&A and community discussion with Leslie
Creative activities for kids and families to explore bravery, boundaries, and voice
Book signing + limited edition warrior gifts
A space of love, healing, and bold transformation
Who It’s For:
Parents and caregivers who want to raise brave, emotionally aware kids
Teachers, therapists, and youth advocates focused on empowerment
Anyone looking to reconnect with their own warrior spirit
Come as you are. Leave feeling empowered, connected, and ready to rise — with your little (or inner) warrior by your side.
Celebrate the launch of Kerry Donoghue’s provocative debut, MOUTH, highlighting the ways we consume—from the drinks we can’t put down to the lovers we can’t resist—revealing deeper hungers we often keep hidden. A competitive eater, a rodeo clown, a pearl diver, and a mermaid-in-training are just a few of the outsiders in this collection of short stories. MOUTH asks: when our appetites define us, how do we survive the hunger?
Currently living in the Bay Area, her poetry and stories have appeared in journals such as Ninth Letter, Painted Bride Quarterly, Permafrost, The Louisville Review, and The South Carolina Review.Learn more at www.kerrydonoghue.com.
The Balikbayan Artist and Other Chismis in the Filipino Diaspora
Saturday, March 15th 6-7:30pm
Join us for a book party to celebrate the U.S. launch of Eileen R. Tabios’ The Balikbayan Artist hosted by the Peninsula Book Collaborative with PAWA & friends: Edwin Lozada, Beverly Parayno, Dina Klarisse, Aileen Cassinetto, & Melinda Luisa de Jesús
Panelist bios:
Eileen R. Tabios loves books and has released over 70 collections of poetry, fiction, essays, and experimental biographies from publishers in 11 countries. She is the author of two novels, The Balikbayan Artist (Penguin Random House SEA, 2024) and DoveLion: A Fairy Tale for Our Times (AC Books, New York, 2021), as well as an autobiography, The Inventor (Marsh Hawk Press, 2023). She has also edited, co-edited or conceptualized 15 anthologies of poetry, fiction and essays which has involved hundreds of writers and artists around the world.
Edwin Lozada is an author and translator, and the editor of Field of Mirrors: An Anthology of Philippine American Writers (2008). An educator in the California public school system for over 30 years, he is also a member of the Academia Filipina de la Lengua Española correspondiente a la Academia Real Española, President of Philippine American Writers and Artists (PAWA) Inc., Executive Director of the Filipino American International Book Festival, and Co-Founder of The Hinabi Project, a Bay Area nonprofit which seeks to educate and foster appreciation for indigenous Philippine textiles.
Beverly Parayno is the author of the story collection WILDFLOWERS (PAWA Press, 2023), which was shortlisted for the 43rd Annual Northern California Book Awards; winner of a 2024 IPPY Bronze Medal and a 2024 National Indie Excellence Award for Asian American & Pacific Islander Fiction; and finalist for the 2023 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards and 2024 American Fiction Awards. She serves on the board of PAWA and the Munster Literature Centre in Cork, Ireland. She lives in the Sierra Nevada foothills and co-facilitates the Cameron Park Library Writers Workshop.
Dina Klarisse Dugar is the author of Handspun Rosaries (2022). Her work has been published in ASU’s Canyon Voices, The Daily Drunk Mag, Chopsticks Alley, and Kalopsia Literary Journal, among others. She serves on PAWA’s Board of Directors, and is a member of the Filipino American International Book Festival’s organizing committee.
Aileen Cassinetto is a 2021 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow and San Mateo County’s poet laureate from 2019 to 2022. The co-founder of Paloma Press, she serves on PAWA’s advisory board and the Filipino American International Book Festival’s advisory committee as well as the San Mateo County Commission on the Status of Women.
Dr. Melinda Luisa de Jesús is former Chair and Associate Professor of Diversity Studies at California College of the Arts. She writes and teaches about Filipinx/American cultural production, girl culture, monsters, and race/ethnicity in the United States. She edited Pinay Power: Peminist Critical Theory, the first anthology of Filipina/American Feminisms (Routledge, 2005). Her first collection of poetry, peminology, was released by Paloma Press in March 2018.
Meet author Nikhil Prabala and ask questions about his debut novel the Duchess of Kokora. He will answer questions and sign your book. Come out and say hi.
Created by acclaimed and multi-award-winning American folk singer/songwriter Kathy Sherman and San Francisco-based illustrator Torey Butner, ‘Too Many Moose!’ is a fun and silly story about the biggest family gathering you’re ever likely to see.
Join us at a book reading (storytime) and signing plus Kathy will be leading us in songs and Torey will have an illustration demo!
