Come join us for a fun story time in the park with the Tutu Teacher. The first 10 Families that arrive will receive a FREE signed book by the author!
RSVP is requested for free parking.
The Tutu Teacher will be reading:
This event is best for TK – 1st grade students!
Meet Larry Hayes, author of 14 Going On 24, Growing up with Willie Mayes.
In 14 Going On 24, author Larry Hayes invites readers into the extraordinary life of Willie Mays, the “Say Hey Kid” baseball legend who redefined the game with unmatched speed, power, and flair. Mays transcended the playing field to become an American icon who inspired generations and left an indelible mark on sport and society.
From the makeshift diamonds of Harlem and New York’s quirky Polo Grounds to the dusty backroads of the Tidewater and San Francisco’s glittering bayside ballpark, dive into the seldom-revealed personal events of this extraordinary man in 14 Going On 24: Growing Up with Willie Mays.
Join author Maria Lenhart on a nostalgic journey through an unforgettable time and place. Lost Treasures of San Francisco is a love letter to the City-by-the-Bay, celebrating such bygone pleasures as grooving to the Grateful Dead at Winterland on New Year’s Eve, marveling at the giant Christmas tree at the City of Paris department store, and catching a Giants game on a windy afternoon at Candlestick.
Lavishly illustrated with historic photos and memorabilia, the book delves into the recent and distant past, tracing the evolution of a city that literally rose from the ashes of the 1906 earthquake and fire. Along the way, there are encounters with Emperor Norton, Herb Caen, Robin Williams, the San Francisco Twins and others who added to the city’s bold and creative spirit.
About the Author
Maria Lenhart’s travel and feature articles have appeared in more than 100 publications, including Travel + Leisure, On the Go With AAA, Via, Meetings Today, Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor and Boston Globe. She’s the co-author of Secret Cape Cod & The Islands, winner of a 2024 Lowell Thomas Award from the Society of American Travel Writers. As a fourth-generation San Franciscan, she is especially proud to share the colorful heritage of her favorite city.
My Greatest Fear is Apathy is the debut poetry compilation of youth spoken word artist and college student, M.J. Seja. It serves as her introduction to the literary community but also an archive of the work she wrote from the time she was fourteen to sixteen years old.
Her goal with this book is to be as evocative as possible; to rebel against the political apathy that is so easy to slip into under systemic oppression by connecting the human race with art, as it seems to be our only real key for survival.
About the Author
M. J. Seja is a spoken word poet born and raised in San Francisco. They have published works through the Labyrinth magazine and in a youth anthology about COVID-19. They have been a keynote speaker at their college’s Fall 2025 Honors Showcase and have performed at events hosted by the San Mateo Chamber of Commerce and Arts Commission. Outside of writing, Seja enjoys playing and listening to music, spending time in nature, coffee drinks, and reading.
Seated side-by-side at their kitchen table in San Jose, 94 year old Crescenciana Tan and her grandson, Kenneth Tan, got to work. Crescenciana made watercolor paintings and Kenneth drew her memories on top of them. When Crescenciana passed, she left behind her paintings, and Kenneth decided he would finish everything she started. He promised.
In Crescenciana, Kenneth weaves together their artwork, conversations, and memoirs to tell his grandmother’s life story and remind us that we can move forward without leaving our loved ones behind.
Tans Interwoven is a collection of honest, heartwarming, and humorous memoirs written by a Filipino American family, with illustrations created by Crescenciana Tan and Kenneth Tan.
Braiding their stories together, the Tans remind us that in our own families, with our lives entwining, we won’t see the patterns we’re repeating unless we take a moment to stop, step back, and look at the entire tapestry altogether.
About the Author:
Kenneth Tan is a second-generation Filipino American living in his hometown of San Jose. He has shared stories about his grandmother on NPR and StoryCorps, and he is a recipient of the Leigh Weimers Emerging Artists Award.
In Crescenciana, the book’s forward asks the reader to forgive the subject of the biography’s grammar. The apology is wholly unnecessary; Crescenciana bends the language to fit her emotional reality, turning the language into something that fits her perception. That adherence to direct transcription, and that voice that she brings, are what makes Tan’s biography so impactful. It serves as historical archive, transcription of immigrant experience and familial mythology, all in one. Crescenciana is a biography of the author’s lola (grandmother), following her life in the Philippines before coming to Canada and eventually the United States. The biography is a mixed-media work, combining first hand transcriptions of events told by his lola while also paring each instance with a piece of artwork created by either of the two.
The biography is as much written as it is curated. The balance of writing and image makes the book feel like a gallery, only instead of an author’s note, each image is accompanied by a fully-developed literary snapshot. Kenneth Tan acts as a tour guide through the memories. He leads the reader and frames certain events, both stepping in and pulling away at key moments. Crescenciana is ultimately an impactful, lovingly written and illustrated book. Kenneth Tan will be in the Peninsula Book Collaborative on May 30th, to talk about his work.
Come join us for an evening dedicated to poetry!
Author of the multi-award winning book, earthshine, local author Chuck Brickley will read excerpts from his latest collection, downhill home. Chuck will also be discussing what ‘free-verse haiku’ is, and why it’s a perfect medium of expression for our times.
Chuck will be joined by other local poets, who will read their work.
Chuck Brickley is a Westmoor High School alum and Westlake resident who has been writing free-verse haiku for over 60 years. His haiku, senryu, haibun and hay(na)ku have been published, awarded and translated in journals and anthologies worldwide.
Visit his author website at: www.chuckbrickley.com
Too Much Love, Stories of Mothering, is an anthology of essays and poems by women, edited by Nitza Agam, reveals and questions the complex and complicated relationships of becoming a mother and being a daughter. The anthology includes eighteen women writers of all ages and backgrounds. On March 14th, seven of the eighteen Bay Area writers will read excerpts from their poems and essays at the bookstore.
List of contributors for the event:
About the Author:
Nitza Agam has published two memoirs, several articles and essays in literary magazines and in The SF Chronicle, as well as poems and opinions. Prior to “Too Much Love: Stories of Mothering,” Nitza has also edited The Lemon Tree: Artists’ and Writers’ Personal Journeys of Creativity,” published by BossLady Press, 2022. Agam has a BA from Hebrew University in Jerusalem as well as two master’s degrees in literature from San Francisco State. She also holds a teaching credential in secondary English and has taught at various independent schools and workshops. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, Ofer; together they have two adult sons, David and Or.
Come join us for an evening celebrating the debut poetry collection, Chillona, by local author Ellie Lopez! In Chillona, Ellie Lopez discusses their personal experience as the eldest daughter in a Mexican American family and navigating life in the Bay Area. Their book covers many themes such as identity, healing, and family. Lopez will be joined by other performers listed down below.
List of performers opening for Ellie Lopez:
Ellie Lopez (she/her) is a storyteller from Tracy, CA. Her poetry has been featured in numerous publications most recently Mobile Data Mag and KALW BAY POETS. Ellie has released a BuiLit Zine “While in Mourning” via Sampaguita Press. “Chillona” is her first full length poetry collection and was released October 2025.
In Pure Evil, Page Publishing author Charles Porta tells a spine-chilling thriller story about a serial killer loose in San Francisco. The police department are doing their best, but are being taunted by the killer and the death count of the city is only rising. Then, Detective Draven Overstreet is assigned to the case. He is a brilliant detective who follows his own beat with a strict moral code steeped in the protection of the innocent.
With the aid of the Gothically alluring and seductive Asia Francisco, forensics expert for the San Francisco Police Department, along with assistance from other individuals, they comb the city in desperate search for this disturbed, twisted serial killer lurking among the streets.
First five attendees receive a FREE copy of the book!