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.
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
Come meet the author of West Facade, Lauren C. Johnson
A cathedral statue discovers what it means to be human, then faces an impossible choice…
In Paris, at the dawn of the Bubonic Plague, the statues that guard the Notre Dame Cathedral are forbidden from experiencing human pleasures. But the statue of Sainte Geneviève’s quiet existence changes irrevocably when a grieving woman places a citrus fruit in her hands as an offering—an offering Geneviève can’t resist eating.
Eating awakens Geneviève to her desires, making Geneviève want to be more than an object on a cathedral wall. But when Geneviève gets what she wants, she must choose between remaining human and accepting mortality or returning to an eternity of being a statue at the cathedral once more.
Lauren C. Johnson holds a B.S. in Journalism from Emerson College and an MFA in Creative Writing from American University. Her work has appeared in such publications as Orion and The Rumpus. She is the co-host of Babylon Salon, one of the Bay Area’s longest running literary and performance series, and the co-founder of Club Chicxulub, a journal and reading series featuring speculative fiction authors. Raised in Tampa, Florida, she now lives in San Francisco with her husband and her two rescue doves, Schooner and Eagle. This is her first book.
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!
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 us for a poetry night with local writers Katrina Benedicto & Jade Zora Dean
Katrina Benedicto (they/she) is a Filipino-American writer and educator. Born in the Bay Area, they lived in Romblon and Manila before moving to San Francisco. They later studied at SFSU, where they hold an MFA in Creative Writing. Their writing often taps into topics of folklore, the body, and the fleeting nature of home.
Jade Zora Dean is a queer, trans poet, writer, and poetry editor for Fourteen Hills: The S.F.S.U. Review. She was born in the Rocky Mountains where she received her B.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Colorado Boulder. Now, she has made her home in the beautiful Bay Area. Her poem “Not Hiding Unseen” was nominated for the Pushcart Prize and she is currently pursuing her MFA in creative writing at San Francisco State University.