Kevin Smokler

Meet my friend Kevin and buy his cool book. I'm serious. -Kelly Justice, Owner of Fountain

Kevin Smokler (www.kevinsmokler.com) is the author of the forthcoming essay collection "Practical Classics: 50 Reasons to Reread 50 Books you Haven't Touched since High School" (Prometheus, Feb. 2013). Called "a publishing visionary" by the Huffington Post, his writing on the arts and technology has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Fast Company and on NPR. He's the editor of the anthology Bookmark Now: Writing in Unreaderly Times (Basic Books, June 2005), which was a San Francisco Chronicle notable book of 2005.

As a speaker, Smokler has lectured throughout North America on the arts and their role in contemporary society at The Commonwealth Club of California, The Idea Festival, Book Expo America and universities such as Stanford and Johns Hopkins. He sits on the advisory board of the South by Southwest Interactive Conference where he has been a featured speaker since 2003.

Kevin Smokler has a B.A. in Writing Seminars from Johns Hopkins University and an M.A. In American Studies from The University of Texas at Austin. A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, he lives in San Francisco.

Location: Street: 1312 E. Cary St. City: Richmond, Province: Virginia Postal Code: 23219-4118 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

“Where the Wild Things Are”
An Evening in the Walnut Creek Library
with Bay Area Literary Stars
and a special tribute to Maurice Sendak

Save the Evening! On March 23, 2013, guests will dine and mingle with Bay Area Literary Stars on the second floor of the Walnut Creek Library. The evening begins with a reception and silent auction followed by dinner served by Grace Street Catering and wine from Charles Creek Winery and Baldacci Family Vineards.
Our 2013 Literary Stars include:

Penny Warner: Danville mystery writer and Valley Times columnist Penny Warner is the author of 60 books including “How to Dine on Killer Wine,” “The Code Busters Club” and the “Official Nancy Drew Handbook.”

Romney Steele: Oakland author Ronmey Steele’s lavishly illustrated “My Nepenthe” tells the story of her personal relationship with this iconic Big Sur restaurant. Her subsequent cookbook “Plum Gorgeous” celebrates the romance of fruit.

Kevin Smokler is a San Francisco writer and lecturer whose most recent book is the 2013 essay collection “Practical Classics: 50 Reasons to Reread 50 Books you Haven’t Touched since High School.”

Sylvie Simmons: London-born, San Francisco-based, Sylvie Simmons is an award-winning journalist and author. Her latest book is the critically-acclaimed, N.Y Times bestseller ”I’m Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen.”
Matt Richtel is a novelist, cartoonist and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who covers technology for the New York Times. His three critically acclaimed novels are thrillers set in Silicon Valley.

Jane Porter’s books include, the bestselling “Flirting With Forty” and ”Odd Mom Out”. Her new trilogy, which includes The Good Woman, revolves around the lives and loves of four sisters in the Bay Area.

Laurie King is the creator of two series of mystery novels, one featuring sleuth Mary Russell partnered with the legendary Sherlock Holmes, the other featuring police inspector Kate Martinelli in her native San Francisco.

John King: Contra Costa resident John King is the urban design writer for the San Francisco Chronicle and the author of the 2011 “Cityscapes: San Francisco and its Buildings.”

Adam Johnson: Stanford University creative writing professor Adam Johnson’s 2011 novel “The Orphan Master’s Son,” is both a touching and highly imaginative story and a searing indictment of government repression in North Korea.

Mary Ellen Hannibal documents the most ambitious wildlife conservation project ever undertaken in her critically acclaimed 2012 book “Spine of the Continent.”

C. W. Gortner: Half-Spanish by birth, bestselling author C.W. Gortner writes historical novels about powerful and maligned women of the Renaissance, including Elizabeth I, Catherine de Medici, Isabella of Castile, and her daughter, the “mad” queen Juana. He lives in San Francisco and is currently at work on a novel about Lucrezia Borgia.
Zoe Ferraris: San Francisco author Zoe Ferraris’s mystery novels “Finding Nouf,” “City of Veils” and “Kingdom of Strangers” were inspired by her experience living in Saudi Arabia.

Meg Waite Clayton is a Palo Alto resident and the best-selling author of “The Four Ms. Bradwells,” “The Wednesday Sisters,” and “The Language of Light,” and a book club favorite.

Max Byrd’s new thriller about a secret arms race at the eve of World War II follows his highly acclaimed historical novels recounting events in the lives of Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson and Ulysses S. Grant.

Gary Bogue wrote a popular East Bay newspaper column on pets, wildlife and the environment and is the author of four books, including “There’s an Opossum in my Backyard” and “The Racoon Next Door.”

Cara Black: San Francisco mystery writer Cara Black is the author of the bestselling Aimee Leduc murder mysteries, set in Paris and richly imbued with the romance and intrigue evoked by its ancient streets, alleyways and cafes. (MDGentleReader)… (more)

7PM FRIDAY, MARCH 22 Kevin Smokler: Practical Classics Art and technology journalist Kevin Smokler, editor of Bookmark Now: Writing in Unreaderly Times, presents Practical Classics: 50 Reasons to Reread 50 Books You Haven't Touched Since High School.

What do the great books of your youth have to say about your life now? Smokler's down-to-earth essays on the classics are divided into ten sections, each covering an archetypical stage of life from youth and first love to family, loss, and the future. He not only reminds readers about the essential features of classic books, but gives practical, real-world reasons why revisiting them in adulthood is enjoyable and useful.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kevin Smokler is the editor of the anthology Bookmark Now: Writing in Unreaderly Times, a San Francisco Chronicle Notable Book of 2005. Called a "publishing visionary" by the Huffington Post, his writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Fast Company, the San Francisco Chronicle, and The Believer. He can be found online at kevinsmokler.com and on Twitter at @weegee.

Location: Street: 6428 S McClintock Dr. City: Tempe, Province: Arizona Postal Code: 85283 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)