Local and visiting writers offering new novels and non-fiction titles ranging from reportage to business to memoir (and more!) appear in free and ticketed talks. To submit an event to the calendar, email books@baycitynews.com.
April 1
Gary Rivlin: The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist appears in conversation with Bloomberg Businessweek editor Brad Stone to promote “AI Valley: Microsoft, Google, and the Trillion-Dollar Race to Cash in on Artificial Intelligence,” which details recent breakthroughs in the development of AI at a ticketed ($12.51) event; RSVP required. [5:30 p.m., Shack 15, 1 Ferry Building, Suite 215, San Francisco]
April 2
Vicki DeArmon: In the first of several events, the local book legend (and current Sibylline Press publisher) launches her memoir “Foghorn: The Nearly True Story of a Small Publishing Empire” in which she exposes fun details about how books are published and sold, and describes her riotous adventures through the industry in the Bay Area in the 1980s-90s. [7 p.m., Bookshop West Portal, 80 W. Portal Ave., San Francisco]
April 3
Jonathan Stroud: The best-selling English author of young adult fiction and fantasies appears at a meet-and-greet to sign copies of his final book in the Scarlett and Browne series, “The Legendary Scarlett and Browne.” [4 p.m., Copperfield’s, 140 Kentucky St., Petaluma]
April 4
Vicki DeArmon: The Bay Area book industry stalwart, a longtime publisher and former marketing and events director at Copperfield’s Books, among many positions, launches her memoir “Foghorn: The Nearly True Story of a Small Publishing Empire,” which the tells the never-before-told story of the heyday of small presses in the 1980s-90s in San Francisco. [7 p.m., Copperfield’s Books, 140 Kentucky St., Petaluma]
April 5
Jeanne Carstensen: The San Francisco journalist speaks with “In the Time of our History” novelist Susanne Pari about “A Greek Tragedy: One Day, a Deadly Shipwreck, and the Human Cost of the Refugee Crisis,” her highly researched account of the Oct. 28, 2015 refugee shipwreck off the Greek island of Lesvos. [4 p.m. Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
April 5
Vicki DeArmon: The Sibylline Press publisher, and former publisher of San Francisco’s Foghorn Press, which she started at 25, launches her memoir “Foghorn: The Nearly True Story of a Small Publishing Empire” at a San Francisco Bay Area Book Industry Reunion Party, in partnership with the California Independent Booksellers Alliance. [2 p.m., Open Square at Futures Without Violence, 300 Montgomery St., San Francisco Presidio]
April 6
Katy Hays: The best-selling writer of “The Cloisters” speaks about her new thriller “Saltwater: A Novel,” with her friend and bestselling author Meredith Jaeger in an offsite ticketed event ($6 for entry; $35 includes book and cocktail) presented by Copperfield’s Books. Registration required here. [3 p.m., H2 Hotel, 219 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg]
April 6
Jeanne Carstensen: The San Francisco journalist appears in conversation with Michael Krasny to promote “A Greek Tragedy,” her new book detailing the Oct. 28, 2015 refugee shipwreck off the Greek island of Lesvos. The former editor at SFGate, Salon, and the Bay Citizen who went on to cover the refugee crisis in Greece, spent over six years researching and writing the book. [5:45 p.m. Sebastopol Community Cultural Center, 390 Morris St., Sebastopol]
April 8
Jon Hickey: The first-time novelist, a San Francisco resident of Native American descent, launches “Big Chief,” a nuanced story about power and politics on a reservation in Wisconsin, in conversation with acclaimed San Francisco short story writer Zach Williams.[7 p.m., Green Apple Books, 1231 Ninth Ave., San Francisco]
April 8
Matt Kepnes: The world traveler, who has been sharing his experiences and travel tips since 2008 on his site NomadicMatt.com, speaks about his new book, “How to Travel the World on $75 a Day: Travel Cheaper, Longer, Smarter.” [5:30 p.m., Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco]
April 7
April Ossmann: The author reads from her new poetry book “We,” which “takes an unapologetically spiritual stance in bridging politicized divides by exploring conscious and unconscious prejudices with lyricism, warmth, and self-implicating humor” in an event that also includes conversation and call and response. [6 p.m., Vacaville Town Square Library, 1 Vacaville Town Square Place, Vacaville]
April 9
Kate Folk: Appearing in conversation with acclaimed Bay Area “Headshot” novelist Rita Bullwinkel, the San Francisco educator and short story writer launches her funny debut novel “Sky Daddy,” about a San Francisco woman with a lackluster job who acts upon her sexual obsession with airplanes. [7 p.m., Booksmith, 1727 Haight St., San Francisco]
April 9
Vicky Nguyen: In her new memoir “Boat Baby,” The NBC News anchor and correspondent tells the story of her family’s daring escape from communist Vietnam and her unlikely journey from refugee to reporter with laughter and love. [6 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
April 10
Viet Thanh Nguyen: The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of “The Sympathizer” (now an HBO show) discusses his new nonfiction title “To Save and to Destroy,” described as a “personal meditation on the literary forms of otherness and a bold call for expansive political solidarity” in conversation with Chronicle columnist Soleil Ho; registration requested here. [6:30 p.m., Mill Valley Library, 375 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley]
April 10
Adam Plantinga: The San Francisco police sergeant, author of nonfiction books on urban law enforcement and the well-received 2024 novel “The Ascent,” featuring ex-Detroit cop Kurt Argento, speaks about his new, second Argento thriller, “Hard Town.” [5:30 p.m., Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco]
April 10
David Sheff: The author of the memoir “Beautiful Boy” discusses “Yoko, A Biography,” a definitive telling of Yoko Ono’s story, from her birth to wealthy parents in pre-war Tokyo to her arrival in avant-garde art scene in London, Tokyo and New York, to her groundbreaking art, music, feminism, and activism; and her version of events surrounding the breakup of the Beatles. [6 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
April 11
Len Dell’Amico: Appearing in conversation with Blair Jackson, the Fairfax resident and longtime director and producer of concert films and music videos speaks about his new book, “Friend of the Devil: My Wild Ride with Jerry Garcia and Grateful Dead.” [6 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
April 12
Jennifer Beals: The actress appears in conversation with Lydi Conklin to share “The L Word: A Photographic Journal,” her collection of candid and behind-the-scenes images from the set of the Showtime TV series about a diverse group of women in the LGBTQ+ community; RSVP requested; the talk also streams. [1 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
April 12
“The Cleaving” Launch Party: Viet Thanh Nguyen, Isabelle Thuy Pelaud, Lan Duong, Aimee Phan, and Nguyễn Phan QuếMai —novelists, poets, journalists and scholars — speak at the Bay Area launch of “The Cleaving: Vietnamese Writers in the Diaspora,” a compilation of dialogues from 37 writers billed as “the first and only book to gather the voices and perspectives of Vietnamese diasporic authors from across the globe” at a ticketed ($7- $17.85) event; register here. [6:30 p.m., Mechanics Institute, 57 Post St., San Francisco]
April 15
Jordan Steven Sher: The historical fiction writer, whose topic is the World War II era in Yugoslavia, speaks about “Dark Shadows Hover,” the story of a young Jewish boy whose harrowing journey includes leaving a small city of Drvar, Bosnia; escaping transport to a Croatian death camp; and eventually joining Tito’s Partisans, a communist-led anti-fascist resistance force. [6:30 p.m., San Carlos Library, 610 Elm St., San Carlos]
April 15
Renee Swindle: The Oakland novelist reads from her new heartfelt title “Francine’s Spectacular Crash and Burn,” a tale of “found family and high jinks” about what happens after a woman, whose mother recently died, has a chance encounter with a tell-it-like-it-is 10-year-old boy, a foster child. [7 p.m., A Great Good Place for Books, 6120 La Salle Ave., Oakland]
April 17
L. John Harris: The Berkeley publisher, foodie, author and artist shares his memoir “Portrait in Red: A Paris Obsession,” which he calls “an existential detective story set among world tragedies, art-historical epiphanies and comic high jinks” in conversation with freelance editor, book critic and longtime independent bookseller Marion Abbott. [7 p.m., Copperfield’s Books, 775 Village Court, Santa Rosa]
April 22
Joe Kloc: The reporter and senior editor at Harper’s Magazine speaks about “Lost at Sea: Poverty and Paradise Collide at the Edge of America,” his personal, nine-year examination of the community in Richardson Bay near Marin; more specifically, the “anchor outs,” or people who claimed homes among the derelict vessels floating in the waters. [1 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
April 22
Amy Mason Doan: The novelist, originally from Danville, discusses “The California Dreamers,” a story of estranged relationships, unraveling family mysteries and long buried secrets set in 1980s California, in conversation by Kerry Lonsdale, author of “Find Me in California.” [ 7 p.m., Bookshop West Portal, 80 W. Portal Ave., San Francisco]
April 22
Bonnie Tsui: The Bay Area athlete and author of the best-selling “Why We Swim” appears in conversation with Caroline Paul to launch “On Muscle: The Stuff That Moves Us and Why It Matters,” in which she blends science, culture, immersive reporting and personal narrative to examine the human body’s amazing, adaptable tissue. [7 p.m., Green Apple Books, 1231 Ninth Ave., San Francisco]
April 23
Alka Joshi: The best-selling author of “The Henna House” speaks about “Six Days in Bombay: A Novel”—her new book which takes readers from Bombay to Prague, Florence, Paris and London, to uncover the mystery behind a famous painter’s death—in conversation with Jasmin Darznik. [6 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
April 23
Grace Notes-Poetry at Grace Cathedral: Litquake, the West Coast independent literary festival, and Green Apple Books mark National Poetry Month with readings in the exalted space by Armen Davoudian, Rachel Richardson, Maw Shein Win and Matthew Zapruder and curators-hosts D.A. Powell and Preeti Vangani. [7 p.m., 1100 California St., San Francisco]
April 24
Kate Folk: Appearing in conversation with “Native Speaker” novelist Chang-rae Lee, the San Francisco short story writer speaks about her debut novel “Sky Daddy,” about a San Francisco woman with a lackluster job who acts upon her sexual obsession with airplanes. [6 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
April 24
Terry Winckler: The Alameda writer shares his second book “A Voice Came Down the Mountain,” appearing in conversation with Tamoa Calzadilla; his personal and journalistic account of meeting a bold leader of guerrilla forces on a volcano during Guatemala’s revolution also touches on how U.S. policies have led to today’s immigration crisis. [7 p.m., Books Inc., 855 El Camino Real #74, Palo Alto]
April 24
Khan Wong: The San Francisco speculative fiction novelist, author of “The Circus Infinite,” appears in conversation with novelist Julia Vee to launch “Down in the Sea of Angels,” which he calls “my ‘Cloud Atlas’ x ‘X-Men’ tale of three people, psychically linked through time, facing enslavement, exploitation and ecological collapse in three historical eras of San Francisco.” [7 p.m., Booksmith, 1727 Haight St., San Francisco]
April 25
Rich Kitchens: The longtime Piedmont High School teacher, coach and administrator launches his second novel “Three Man Rule,” which follows the journey of teacher protagonist Phil Gibson from Kitchens’ 2024 debut novel “Hawk River.” This time, Phil, working at an intense high school in the Oakland hills, faces confrontations with other teachers, a few students and a violent militia involved in kidnapping and murder plots. [4 p.m., Kingfish Pub, 5227 Telegraph Ave., Oakland]
April 25
Pamela Reitman: The writer and former public health professional discusses “Charlotte Salomon Paints Her Life,” her new novel inspired by the German-Jewish artist who died during the Holocaust but is remembered for an autobiographical series of hundreds of paintings created while she was hiding from the Nazis. [7 p.m., Copperfield’s Books, 775 Village Court, Santa Rosa]
April 29
Sezin Devi Koehler: The Northern California pop culture writer launches “Much Ado About Keanu: A Critical Reeves Theory,” a fun and in-depth look at the art, identity and ethnicity of the prolific actor and often misunderstood cultural icon, which touches on themes from Asian and Indigenous representation to philosophy, technology and sexuality. [7 p.m., Green Apple Books, 1231 Ninth Ave., San Francisco]
April 29
Michael Lewis: The best-selling author of “Moneyball” and “The Big Short,” and editor of the new “Who Is Government? The Untold Story of Public Service,” a compilation of profiles that challenge the stereotype of the irrelevant bureaucrat, appears to promote the title with one of its contributors, Dave Eggers, at ticketed event ($35 includes book). [6 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
April 30
Joshua A. Miele: The Berkeley father, scientist, designer and expert on accessible technology and disability (who lost his sight at age 4 in an acid attack) speaks about his new memoir “Connecting Dots: A Blind Life” (co-written by Wendell Jamieson) with Alison McKee, Contra Costa County librarian. [7 p.m., Orinda Library, 26 Orinda Way, Orinda]
The post April 2025 author events: Jennifer Beals, Jeanne Carstensen, Vicki DeArmon, Kate Folk, Katy Hays, Michael Lewis, Vicky Nguyen, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Adam Plantinga, David Scheff, Khan Wong appeared first on Local News Matters.