Memoirs, histories, thrillers, short stories, poetry, novels and books addressing current events are among offerings local and visiting writers are promoting this month. To submit an event to the calendar, email books@baycitynews.com.
Feb. 1
Derek Dwight Anderson: The history teacher, a Sausalito resident, shares “Forgotten Capitals and the Historical Lessons They Teach,” which examines obscure capital cities in China, the Philippines, Nigeria, Utah, Bosnia, Somaliland, Manchuria, Russia, Guatemala and Papua New Guinea that once played a prominent role in the international scene. [1 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Feb. 1
Eric Gray: The local author appears in various San Mateo County library presentations to share funny, touching excerpts from “Backyards to Ballparks: More Personal Baseball Stories from the Stands and Beyond”; additional talks are at 6 p.m. Feb. 4 at the Half Moon Bay Library, 3 p.m. Feb. 9 in Foster City, 6 p.m. Feb. 10 in Atherton. [1 p.m., Pacifica Sharp Park, 104 Hilton Way, Pacifica]
Feb. 2
Omo Moses: The son of famed civil rights organizer Robert P. Moses, in conversation with activist Belvie Rooks, shares “The White Peril: A Black Family’s Struggle for Freedom from Jim Crow to Hip-Hop,” his coming-of-age story about being Black in America that incorporates experiences of three generations of family members. [2 p.m., African American Center, third floor, Main Library, 100 Larkin St., San Francisco]
Feb. 2
Genny Lim: The inauguration of San Francisco’s new poet laureate, the first Chinese American in the role, includes performances by youth poets from Youth Speaks, a chorus from Clarion Children’s Theater, and past San Francisco poet laureates. [3 p.m., Koret Auditorium, Main Library, 100 Larkin St., San Francisco]
Feb. 3
Chris Hayes: Book Passage presents the Emmy Award-winning MSNBC host discussing his book “The Sirens’ Call: How Attention Became the World’s Most Endangered Resource” with best-selling writer Michael Lewis at a ticketed ($36) event that includes a book. [7 p.m., Calvary Presbyterian, 2515 Fillmore St., San Francisco]
Feb. 3
Martin Yan: The popular TV chef prepares dishes from his cookbooks “The Best of Yan Can Cook” and “MY Asian Kitchen” at a meet-and-greet for library patrons. [7 p.m., Morgan Hill Library, 660 West Main Ave., Morgan Hill]
Feb. 4
Geraldine Brooks: Book Passage presents the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Horse” speaking about her memoir “Memorial Days” with writer Michael Lewis at a ticketed ($40) event that includes a book. [7 p.m., Angelico Hall, Dominican University of California, 20 Olive Ave., San Rafael]
Feb. 4
Erin Wade: The innovator who opened the mac and cheese restaurant Homeroom in Oakland shares information from her guidebook and memoir, “The Mac & Cheese Millionaire: Building a Better Business by Thinking Outside the Box.” [7 p.m., Books Inc., 855 El Camino Real #74, Town & Country Village, Palo Alto]
Feb. 5
Allegra Goodman: The best-selling author of “Sam” speaks about her latest novel “Isola”; the story a young woman and her lover who are marooned on an island is described by Time as “a feminist castaway tale about love, faith, and self-actualization.” [7 p.m., Books Inc., 855 El Camino Real #74, Town & Country Village, Palo Alto]
Feb. 5
Liese Greensfelder: The freelance science writer discusses “Accidental Shepherd: How a California Girl Rescued an Ancient Mountain Farm in Norway ” her account of how, at age 20 and with no experience, she overtook operation of a remote Norwegian farm in 1972. [7 p.m., Books Inc., 1344 Park St., Alameda]
Feb. 6
Scott W. Stern: The Oakland public interest lawyer shares details from “There Is a Deep Brooding in Arkansas: The Rape Trials That Sustained Jim Crow, and the People Who Fought It, from Thurgood Marshall to Maya Angelou,” his deep examination of two sexual assault trials in the same Southern county that provided different outcomes for the defendants: in one case a pair of Black men, in the other, a pair of white men. [7 p.m., Books Inc., 1344 Park St., Alameda]
Feb. 7
Liese Greensfelder: The former Bay Area public relations professional, now a freelance science writer, shares her memoir “Accidental Shepherd: How a California Girl Rescued an Ancient Mountain Farm in Norway,” which details her experiences in 1972 as a 20-year-old who overtook operation of a remote, centuries-old farm. [7 p.m., Copperfield’s Books, 138 N. Main St., Sebastopol]
Feb. 8
Chiara Colombi: The Bay Area young adult and children’s author launches her picture book “Rocket Beams, Lunar Dreams,” a follow-up to “Rocket Ship, Solo Trip,” another adventure for Rocket, who learns about making friends and overcoming disappointment and with art by bestselling illustrator Scott Magoon. [11 a.m., Hicklebee’s, 1378 Lincoln Ave., San Jose]
Feb. 9
Samantha Schoech: The San Francisco writer, a staffer at New York Times Wirecutter, shares excerpts from “My Mother’s Boyfriends,” her collection of 14 funny and insightful short stories connected by her sympathy for those who make bad decisions despite their best intentions. [1 p.m., Copperfield’s Books, 2419 Larkspur Landing Circle, Larkspur]
Feb. 10
Rolando André López, Denise Newman, Dean Rader, Sarah Rosenthal: The Bay Area writers of different generations read from their political and personal new works in a session titled “Making and Breaking the Lyric: Four Poets Engage the Polis.” [6 p.m., City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus Ave., San Francisco]
Feb. 11
Barbara Boyle: The writer shares her new memoir “Pinch Me: Waking Up in a 300-Year-Old Italian Farmhouse” in which she details how she moved from a high stress career in global advertising to a simple rural life in a barn in Piemonte, a small hill town. [5:30p.m., Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco]
Feb. 12
Kevin Fagan: The veteran San Francisco Chronicle reporter launches “The Lost and the Found: A True Story of Homelessness, Found Family, and Second Chances,” his detailed account of what happened to Rita and Tyson, two homeless individuals in San Francisco, in conversation with documentary filmmaker Gianna Toboni. [6 p.m., Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco]
Feb. 13
Barbara Boyle: The former advertising executive, a part-time San Francisco resident, appears in conversation with real estate expert Ross Robb to promote her memoir “Pinch Me: Waking Up in a 300-Year-Old Italian Farmhouse,” an updated “twist on ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’” in which she shares her adventures moving from the Bay Area to build a new home in a stone barn in Piedmont, Italy. [7 p.m., Books Inc., 2251 Chestnut St., San Francisco]
Feb. 13
Kevin Fagan: The San Francisco reporter appears in “This Is Now with Angie Coiro,” discussing “The Lost and the Found”—a San Francisco-set book that explores the human side of what’s behind the homelessness epidemic—in a ticketed ($41) that includes a copy of the book. [7 p.m., Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park]
Feb. 13
Dominic Lim: The Oakland writer and singer is promoting his novel “Karaoke Queen,” a gay romance featuring a protagonist whose alter ego is a drag queen; Publishers Weekly called it “hilarious” and a “joyous celebration of drag, karaoke and Filipino culture.” [7 p.m., A Great Good Place for Books, 6120 LaSalle Ave., Oakland]
Feb. 13
Katy Motiey: The Iranian-born, Bay Area attorney shares her debut novel “Imperfect,” based on the dramatic life of her mother, who overcame legal and personal challenges (including fighting for control of her children after her husband died) in 1970s Iran. [7 p.m., Books Inc., 855 El Camino Real #74, Town & Country Village, Palo Alto]
Feb. 13
Nnedi Okarafor: Appearing in conversation with travel-and-culture writer Faith Adiele, the award-winning, best-selling fantasy writer promotes her latest book “Death of the Author,” about a disabled Nigerian American woman whose life spins out of control after she writes a successful sci-fi novel. [7 p.m., Books Inc., 601 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco]
Feb. 15
Shail Rajan: The East Bay resident signs copies of her novel “The Summer Breeze: Bed and Breakfast,” the first book in her feel-good women’s fiction trilogy “The Summer Breeze.”[Noon, Barnes & Noble, Streets of Brentwood, 2475 Sand Creek Road, Suite 100, Brentwood]
Feb. 15
Betty Shamieh: The acclaimed Palestinian American playwright, a San Francisco resident, speaks about her debut novel “Too Soon,” a family saga spanning war-torn Jaffa in 1948, Detroit and San Francisco in the 1960s-70s, the New York theater scene post-9/11 and Palestine in 2012. [2 p.m., Central Park Library, Redwood Room, 2635 Homestead Road, Santa Clara]
Feb. 17
Cory Doctorow: The bestselling science fiction author and activist discusses “Picks & Shovels,” the latest book in the Martin Hench series (and the character’s origin story) with award-winning science fantasy Charlie Jane Anders in a ticketed ($42) talk that includes a copy of the book. [7 p.m., Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park]
Feb. 18
Pierre R. Schwob: The Palo Alto computer scientist and director of the SETI Institute speaks about “AWE: A technothriller,” his brainy, globe-hopping novel describing efforts of heroic scientists (who develop an Artificial Wisdom Engine) to ward off a predicted climate change catastrophe. [7 p.m., Books Inc., 855 El Camino Real #74, Town & Country Village, Palo Alto]
Feb. 20
Ethan Schiener: The UC Davis political science professor speaks about “Freedom to Win: A Cold War Story of the Courageous Hockey Team That Fought the Soviets for the Soul of Its People—And Olympic Gold,” which details how small-town young men from Czechoslovakia led their underdog hockey against the Soviet Union. [7 p.m., Lafayette Library, 3491 Mount Diablo Blvd., Lafayette]
Feb. 22
Glen Dahlgren: The popular fantasy writer signs copies of the final installment in his award-winning young adult Chronicles of Chaos series, “The Realm of Gods.” [Noon, Barnes & Noble, Streets of Brentwood, 2475 Sand Creek Road, Suite 100, Brentwood]
Feb. 23
Maria van Lieshout: The Amsterdam native, a Bay Area illustrator, reads from her first graphic novel, “Song of a Blackbird”; the fictionalized story stems from real events from different periods: a modern-day family drama and a World War II-era bank heist carried out by Dutch resistance fighters [1 p.m., Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera]
Feb. 26
M.E.A. McNeil: Book Passage sponsors the journalist and master beekeeper who discusses her novel “Bee Club” with entomology professor Marla Spivak at a ticketed ($30) event that includes a book. [6 p.m., Creekside Lounge, Dominican University of California Creekside, 100 Magnolia Ave., San Rafael]
Feb. 27
Robert Hass: The poet, translator, scholar and former Poet Laureate of the United States discusses the life and work of Czeslaw Milosz to launch “Poet in the New World: Poems, 1946–1953,” a new collection that includes previously untranslated poems written during Milosz’s time in Washington, DC, and years in Europe before and after. [7 p.m., City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus Ave., San Francisco]
The post February 2025 author events: Genny Lim, Chris Hayes, Martin Yan, Geraldine Brooks, Allegra Goodman, Samantha Schoech, Dominic Lim, Barbara Boyle, Kevin Fagan, Katy Motiey, Cory Doctorow appeared first on Local News Matters.