Saint Mary’s College Visiting Writer Series: Carvell Wallace | Apr. 8
This writer series is a hidden gem, inviting top-flight poets and fiction and nonfiction writers to the college in Moraga — and opening the doors free of charge to the public. Recent readings and conversations have included literary luminaries such as Leila Mottley, Alexis Madrigal, Jonathan Escoffery, Jamil Jan Kochai, Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, and others.
Wrapping up the spring series, Carvel Wallace will read from and discuss his marvelous memoir, “Another Word for Love.” Wallace has written for Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Esquire, and the New Yorker. His debut as a memoirist received critical acclaim and landed on numerous best books of 2025 lists. It is raw, elegantly crafted, intensely honest, courageous, and surprisingly, full of hope.
The series concludes with Maw Shein Win on April 29. She will present her new poetry collection, “Percussing the Thinking Jar,” which unfolds in dreamlike lines and is accompanied by ink drawings, reflecting on the experiences of living in an aging body.
April 8 @ 2:30pm | FREE | De La Salle Hall: Hagerty Lounge @ St. Mary’s College, 1928 St. Marys Road, Moraga
Jill Santopolo’s “Can You Grow a Striped Banana?” Presale @ A Great Good Place for Books | Apr. 21
The author of five international best-sellers for adults, Jill Santopolo has turned her hand to a children’s picture book. “Can You Grow a Striped Banana?” presents a mother’s funny and tender replies to a demanding daughter. The young girl’s imagination knows no bounds, and the requests become more outrageous until, at last, the mother must admit she may not be able to make a spider laugh or eavesdrop on earthworms. Even so, Mom can show her daughter she is loved, despite failing to conquer the elusive striped banana and other impossibilities. Vibrant artwork from Momoko Abe adds depth to the storytelling. Santopolo is the publisher of Philomel, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group, and lives in New York City with her husband and daughter. Special note: This event is a presale offered by Great Good Place for Books in coordination with Santopolo, who will not be at the event. Books available all day April 21 and beyond.
April 21 | All day | ggpbooks.com | 6120 La Salle Ave., Oakland
Meet the Author: Dani Burlison @ Oakland Public Library Montclair Branch | Apr. 22
In this 90-minute program editor Dani Burlison will discuss the 2025 book “Red Flag Warning: Mutual Aid and Survival in California’s Fire Country,” which tells the story of two California wildfire survivors who compile a guide for living — physically, mentally, and emotionally — amid ecological destruction. The book’s essays and interviews illuminate how wildfire impacts entire communities and offer insight into living with fire risk. The collection sources information from indigenous groups, local community organizers, mental health care workers, environmentalists, fire analysts, sustainable loggers, parents, and others and serves as a resource for anyone living in Northern California.
Burlison has been a staff writer at a Bay Area alt-weekly and a regular contributor at Yes! Magazine, Chicago Tribune, KQED, and elsewhere. Her journalism, fiction, and personal essays can be found at Ms. Magazine, Earth Island Journal, The Rumpus, Portland Review, and more. She teaches and lives on un-ceded Southern Pomo land in California. This event is made possible through the generous donation of the Friends of the Montclair Public Library.
April 22 @ 6:00 pm | FREE | oaklandlibrary.org/locations/moa/ | 1687 Mountain Blvd., Oakland
Meet the Author: Crystal Wahpepah @ Oakland Public Library Main Branch | Apr. 23
Chef Crystal Wahpepah is a registered member of the Kickapoo Nation of Oklahoma. As an educator and practicing chef, her new cookbook, “A Feather and a Fork: 125 Intertribal Dishes from an Indigenous Food Warrior,” offers a wealth of information. Wahpepah worked with ethnobotanist and food sovereignty advocate Linda Black Elk, and the recipes are accompanied by explanations of the environmental, spiritual, physical, and social benefits of each dish. Preserving Native food ways, promoting heirloom foods, and building connections within communities are core principles the author applies at her restaurant, Wahpepah’s Kitchen in Oakland.
Wahpepah will be joined in conversation by Librarian Ian Hetzner, followed by a Q&A session and book signing. Registration is encouraged, as are masks. Mrs. Dalloway’s Books will be onsite with copies of the book for purchase.
April 23 @ 6:00 pm | FREE | oaklandlibrary.org | 125 14th St., Oakland
Motherhood, Adoption, Inheritance: A Conversation with Kate Schatz & Tracy Clark-Flory @ Book Society | Apr. 28
Book Society is exceptional when it comes to curating intimate conversations with local writers and readers. This special evening pairs Schatz, whose new book is “Where the Girls Were,” with Tracy Clark-Flory, author of the upcoming memoir “My Mother’s Daughter.”
Many people will know of Schatz as the New York Times-bestselling author of the “Rad Women” book series; the novel “Where the Girls Were,” the 33 ⅓ book “Rid of Me: A Story,” and “Do the Work: An Anti-Racist Activity Book,” co-written with “United Shades of America” host W. Kamau Bell.
Clark-Flory is a journalist and author whose work has appeared in The Guardian, Mother Jones, and The Atlantic. Her previous book, “Want Me,” was an NPR Best Book of the Year. Together, they will speak of women’s stories: about family secrets, sisterhood, societal silencing and shaming, and surviving. The evening comes with light bites, beverages, an opportunity to join in community with other local book lovers, and the option to pre-purchase Clark-Flory’s forthcoming memoir and/or purchase Katz’s new book.
April 28 @ 7:50 pm | $30 Members, $45 General Admission (book purchase additional charge) | 2945 College Ave., Berkeley | booksociety.social/event-details