Visit Great Good Place for Books in Montclair Village | June
After more than two decades at the helm of the beloved, intimate local — and independent — bookstore in Montclair Village, owner Kathleen Caldwell is closing the store. Caldwell inherited GGPB from its previous owner, Debi Echlin, and thereafter stocked the shop with books from the marvelously engaging to the profoundly life-changing. The staff brought a wealth of knowledge and shared Caldwell’s zest for local writers. Local, national and international writers appeared in-person, sometimes causing long lines that ran through the store, out the door, and around the block. To support and pay tribute to Caldwell and the staff at GGPB, the best actions are visit, buy books, and offer an in-person “thank you” for contributions to the community. A special closing party celebration mid-June is TBD. Check the store website for updates.
Caldwell’s sister has established a retirement GoFundMe campaign to help provide essential funding while Caldwell transitions to Social Security and disability payments. Health concerns that in recent years accumulated and sometimes were severe enough to prevent Caldwell from being in the store are ongoing. If GGPB was a positive force in anyone’s life, consider a contribution. With hints she might begin working on a novel after the store shutters, financial support might be seed money for a local, budding, debut author. Support Caldwell, and learn more @ gofundme.com/f/help-kathleen-bridge-to-retirement-after-20-yrs-at-ggp-books
Until mid-June, during store hours | Visit ggpbooks.com for more information
“Homesick for A World Unknown”: On Wildness, Exile, and the Human Imagination @ Clio’s Books | Jun. 10
Author and environmentalist Miriam Horn is joined in conversation by conservationist Rodney Jackson and anthropologist Cari Borja for a discussion about animal-human boundaries, immersive wildlife observation, the history of human and animal co-existence, and how we might live equitably, responsibly, and thoughtfully in the future. Horn’s newest work spotlights the renowned field biologist George B. Schaller, who spent over seventy years living among mountain gorillas and studied tigers, lions, pandas, and other endangered animals. Before focusing primarily on books and documentary films Horn worked at the Environmental Defense Fund and the US Forest Service, and wrote for magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times.
June 10 @ 7 p.m. | $10-44.52 @ cliosbooks.com | Clio’s Books @ 353 Grand Ave, Oakland
Christian Bancroft’s “A Ghost Has No Fantasies” @ Pegasus Books Downtown | June 22
Bancroft’s cross-genre debut tells the story of LGBTQ+ individuals who suffered under Nazi persecution. Through poetry and prose drawn from archival documents, survivor stories, and Gestapo files, the experiences of gay men, lesbians, and transgender individuals imprisoned under the regime’s Paragraph 175 emerge. Bancroft is the author of “Queering Modernist Translation: The Poetics of Race, Gender, and Queerness” and co-editor of the 2018 Unsung Masters Series volume, “Adelaide Crapsey: The Life & Work of an American Master.” He will be joined by Bay Area authors and poets Shelley Wong, Jesse Nathan, and Andy King. The event takes place at Pegasus Books Downtown’s location on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley.
June 22 @ 7 p.m. | Free | Pegasus Books Downtown @ 2349 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley | Learn more @ pegasusbookstore.com
Gemma Correll’s debut graphic novel, “Anxietyland” @ Mrs. Dalloway’s | June 28
The award-winning cartoonist, writer, and illustrator Gemma Correll has crafted her first graphic novel — and owns two pugs. Need anyone say more? Adding to those credentials, Correll’s work has been featured in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, NPR, Elle, Forbes, and others. Partnerships and products created with leading consumer brands and arts institutions extend her work’s visibility. Since 2016, she has designed social media campaigns for Mental Health America during Mental Health Awareness Month. “Anxietyland” reveals Correll pounding the pavement in Berkeley during a weeks-long panic attack she suffered in 2018. Happily, the charming illustrations tell the story of emerging from the darkness of her severe anxiety, depression, agoraphobia and other associated conditions. The path to recovery is zigzag, but a lot more fun when the tour is led by Correll — and possibly, her pugs.
June 28 @ 6 p.m. | Free | Mrs. Dalloway’s | Learn more @ mrsdalloways.com