Mobility with author Lydia Kiesling Mechanics Institute 2023-08-31 | Author Lydia Kiesling joins Mechanics' Institute for an online discussion of her new novel, Mobility, interviewed by Heather Bourbeau.The year is 1998, the End of History. The Soviet Union is dissolved, the Cold War is over, and Bunny Glenn is an American teenager in Azerbaijan with her Foreign Service family. Through Bunny’s eyes we watch global interests flock to the former Soviet Union during the rush for Caspian oil and pipeline access, hear rumbles of the expansion of the American security state and the buildup to the War on Terror. We follow Bunny from adolescence to middle age—from Azerbaijan to America—as the entwined idols of capitalism and ambition lead her to a career in the oil industry, and eventually back to the scene of her youth, where familiar figures reappear in an era of political and climate breakdown.Both geopolitical exploration and domestic coming-of-age novel, Mobility is a propulsive and challenging story about class, power, politics, and desire told through the life of one woman—her social milieu, her romances, her unarticulated wants. Mobility deftly explores American forms of complicity and inertia, moving between the local and the global, the personal and the political, and using fiction’s power to illuminate the way a life is shaped by its context.Mobility may be purchased online at Bookshop.org or at your favorite local book store.Lydia Kiesling is the author of The Golden State, a 2018 National Book Foundation “5 under 35” honoree, and a finalist for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. Her second novel, Mobility, is published by Crooked Media Reads. Her essays and nonfiction have been published in outlets including The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker online, and The Cut.
In Conversation: Jenny Odell and Cathy Park Hong Mechanics Institute 2024-10-02 | Join Jenny Odell and Cathy Park Hong, acclaimed authors of Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock and Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning, in conversation at Mechanics’ Institute.
Where Science and Politics Meet: Treating Substance Use Disorders With Dr. Paul Linde, Clinical Prof Mechanics Institute 2024-10-02 | Join Dr. Paul Linde, Clinical Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at the UCSF School of Medicine, for an engaging dialogue on harm reduction and innovative methods to approach addiction treatment in San Francisco.
Stranger Fiction: The Art of Speculative Fiction and World-Building Mechanics Institute 2024-10-02 | Join the Women's National Book Association and Mechanics' Institute for a writers' panel on imagining new worlds and futures through fiction. As our home planet Earth grows ever hotter, crowded and more polluted, we look to other realms for new hope and relief from our terran concerns. Thankfully, brilliant minds and bold thinkers have already created places and spaces to which we can journey in books and take armchair travels to new worlds beyond our wildest imagining. These creative writers will discuss their craft and the art of world-building through fiction.
Contemporary Translated Works: Migratory Birds (Introductory Conversation with Julia Sanches) Mechanics Institute 2024-09-19 | Dive into the rich tapestry of global literature with Mechanics' Institute's Contemporary Translated Works Book Group, presented in partnership with the Center for the Art of Translation. Our literary journey continues this fall with "Migratory Birds" by Mariana Oliver (Mexico), a prize-winning essay that asks us what it means to leave the familiar behind and make the unfamiliar our own. Join us in this literary adventure, discovering the stories that connect us across cultures and languages through translation. This introductory discussion with Julia Sanches (Brazil/Providence, RI), translator "Migratory Birds," happened on Wednesday, September 18 (from 12:00-12:45 pm PT).About "Migratory Birds" and the Book's Author“Pondering revolutionary Cuba, the Berlin Wall, and the caves of Cappadocia, these essays explore themes of memory, war, movement, and home.” —The New YorkerIn her prize-winning debut, Mexican essayist Mariana Oliver trains her gaze on migration in its many forms, moving between real cities and other more inaccessible territories: language, memory, pain, desire, and the body. With an abiding curiosity and poetic ease, Oliver leads us through the underground city of Cappadocia, explores the vicissitudes of a Berlin marked by historical fracture, recalls a shocking childhood exodus, and recreates the intimacy of the spaces we inhabit. Blending criticism, reportage, and a travel writing all her own, Oliver presents a brilliant collection of essays that asks us what it means to leave the familiar behind and make the unfamiliar our own."Migratory Birds" is part of the Undelivered Lectures series from Transit Books.About the TranslatorJulia Sanches is a literary translator working from Spanish, Portuguese, and Catalan into English. Recent translations include Living Things by Munir Hachemi and Reservoir Bitches by Dahlia de la Cerda, co-translated with Heather Cleary. Born in Brazil, she currently resides in Providence, Rhode Island.
Deep Dive Into Design: Assembling Tomorrow (Introductory Roundtable) Mechanics Institute 2024-09-05 | The Deep Dive Into Design book group at Mechanics' Institute explores how the creative capacity of design has the transformative power of shaping a more beautiful, caring, and just world. We focus on visionary works that challenge us to rethink our designed environments and how we interact with them. This book group promotes a dialogue on how human creativity could come into harmony with both natural and human-made ecologies. Whether you're a design enthusiast or simply curious about design, these roundtables and informal discussions demystify design as a creative capacity that is accessible to all.About Assembling Tomorrow and the Book's AuthorsIn Assembling Tomorrow, authors Scott Doorley and Carissa Carter explore the intangible forces that prevent us from anticipating just how fantastically technology can get out of control, and what might be in store for us if we don’t start using new tools and tactics. Despite our best intentions, our most transformative innovations tend to have consequences we can’t always predict. From the effects of social media to the uncertainty of AI and the consequences of climate change, the outcomes of our creations ripple across our lives. Time and again, our seemingly ceaseless capacity to create rubs up against our limited capacity to understand our impact.Assembling Tomorrow explores how to use readily accessible tools to both mend the mistakes of our past and shape our future for the better. We live in an era of “runaway design,” where innovations tangle with our lives in unpredictable ways. This book explores the off-kilter feelings of today and follows up with actionables to alter your perspective and help you find opportunities in these turbulent times.Mixed throughout are histories of the future, short pieces of speculative fiction that imagine the future as if it has already happened and consider the past with a critical yet hopeful eye so that all of us—as designers of our own futures—can create a better world for generations to come.CARISSA CARTER is a designer, a geoscientist, and the academic director at the Stanford d.school. She’s the author of The Secret Language of Maps: How to Tell Visual Stories with Data and the co-author of Assembling Tomorrow. She teaches design courses on emerging technologies, climate change, and data visualization. Her work on designing with machine learning and blockchain has earned multiple design awards, including Fast Company Innovation and Core 77 awards.SCOTT DOORLEY is a writer, designer, and the creative director at the Stanford d.school. He has overseen everything from books to workspaces to digital products and initiatives focused on the future of learning and design. He co-wrote two books: Assembling Tomorrow and Make Space: How to Set the Stage for Creative Collaboration. He teaches courses in design communication. His work has been featured in museums from San Jose to Helsinki and in publications such as Architecture + Urbanism and the New York Times.About the Introductory Roundtable PanelistsLUAM MELAKE creates handwoven sculptures and furniture using innovative material combinations that reference her interdisciplinary interests in craft, industrial design, fine art, and architecture, as well as research in the fields of anthropology and psychology. Exploiting the psychological impacts of objects is the central focus of her work. She investigates the potential for furniture to facilitate meaningful social interactions in order to address the ongoing crisis of alienation in the digital era. Melake received her BA from the University of California, Berkeley in Interdisciplinary Field Studies majoring in Architecture. She has exhibited internationally at galleries including R & Company, Parker Gallery, Addis Fine Art and Fondation Blachere. She is a Senior Researcher at Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons School of Design and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Museum of Arts and Design in New York.As JUST’s Founder and Director, QUINLIN MESSENGER believes design is a tool for social and environmental transformation, and that systems can, and should be just for all. His process and approach center the historical, current, and future contexts of projects and integrates co-creative and eco-centered practices to address the deepest challenges our communities and ecosystems face. Quinlin’s creative identity is rooted in his African American, Native American and Jewish heritage; he channels and honors these legacies through design justice, an awareness and healing modality that is at the core of his practice - engaging communities and projects with a sensitivity and focus towards healthy living, social + environmental empowerment, and legacy cultivation. In tandem, Messenger works closely with artists to facilitate conversations and experiences around race, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Pure: The Sexual Revolutions of Marilyn Chambers with Jared Stearns and Jesse Hawthorne Ficks Mechanics Institute 2024-08-22 | Join author Jared Stearns in conversation with cinephile Jesse Hawthorne Ficks on Stearns’ new book, Pure: The Sexual Revolutions of Marilyn Chambers. Marilyn Chambers was the embodiment of the free-spirited Seventies, the world's most famous X-rated star, and an unappreciated talent whose work in adult films hindered her dreams of becoming a serious actress. Marilyn was the first woman known primarily for her work in adult films to cross over to mainstream entertainment. She sustained a versatile three-decade career in entertainment, including roles in dramatic plays, a Broadway musical revue, her own television show, and the lead role in David Cronenberg's film Rabid. But her success in adult films also proved to be her undoing. With recollections from family and friends, many of whom have never spoken publicly, along with Marilyn's own words, and never-before-published photos, Jared Stearns vividly captures the revolutionary career of one of the twentieth century's most misunderstood icons.
Two Memoirs: Zack Rogow and Claudia Marseille Mechanics Institute 2024-06-07 | Join painter Claudia Marseille and poet Zack Rogow in conversation on their new memoirs, But You Look So Normal and Hugging My Father’s Ghost. In their writings, Marseille and Rogow navigate complex topics of familial trauma, loss, coming-of-age, and resilience with tenderness, honesty, and humor. The discussion will be followed by an audience Q&A and book signing.
Monthly Storytelling Showcase with Corey Rosen Mechanics Institute 2024-05-31 | Join us for an evening of laughter and storytelling! Local author and host of "The Moth," Corey Rosen, returns to Mechanic's Institute with storytellers and stand up comedians that have developed new material in his "Your Story, Well Told" workshops. Come hear stories and jokes being told for the first time. Some performers making their stage debut!Our roster of storytellers for May 29 are:Larry Dorsey Jr.Devin HawkinsRabbi Lawrence KushnerLiz MorrisonGinger Parnes
Page to Stage: Mother Road with acclaimed playwright Octavio Solis & director David Mendizábal Mechanics Institute 2024-05-24 | Join acclaimed playwright Octavio Solis in conversation with director David Mendizábal on their upcoming production of Mother Road at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. One of the most celebrated living writers of the Mexican-American experience, Octavio Solis pens a 21st-century tale inspired by John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. William Joad has no heir to bequeath the family farm to — until he learns about Martín Jodes, a young Mexican-American migrant worker descended from Steinbeck’s protagonist Tom Joad. In a reversal of the Joads’ mythic journey, William and Martín embark on a road trip from California’s migrant farm camps back to Oklahoma, where they reckon with their brutal pasts and forge an unlikely bond. Along their journey on the Mother Road, they gather a chorus of travelers. Witness Solis’ soaring poetry, gritty realism, and mythic scope as he captures the intersection of people, cultures, and migration in the American West.
Red Tarotwith Christopher Marmolejo Mechanics Institute 2024-05-22 | Dive deep into the mystical world of tarot with Christopher Marmolejo's enthralling Red Tarot, heralding the approach of World Tarot Day. Reflect on this evening where the magic of tarot and the allure of literature converge, creating an unforgettable celebration of divination and storytelling.About the BookUsing the cards to subvert power dynamics, author Christopher Marmolejo applies an anti-racist, feminist, queer, and Indigenous lens to the deck. Red Tarot is a profound act of Native reclamation written by a queer, nonbinary, Mexican-American, Indigenous person. In many ways the publication of this book is historic and will influence the way we approach tarot readings for the better.Woven into each card’s interpretation are history lessons and personal anecdotes from Marmolejo themself. The book travels through each figure in a standard 78 card tarot deck and brings in cosmologies outside the Hellenistic frame. Teachings from Toni Morrison, bell hooks, José Esteban Muñoz, and others are brought in as guides and Hindu and Aztec goddesses offer new frames for the storied cards. Readers who regularly pull from decks, will enjoy the fact that Red Tarot can be used with any of the wide array of decks currently available. In fact, Marmolejo invites readers to look at who is being represented on each of their deck’s cards and consider what kind of messaging that representation is implying. Marmolejo insists tarot shifts authority into the hands of the people themselves. This is a tarot guidebook free of appropriative spirituality, and it demonstrates tarot as a language for liberation and self-determination.About the AuthorChristopher Marmolejo is a recognized tarot and astrology expert and comfortably draws connections between the two. They regularly host tarot classes, workshops, and consultations. Having a background in traditional teaching as an English teacher, their commitment to making the archaic understandable and accessible is evident in their book.Instagram: @The.Red.Read | Substack: theredread.substack.com
Writers Lunch: Crafting Books and Stories for Children and Youth Mechanics Institute 2024-05-21 | Writers' Lunch, hosted by Mechanics' Institute, is a casual and virtual brown bag lunch activity on the 3rd Friday of each month. Look forward to excellent conversations on all forms of writing! FREE! All are welcome. Register at milibrary.org/eventsThis session of Writers' Lunch focused on the topic "Crafting Books and Stories for Children and Youth" and features Lisa Brown, Glodean Champion, and Oliver Chin. This event was moderated by Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte, and broadcasted live on Zoom on Friday, May 17 at 12:00 pm (PT).This session of Writers' Lunch celebrates Children's Day, which is celebrated on May 5 in South Korea/Japan, on the second Sunday of May in Spain/United Kingdom, and on the second Sunday of June in the United States.Come celebrate children at Mechanics' Institute on every third Saturday of each month from 10:00 to 11:00 for our Family Story Hour, which happens onsite at Mechanics' Institute's gorgeous second-floor library! We’ll read 2-3 stories appropriate for children age 8 and younger, plus make a fun craft to take home.Panelists' BiosLISA BROWN is a New York Times bestselling illustrator, author, and cartoonist. Her award-winning picture books include: The Airport Book, The Hospital Book, How to Be, Mummy Cat by Marcus Ewert, Emily’s Blue Period by Cathleen Daly, and The Two Mutch Sisters by Carol Brendler. She has collaborated on three books with author Lemony Snicket: The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming, 29 Myths on the Swinster Pharmacy, and Goldfish Ghost, and is the creator of the “Baby Be of Use” series of board books for McSweeney’s, (including the absolutely essential Baby Mix Me a Drink). Her comics include a graphic novel for teens,The Phantom Twin, and a collection of comics, Long Story Short. Lisa teaches picture book writing and illustration at the California College of the Arts and is on the board of 826 Valencia, a writing and tutoring center for students in San Francisco.GLODEAN CHAMPION is a two-time TEDx Speaker and Keynote Speaker who pulls from her mother's influence - her first authentic leader - to create stories about life, leadership, and acceptance that connect with people. She is a master storyteller whose thought-provoking ideas are shared with honesty, authenticity, and vulnerability. She is a Six Sigma Black Belt with over 20 years of experience as a Lean Six Sigma leader, DEI disrupter, and master educator. And, she is the celebrated author of the award-winning coming-of-age novel Salmon Croquettes and loves her Tibetan Terrier, Tashi, her weighted blanket, breakfast for dinner, and Self-Love Sunday is her favorite day of the week.OLIVER CHIN founded Immedium, an independent San Francisco publisher of wonderfully diverse children’s books. More than 50% feature multicultural characters and 25%+ are bilingual. Immedium published the original stories of The Octonauts, which inspired the hit animated TV show worldwide. Oliver has written more than 20 books for youth, including The Year of the Dragon from the Tales from the Chinese Zodiac series, The Discovery of Chess, the illustrated anthology More Awesome Asian Americans, and Julie Black Belt. Previously, he wrote the sports commentary The Tao of Yao: Insights from Basketball’s Brightest Big Man and the graphic novel 9 of 1: A Window to the World. A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard, he was the cartoonist for The Harvard Crimson. Earlier in his career, Oliver helped introduce anime and manga (such as Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z) to the United States. Called a “comics expert" by the San Jose Mercury News, he regularly presents at schools, libraries, and cultural associations. Follow Immedium on instagram @immediumbooks.Moderator's BioAward-winning author and Pushcart Prize nominee SHERYL J. BIZE-BOUTTE is an Oakland multidisciplinary writer whose autobiographical and fictional short story collections, along with her lyrical and stunning poetry, artfully succeed in getting across deeper meanings about the politics of race and economics without breaking out of the narrative. Her writing has been variously described as “rich in vivid imagery,” “incredible,” and “great contributions to literature.” Her first novel, Betrayal on the Bayou, was published in June 2020 and a poetry collection she has written with her daughter Dr. Angela M. Boutte, titled No Poetry No Peace™, was published in August 2020 and is the namesake of the No Poetry No Peace™ series at the Mechanics Institute of San Francisco. Her in progress novel first chapter, “The Burden Keeper,” was the 2021 fiction category winner for the San Francisco Writers Conference writing contest anthology. An inaugural Oakland Poet Laureate runner-up, she is also a popular teacher, literary reader, presenter, storyteller, curator, and emcee/host for literary and poetry events. Find out more at www.sheryljbize-boutte.com
A Revolver to Carry at Night with author Monika Zgustova in conversation with Sabrina Jaszi Mechanics Institute 2024-05-20 | Join author Monika Zgustova in conversation with translator and writer Sabrina Jaszi on Zgustova's new novel, A Revolver to Carry at Night - a captivating, nuanced portrait of the life of Véra Nabokov, who dedicated herself to advancing her husband Vladimir Nabokov's writing career, playing a vital role in the creation of his greatest works.
Catamaran Spring Launch Party Mechanics Institute 2024-05-20 | Catamaran Literary Reader, founded in 2012, is located in the Tannery Art Center in Santa Cruz. This beautiful, high quality, full-color quarterly magazine features fine art, poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. The contributing artists and writers come from California and beyond. It has a loyal following of readers who celebrate culture, arts, books and museums. Catamaran also features a poetry prize for West Coast poets and an annual Catamaran Writing Conference during the summer. Visit the website at www.catamaranliteraryreader.com.Mechanics' Institute is delighted to collaborate with Catamaran to celebrate their Spring 2024 edition. Featured writers include Andrew Fague, Charles Hood, Amethyst Loscocco, Lou Mathews, Claire Oshetsky, Alison Turner, and Todd Turnidge, who will read from their works.
Contemporary Translated Works: Beijing Sprawl (Introductory Conversation with Jeremy Tiang) Mechanics Institute 2024-05-03 | Dive into the rich tapestry of global literature with this inaugural meeting for our Contemporary Translated Works book group, presented by Mechanics' Institute, in partnership with the Center for the Art of Translation. This literary journey begins with "Beijing Sprawl" by Xu Zechen (China), a narrative that invites you to explore the vibrant heart of contemporary Chinese fiction. This introductory discussion with Jeremy Tiang (Singapore/New York City), one of the co-translators of "Beijing Sprawl," happened on Wednesday, May 1 (from 12:00-12:45 pm PT). The Contemporary Translated Works book group explores languages, cultures, and the art of translation through contemporary literature. Beijing Sprawl, our May selection, celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.About the BookMuyu, a seventeen-year-old from a small village, came to Beijing for his piece of the money, love, a good life. But in the city, daily life for him and his friends—purveyors of fake IDs and false papers—is a careful balance of struggle and guile. Surveying the neighborhood from the rooftop of the apartment they all share; the young men play cards, drink beer, and discuss their hopes and aspirations. They watch as others like them—workers, students, drifters, and the just plain unlucky—get by the best ways they know by jogging excessively, herding pigeons, or building cars from scraps. As years pass with no end of the struggle in sight, dreams change shape and slowly recede into the horizon."Beijing Sprawl" once again proves Xu Zechen to be one of our best chroniclers of those left behind by the Chinese Dream. In these gritty, interconnected stories, starkly translated from Chinese by Eric Abrahamsen and Jeremy Tiang, of street fights, disappearances, and unfulfilled romances, his characters and the city of Beijing itself come into vivid focus. And for Muyu, like so many of us in the modern world, friendship is rare and unexpected amid the sprawl of progress, and more valuable than an unreachable goal.About the TranslatorJeremy Tiang is a novelist, playwright and Sinophone translator. Recent translations include Liu Xinwu's The Wedding Party, which was shortlisted for the National Translation Award, as well as novels by Zhang Yueran, Shuang Xuetao, Lo Yi-Chin, Yan Ge, and Yeng Pway Ngon. Their novel State of Emergency won the Singapore Literature Prize in 2018. Earlier this year they were the Princeton University Translator-in-Residence, and served on the jury of the International Booker Prize. Originally from Singapore, they live in Flushing, Queens.
No Poetry No Peace - A Reading and Celebration of National Poetry Month (2024) Mechanics Institute 2024-05-02 | Join us and a selection of poets – some local, some far flung - to explore how "poetry provides pathways for creative and cathartic human expression and peace." The No Poetry No Peace™ title comes from a collection written by Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte and her daughter Dr. Angela Boutte.Poets' BiographiesAileen Cassinetto is a Filipino American poet and 2021 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow. The author of two poetry collections, her work has appeared in American Poets, Anthropocene, Poetry magazine, and West Trestle Review, among others. She co-edited the award-winning anthology, Dear Human at the Edge of Time: Poems on Climate Change in the United States, a companion to the congressionally-mandated Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5), and wrote the lyrics to “Wide American Earth” which premiered at Carnegie Hall in June 2023.Lisa DeVuono is a poet living in Philadelphia. She was one of the founders of It Ain’t Pretty, a women’s writing collective that performed locally. She has led creativity and poetry workshops and has worked with teens in recovery and cancer patients. She wrote a peer-based curriculum Poetry as a Tool for Recovery: An Easy-to-Use Guide in Eight Sessions for facilitators working with persons living with mental health challenges. In addition to the full-length manuscript This Time Roots, Next Time Wings, her poetry has appeared in Mad Poets Review and other poetry reviews. She is the author of the chapbook Poems from the Playground of Risk published by Pudding House Press and was the recipient of an honorable mention in Passaic County Community College’s annual Allen Ginsberg Contest. Recently retired, she enjoyed a career as a librarian.Benjamin Gucciardi was born and raised in San Francisco, California. His first book, West Portal (University of Utah Press, 2021), was selected by Gabrielle Calvocoressi for the Agha Shahid Ali Prize in Poetry and was named a finalist for the Northern California Book Award and the Julie Suk Award. He is also the author of the chapbooks Timeless Tips for Simple Sabotage (Quarterly West, 2021) and I Ask My Sister’s Ghost (DIAGRAM/New Michigan Press, 2020). His poems appear in American Poetry Review, Harvard Review, POETRY Magazine, and elsewhere, and have been featured in On Being’s Poetry Unbound. In addition to writing, he works with newcomer youth in Oakland, California through Soccer Without Borders, an organization he founded in 2006.Lucille Lang Day is the author of four poetry chapbooks and seven full-length collections, including Birds of San Pancho and Other Poems of Place and Becoming an Ancestor. Her many honors include the Blue Light Poetry Prize, two PEN Oakland – Josephine Miles Literary Awards, the Joseph Henry Jackson Award, and eleven Pushcart Prize nominations. The publisher of Scarlet Tanager Books, she lives in Oakland, California.O'Cyrus is an award-winning author and independent book publisher, writing/publishing poetry books such as Sacred and childrens' books such as Goodbye John. In 2023, he launched his podcast Ocyrus Ink. O'Cyrus' goal is to utilize his platform to tell stories that will positively impact people's lives, help them identify their own gifts, and live in their purpose to add true value into the world. He is actively serving in the military.Noah Warren is the author of The Complete Stories (Copper Canyon, 2021) and The Destroyer in the Glass (2016), winner of the Yale Series of Younger Poets. His poems appear in The Nation, The Atlantic, The Paris Review, POETRY, The American Poetry Review, Ploughshares, and elsewhere. A PhD candidate at UC Berkeley, he teaches at Claremont McKenna College and lives in Los Angeles.About the HostAward-winning author and Pushcart Prize nominee Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte is an Oakland multidisciplinary writer whose autobiographical and fictional short story collections, along with her lyrical and stunning poetry, artfully succeed in getting across deeper meanings about the politics of race and economics without breaking out of the narrative. Her first novel, Betrayal on the Bayou, was published in June 2020 and a poetry collection she has written with her daughter Dr. Angela M. Boutte, titled No Poetry No Peace™, was published in August 2020 and is the namesake of the No Poetry No Peace™ series at the Mechanics Institute of San Francisco. Her in progress novel first chapter, “The Burden Keeper,” was the 2021 fiction category winner for the San Francisco Writers Conference writing contest anthology. An inaugural Oakland Poet Laureate runner-up, she is also a popular teacher, literary reader, presenter, storyteller, curator, and emcee/host for literary and poetry events.
Monthly Storytelling Showcase with Corey Rosen Mechanics Institute 2024-04-30 | Join us for an evening of laughter and storytelling! Local author and host of "The Moth," Corey Rosen, returns to Mechanic's Institute with storytellers and stand up comedians that have developed new material in his "Your Story, Well Told" workshops. Come hear stories and jokes being told for the first time. Some performers making their stage debut!
Writers Lunch: Ecological Awareness in Writing Mechanics Institute 2024-04-26 | Writers' Lunch, hosted by Mechanics' Institute, is a casual and virtual brown bag lunch activity on the 3rd Friday of each month. Look forward to excellent conversations on all forms of writing! FREE! All are welcome. Register at milibrary.org/eventsThis session of Writers' Lunch is on the topic "Ecological Awareness in Writing" and features Viola Buitoni, Kevin Hobbs, and Obi Kaufmann. This event was moderated by Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte, and broadcasted live on Zoom on Friday, April 20 at 12:00 pm.Panelists' BiosViola Buitoni, a San Francisco-based chef instructor and food writer, was born in Rome and raised in Perugia, Italy. With stories and knowledge from six generations, her recipes cross the best of local agriculture with Italian artisanal foods. By sourcing raw ingredients directly from local farmers, adhering to seasonal produce, and reimagining the traditional balance of animal and vegetable on the plate, Viola's approach translates this ecological awareness for her audiences in ways that are understandable, usable, and accessible. This approach reflects her deep curiosity and respect for the culinary craft as a creative and embodied human response to our ecological environment. Italy by Ingredient: Artisanal Foods/Modern Recipes is her first cookbook. In 2020 the President of the Italian Republic awarded her the title of Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia for her work to further the culture and business of Italian food. She lives in San Francisco’s Mission District with her husband, son, and tiny dog.As a plantsman, horticulturist, and grower with over 35 years’ experience, Kevin Hobbs has one foot planted in the botanical world the other in commercial production and, for the last couple of decades, a mind increasingly focused on sustainability and countering climate change. Working with likeminded friends and colleagues globally he enjoys sharing knowledge and introducing new ornamental and edible plants to the market through his role as New Product Director at Pinnacle Plants International. A passionate advocate of all things green and growing shared through talks, social media, and publications which include his most recent books The Story of Trees: And How They Changed the World and Edible: 70 Sustainable Plants That Are Changing How We Eat.Obi Kaufmann is an award-winning author of many best-selling books on California's ecology, biodiversity, and geography. Most famously, his 2017 book The California Field Atlas, currently in its seventh printing, recontextualized popular ideas about what he calls “California’s more-than-human world”. Following his initial Field Atlas, his next books, the State of Water; Understanding California’s Most Precious Resource, and The California Lands Trilogy: The Forests of California, The Coasts of California, and The Deserts of California present a comprehensive survey of California’s physiography and its biogeography in terms of its evolutionary past and its unfolding future. An avid conservationist, Obi Kaufmann regularly travels around the state, presenting his work and vision of ecological restoration and preservation from the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildland Center to the Mojave Desert Land Trust. His latest book, The Deserts of California, won the 2024 Book Award for California Lifestyle from the California Independent Booksellers Association. You can catch him every month in conversation with author and tribal chairman Greg Sarris in their podcast called Place and Purpose. A lifelong resident of California, when he isn’t backpacking, Obi Kaufmann makes his home base in Oakland and has just finished the manuscript of his sixth book. Published by Berkeley’s Heyday books, it will be available everywhere this fall and is titled The State of Fire, Why California Burns.Moderator's BioAward-winning author and Pushcart Prize nominee Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte is an Oakland multidisciplinary writer whose autobiographical and fictional short story collections, along with her lyrical and stunning poetry, artfully succeed in getting across deeper meanings about the politics of race and economics without breaking out of the narrative. Her writing has been variously described as “rich in vivid imagery,” “incredible,” and “great contributions to literature.” Her first novel, Betrayal on the Bayou, was published in June 2020 and a poetry collection she has written with her daughter Dr. Angela M. Boutte, titled No Poetry No Peace™, was published in August 2020 and is the namesake of the No Poetry No Peace™ series at the Mechanics Institute of San Francisco. Her in progress novel first chapter, “The Burden Keeper,” was the 2021 fiction category winner for the San Francisco Writers Conference writing contest anthology. An inaugural Oakland Poet Laureate runner-up, she is also a popular teacher, literary reader, presenter, storyteller, curator, and emcee/host for literary and poetry events. Find out more at www.sheryljbize-boutte.com
Earth Day Panel: Innovators Creating Sustainable Communities Mechanics Institute 2024-04-22 | Join Mechanics' Institute in conversation on the future of sustainable communities with Bay Area environmental activists and innovators Quinlin Messenger, Lara Lebeiko (stepping in for Kirstin Weeks), and Dustin Mulvaney, moderated by Karen Topakian. The panel will address new directions of alternative energy, design concepts and production, and resources for diverse communities. Challenging "doom and gloom" climate narratives, the speakers will offer alternative perspectives of hope, stewardship, and reciprocity with the land.The event will feature a reading by San Mateo Poet Laureate Emeritus Aileen Cassinetto from Dear Human at the Edge of Time, the award-winning climate change anthology in response to the Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5).
Kate Farrell - Weaving Community Through Storytelling Mechanics Institute 2024-04-11 | Go to the following link to register for this class now!milibrary.org/events/weaving-community-through-storytelling-may-08-2024Unlock the power of your story in this multi-session workshop with Kate Farrell! Hosted onsite at Mechanics' Institute, our workshop is more than just a learning experience—it's a journey towards discovering your unique storytelling style, whether for personal enjoyment or professional enhancement. This multi-session storytelling workshop is limited to 25 people, and the ticket price includes a copy of "Story Power: Secrets to Creating, Crafting, and Telling Memorable Stories."Course Schedule (5 workshop sessions on Wednesday evenings + optional performance at a culminating Storytelling Showcase at Mechanics' Institute)May 8, 6:00-8:00 pmMay 15, 6:00-8:00 pmMay 22, 6:00-8:00 pmJune 5, 6:00-8:00 pmJune 12, 6:00-8:00 pmJune 26, 6:00-8:00 pm - Culminating Storytelling ShowcaseAbout the InstructorKate Farrell, MLS, is a graduate of the School of Library and Information Studies, UC Berkeley. She has been a language arts classroom teacher (pre-school and grades kindergarten through 12th), author, librarian, university lecturer, and storyteller in Northern California since 1966. She founded the Word Weaving storytelling project, funded by grants from Zellerbach Family Fund, San Francisco, 1979-1991. As consultant to the California Department of Education, Farrell conducted Word Weaving staff development trainings and developed statewide language arts curriculum. More recently, Kate has contributed to and edited award-winning anthologies of personal narrative. Kate’s award-winning book, "Story Power: Secrets to Creating, Crafting, and Telling Memorable Stories," is a timely, how-to guide on the art of storytelling for adults. In 2023, Kate founded Woven: Telling the Heroine’s Journey to share the ancient tales of the feminine quest and learn their modern meanings from archetypes in fairy tales and myths, long suppressed.What You Will LearnOur interactive workshop series is designed to introduce you to the fundamentals of storytelling through a mix of step-by-step coaching and peer coaching. Here's what you can expect:Seven Steps to Effective StorytellingStoryboard TechniquesCrafting Personal NarrativesPractice in Small GroupsDirected Peer CoachingDelivery and Performance SkillsJoin us at the Mechanics' Institute for a journey into the heart of storytelling. Together, let's unlock the stories within us and share them with the world.Additional InformationMechanics' Institute offers both member and non-member registration options for this multi-session storytelling workshop. To join as a member to access the member pricing for this seminar, please join here.For questions about registration, contact programs@milibrary.org or 415-393-0103.Cancellation PolicyFor each workshop, we reserve the right to cancel at any time and issue a full refund. If you are unable to attend the seminar, please email programs@milibrary.org or call 415-393-0103 by Wednesday, May 1, 2024, to receive a full refund less any non-refundable ticketing fees which may be applicable. All fees must be paid at the time of registration. After Wednesday, May 1, 2024 no refunds will be issued.
Celebrating National Poetry Month Mechanics Institute 2024-04-10 | Join Mechanics' Institute for a special celebration of National Poetry Month with a trio of extraordinary poets for readings and discussion: California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick, San Francisco Poet Laureate Tongo Eisen-Martin, and Oakland’s Inaugural Poet Laureate Ayodele Nzinga.
Monthly Storytelling Showcase with Corey Rosen Mechanics Institute 2024-04-04 | Join us for an evening of laughter and storytelling! Local author and host of "The Moth," Corey Rosen, returns to Mechanic's Institute with storytellers and stand up comedians that have developed new material in his "Your Story, Well Told" workshops. Come hear stories and jokes being told for the first time. Some performers making their stage debut!Our roster of storytellers for March 27 include:Craig ByrneLoveyVeronica SkeltonTom DarciPaige RodgersBeau Ryder Davis
Stanford d.schools Design and Creativity Book Series Mechanics Institute 2024-03-21 | Join us at Mechanics' Institute for an in-person celebration of Stanford d.school's ten books, published by Ten Speed Press. These books are delightful, compact paperbacks filled with mindsets to help you think like a designer and methods to give you the tools to navigate the ambiguous, sticky challenges you face.Join Carissa Carter (author of The Secret Language of Maps: How to Tell Visual Stories with Data and co-author of the upcoming Assembling Tomorrow) and Dr. Susie Wise (author of Design for Belonging) for a lively book talk about all things design and creativity!
The Making of a Season with Berkeley Repertory Theatres Artistic Director Johanna Pfaelzer Mechanics Institute 2024-03-21 | The Making of a Season with Johanna PfaelzerBerkeley Repertory Theatre's Artistic Director joins the Institute to explore how Berkeley Rep became an international leader in innovative theatre.Learn more about Mechanics' Institute by visiting our website (milibrary.org) and joining us for a future program!Berkeley Repertory Theatre creates ambitious theatre that entertains and challenges its audiences, provokes civic engagement, and inspires people to experience the world in new and surprising ways.Artistic Director Johanna Pfaelzer joins Mechanics’ Institute to explore how Berkeley Rep became an international leader in innovative theatre. Pfaelzer will discuss the current season including Cult of Love by Leslye Headland; The Far Country by Lloyd Suh; Galileo by Danny Strong, Michael Weiner, and Zoe Sarnak; and Mother Road by Octavio Solis.Berkeley Repertory Theatre (berkeleyrep.org) has grown from a storefront stage to an international leader in innovative theatre. Known for its ambition, relevance, and excellence, as well as its adventurous audience, the nonprofit has provided a welcoming home for emerging and established artists since 1968. Berkeley Rep shows have gone on to win eight Tony Awards, nine Obie Awards, eleven Drama Desk Awards, one Grammy Award, one Pulitzer Prize, and many other honors. Berkeley Rep received the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 1997. To formalize, enhance, and expand the processes by which Berkeley Rep makes theatre, The Ground Floor: Berkeley Rep’s Center for the Creation and Development of New Work was launched in 2012. The Berkeley Rep School of Theatre engages and educates around 20,000 people a year and helps build the audiences of tomorrow with its nationally recognized teen programs.This event is co-sponsored by Berkeley Repertory Theatre.Johanna Pfaelzer joined Berkeley Rep in the 2019/20 season as its fourth artistic director. Prior to her arrival at Berkeley Rep, she served for 12 years as the artistic director of New York Stage and Film (NYSAF), a New York City-based organization dedicated to the development of new works for theatre, film, and television. Notable works that were developed under Johanna’s leadership at NYSAF include the Tony Award-winning Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda, The Humans by Stephen Karam, Hadestown by Anaïs Mitchell, The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe, Junk and The Invisible Hand by Ayad Akhtar, A 24-Decade History of Popular Music by Taylor Mac, The Homecoming Queen by Ngozi Anyanwu, The Great Leap by Lauren Yee, John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer- and Tony Award–winning Doubt, The Fortress of Solitude by Michael Friedman and Itamar Moses, The Jacksonian by Beth Henley, and Green Day’s American Idiot. In addition, Johanna is proud to have developed the work of many notable writers, both established and early-career, including Jocelyn Bioh, Zach Helm, Halley Feiffer, Billy Porter, Lucy Thurber, Duncan Sheik, V (formerly Eve Ensler), Steven Sater, Jaclyn Backhaus, Patricia Wettig, and Marcus Gardley. She was formerly a producing director of Zena Group, and served for five years as the associate artistic director of American Conservatory Theater. Johanna is a graduate of Wesleyan University and the Actors Theatre of Louisville Apprentice Program, and has taught in the MFA Theatre Program at Columbia University School of the Arts. She lives in Berkeley with her husband, Russell Champa, and their son, Jasper.
Writers Lunch: Crossing Languages in Writing Mechanics Institute 2024-03-19 | Writers' Lunch, hosted by Mechanics' Institute, is a casual and virtual brown bag lunch activity on the 3rd Friday of each month. Look forward to excellent conversations on all forms of writing! FREE! All are welcome. Register at milibrary.org/eventsThis special session of Writers' Lunch, on the topic "Crossing Languages in Writing," was co-presented with the Center for the Art of Translation, celebrating the intersection of International Women's Day (March 8) and the International Day of Multilingualism (March 27). It is a writerly discussion on the topic "Crossing Languages in Writing" with Cristina García, Grace Loh Prasad, and Saskia Vogel. This event was moderated by Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte, and broadcasted live on Zoom on Friday, March 15 at 12:00 pm.Panelists' BiosCristina García is the author of eight novels: Dreaming in Cuban, The Agüero Sisters, Monkey Hunting, A Handbook to Luck, The Lady Matador’s Hotel, King of Cuba, Here in Berlin, and Vanishing Maps (Knopf, July 2023). Additional publications include two Latinx anthologies (Cubanísimo: The Vintage Book of Contemporary Cuban Literature and Bordering Fires: The Vintage Book of Contemporary Mexican and Chicano/a Literature); books for young readers (The Dog Who Loved the Moon, I Wanna Be Your Shoebox, and Dreams of Significant Girls); and a collection of poetry, The Lesser Tragedy of Death. García’s work has been nominated for a National Book Award and translated into fifteen languages. She’s the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Whiting Writers’ Award, a Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University, and an NEA grant, among others. García has taught at universities nationwide. Recently, she was a Visiting Professor at University of San Francisco and is now Resident Playwright at Central Works Theater in Berkeley.Grace Loh Prasad is the author of The Translator’s Daughter (Mad Creek Books/The Ohio State University Press, March 2024). She writes frequently on the topics of diaspora and belonging for publications such as The New York Times, Longreads, The Offing, Hyperallergic, Catapult, KHÔRA, and others. A member of The Writers Grotto and the AAPI writers’ collective Seventeen Syllables, Prasad lives in the Bay Area.Saskia Vogel is the author of Permission, a novel on grief, desire, and coastal Los Angeles that was published in five languages and longlisted for the Believer Book Award. She is also the deputy editor theErotic Review, a 30-year-old UK arts and lifestyle journal which relaunched in March 2024. Her writing focuses on desire, landscape, subculture, and care, and has been awarded the Berlin Senate Endowment for Non-German Literature. She can be read in Granta, The Paris Review, The White Review, The Offing, The Literary Hub, and more. A translator of over two dozen Swedish-language books, her work has won the Bernard Shaw Prize (Johanne Lykke Holm's Strega), the CLMP Firecracker Award for Fiction (Johannes Anyuru’s They Will Drown in Their Mothers’ Tears), has been shortlisted for the PEN Translation Prize (Jessica Schiefauer’s Girls Lost), as well as having been supported by grants from the Swedish Arts Council, the Swedish Authors’ Fund, and English PEN. She was Princeton University’s Translator in Residence in fall 2022, where she completed her translation of Linnea Axelsson's Sámi epic Aednan. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she lives in Berlin.Moderator's BioAward-winning author and Pushcart Prize nominee Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte is an Oakland multidisciplinary writer whose autobiographical and fictional short story collections, along with her lyrical and stunning poetry, artfully succeed in getting across deeper meanings about the politics of race and economics without breaking out of the narrative. Her writing has been variously described as “rich in vivid imagery,” “incredible,” and “great contributions to literature.” Her first novel, Betrayal on the Bayou, was published in June 2020 and a poetry collection she has written with her daughter Dr. Angela M. Boutte, titled No Poetry No Peace™, was published in August 2020 and is the namesake of the No Poetry No Peace™ series at the Mechanics Institute of San Francisco. Her in progress novel first chapter, “The Burden Keeper,” was the 2021 fiction category winner for the San Francisco Writers Conference writing contest anthology. An inaugural Oakland Poet Laureate runner-up, she is also a popular teacher, literary reader, presenter, storyteller, curator, and emcee/host for literary and poetry events. Find out more at www.sheryljbize-boutte.com
Revolutionary Care with Maurice Hamington Mechanics Institute 2024-03-19 | Dive into a thought-provoking discussion as we pore over the pages of Revolutionary Care: Commitment and Ethos. Professor and Author Maurice Hamington will share his insights into how care, as a theory and as an embodied phenomenon, can transform the world by enacting care that reaches across difference.This event was moderated by Nico Chen, and was recorded on Zoom on Saturday, March 16 at 1:00 pm (PT).About the BookWritten by one of the world’s most respected care scholars, Revolutionary Care: Commitment and Ethos provides original theoretical insights and novel applications to offer a comprehensive approach to care as personal, political, and revolutionary. The text has nine chapters divided into two major sections. Section 1, "Thinking About Better Care," offers four theoretical chapters that reinforce the primacy of care as a moral ideal worthy of widespread commitment across ideological and cultural differences. Unlike other moral approaches, care is framed as a process morality and provides a general trajectory that can only determine the best course of action in the moment/context of need. Section 2, "Invitations and Provocations: Imagining Transformative Possibilities," employs four case studies on toxic masculinity, socialism and care economy, humanism and posthumanism, pacifism, and veganism to demonstrate the radical and revolutionary nature of care. Exploring the thinking and writing of many disciplines, including authors of color, queer scholars, and indigenous thinkers, this book is an exciting and cutting-edge contribution to care ethics scholarship as well as a useful teaching resource.About the AuthorMaurice Hamington is Professor of Philosophy and Affiliate Faculty of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Portland State University. He writes about the theory and application of feminist care ethics. His latest book, Revolutionary Care: Commitment and Ethos (2024), argues that we need a care revolution right now, and you can participate. He is also the author of Care Ethics and Poetry (2019), written with Ce Rosenow, The Social Philosophy of Jane Addams (2009), Embodied Care (2004), and Hail Mary? The Struggle for Ultimate Womanhood in Catholicism (1995). Hamington edited Feminism and Hospitality: Gender in the Host/Guest Relationship (2010) and has co-edited The Oxford Handbook of Jane Addams (2023), Care Ethics, Religion, and Spiritual Traditions (2022), Care Ethics in the Age of Precarity (2021), Care Ethics and Political Theory, (2015), Applying Care Ethics to Business (2011), and Socializing Care (2006).Hamington holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Oregon and, a Ph.D. in Religion and Social Ethics, and an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California. He is currently working as a consultant for two major grants in the U.K. on care ethics and aesthetics. He is a Fulbright Specialist who will spend November of this year in Kyoto working with Japanese feminist care ethicists. For more information on his scholarly activities, see mhamington.comAbout This Programmatic SeriesTeacher Tea at Mechanics' Institute, launched in January 2024, is an ongoing series offering a dynamic platform for educators to engage and grow professionally. Onsite sessions provide a physical space for teachers to participate in hands-on activities while interacting directly with thought leaders in education. Simultaneously, the program extends its reach both nationally and globally through Zoom sessions, featuring a diverse array of authors from various locations. These sessions are more than just discussions; they are a source of inspiration and learning, particularly emphasizing the humanization of education—a critical and evolving aspect in contemporary teaching methodologies. Teacher Tea is a community where educators come together to share insights, challenges, and successes, all aimed at enriching the educational experience for both teachers and students. Mechanics' Institute, through this initiative, underscores its commitment to supporting educators and contributing to the ongoing discourse on innovative and empathetic educational practices.
The Power and Progress of Womens Voices: International Womens Day Event Mechanics Institute 2024-03-18 | Mechanics' Institute (milibrary.org) welcomes authors Joan Gelfand, Jia Ling Wang, Salumeh Eslamieh, Sheila Smith McKoy, and Christina Vo in conversation with Women’s National Book Association president Elise Marie Collins, in a celebration of women writers, artists, and changemakers for International Women’s Day. By centering women’s lives - socially, politically, and historically - in their work, these authors faithfully capture the diverse spectrum of women’s stories and perspectives. The panelists will also speak to their own experiences in the field of writing and publishing.This event is co-sponsored by the Women’s National Book Association, San Francisco Chapter.
Making a Way Out of No Way with author and Trustee Arnold T. Grisham Mechanics Institute 2024-03-01 | More than a mere autobiography, Making a Way Out of No Way details the life and experiences of a child born to a working-class Black family in Chicago’s West Side during the 1940s. The crucible of Arnold Grisham’s family and Chicago’s South Side community produced a young man who, against long odds, attended and graduated from DePaul University, ultimately earning an MBA in finance. Grisham’s career in banking is a testament to his courage and commitment to breaking through racial barriers and redefining possibilities for those who would follow. It is also a personal story, involving struggle, pain, loss and renewal.
Monthly Storytelling Showcase with Corey Rosen Mechanics Institute 2024-02-29 | Join us for an evening of laughter and storytelling! Local author and host of "The Moth," Corey Rosen, returns to Mechanic's Institute with storytellers and stand up comedians that have developed new material in his "Your Story, Well Told" workshops. Come hear stories and jokes being told for the first time. Some performers making their stage debut!Our roster of storytellers for February 28 include:Zorba Jevon HughesAbdul KenyattaThomas LaymonLyn PattersonPlayball Rockstarr
Writers Lunch: Writing About Love and Loss in Relationships Mechanics Institute 2024-02-20 | Join Mechanics' Institute for a discussion on the topic "Writing About Love and Loss in Relationships" with Lauren Alwan, Leslie Kirk Campbell, and Nona Caspers. This event was moderated by Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte.The Writers' Lunch is a casual and virtual brown-bag lunch activity on the 3rd Friday of each month. Look forward to craft discussion, informal presentations on all forms of writing, and excellent conversation.Join us, share, and learn! Visit us at www.milibrary.org/events for more information.Lauren Alwan is a writer of fiction and nonfiction who lives and works in the San Francisco East Bay. Her stories and personal essays examine bicultural identity, cultural inheritance, and intergenerational relationships in which attachment and belonging play a central role. Her short story, “An Amount of Discretion,” which looks at family relationships through a lens of grief and loss, first appeared in The Southern Review, and appeared in The O. Henry Prize Stories 2018. Her fiction has also appeared in ZYZZYVA, Nimrod, The Bellevue Literary Review, StoryQuarterly, and is forthcoming in Alaska Quarterly Review. Her literary and personal essays have appeared in Catapult, The Millions, World Literature Today, Alta Journal, and A Map Is Only One Story: Twenty Writers on Immigration, Family, and the Meaning of Home(ed. Nicole Chung and Mensah Demary). She is the recipient of a First Pages Prize from the de Groot Foundation, the Bellevue Literary Review's Goldenberg Prize for Fiction, and a citation of Notable in Best American Essays. She is a prose editor at the museum of americana, an online literary review, and serves on the board of WTAW Press, a nonprofit independent publisher.laurenalwan.comLeslie Kirk Campbell’s debut short story collection, The Man with Eight Pairs of Legs won the 2020 Mary McCarthy Prize for Short Fiction. Her collection is a 2022 Women’s National Book Association Great Group Reads Selection, a finalist for American Book Fest's 2022 Best Book Awards for Short Story, and a 2022 Foreword INDIES winner in short fiction. Her award-winning stories have appeared in Arts & Letters, Briar Cliff Review, Southern Indiana Review, and The Thomas Wolfe Review. She is the author of Journey into Motherhood: Writing Your Way to Self-Discovery (Riverhead, 1996) and has published feature personal essays in San Francisco Chronicle Magazine. Campbell is currently working on a second story collection, Free Radicals. She teaches at Ripe Fruit Writing, a creative writing program she founded in San Francisco in 1991.lesliekirkcampbell.comBUZZFEED listed Nona Caspers’ novel The Fifth Woman as a book queer women (and everyone else) should read. It was a LAMBDA finalist and Indie Book of the Year silver and bronze medalist in literary fiction and LGBTQ fiction. Her other books of fiction include Little Book of Days (Spuyten Duyvil, 2009) Heavier Than Air (University of Massachusetts Press, 2008), which was awarded the Grace Paley Prize in Short Fiction and listed as a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice. Caspers’ exquisite, quiet risk-taking writing find language for the trick of love and of daily existence itself—lovers are here and then gone, we are all here and then gone. She is also the recipient of numerous awards, including a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, a Best American Notable Short Story, and an Iowa Review Award. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Prairie Schooner, Kenyon Review, Glimmer Train, Black Warrior Review, and The Sun. She teaches creative writing in the MFA program at San Francisco State University and lives in the city where she wanders the neighborhoods with dog Bora.nonacaspers.comAward-winning author and Pushcart Prize nominee Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte is an Oakland multidisciplinary writer whose autobiographical and fictional short story collections, along with her lyrical and stunning poetry, artfully succeed in getting across deeper meanings about the politics of race and economics without breaking out of the narrative. Her writing has been variously described as “rich in vivid imagery,” “incredible,” and “great contributions to literature.” Her first novel, Betrayal on the Bayou, was published in June 2020 and a poetry collection she has written with her daughter Dr. Angela M. Boutte, titled No Poetry No Peace™, was published in August 2020 and is the namesake of the No Poetry No Peace™ series at the Mechanics Institute of San Francisco. Her in progress novel first chapter, “The Burden Keeper,” was the 2021 fiction category winner for the San Francisco Writers Conference writing contest anthology. An inaugural Oakland Poet Laureate runner-up, she is also a popular teacher, literary reader, presenter, storyteller, curator, and emcee/host for literary and poetry events.sheryljbize-boutte.com
Illustrated Black History with author George McCalman in conversation with Tonya Foster Mechanics Institute 2024-02-16 | Join artist and author George McCalman in conversation with poet and professor Tonya Foster on McCalman’s book, Illustrated Black History: Honoring the Iconic and the Unseen. Illustrated Black History is a breathtaking collection of original portraits depicting black heroes—both famous and unsung—who made their mark on activism, science, politics, business, medicine, technology, food, arts, entertainment, and more. Beautifully designed with over 300 unique four-color artworks and accessible to readers of all ages, this eye-opening, educational, dynamic, and timely compendium pays homage to Black Americans and their achievements, and showcases the depth and breadth of Black genius.This event is co-presented by the Museum of the African Diaspora.
Searching for Patty Hearst with author Roger Rapoport Mechanics Institute 2024-02-09 | On the night that Patty Hearst was kidnapped in 1974, journalist Roger D. Rapoport was a short drive away in his El Cerrito home. He quickly became one of the primary reporters covering the saga as it unfolded in real time. His reporting gave local and national readers a window into one of the most bizarre and polarizing crimes in U.S. history. Now, fifty years later, he has written a novel, Searching for Patty Hearst, that draws heavily from that time. In this compelling new book, he explores alternative theories of the crime and delves into the complex psychology of many of the key actors in a drama that kept the country riveted. With a wry sensibility and insider knowledge that Rapoport is one of the few people to possess, Searching for Patty Hearst goes beyond the tabloid headlines to tell the story in all its depth.
Lunar New Year and The Year of the Dragon: What Will It Bring? with renowned Bay Area author Maxine Mechanics Institute 2024-02-02 | For this Lunar New Year celebration, we welcome back renowned Bay Area author Maxine Hong Kingston, historian and former parade director David Lei, and educator Linda Lei. They will talk about how Lunar New Year has been celebrated in San Francisco, share memories of family traditions, explore the myths, rituals and qualities associated with the Dragon, and offer predictions for the year.Co-sponsored by the Chinese Historical Society of America.
Monthly Storytelling Showcase with Corey Rosen Mechanics Institute 2024-02-01 | Join us for an evening of laughter and storytelling! Local author and host of "The Moth," Corey Rosen, returns to Mechanic's Institute with storytellers and stand up comedians that have developed new material in his "Your Story, Well Told" workshops. Come hear stories and jokes being told for the first time. Some performers making their stage debut!Our roster of storytellers for the January 31 Storytelling Showcase are:Idrissa Lattier is a StorySlam Oakland Star and President of Bright Futures Growth and Development CenterInanc Karacalak is a Moth StorySlam winner, comedian, painter and Kite Board Wizard (who also teaches the sport and lives in Alameda)Regina Stoops co-produces at the online storytelling platform Six Feet Apart Productions. She is a Moth StorySlam winner, National Storytelling Festival Grand Slam Finalist, Risk! Podcast contributor and recipient of the Erma Bombeck Humor Writer Award.Stand Up Comedian Sue Alfieri is a New Yorker whose quarter-life crisis prompted a move to San Francisco. Today she’s a FOMO-driven mom, wife, and dog lover who mines her life for hilarious material.Brandon Spars is a regular Bay Area storyteller as well as a TEDx speaker and a five-time champion of the Moth StorySLAM (including two GrandSLAMS).Annie Wong, aka Headexplodie, is a dynamic mixed-media artist recognized for creating vibrant eye candy through sculptures, illustrations, and stop-motion animations. Annie engages audiences not only as a compelling public speaker on compassion and the therapeutic power of fun but also as an artist weaving narratives that explore themes of emotions and interconnectedness.
When We Walk By with author Kevin F. Adler Mechanics Institute 2024-01-26 | When We Walk By takes an urgent look at homelessness in America, showing us what we lose—in ourselves and as a society—when we choose to walk past and ignore our neighbors in shelters, insecure housing, or on the streets. The book brilliantly shows what we stand to gain when we embrace our humanity and move toward evidence-based people-first, community-driven solutions, offering social analysis, economic and political histories, and the real stories of unhoused people.
Writers Lunch: Crafting a Bio Mechanics Institute 2024-01-24 | Join Mechanics' Institute for a discussion on the topic "How to Craft a Bio" with Joey Garcia and Gini Grossenbacher. This event was moderated by Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte.The Writers' Lunch is a casual and virtual brown-bag lunch activity on the 3rd Friday of each month. Look forward to craft discussion, informal presentations on all forms of writing, and excellent conversation.Join us, share, and learn! Visit us at www.milibrary.org/events for more information.Joey Garcia is an editor and author platform coach. She helps writers get known while they’re writing their book, so when it’s published, there’s an audience waiting to read it. Joey’s clients have been interviewed by, and have bylines in The Wall Street Journal, Smithsonian magazine, Ms. magazine, CNN, and The Tamron Hall Show, among others. Joey is the indie author of When Your Heart Breaks, It’s Opening to Love and has been featured in HuffPost, USA Today, Deutsche Welle, KVIE public television, Global Woman TV Sweden, Australia’s Ticker News and Slate’s Dear Prudence podcast. In 2017, Joey established the first-ever literary fellowship in Belize, her birthplace. With literary agents, she leads an annual retreat in Belize for writers from all over the world.joeygarcia.comGini Grossenbacher, M.Ed., novelist, poet, certified editor, educator, and publisher, founded Elk Grove Writers and Artists in 2012 and JGKS Press in 2017. She brings thirty-six years of experience teaching English/language arts to adolescents and adults. Her debut “American Madams” series novel, Madam of My Heart, was a silver medalist for historical fiction in the 2018 Independent Publisher awards and received the Kirkus star; Madam in Silk was runner-up for historical fiction in the 2020 National Indie Excellence Awards. Her novel, Madam in Lace, was published in December 2021, and Kirkus Reviews calls it “...a gripping trip through Napoleonic France. Details about the revolutionary plot are revealed in tiny parcels, creating a strong sense of suspense that will keep readers turning pages.” Glimpses, her first poetry collection, was released in September 2022. Her poetry blends themes of childhood wonderment, the blessings of ordinary things, and the pain and joy of life experience. Her next historical novel, Filigree and Flame, the first in a new series called “Artistic Women,” will launch in February 2024.ginigrossenbacher.comAward-winning author and Pushcart Prize nominee Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte is an Oakland multidisciplinary writer whose autobiographical and fictional short story collections, along with her lyrical and stunning poetry, artfully succeed in getting across deeper meanings about the politics of race and economics without breaking out of the narrative. Her writing has been variously described as “rich in vivid imagery,” “incredible,” and “great contributions to literature.” Her first novel, Betrayal on the Bayou, was published in June 2020 and a poetry collection she has written with her daughter Dr. Angela M. Boutte, titled No Poetry No Peace™, was published in August 2020 and is the namesake of the No Poetry No Peace™ series at the Mechanics Institute of San Francisco. Her in progress novel first chapter, “The Burden Keeper,” was the 2021 fiction category winner for the San Francisco Writers Conference writing contest anthology. An inaugural Oakland Poet Laureate runner-up, she is also a popular teacher, literary reader, presenter, storyteller, curator, and emcee/host for literary and poetry events.sheryljbize-boutte.com
A Peoples History of SFO with author Eric Porter Mechanics Institute 2024-01-19 | Starting with the very land SFO was built on, A People's History of SFO sees the airport as a microcosm of the forces at work in the Bay Area—from its colonial history and early role in trade, mining, and agriculture to the economic growth, social sanctuary, and environmental transformations of the twentieth century. In lively, engaging stories, author Eric Porter reveals SFO's unique role in the San Francisco Bay Area's growth as a globally connected hub of commerce, technology innovation, and political, economic, and social influence.
New Year Wellness and Renewal with Dr. Dacher Keltner and Dr. Aric Prather Mechanics Institute 2024-01-12 | Refresh and rejuvenate your body, mind, spirit, and attitude with our second annual New Year Wellness and Renewal program. The program will feature Dr. Dacher Keltner, Professor of Psychology at UC Berkeley and author of Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life, and Dr. Aric Prather, co-director of UCSF’s Aging, Metabolism, and Emotions Center and author of The Sleep Prescription. Dr. Keltner and Dr. Prather will share their inspiring work and practices to encourage better health and living habits, along with short exercises to incorporate into your everyday life.Dacher Keltner is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley and the faculty director of the UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center. A renowned expert in the biological and evolutionary origins of human emotion, Dr. Keltner studies the science of compassion, awe, love, and beauty, and how emotions shape our moral intuition. His research interests also span issues of power, status, inequality, and social class. He is the author of the best-selling book Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life and of The Compassionate Instinct.Aric Prather is a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. He co-directs the UCSF Aging, Metabolism, and Emotions Center, is the Interim Director for the UCSF Center for Health and Community, and serves as clinician at the UCSF Insomnia Clinic. Dr. Prather's research program focuses on the causes and consequences of insufficient sleep, with particular interest on how poor sleep impairs mental and physical health, including immunity and heart health.
Monthly Storytelling Showcase with Corey Rosen - Behind The Scenes Horror Stories Mechanics Institute 2023-12-21 | Join us for an evening of laughter and storytelling! Local author and host of "The Moth," Corey Rosen, returns to Mechanic's Institute with storytellers and stand up comedians that have developed new material in his "Your Story, Well Told" workshops. Hear stories and jokes being told for the first time. Some performers making their stage debut!Featured storytellers for December 20 include:Leila Chesloff - @leilachesloffLeila is a Technical Training Manager for Pixar University. She worked at ILM for 15 years on computer graphics effects for movies like Transformers 2, Rango, and Iron Man before moving to Pixar where she combines her STEM and Creative Writing superpowers to teach artists at the best animation studio on Earth.Mark Siegel - @mark.s.siegelBefore moving "behind the scenes," Mark started his career as a clown in the Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus. Mark's creature-making career started in 1975 working at Universal Studio's “Land of 1000 Faces” monster makeup show, where he learned sculpting, mold making, and fabricating prosthetics and masks. That led to 14 years working in creature shops around L.A. and the ILM Model Shop as a sculptor/creature-maker on movies like Ghostbusters, The Goonies, and Joe Versus The Volcano. After 14-years doing practical creatures, he finished his career with 12 years as a digital creature modeler, before retiring in 2017.William Hall - @wmhallWilliam Hall is professional actor who has appeared in a features films, including Hemingway and Gellhorn and Twisted. If you look closely, you can see him get blown up at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark. In 1986 William co-founded Bay Area Theatresports, now BATS Improv, and the BATS School of Improv. He is also a founding member of Fratelli Bologna, a business theatre company that helps companies increase engagement and develop authentic leadership.George Hull - @georgehulldesignBorn in India and raised in a small midwest town, George's dreams for film design became reality when Lucasfilm's Industrial Light & Magic offered him a position just out of school, where he served as lead Visual Effects Art Director on films like Mission Impossible, Jurassic Park 2, and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Special Edition). As one of Hollywood's leading designers, George was Senior Conceptual Designer on Dune as well as Blade Runner 2049, Star Wars VII, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2, The Matrix: Reloaded, Revolutions, & Resurrections. George is currently working on Dune Part 2.Rez Graham Rez has worked as an engineer on the games industry since 2005, from platformer enemy AI to full simulation games. He was Lead AI Programmer on The Sims 4 at Maxis after stints at PlayFirst, Slipgate Ironworks, Planet Moon Studios, and Super-Ego Games. He is the co-author of Game Coding Complete 4th Edition, has articles in Game AI Pro, and regularly speaks at The Game Developers Conference.Sue Alfieri - @suealfiericomedySue Alfieri is a New Yorker whose quarter-life crisis prompted a move to San Francisco. Today she’s a FOMO-driven mom, wife, and dog lover who mines her life for hilarious material.Corey Rosen is a writer, actor, visual effects producer, and storytelling teacher based in San Francisco, California. He hosts The Moth StorySlams and GrandSlams, and has been featured on The Moth Radio Hour, Alice Radio’s “The Sarah and Vinnie Show,” and KFOG's "The Finch Files" Podcast. Corey is a performer at BATS Improv, one of the world’s foremost centers for Improvisational Theater and is the author of Your Story, Well Told: Creative Strategies to Develop and Perform Stories that Wow an Audience. For more information about Corey Rosen - visit: www.coreyrosen.com
Writers Lunch The Value of Writing Retreats Mechanics Institute 2023-12-19 | Join Mechanics' Institute for a discussion on the value of writing retreats with Matthew Félix and Janis Cooke Newman. This event was moderated by Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte.The Writers' Lunch is a casual and virtual brown-bag lunch activity on the 3rd Friday of each month. Look forward to craft discussion, informal presentations on all forms of writing, and excellent conversation.Join us, share, and learn! Visit us at www.milibrary.org/events for more information.Matthew Félix is an author, certified life coach, speaker, and podcaster, including former Program Director and Host of the San Francisco Writers Conference podcast. Publishers Weekly’s BookLife Prize called his debut novel, A Voice Beyond Reason, “(a) highly crafted gem;” his travel collection, With Open Arms, topped Amazon's Africa category and its Morocco one four times; and his latest book, Porcelain Travels, won Readers’ Favorite Awards Gold for Humor and was a Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award finalist. Matthew also edits, designs, publishes, and markets books for other authors.matthewfelix.comJanis Cooke Newman is the author of two novels, A Master Plan for Rescue, which was a SF Chronicle Best Book of the Year, and Mary, which was an LA Times Book Prize Finalist, as well as USA Today's Historical Novel of the Year. She is also the author of a memoir, The Russian Word for Snow, which has been translated into several languages. Newman is the founder of LitCamp, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting writers and helping them find community. She is also the founder of Page Street, co-working spaces for writers in both San Francisco and Berkeley. In addition, she developed the online platform for writers, Creative Caffeine Daily.litcampwriters.orgpagestreet.orgcreativecaffeinedaily.comAward-winning author and Pushcart Prize nominee Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte is an Oakland multidisciplinary writer whose autobiographical and fictional short story collections, along with her lyrical and stunning poetry, artfully succeed in getting across deeper meanings about the politics of race and economics without breaking out of the narrative. Her writing has been variously described as “rich in vivid imagery,” “incredible,” and “great contributions to literature.” Her first novel, Betrayal on the Bayou, was published in June 2020 and a poetry collection she has written with her daughter Dr. Angela M. Boutte, titled No Poetry No Peace™, was published in August 2020 and is the namesake of the No Poetry No Peace™ series at the Mechanics Institute of San Francisco. Her in progress novel first chapter, “The Burden Keeper,” was the 2021 fiction category winner for the San Francisco Writers Conference writing contest anthology. An inaugural Oakland Poet Laureate runner-up, she is also a popular teacher, literary reader, presenter, storyteller, curator, and emcee/host for literary and poetry events.sheryljbize-boutte.com
Monthly Storytelling Showcase with Corey Rosen Mechanics Institute 2023-12-04 | Join us for an evening of laughter and storytelling! Local author and host of "The Moth," Corey Rosen, returns to Mechanic's Institute with storytellers and stand up comedians that have developed new material in his "Your Story, Well Told" workshops. Hear stories and jokes being told for the first time. Some performers making their stage debut!The Storytelling Showcase on November 29 features a special format, co-produced with Backfence PDX (Portland), a storytelling organization. The format is called "Backfence Roulette Storytelling" and features a spinning wheel with story prompts. The storytellers spin the wheel and have five minutes to prepare a true five-minute story and then tell it to the audience. The audience votes and selects their favorite story at the end of the night.This Storytelling Showcase includes:(host) Corey Rosen: @storyrosen(co-host) B. Frayn Masters: @bfmasters(co-producer) Backfence PDX: @backfencepdx(storyteller) Harriett Jernigan: @therealdrhvaj(storyteller) David Rodriguez: @rodriguesses(storyteller) Beth Lisick: @blisick(storyteller) Matt Sheehy: @lostlanderband(DJ) Kasey Klemm: @kaseyklemmCorey Rosen is a writer, actor, visual effects producer, and storytelling teacher based in San Francisco, California. He hosts The Moth StorySlams and GrandSlams, and has been featured on The Moth Radio Hour, Alice Radio’s “The Sarah and Vinnie Show,” and KFOG's "The Finch Files" Podcast. Corey is a performer at BATS Improv, one of the world’s foremost centers for Improvisational Theater and is the author of “Your Story, Well Told: Creative Strategies to Develop and Perform Stories that Wow an Audience.” For more information about Corey Rosen - visit: www.coreyrosen.comLearn more at milibrary.org.
The Deserts of California: A California Field Atlas with author Obi Kaufmann Mechanics Institute 2023-12-01 | The San Francisco Chronicle #1 bestselling author Obi Kaufmann of the canonical California Field Atlas returns with an epic, forward-looking exploration of the state’s arid eastern regions.The Deserts of California: A California Field Atlas blends science and art in Kaufmann’s signature style to throw into relief ecological insights greater than either might yield alone. Through expressionistic mapmaking, wildlife renderings, and geographic conservation guides, Kaufmann explores the marvels of and threats to these resilient yet sensitive ecosystems.Of a piece with his best-selling books The Forests of California (2020) and The Coasts of California (2022), The Deserts of California rounds out Kaufmann’s expansive California Lands Trilogy. Individually and collectively, these volumes set out to transform entrenched colonialist attitudes toward the American West, and transform our concept of nature from a resource for extraction to a shared and cherished inheritance. Obi Kaufmann is the author of The California Field Atlas (2017, #1 San Francisco Chronicle bestseller), The State of Water (2019), The Forests of California (2020), and The Coasts of California (2022), all published by Heyday. When he is not backpacking, you can find the painter-poet at home in the East Bay, posting trail paintings at his handle @coyotethunder on Instagram. His speaking tour dates are available at californiafieldatlas.com, and his essays are posted at coyoteandthunder.com.
Writers Lunch: Food Writing and Telling Heritage Stories Through Food Mechanics Institute 2023-11-20 | Join Mechanics' Institute for a discussion on food writing and telling heritage stories through food with Viola Buitoni, Camper English, and Henry Hsu. This event was moderated by Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte.The Writers' Lunch is a casual and virtual brown-bag lunch activity on the 3rd Friday of each month. Look forward to craft discussion, informal presentations on all forms of writing, and excellent conversation.Join us, share, and learn! Visit us at www.milibrary.org/events for more information.Viola Buitoni, a San Francisco based chef instructor and food writer, was born in Rome and raised in Perugia, Italy. With stories and knowledge from six generations, her recipes cross the best of local agriculture with Italian artisanal foods. Italy by Ingredient: Artisanal Foods, Modern Recipes is her first cookbook. Viola teaches Italian modern home cooking classes virtually via Milk Street Cooking School in Boston, and in person at 18 Reasons and The Civic Kitchen in San Francisco. In spring and fall, she leads immersive culinary tours through off-the-beaten-path Italy. In 2020 the President of the Italian Republic awarded her the title of Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia for her work to further the culture and business of Italian food. She lives in San Francisco’s Mission District with her husband, son, and tiny dog.Camper English is a San Francisco-based cocktails and spirits writer and educator named “one of the biggest names in the cocktail world” by Vanity Fair. He has contributed to publications including Popular Science, Saveur, the San Francisco Chronicle, Eater, Whisky Advocate, The Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails, and many more. He is the author of Doctors and Distillers: The Remarkable Medicinal History of Beer, Wine, Spirits, and Cocktails, which been described as “every bit as entertaining as it is educational” (Scientific American), “best savored, not shot-gunned, with a drink in hand” (Science), and “a tirelessly researched book on the centuries-long relationship between medicine and booze” (New York Times). His most recent book, The Ice Book: Cool Cubes, Clear Spheres, and Other Chill Cocktail Crafts, has been called "the ultimate guide to clear ice” (InsideHook) and reached the top 50 bestselling books on Amazon. His website is Alcademics.com.Henry Hsu is a food storyteller and a passionate ambassador of foods originally from Taiwan. Henry enthusiastically explores his Taiwanese heritage through the lens of food: cooking, teaching, and sharing his journey to identify “What is Taiwanese?” With a Gulf Coast upbringing, Midwestern education and years of living in Latin America, his Taiwan food heritage has been the cornerstone in all phases of his life - from immigration to assimilation to seeking his personal cultural identity. Henry teaches dumpling making classes around the Bay and hosts Taiwanese pop-up dinners. Henry most recently worked at Dumpling Club in the Mission District in SF, and Oakland tofu maker, Hodo Foods, where he inspired many chefs across the country to put tofu on their menu. Henry shared his infectious love for food by leading food tours with Edible Excursions, and volunteered with Green Gulch Farms for many years at the Ferry Building farmers’ market. Besides dumpling making, Henry is known for his Northern Californian interpretation of the national dish of Taiwan, Beef Noodle Soup. Obsessive in using locally grown, responsibly, and deliciously sourced ingredients, his transcultural food recipes manifest his Taiwanese roots while proudly bridging in all things Bay Area.Award-winning author and Pushcart Prize nominee Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte is an Oakland multidisciplinary writer whose autobiographical and fictional short story collections, along with her lyrical and stunning poetry, artfully succeed in getting across deeper meanings about the politics of race and economics without breaking out of the narrative. Her writing has been variously described as “rich in vivid imagery,” “incredible,” and “great contributions to literature.” Her first novel, Betrayal on the Bayou, was published in June 2020 and a poetry collection she has written with her daughter Dr. Angela M. Boutte, titled No Poetry No Peace™, was published in August 2020 and is the namesake of the No Poetry No Peace™ series at the Mechanics Institute of San Francisco. Her in progress novel first chapter, “The Burden Keeper,” was the 2021 fiction category winner for the San Francisco Writers Conference writing contest anthology. An inaugural Oakland Poet Laureate runner-up, she is also a popular teacher, literary reader, presenter, storyteller, curator, and emcee/host for literary and poetry events. Find out more at www.sheryljbize-boutte.com
Portal: San Franciscos Ferry Building and the Reinvention of American Cities with John King Mechanics Institute 2023-11-17 | Join two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist John King in discussion on his new book Portal: San Francisco's Ferry Building and the Reinvention of American Cities.King’s narrative spans the rise and fall and rebirth of the Ferry Building. Rich with feats of engineering and civic imagination, his story introduces colorful figures who fought to preserve the Ferry Building’s character (and the city’s soul) - from architect Arthur Page Brown and legendary columnist Herb Caen to poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Senator Dianne Feinstein. A book for city lovers and visitors, architecture fans and pedestrians, Portal is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of San Francisco and the future of American cities.Join us for this informative discussion, book signing, and audience Q&A, where King will answer questions on everything from parklets to Salesforce Tower. This event is co-sponsored by The American Institute of Architects, San Francisco."This book is much more than a history of San Francisco’s ferry terminal; it’s a window to the soul of a great city. John King gives us a lively and revealing account of a remarkable building that has endured against all odds and assumed new meaning. There are lessons here for every city." Inga Saffron, Pulitzer Prize–winning architecture critic"John King is an architectural Indiana Jones, revealing the careening drama and the struggle for consensus as to what a city should be. An account that is both authoritative and fun to read." Anthony Flint, Senior Fellow, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, and author of Wrestling with MosesJohn King is urban design critic at the San Francisco Chronicle and a two-time Pulitzer finalist, the author of two guidebooks to San Francisco architecture, and an honorary member of the American Society of Landscape Architects. He lives in Berkeley, California.Learn more about Mechanics' Institute by visiting milibrary.org
The Intersection of A.I., Authorship, and Ethics with Denise Kleinrichert and Dragutin Petkovic Mechanics Institute 2023-11-16 | Join Mechanics' Institute for a discussion on the Intersection of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), Authorship, and Ethics. San Francisco State Professors Denise Kleinrichert and Dragutin Petkovic will explore Generative A.I., how A.I. works, the ethics of A.I., and the legal and philosophical perspectives of its applications.Denise Kleinrichert, Ph.D. is a Professor in Management and Ethics at San Francisco State University. She is a former Interim Associate Dean of the Lam Family College of Business, as well as the past Director of the Center for Ethical and Sustainable Business. This Center integrates ethics and sustainable business teaching and service to community and the university, as well as research. She also has served as Chair of the College of Business' annual Business Ethics Week from 2007-2018, is founder of the Ethics & Compliance Workshop series, co-developed the Ethical A.I. Certificate, Business Certificate in Ethics & Compliance, and the MBA Emphasis in Ethics & Compliance. Dr. Kleinrichert has focused her academic career in the areas of business ethics and compliance, corporate social responsibility, sustainability, and women social entrepreneurs. She teaches two undergraduate courses: Seminar on Business & Society and Ethics at Work. She also teaches MBA seminar courses: Ethics and Compliance, Political, Social, Legal Environment of Business, and Sustainability and Business Opportunity. Her research publications include numerous peer reviewed journal articles and two book chapters on topics in ethics, risk and corporate boards, CSR, sustainability, and women entrepreneurs. Her education includes: a BA in Economics from Indiana University, and two Master's degrees from the University of South Florida. Her PhD studies were inclusive of coursework in the College of Business and Philosophy Department including: Social Ethical Legal Systems, Contemporary Ethical Theory, Organizational Design/Structure, Politics/Control in Organizations, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Work & Gender, Development Ethics. She defended her dissertation, Responsibility and Practice in Notions of Corporate Social Responsibility and was awarded a Ph.D. in Philosophy (Ethics) from the University of South Florida.Professor Dragutin Petkovic obtained his Ph.D. at UC Irvine, in the area of biomedical image processing. He spent over 15 years at IBM Almaden Research Center as a scientist and in various management roles. His contributions ranged from use of computer vision for inspection, to multimedia and content management systems. He is the founder of IBM's well-known QBIC (query by image content) project, which significantly influenced the content-based retrieval field. Dr. Petkovic received numerous IBM awards for his work and became an IEEE Fellow in 1998 and IEEE LIFE Fellow in 2018 for leadership in content-based retrieval area. Dr. Petkovic also had various technical management roles in Silicon Valley startups, among them in VMware. In 2003, Dr. Petkovic joined the Computer Science Department as a Chair (from 2003 to 2016) and founded SFSU Center for Computing for Life Sciences in 2005. Currently, Dr. Petkovic is the Professor at the SFSU Department of Computer Science. He led the establishment of SFSU Graduate Certificate in A.I. Ethics, jointly with SFSU Schools of Business and Philosophy. Research and teaching interests of Professor Petkovic include Machine Learning with emphasis on Explainability and Ethics, teaching methods for Global Software Engineering and engineering teamwork, and the design and development of easy to use systems.Learn more about Mechanics' Institute by visiting milibrary.org
The Commissionswith author Paul Madonna in conversation with Gary Kamiya Mechanics Institute 2023-11-03 | Join artist and author Paul Madonna in conversation with author, journalist, and historian Gary Kamiya on Madonna's new novel from the Emit Hopper series, The Commissions.Amsterdam, 2019—following the conclusion of Come to Light. Former rock star-turned-artist Emit Hopper’s life has taken yet another strange turn. His old friend, the legendary San Francisco private detective Ronnie Gilbert, is dead, and his killer has just been acquitted. But when a disheveled acquaintance from Ronnie’s past walks into Emit’s shop, a puzzling mystery resurfaces, twenty years cold.We’re transported back to San Francisco, 1999, when Emit and Ronnie first met. Emit has returned to taking commissions drawing people’s houses, only to be strong-armed by a shady police lieutenant into acting as her off-the-books spy. On top of that, a strange young woman claiming to be his daughter refuses to leave him alone. From there unfolds an intricate tale of corruption and murder that leads to an explosive scandal, with consequences that, two decades hence, are finally revealed.From the world of the Emit Hopper Mystery series, The Commissions kicks off the origin story of what promises to be an unforgettable new eccentric detective, Ronnie Gilbert. In a mystery filled with suspense and surprises around every corner, Paul Madonna brings to life the last days of San Francisco before the turn of the millennium with dozens of his signature pen-and-ink drawings.Paul Madonna is an award-winning artist and best-selling author whose unique blend of drawing and storytelling has been heralded as an “all new art form.” His series All Over Coffee ran in the San Francisco Chronicle for twelve years (2003–2015), and his book Everything Is Its Own Reward won the 2011 NCBA Award for best book. Paul’s work ranges from novels to cartoons to large-scale public murals and can be found internationally in print as well as in galleries and museums. Paul was a founding editor for therumpus.net. He has taught drawing at the University of San Francisco and frequently lectures on creative practice. He holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University and was the first (ever!) Art Intern at MAD magazine. Paul resides in San Francisco and does in fact take commissions, traveling the world to draw and write.Gary Kamiya is an author, journalist, and historian of San Francisco. His 2013 book Cool Gray City of Love: 49 Views of San Francisco was a runaway bestseller and won the 2013 Northern California Book Award for creative nonfiction. His latest book with artist Paul Madonna, published in 2020, is Spirits of San Francisco: Voyages Through the Unknown City. It features 16 of Paul’s superb drawings of the wildly eclectic sites that Paul and Gary chose together and that Gary writes about. His award-winning history column "Portals of the Past" appeared for more than 10 years in the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Francisco Examiner.Gary has hosted and been featured prominently as an expert on-camera source in many documentaries, including such critically-acclaimed works as "Citizen Hearst," a 2-part, 4-hour PBS documentary about William Randolph Hearst, "Moving San Francisco," about the history of transportation in San Francisco, and "Water From The Wilderness," about the epic creation of the Hetch Hetchy water system. Gary is available as a speaker and gives unique San Francisco walking tours by reservation.Learn more about Mechanics' Institute by visiting milibrary.org
After Sappho with author Selby Lynn Schwartz and Professor Loretta Stec Mechanics Institute 2023-10-30 | Watch author Selby Wynn Schwartz in conversation on her debut novel, After Sappho, with Professor Loretta Stec, English Department, San Francisco State University.“The first thing we did was change our names. We were going to be Sappho,” so begins this intrepid debut novel, centuries after the Greek poet penned her lyric verse. Ignited by the same muse, a myriad of women break from their small, predetermined lives for seemingly disparate paths: in 1892, Rina Faccio trades her needlepoint for a pen; in 1902, Romaine Brooks sails for Capri with nothing but her clotted paintbrushes; and in 1923, Virginia Woolf writes: “I want to make life fuller and fuller.” Writing in cascading vignettes, Selby Wynn Schwartz spins an invigorating tale of women whose narratives converge and splinter as they forge queer identities and claim the right to their own lives. A luminous meditation on creativity, education, and identity, After Sappho announces a writer as ingenious as the trailblazers of our past.After Sappho is written “after” Sappho in the manner of an ode, one that gathers and cherishes the fragments of these women just as they treasured the iconic poet’s verses. In a famous fragment of Sappho’s writings, she promises her beloved that they will not be forgotten — someone will remember us / I say / even in another time. Centuries later, Schwartz’s debut makes good on that promise, centering the poet’s iconic work in a dazzling exploration of lesbian desire.Selby Wynn Schwartz holds a PhD in comparative literature from the University of California, Berkeley. She is the author of The Bodies of Others: Drag Dances and Their Afterlives, a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award, and the forthcoming novella A Life in Chameleons.Loretta Stec is a Professor in the English Department of San Francisco State University where she teaches courses on modernist literature with a focus on women writers; animal studies and literature; Southern African literature in English; and literature of exile and migration. One of her favorite courses to teach is an intensive study of Virginia Woolf’s works. She has published articles on Woolf, Gertrude Stein, Djuna Barnes, D.H. Lawrence, Bessie Head, and other 20th-century writers. Learn more about Mechanics' Institute and upcoming events at milibrary.org/events
The World According to Joan Didion with author Evelyn McDonnell Mechanics Institute 2023-10-30 | Watch Evelyn McDonnell in conversation with Director of Events Laura Sheppard on her new book, The World According to Joan Didion. McDonnell, acclaimed journalist, essayist, critic, and university professor, provides an intimate exploration of the life, craft, and legacy of one of the most respected and significant writers of our time. Follow along with McDonnell as she talks to those who knew Didion and were inspired by her. Travel to the places Didion lived and documented, dig through archives, and dive deep into her writing. This book is a meditation on the people, settings, and objects that propelled Didion’s prose and an invitation to journalists, storytellers, and all life adventurers to “throw themselves into the convulsions of the world,” as Didion once said.Learn more about Mechanics' Institute and view upcoming events at: milibrary.org/events
Celebrating 150 Years of Cable Cars, With historians and authors Mike Phipps and Don Holmgren Mechanics Institute 2023-10-26 | Join historians and authors Mike Phipps and Don Holmgren in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the cable cars in San Francisco. Phipps and Holmgren illuminate inventor of the cable cars Andrew Smith Hallidie's journey to California, his wire rope use in the gold mines, plans for the Clay St Hill cable car and subsequent involvement in the patents, and Pacific Cable Trust.San Francisco's Cable Cars are known and loved around the world, a unique and recognizable icon of the City by the Bay. They have climbed the City's hills, halfway to the stars, since 1873, and are still going strong a century and half later. The present system is only a remnant of a once vast and even worldwide network of cable car lines. The story of San Francisco's cable cars is a captivating one. They have had a spirited and wild history, in keeping with the place of their birth. Once part of the pioneering effort to make San Francisco a world class city, they have survived to the present day, not as a mere curio or relic, but as an active and much-loved part of the City's transit system. A trove of historical photographs, maps, diagrams, and stories help bring their chronicle to life.Mike Phipps is a native, fourth-generation San Franciscan and Board Member of the Friends of the Cable Car Museum. He is a graduate of both the University of California at Berkeley and Stanford University History Departments. For thirty years he has taught California and United States History, as well as Western Civilization, at local secondary schools and colleges. As a Director of the Friends of the Cable Car Museum, he has given lectures and written historical articles for the museum. His article, Hallidie's Folly: The Story of the Clay Street Hill Railroad Cable Cars, appeared in the Winter 2009 edition ofThe Argonaut.Don Holmgren is a native San Franciscan and a product of the public school system and the California School of Mechanical Arts, where he majored in mechanical drawing. This was followed by training and apprenticeship programs at Enterprise Engine Company and American Can Company. He continued on with a ten-year stint as a mechanical design draftsman at the California Packing Company. His career was interrupted by two years in the US Army where he served as Artillery Surveyor. He eventually joined the Ortho Division of Chevron Chemical Company, retiring from there as Drafting Coordinator for their Richmond Facility. In addition to his activities with the Friends of the Cable Car Museum, Don has contributed to the writing of two books on San Francisco street railway history and authored an article for theBay Area Railroad Association Journal. This event is co-sponsored by the San Francisco Cable Car Museum and is part of the Market Street Railway 150 Years of Cable Cars celebration.
Writers Lunch: How to Craft the Coming of Age Story Mechanics Institute 2023-10-20 | Watch this discussion on How to Craft the Coming of Age Story with two moving authors - Dera R. Williams and Daniel Babka. This event was moderated by Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte.Dera R. Williams is a life-long Oakland resident whose family was a part of the Great Migration movement. As a family historian, Dera researches and writes her family history as well as mentors others. Her fiction, nonfiction, and memoir writings have been published in over two dozen publications. She is writing a Great Migration novel, Serving Tea at Miss Belle’s, and has published a preview of her upcoming collection of childhood stories, In My Backyard: Stories of Growing Up in Oakland. As a current Oakland Voices fellow, she is engaging in media digital storytelling about her beloved city. Dera is a member of AfroSurreal Writers Workshop, Black Girl Write, and Women Who Submit organizations. Exploring the relationship between myth and oral and family history, Dera honors the voices of her ancestors.Daniel Babka grew up in the small town featured in his soon to be released coming-of-age story, Lightning Bugs And Aliens. He served in VISTA, the domestic Peace Corps, attended law school and a theological seminary, worked as a community organizer, and managed housing in New York City’s toughest neighborhoods - before moving to California. His debut novel, No More Illusions, was described by Kirkus Reviews as “…A strong start to a new series…accomplished, ambitious crime fiction launching a sensitive, complex hero and a promising array of supporting characters…a multilayered tale that has shades of California noir à la Chinatown” (the 1974 movie starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, recognized by AFI as among the greatest films in American cinema history). Daniel has two grown children and lives in the Northern California foothills, not far from his two granddaughters.Award-winning author and Pushcart Prize nominee Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte is an Oakland multidisciplinary writer whose autobiographical and fictional short story collections, along with her lyrical and stunning poetry, artfully succeed in getting across deeper meanings about the politics of race and economics without breaking out of the narrative. Her writing has been variously described as “rich in vivid imagery,” “incredible,” and “great contributions to literature.” Her first novel, Betrayal on the Bayou, was published in June 2020 and a poetry collection she has written with her daughter Dr. Angela M. Boutte, titled No Poetry No Peace™, was published in August 2020 and is the namesake of the No Poetry No Peace™ series at the Mechanics Institute of San Francisco. Her in progress novel first chapter, “The Burden Keeper,” was the 2021 fiction category winner for the San Francisco Writers Conference writing contest anthology. An inaugural Oakland Poet Laureate runner-up, she is also a popular teacher, literary reader, presenter, storyteller, curator, and emcee/host for literary and poetry events. Find out more at www.sheryljbize-boutte.comThe Writers' Lunch is a casual and virtual brown-bag lunch activity on the 3rd Friday of each month. Look forward to craft discussion, informal presentations on all forms of writing, and excellent conversation.Join us, share and learn! Learn more by visiting milibrary.org.
San Francisco Past and Present with authors Alec Scott and Jill K. Robinson Mechanics Institute 2023-10-19 | Join Alec Scott, author of Oldest San Francisco, and Jill K. Robinson, author of San Francisco Scavenger, for an evening focused on this city’s past and present held at Mechanics' Institute.Oldest San Francisco focuses on the institutions that have helped make San Francisco San Francisco, featuring brief histories of its oldest restaurant (Tadich), oldest bakery (Boudin), oldest scientific institution (the Cal Academy). It speaks of civic fabrics—the oldest extant blue jeans (held in a vault at Levi’s) and first rainbow flag (exhibited at the GLBT Historical Society museum in the Castro). In addition to giving its version of some oft-told tales of this city, it contains some lesser known stories, about the world’s oldest suicide hotline, the city’s oldest auto shop and hatmaker.San Francisco Scavenger has more than 300 rhyming clues that take you on a scavenger hunt through 19 different neighborhoods across the 49 square miles of the city. Each riddle includes a photo to help you find museums, public artworks, historical sites like the Mechanics’ Institute, bars and restaurants, architectural highlights, and more. Whether you love the thrill of solving a puzzle, have a desire to learn a little history, feel the urge to get out and explore, or even rediscover a city you thought you knew, find the true spirit of San Francisco in the pages of this book.Author, journalist Alec Scott has contributed to outlets including The Guardian, LA Times, Smithsonian magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, and Sunset. His features have won awards, including a Lowell Thomas Gold in Adventure Travel from the Society of American Travel Writers and three National Magazine Awards in his native Canada. In 2022, he published his first novel, Until It Shimmers — “a potent, vigorous coming-of-age tale,” according to Kirkus Reviews. A former lawyer, he has taught writing at Stanford. For more on the book, see www.oldestsanfrancisco.com, for more on Alec, www.alecscott.com.Jill K. Robinson writes about travel and adventure for National Geographic, AFAR, Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Outside, Sierra, Virtuoso The Magazine, Hemispheres, and more. She has won three Lowell Thomas Awards from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation in the categories of Foreign Travel, Culinary-Related Travel, and Environmental and Sustainable Tourism. Jill’s books include 100 Things to Do in San Francisco Before You Die (2018, Reedy Press), Gordon Ramsay’s Uncharted: A Culinary Adventure with 60 Recipes From Around the Globe (2023, National Geographic Books), Great Outdoors U.S.A.: 1,000 Adventures Across All 50 States (2023, National Geographic Books), and San Francisco Scavenger (2023, Reedy Press). For more on Jill, please visit www.dangerjillrobinson.com.
