READERS & WRITERS CALENDAR: SEPT. 11-25

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version Share this

 

Edited by Sam Warren. Please send all notices to: SDWriteWay@gmail.com



September 11, 2016 (San Diego) –There are lots of literary happenings coming up for both readers and writers across our region.  Scroll down for details.

Readers



THEATER REVIEWS

www.sdTheatreReviews.com and www.sdtheatrescene.com



SAN DIEGO PUBLIC LIBRARY CALENDAR OF EVENTS

http://sdpl.bwcs-hosting.com/cal/main/showMain.rdo



KPBS ONE-BOOK CALENDAR

http://www.kpbs.org/one-book/

* * * *

September 12 (Monday, 7:00 pm) — Adventures by the Book™ is pleased to partner with the Carlsbad City Library for a Swimming in the Sink Free Library Adventure with record-setting open water swimmer & author, Lynne Cox at the Carlsbad City Library, 1775 Dove Ln., Carlsbad, CA 92011.

About the Event: Join us for this Free Library Adventure to learn about the resilience and strength it took Lynne to complete her amazing swims and face the challenges of life, as recounted in her newest book Swimming in the Sink: An Episode of the Heart. Lynne had to train in extreme conditions to achieve

the great long-distance open-water feats she has completed. Lynne is best known for swimming the Bering Strait in 1987, from the island of Little Diomede in Alaska to Big Diomede, then part of the Soviet Union, with water temperature averaging around 44°F.

About the Author: Lynne Cox is an American long-distance open-water swimmer, motivational speaker, and author. Over the course of more than 35 years, spanning a period equal to 8 Olympic Games, Lynne accomplished swims setting world records and opening borders, contributed to medical research, supported environmental causes, and inspired people to overcome great obstacles. She twice held the overall record for the fastest crossing of the English Channel from England to France and has completed over 60 challenging swims around the world.

For additional information regarding the event, please contact Susan McBeth at (619) 300-2532 or at susan@adventuresbythebook.com.



September 12 (Monday) — Early Bird Ticket Deadline. Celebration Under the Dome on Friday, October 7, 7-10 pm at the Central Library @ Joan Λ Irwin Jacobs Common.

Now is the time to get your tickets for the San Diego Public Library Foundation's 3rd annual Celebration Under the Dome. Early bird ticket prices increase after September 12. Celebrate the Library and the life-changing services it provides and help raise funds to support innovative programming and technology at all 36 public libraries. This is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy multiple book-themed parties and explore the Central Library after hours while giving back to your community.



September 12 (Monday, 7:30 pm) —  Warwick's is hosting author  Sue Hitzmann  to discuss and sign her book, The MELT Method. Sue Hitzmann, MS, CST, NMT, is a nationally recognized somatic-movement educator and manual therapist who lives in New York City. This event is free and open to the public.

In The MELT Method, readers will first learn about the four R’s of MELT: Reconnect, Rebalance, Rehydrate, and Release. Each R of MELT addresses one of the four areas of stuck stress and is essential to the overall MELT self-treatment plan. From there, the book lays out the various sequences that readers can learn and combine to create MELT maps that address these four systemic effects of stuck stress. MELT sequences and treatments can be tailored for many specific body conditions.

MELT has helped more than 50,000 of Sue’s students, clients, and customers avoid surgery, shed excess body fat, regain mobility and flexibility, and even progress from “bad knees” to marathon training. Hitzmann has trained over 500 instructors who are currently teaching MELT across the country. With The Melt Method, now anyone can benefit from the same techniques that have made MELT a red-hot word-of-mouth.

Warwick's Books, 7812 Girard Ave, La Jolla (858) 454-0347,  http://www.warwicks.com.



September 12 (Monday, 7:30 pm) —  Nisi Shawl signs Everfair. Clarion West graduate, editor (Stories for Chip: A Tribute to Samuel R. Delany), and renowned short story author (Filter House, Detroit Noir, etc.) Nisi Shawl makes her debut as a novelist with a story that “blends steampunk and political intrigue in a compelling new view of a dark piece of human history.” Publishers Weekly’s starred review of Everfair begins: “In this deeply compelling debut novel, Shawl, who’s well known for her short fiction (Filter House) and teaching (Writing the Other, with Cynthia Ward), takes readers to an alternate Earth where the inhumane history of the Belgian Congo is brilliantly rewritten when Africa’s indigenous populations learn about steam power.”

"Everfair "is a wonderful Neo-Victorian alternate history novel that explores the question of what might have come of Belgium's disastrous colonization of the Congo if the native populations had learned about steam technology a bit earlier. Fabian Socialists from Great Britian join forces with African-American missionaries to purchase land from the Belgian Congo's "owner," King Leopold II. This land, named Everfair, is set aside as a safe haven, an imaginary Utopia for native populations of the Congo as well as escaped slaves returning from America and other places where African natives were being mistreated.

Nisi Shawl's speculative masterpiece manages to turn one of the worst human rights disasters on record into a marvelous and exciting exploration of the possibilities inherent in a turn of history. "Everfair "is told from a multiplicity of voices: Africans, Europeans, East Asians, and African Americans in complex relationships with one another, in a compelling range of voices that have historically been silenced. "Everfair "is not only a beautiful book but an educational and inspiring one that will give the reader new insight into an often ignored period of history.

Mysterious Galaxy, 5943 Balboa Ave, Suite 100, San Diego. For additional information, go to http://www.mystgalaxy.com/ or call (858) 268-4747.



September 13 (Tuesday, 7:30 pm) —  Warwick's is hosting Benjamin Bergen to discuss and sign his new book What the F: What Swearing Reveals About Our Language, Our Brains, and Our Brains. Benjamin Bergen is a professor of cognitive science at the University of California, San Diego, where he directs the Language and Cognition Laboratory. He writes for the Huffington Post and Psychology Today and appears on NPR's Morning Edition, the Brain Science Podcast, and elsewhere.

Nearly everyone swears—whether it's over a few too many drinks, in reaction to a stubbed toe, or in flagrante delicto. And yet, we sit idly by as words are banned from television and censored in books. We insist that people excise profanity from their vocabularies and we punish children for yelling the very same dirty words that we'll mutter in relief seconds after they fall asleep. Swearing, it seems, is an intimate part of us that we have decided to selectively deny.

That's a damn shame. Swearing is useful. It can be funny, cathartic, or emotionally arousing. As linguist and cognitive scientist Benjamin K. Bergen shows us, it also opens a new window onto how our brains process language and why languages vary around the world and over time.

In this groundbreaking yet ebullient romp through the linguistic muck, Bergen answers intriguing questions: How can patients left otherwise speechless after a stroke still shout "Goddamn!" when they get upset? When did a "cock" grow to be more than merely a rooster? Why is "crap" vulgar when "poo" is just childish? Do slurs make you treat people differently? Why is the first word that Samoan children say not "mommy" but "eat s***"? And why do we extend a middle finger to flip someone the bird?

Smart as hell and funny as f***, What the F is mandatory reading for anyone who wants to know how and why we swear.

Warwick's Books, 7812 Girard Ave, La Jolla (858) 454-0347,  http://www.warwicks.com.



September 14 (Wednesday, 7:30 pm) —  Blake Charlton signs Spellbreaker. What if a prophecy predicts that you will either murder someone you love – or die yourself? This is the problem Leandra Weal, offspring of Nicodemus Weal and Francesca DeVega, and Warden of Ixos, encounters. But she doesn’t know who her future victim is – and there are a lot of possibilities. Spellbreaker, hailed as a “magnificent epic fantasy novel” by Publishers Weekly,  concludes author and physician Blake Charlton’s Spellwright trilogy, in a world where language controls the science of magic, as well as the prose he uses to spin his tales.

Hampered by his inability to spell in a world where magic must be written in order to work, gifted young wizard Nicodemus experiences disturbing dreams in the wake of an ancient demon's murderous campaign that suggests Nicodemus' spelling problem may be related to a curse.

Mysterious Galaxy, 5943 Balboa Ave, Suite 100, San Diego. For additional information, go to http://www.mystgalaxy.com/ or call (858) 268-4747.



September 14 (Wednesday, 7:00 pm) —  Warwick’s and the University of San Diego present Carl Hiaasen, New York Times bestselling author, discussing and signing Razor Girl at the University of San Diego's Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice Theatre.

Carl Hiaasen is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of more than twenty adult and young adult novels and nonfiction titles, including the novels Strip Tease and Skinny Dip, as well as the mystery-thrillers Powder Burn, Trap Line and A Death in China, which were cowritten with fellow Miami Herald journalist Bill Montalbano. Hiaasen is best known for his satirical writing and dark humor, much of which is directed at various social and political issues in his home state of Florida. He is an award-winning columnist for the Miami Herald, and lives in Vero Beach.

When Lane Coolman's car is bashed from behind on the road to the Florida Keys, what appears to be an ordinary accident is anything but (this is Hiaasen!). Behind the wheel of the other car is Merry Mansfield – the eponymous Razor Girl – and the crash scam is only the beginning of events that spiral crazily out of control while unleashing some of the wildest characters Hiaasen has ever set loose on the page:

There's Trebeaux, the owner of Sedimental Journeys – a company that steals sand from one beach to restore erosion on another; Dominick "Big Noogie" Aeola, a NYC mafia capo with a taste for tropic-wear; Buck Nance, a Wisconsin accordionist who has rebranded himself as the star of a redneck reality show called "Bayou Brethren"; a street psycho known as Blister who's more Buck Nance than Buck could ever be; Brock Richardson, a Miami product-liability lawyer who's getting dangerously--and deformingly--hooked on the very E.D. product he's litigating against; and Andrew Yancy – formerly Detective Yancy, busted down to the Key West roach patrol after accosting his then-lover's husband with a Dust Buster.

Yancy believes that if he can singlehandedly solve a high-profile murder, he'll get his detective badge back. That the Razor Girl may be the key to Yancy's future will be as surprising as anything else he encounters along the way – including the giant Gambian rats that are livening up his restaurant inspections.

Warwick's Books, 7812 Girard Ave, La Jolla (858) 454-0347,  http://www.warwicks.com.



September 15 (Thursday, 7:30 pm) —  Warwick's is hosting bestselling author Marisa Silver to discuss and sign Little Nothing.

In an unnamed country at the beginning of the last century, a child called Pavla is born to peasant parents. Her arrival, fervently anticipated and conceived in part by gypsy tonics and archaic prescriptions, stuns her parents and brings outrage and scorn from her community. Pavla has been born a dwarf, beautiful in face, but as the years pass, she grows no farther than the edge of her crib. When her parents turn to the treatments of a local charlatan, his terrifying cure opens the floodgates of persecution for Pavla.

Little Nothing unfolds across a lifetime of unimaginable, magical transformation in and out of human form, as an outcast girl becomes a hunted woman whoseultimate survival depends on the most startling transfiguration of them all. Woven throughout is the journey of Danilo, the young man entranced by Pavla, obsessed only with protecting her. Part allegory about the shifting nature of being, part subversive fairy tale of love in all its uncanny guises, "Little Nothing" spans the beginning of a new century, the disintegration of ancient superstitions, and the adoption of industry and invention. With a cast of remarkable characters, a wholly original story, and extraordinary, page-turning prose, Marisa Silver delivers a novel of sheer electricity.

Warwick's Books, 7812 Girard Ave, La Jolla (858) 454-0347,  http://www.warwicks.com.



September 16 (Friday, 7:30 pm) —  Robert J. Peterson signs Omegaball. Set almost a century in the future, Omegaball is the story of a teenage quadriplegic genius named Laurie Everett. She's been confined to a wheelchair since birth, so she escapes her real life in a massive virtual realm called the Darknet, where she's a superstar Omegaball player, and her virtual life echoes that of her real life twin sister, Helen. Omegaball is the first venture into young adult literature, although not science fiction, for author Robert J. Peterson, who is also the founder of California Coldblood Books.

Two sisters. Two worlds. Meet Laurie and Helen Everett. They re identical twin sisters living in the year 2176. They re mirror images of each other. Laurie s a genius. Helen s a problem child. Laurie uses a wheelchair. Helen s a track star.

They fight. They compete. They hate each other. They love each other. Y knowtypical sisters.  But Laurie has a secret. She escapes her life by visiting the Darknet, a virtual reality that s as big as the solar system. There, she s a superstar at the sport of Omegaball, a deadly mashup of football, basketball, and Mega Man.

Laurie s world changes when two men approach her with promises of a better life. One is Glenn Booker, an executive with the Chicago Dreadnoughts Omegaball team here in the real world. The other is the mysterious hacktivist Mr. Chalk, chief architect of the Darknet. Glenn wants to draft her. Mr. Chalk wants her to join his personal army.

Laurie must decide whether she wants to live in the real world or the Darknet, all while Helen tracks her every move, and Mr. Chalk plots his own sinister agenda.

Mysterious Galaxy, 5943 Balboa Ave, Suite 100, San Diego. For additional information, go to http://www.mystgalaxy.com/ or call (858) 268-4747.



September 16 (Friday, 7:30 pm) —  Warwick's is hosting author of Rules of Civility Amor Towles to discuss and sign his new book A Gentleman in Moscow.

Amor Towles was born and raised just outside Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated from Yale University and received an MA in English from Stanford University. For many years a principal at an investment firm in Manhattan, he now devotes himself full time to writing. His first novel, Rules of Civility, published in 2011, was a New York Times bestseller in both hardcover and paperback. Mr. Towles is an ardent fan of early 20th century painting, 1950’s jazz, 1970’s cop shows, rock & roll on vinyl, manifestoes, breakfast pastries, pasta, liquor, snow-days, Tuscany, Provence, Disneyland, Hollywood, the cast of Casablanca, 007, Captain Kirk, Bob Dylan (early, mid, and late phases), the wee hours, card games, cafés, and the cookies made by both of his grandmothers. Towles lives in Manhattan with his wife and two children.

With his breakout debut novel, Rules of Civility, Amor Towles established himself as a master of absorbing, sophisticated fiction, bringing late 1930s Manhattan to life with splendid atmosphere and a flawless command of style. Readers and critics were enchanted; as NPR commented, Towles writes with grace and verve about the mores and manners of a society on the cusp of radical change.

A Gentleman in Moscow immerses us in another elegantly drawn era with the story of Count Alexander Rostov. When, in 1922, he is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, the count is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel s doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him a doorway into a much larger world of emotional discovery.

Brimming with humor, a glittering cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this singular novel casts a spell as it relates the Count's endeavor to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose.

Warwick's Books, 7812 Girard Ave, La Jolla (858) 454-0347,  http://www.warwicks.com.



September 16 (Friday,  12:00 pm) — Adventures by the Book™ is pleased to present a Greek Luncheon Adventure with award-winning novelist, Anita Hughes at Apollonia Bistro, 8650 Genesee Ave. #106, San Diego, CA 92122. The event is ticketed ($35 per person) and is open to the public.

About the Event: Our Greek Luncheon Adventure will whisk you away for an afternoon in a mirage of Grecian bliss with Anita Hughes, an award winning multi-published novelist. Join us for a luncheon with Anita, where this spectacular writer will fill our minds with the vivid images of sunsets and secrets that she has weaved into her tantalizing novel. At the same time the authentic Greek Bistro, Apollonia, will fill our bellies with delicious traditional food, like hummus, chicken souvlaki, baklava, and more.

Your Adventure includes a Greek meal, beverage, tax & gratuity, book discussion, Q&A, author signing, and an opportunity to meet the author up close & personal in an intimate & authentic setting.

About the Author: Anita Hughes was born in Sydney, Australia and had a charmed childhood that included petting koala bears, riding the waves on Bondi Beach, and putting an occasional shrimp on the barbie. Her writing career began at the age of eight, when she won a national writing contest in The Australian newspaper, and was named “One of Australia’s Next Best Writers.” She received a B.A. in English Literature with a minor in Creative Writing from Bard College, and attended UC Berkeley’s Masters in Creative Writing program. She now lives in Dana Point, CA with her family. Santorini Sunsets will be Anita’s seventh novel.

For additional information regarding the event, please contact Susan McBeth at (619) 300-2532 or at susan@adventuresbythebook.com.



September 17 (Saturday, 3:00 pm) — Unicorn Books and Gifts will host renowned book publicist Paula Margulies, author of The Tao of Book Publicity, for a free workshop and book signing.

In The Tao of Book Publicity, publicist Paula Margulies outlines the basics of book promotion and explains how the business of publicizing a book works. Designed for beginning authors but also useful for those with some experience in book publishing, The Tao of Book Publicity provides information on the importance of writing a good book and the need for developing a platform, as well as how-to explanations for creating publicity material, including front and back cover text, press releases, Q&As, media and blog tour queries, and newsletter and media lists. The Tao of Book Publicity also covers social media, book pricing and sales, book tours and media interviews, and author websites. In addition to explaining how book publicity works, this valuable handbook explores practical topics such as publicity costs, timing, and considerations when hiring a publicist. Simple, straightforward, and informative, The Tao of Book Publicity includes expert advice on all aspects of book promotion and is a go-to reference guide for beginning and experienced authors alike.

“I wrote this book to help authors understand what’s involved in promoting a book and what they should expect if this is their first time trying to sell a book they’ve written,” said Margulies. “The Tao of Book Publicity is based on years of experience working with both traditionally and self-published authors and answers the most common questions I hear from new authors when they contact me about representing their work.”

The handbook has received early praise from the publishing community, including Huffington Post contributor and Author Magazine editor, Bill Kenower, Southern California Writers’ Conference director, Michael Stephen Gregory, and UCSD writing instructor, Marni Freedman, who writes, “The Tao of Book Publicity is filled with easy-to-implement, savvy, practical advice from an experienced industry insider. Paula Margulies breaks down the often-confusing landscape of book publicity with clarity, humor, and insight. Don't promote without reading it first!”

Unicorn Books and Gifts, Located at 845 Main Street, in the Olde Ramona Hotel Gallery.



September 17 (Saturday, 12:00 pm) —  Mysterious Galaxy offers another installment in our regular series of in-store events bringing in local authors — in our genres and beyond — who are enthused to share their work. We will mingle and hear about each author’s work over some light refreshments. There will be a variety of genres and works to appeal to all ages, and subjects ranging from dark urban fantasy and dragon tales to Victorian drama, from a young woman’s personal journey to small town horror to international cozy suspense. Non-fiction works include a guide to local biodiversity, and a collection of book promotion tips. These fun gatherings are a great opportunity to meet new people and support our local authors. You might just be the first to support a future best-selling author of our time! Participants at press time include: Jill Amadio, Roland Colton, Mike Duran, Sharon Hawes, Peggy Hinaekian, Paula Knoll, Paula Margulies, Andy Peloquin, and Rusty Trimble.

Mysterious Galaxy, 5943 Balboa Ave, Suite 100, San Diego. For additional information, go to http://www.mystgalaxy.com/ or call (858) 268-4747.



September 17 (Saturday, 7:00 pm) — Live Music Every Saturday Night. Stacey Murray "Soul SongstressL:" Get ready to dance and sing and shout with joy!  Let the Soul Songstress rock your soul with jazz, rock, blues, and soul.

Upstart Crow Bookstore and Coffeehouse, 835 W. Harbor Drive, Suite C, San Diego; (619) 232-4855; http://www.upstartcrowtrading.com.



September 18 (Sunday, 12:00 pm) —  As part of our ongoing Weekend with Locals Program we will be hosting Dr. Erhard Vogel, author of The Four Gates.

Warwick's Books, 7812 Girard Ave, La Jolla (858) 454-0347,  http://www.warwicks.com.



September 19 (Monday, 7:00 pm) — The Upstart Crow Book Club meets to discuss MOLOKA'I by Alan Brennert, a title that we've read (or some of us have yet to read). The Upstart Crow Book Club is open to anyone.  The Book Club meets on the third Monday of the month.  The selections are chosen by the group. The selections are usually either a non-fiction or fiction best-seller that is out in a paperback edition.

Upstart Crow Bookstore and Coffeehouse, 835 W. Harbor Drive, Suite C, San Diego; (619) 232-4855; http://www.upstartcrowtrading.com.



September 19 (Monday, 7:30 pm) — Warwick's is hosting author of A Life in Men, Gina Frangello in conversation with Jim Ruland to discuss and sign her new book Every Kind of Wanting. Gina Frangello 's short fiction, essays, book reviews and journalism have been published in such venues as Salon and Dame. Jim Ruland is the author of the award-winning novel Forest of Fortune and the short story collection Big Lonesome.

Like all disasters, Every Kind of Wanting begins with one simple gesture: a sister wanting to help her brother. When Gretchen offers her brother Chad and his partner Miguel her eggs so that they can start a family, it is the butterfly wing that catapults a series of astounding events. Chad and Miguel’s search for a surrogate leads them to Miguel’s high school friend Emily, married to playwright Nick, who just happens to be directing Miguel’s youngest lesbian sister Lina in his new play. Cozy coincidences all around, the group embarks on their “community baby” plan with the darkly funny domestic drama you’d find in a plot by Meg Wolitzer or Emma Straub.

But of course, everything is not as it seems. You see, Gretchen’s marriage is falling apart, her son is probably on the Asperger’s scale, and she now regrets giving her eggs away. Lina is a former addict and hiding some serious family secrets from her and Miguel’s childhood in Curacas (not to mention her affair with Nick). And Emily—the saintly surrogate, the Vice Principal of a charter school, the mother of two kids with one being disabled—well, she might be hiding the biggest secret of them all.

As the pregnancy develops and complications arise, Gina’s sophisticated plot and gorgeous writing follow her characters as events turn dark and dangerous, with one character not making it out alive.

Warwick's Books, 7812 Girard Ave, La Jolla (858) 454-0347,  http://www.warwicks.com.



September 20 (Tuesday, 7:30 pm) — Alex Dolan signs The Empress of Tempera. Northern California writer and musician Alex Dolan is the son of two painters, and understands the kind of transformative passion inspired by art, the focus of his new crime novel, which explores the value and meaning of art through the tale of one painting and two artists, separated by four decades. Laura McHugh, author of The Weight of Blood, praised his work: "A mysterious painting, dark family secrets, and a decades-old vendetta intertwine in Alex Dolan's lush art-world thriller, The Empress of Tempera. An engrossing and fascinating tale with a shocking conclusion that I didn't see coming.” Guest host Neal Griffin (A Voice from the Field) will interview the Thrill Seekers program host.

Good art can make a person cry; great art can make a person kill. Paire Anjou came to New York to be an artist, but thus far has only achieved an artist boyfriend the "enfant terrible" of the art world, Derek Rosewood. On her way to his show, where his controversial paintings will be on display, Paire sees an older man on the sidewalk, looking into the window of the Fern Gallery, gazing intently at a painting, and sobbing. As Paire approaches him, the man stabs himself in the chest.

The painting that inspired the suicide is a one-off for the gallery the last-known surviving work of a dissident Chinese artist named Qi. An empress, dressed in red, sits imperiously and stares out at the viewer. Paire is but one of the people who stare back, joined by hundreds, from around the world, flocking to the Fern Gallery to observe and obsess over the Empress. The Empress inspires lust and panic, rage and greed. When Paire starts digging into the backstory of the painting, and its artist, she unravels a tale of profound betrayal and a vengeance that spans generations.

She also sets in motion the painting's final heist, a swirling morass of bribery, theft, and murder, drawing Paire deeper and deeper into the underside of the art world, where the greatest works inspire the most vicious of crimes.

Mysterious Galaxy, 5943 Balboa Ave, Suite 100, San Diego. For additional information, go to http://www.mystgalaxy.com/ or call (858) 268-4747.



September 20 (Tuesday, 7:30 pm) — A Chance to meet Former Chargers' Greats! Warwick's is hosting local sports writer, Jay Paris to discuss and sign his new book: Game of My Life San Diego Chargers. Jay Paris is a celebrated sports journalist. As a staff writer for the San Diego Union-Tribune and North County Times from 1992 to 2013, he covered the Chargers as his regular beat. A three-time recipient of awards from the Pro Football Writers Association of America, Paris writes about the Chargers and Padres as an Associated Press, USA Today and mlb.com correspondent. He lives in Cardiff by the Sea, California.

Since their founding in 1959, the San Diego Chargers have tackled their way into the hearts of devoted SoCal football fans. In Game of My Life San Diego Chargers, fans can immerse themselves in all the greatest moments in Chargers history. Award-winning sports writer Jay Paris expertly chronicles all of the greatest Charger moments, including the team's thirteen playoff appearances, their heart-breaking loss in the 1995 Super Bowl, and their glory runs in the mid-2000s. Chargers fans can experience all the glory of their favorite team with first-hand interviews from over a dozen legendary players, including LaDainian Tomlinson, Dan Fouts, Ron Mix, Burt Grossman, and Nick Hardwick. Each former great shares his most memorable game as a Charger, from the pregame jitters to the on-field glory, to the postgame locker room celebration. Game of My Life San Diego Chargers is the perfect gift for Chargers fans!

Warwick's Books, 7812 Girard Ave, La Jolla (858) 454-0347,  http://www.warwicks.com.



September 20 (Tuesday, 6:30 pm) — Adventure 16 Outfitters will host the celebration and public presentation of a new hiking and field guide published by Sunbelt Publications, authored by volunteers for the San Diego Natural History Museum, and developed through weekly “Roam-O-Rama” columns in the San Diego Reader.

Coast to Cactus: The Canyoneer Trail Guide to San Diego Outdoors is written by a group of Natural History Museum volunteers—highly trained citizen science trail guides — known as the Canyoneers.

The programs at Adventure 16 come right on the heels of the opening weekend of the Canyoneer hiking season, which kicks off with a guided hike at Marian R. Bear Memorial Park on Saturday, September 17 at 8:30 am and another at Cleveland National Forest (Woodland Hill Extended) on Sunday, September 18 at 9:00 am.

Event details are available at www.adventure16.com and www.sunbeltpublications.com. For more information on public walks with the Canyoneers, visit http://sdnhm.org/.

At the Adventure 16 Outfitters, 143 S. Cedros Ave. Solana Beachl (858) 755-7662.



September 21 (Wednesday, 6:30 pm) — Adventure 16 Outfitters will host the celebration and public presentation of a new hiking and field guide published by Sunbelt Publications, authored by volunteers for the San Diego Natural History Museum, and developed through weekly “Roam-O-Rama” columns in the San Diego Reader.

Coast to Cactus: The Canyoneer Trail Guide to San Diego Outdoors is written by a group of Natural History Museum volunteers—highly trained citizen science trail guides — known as the Canyoneers.

The programs at Adventure 16 come right on the heels of the opening weekend of the Canyoneer hiking season, which kicks off with a guided hike at Marian R. Bear Memorial Park on Saturday, September 17 at 8:30 am and another at Cleveland National Forest (Woodland Hill Extended) on Sunday, September 18 at 9:00 am.

Event details are available at www.adventure16.com and www.sunbeltpublications.com. For more information on public walks with the Canyoneers, visit http://sdnhm.org/.

At Adventure 16 Outfitters, 4620 Alvarado Canyon Rd. San Diego; (619) 283-2374.



September 21 (Wednesday, 7:00 pm) — Welcome to Night Vale creators Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor in conversation with Stacee Evans.

From the authors of the New York Times bestselling novel Welcome to Night Vale and the creators of the #1 international podcast of the same name, comes a collection of episodes from Season One of their hit podcast, featuring an introduction by the authors, behind-the-scenes commentary, and original illustrations. This is a numbered event. Go to http://www.mystgalaxy.com/event/welcome-night-vale-creators for additional information.

Mysterious Galaxy, 5943 Balboa Ave, Suite 100, San Diego. For additional information, go to http://www.mystgalaxy.com/ or call (858) 268-4747.



September 21 (Wednesday, 7:00 pm) — Open Mic Poetry. The New Alchemy Poetry Series on the 3rd Wednesday of the month is organized by Seretta Martin and Fred Longworth, both local San Diego Poets. Special Featured Guest Poet: William Scott Galasso.

Participate in the discussion and share your own poetry with the group. Each meeting features an open mic segment. Come and be a part of San Diego's lively poetry scene!

Upstart Crow Bookstore and Coffeehouse, 835 W. Harbor Drive, Suite C, San Diego; (619) 232-4855; http://www.upstartcrowtrading.com.



September 21 (Wednesday, 7:30 pm) — Warwick's is hosting author of The Illustrated Version of Things, Affinity Konar to discuss and sign her new book, Mischling. Affinity Konar was raised in California. She has an MFA in fiction from Columbia University.  This event is free and open to the public.

It's 1944 when the twin sisters, Pearl and Stasha arrive at Auschwitz with their mother and grandfather. In their benighted new world, Pearl and Stasha Zagorski take refuge in their identical natures, comforting themselves with the private language and shared games of their childhood. As part of the experimental population of twins known as Mengele's Zoo, the girls experience privileges and horrors unknown to others, and they find themselves changed, stripped of the personalities they once shared, their identities altered by the burdens of guilt and pain.

That winter, at a concert orchestrated by Mengele, Pearl disappears. Stasha grieves for her twin, but clings to the possibility that Pearl remains alive. When the camp is liberated by the Red Army, she and her companion Feliks — a boy bent on vengeance for his own lost twin — travel through Poland's devastation. Undeterred by injury, starvation, or the chaos around them, motivated by equal parts danger and hope, they encounter hostile villagers, Jewish resistance fighters, and fellow refugees, their quest enabled by the notion that Mengele may be captured and brought to justice within the ruins of the Warsaw Zoo. As the young survivors discover what has become of the world, they must try to imagine a future within it.

A superbly crafted story, told in a voice as exquisite as it is boundlessly original, MISCHLING defies every expectation, traversing one of the darkest moments in human history to show us the way toward ethereal beauty, moral reckoning, and soaring hope.

Warwick's Books, 7812 Girard Ave, La Jolla (858) 454-0347,  http://www.warwicks.com.



September 22 (Thursday, 7:30 pm) — Many of the characters in bookseller and author Amy Stewart’s Girl Waits with Gun and Lady Cop Makes Trouble are based on real people, including the indomitable Constance Kopp, the first female deputy sheriff in Bergen County, New Jersey, in 1915, and her siblings. Publishers Weekly notes, “Stewart’s second volume in her Kopp Sisters Series is a clever, suspenseful, and funny tale of a formidable woman facing crime, politics, social stigma, all while nailing evildoers.”  Amy is also the author of a half dozen works of non-fiction, including Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities, its companion coloring book, and The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World’s Great Drinks.

In 1915, lady cops were not expected to chase down fugitives on the streets of New York City. But Constance Kopp never did what anyone expected. Constance Kopp is six feet tall, lives on a quiet farm with her two sisters, and yearns for fulfilling work. The Kopp sisters, though, aren t going to be living the quiet life anymore. They made the news fighting back against a ruthless silk factory owner and his gang of thugs. And after Bergen County s Sheriff Heath sees Constance in action, he appoints her as one of the nation s first female deputies. He knows she s a powerful addition to his force, and she knows she can do the job, but when the wiles of a German-speaking con man threaten her position and her hopes for this new life and risk the honorable sheriff being thrown in his own jail Constance is forced to prove herself again."Lady Cop Makes Trouble" sets Constance loose on the streets of New York City and New Jersey. Even as she tracks her fugitive, she s also tested by other cases helping runaway girls taken in by unscrupulous men and sorting out why an old woman is taking the fall for a murder she couldn t have committed. Cheering her on are her sisters Norma and Fleurette that is, when they aren t, respectively, training pigeons for the war effort or fanning dreams of a life on the stage. Based on the Kopp sisters real-life adventures, "Girl Waits with Gun" introduced the sensational lives of Constance Kopp and her unconventional sisters to an army of enthusiastic readers. This second installment, also ripped from the headlines, takes us further into the romping, riveting story of a woman who defied expectations, forged her own path, and tackled crime and nefarious criminals! along the way.

Mysterious Galaxy, 5943 Balboa Ave, Suite 100, San Diego. For additional information, go to http://www.mystgalaxy.com/ or call (858) 268-4747.



September 23 (Friday, 5:30 pm) — Warwick’s presents Mike Love, founding member of the Beach Boys signing Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy. Signing line will operate on a first-come first-served basis. Tickets are $30.24 / admits two & includes one copy of the book

As a founding member of The Beach Boys, Mike Love has spent an extraordinary fifty-five years, and counting, as the group's lead singer and one of its principal lyricists. The Beach Boys, from their California roots to their international fame, are a unique American story -- one of overnight success and age-defying longevity; of musical genius and reckless self-destruction; of spirituality, betrayal, and forgiveness -- and Love is the only band member to be part of it each and every step. His own story has never been fully told, of how a sheet-metal apprentice became the quintessential front man for America's most successful rock band, singing in more than 5,600 concerts in 26 countries.

Love describes the stories behind his lyrics for pop classics such as "Good Vibrations," "California Girls," "Surfin' USA," and "Kokomo," while providing vivid portraits of the turbulent lives of his three gifted cousins, Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson. His partnership with Brian has few equals in American pop music, though Mike has carved out a legacy of his own -- he co-wrote the lyrics to eleven of the twelve original Beach Boy songs that were top 10 hits while providing the lead vocals on ten of them. The band's unprecedented durability also provides a glimpse into America's changing cultural mores over the past half century, while Love himself has experienced both the diabolical and the divine -- from Charles Manson's "family" threatening his life to Maharishi instilling it with peace. A husband, a father, and an avid environmentalist, Love has written a book that is as rich and layered as the Beach Boy harmonies themselves.

Warwick's Books, 7812 Girard Ave, La Jolla (858) 454-0347,  http://www.warwicks.com.



September 23 (Friday, 7:30 pm) — Ferrett Steinmetz and J. Patrick Black sign their books.

Fix by Ferrett Steinmetz:  "America's long sent its best SMASH agents overseas to deal with the European crisis. As of today, they decided dismantling your operation was more important than containing the Bastogne Broach. Now you're dealing with the real professionals."

Paul Tsabo Bureaucromancer. Political activist. Loving father. His efforts to decriminalize magic have made him the government's #1 enemy - and his fugitive existence has robbed his daughter of a normal life.

Aliyah Tsabo-Dawson Videogamemancer. Gifted unearthly powers by a terrorist's magic. Raised by a family of magicians, she's the world's loneliest teenager - because her powers might kill anyone she befriends.

The Unimancers Brain-burned zombies. Former 'mancers, tortured into becoming agents of the government's anti-'mancer squad. An unstoppable hive-mind.

When Paul accidentally opens up the first unsealed dimensional broach on American soil, the Unimancers lead his family in a cat-and-mouse pursuit all the way to the demon-haunted ruins of Europe - where Aliyah is slowly corrupted by the siren call of the Unimancers...

Ninth City Burning by J. Patrick Black: Centuries of war with aliens threaten the future of human civilization on earth in this gripping, epic science fiction debut... We never saw them coming. Entire cities disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving nothing but dust and rubble. When an alien race came to make Earth theirs, they brought with them a weapon we had no way to fight, a universe-altering force known as thelemity. It seemed nothing could stop it – until we discovered we could wield the power too. Five hundred years later, the Earth is locked in a grinding war of attrition. The talented few capable of bending thelemity to their will are trained in elite military academies, destined for the front lines. Those who refused to support the war have been exiled to the wilds of a ruined Earth. But the enemy's tactics are changing, and Earth's defenders are about to discover this centuries-old war has only just begun. As a terrible new onslaught looms, heroes will rise from unlikely quarters, and fight back.

Mysterious Galaxy, 5943 Balboa Ave, Suite 100, San Diego. For additional information, go to http://www.mystgalaxy.com/ or call (858) 268-4747.



September 23 (Friday, 7:00 pm) —

Warwick’s and the University of San Diego present Ann Patchett, New York Times bestselling author discussing and signing Commonwealth at the University of San Diego's Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice Theatre. The acclaimed, bestselling author winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize tells the enthralling story of how an unexpected romantic encounter irrevocably changes two families lives.

One Sunday afternoon in Southern California, Bert Cousins shows up at Franny Keating's christening party uninvited. Before evening falls, he has kissed Franny's mother, Beverly thus setting in motion the dissolution of their marriages and the joining of two families. Spanning five decades, Commonwealth explores how this chance encounter reverberates through the lives of the four parents and six children involved. Spending summers together in Virginia, the Keating and Cousins children forge a lasting bond that is based on a shared disillusionment with their parents and the strange and genuine affection that grows up between them.

When, in her twenties, Franny begins an affair with the legendary author Leon Posen and tells him about her family, the story of her siblings is no longer hers to control. Their childhood becomes the basis for his wildly successful book, ultimately forcing them to come to terms with their losses, their guilt, and the deeply loyal connection they feel for one another. Told with equal measures of humor and heartbreak, Commonwealth is a meditation on inspiration, interpretation, and the ownership of stories. It is a brilliant and tender tale of the far-reaching ties of love and responsibility that bind us together.

Warwick's Books, 7812 Girard Ave, La Jolla (858) 454-0347,  http://www.warwicks.com.



September 24 (Saturday, 7:00 pm) — Live Music Every Saturday Night. James Ryan from AirGo: Join James as he performs both original songs and covers of popular indie rock.

 Upstart Crow Bookstore and Coffeehouse, 835 W. Harbor Drive, Suite C, San Diego; (619) 232-4855; http://www.upstartcrowtrading.com.



September 24 (Saturday, 2:00 pm) — Sherri L. Smith signs Pasadena. Award-winning author Sherri L. Smith’s books are nearly as varied as her other professions, which include working for Disney, Bongo Comics (where she writes about enthusiastic reader Lisa Simpson), and in a monster factory that makes monsters, aliens and dead people for movies and TV. Maryelizabeth is a huge fan of her extreme climate speculative fiction tale, Orleans, as well as her new Southern California noir novel, Pasadena. Last fall’s The Toymaker’s Apprentice retold The Nutcracker for middle grade readers as a complex tale of family devotion, revenge, and warfare.

Bad things happen everywhere. Even in the land of sun and roses. When Jude's best friend is found dead in a swimming pool, her family calls it an accident. Her friends call it suicide. But Jude calls it what it is: murder. And someone has to pay.

Now everyone is a suspect family and friends alike. And Jude is digging up the past like bones from a shallow grave. Anything to get closer to the truth. But that's the thing about secrets. Once they start turning up, nothing is sacred. And Jude's got a few skeletons of her own. In a homage to the great noir stories of Los Angeles, award-winning author Sherri L. Smith's Pasadena is a tale of love, damage and salvation set against the backdrop of California's City of Roses.

Mysterious Galaxy, 5943 Balboa Ave, Suite 100, San Diego. For additional information, go to http://www.mystgalaxy.com/ or call (858) 268-4747.



September 25 (Sunday, 12:00 pm) — As part of our ongoing Weekend with Locals Program we will be hosting Laura Marquis, author of Sweets in the Raw: Naturally Healthy Desserts.

Warwick's Books, 7812 Girard Ave, La Jolla (858) 454-0347,  http://www.warwicks.com.



September 25 (Sunday, 12:00 pm) — Banned Books Week, the annual event celebrating the freedom to read, highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. The 2016 celebration of Banned Books Week will examine the important question of why are so many diverse books banned as part of its thematic focus.

For list of some banned books, go to http://www.mystgalaxy.com/event/banned-books-week-virtual-readout. Mysterious Galaxy staff are creating a display of some of the banned and challenged books we are particularly committed to ensuring remain available to readers. At noon on Sunday, September 25, we invite readers to join us to take part for a 90-minute continuous read-out of passages from banned and challenged books, part of a national Banned Books Virtual Read-Out that will be shared on a dedicated Youtube channel. Contact staff with questions.

Mysterious Galaxy, 5943 Balboa Ave, Suite 100, San Diego. For additional information, go to http://www.mystgalaxy.com/ or call (858) 268-4747.



September 25 (Sunday):— For additional controversial and banned books, go to: http://controversialbooks.com



September 25 (Sunday, 2:00 pm) — Join editors T.C. Bennett and Tracy L. Carbone, and contributors Dennis Etchison, John Palisano, Hal Bodner, Eric J. Guignard, and Kathryn E. McGee for an afternoon reading and discussion of horror anthology Cemetery Riots, an all original collection of dark cautionary tales.

Imagine yourself in a cemetery. Void of all light at the base of a tree. But it's no ordinary tree. This tree abounds with the dead. Now envision that each tree limb is a short story with its own vision, its own length of words, and its own insanity.With that said, beware of the widow makers and the strange foreboding dwelling beneath. Remember, nothing's heavenly in Cemetery Riots. Cemetery Riots is a new collection of dark cautionary tales edited by T. C. Bennett and Tracy L. Carbone. With great pride we introduce you to our stories and their authors... THE WAITING DEAD by Ray Garton, ABUSED by Richard Christian Matheson, CHILDREN'S HOUR by Hal Bodner, CARMICHAEL MOTEL by Kathryn E. McGee, THAT STILL, BLEEDING OBJECT OF DESIRE by Chet Williamson, LUNCH AT MOM'S by Tracy L. Carbone, FATHER AND SON by Jack Ketchum, THE DEMON OF SPITALFIELDS by Karen and Roxanne E. Dent, ERASURE by Lisa Morton, THE WINDOWS by T. C. Bennett, CERTAIN SIGHTS OF AN AFFLICTED WOMAN by Eric J. Guignard, THE MAN WHO KNEW WHAT TIME IT WAS by Dennis Etchison, THE RE-POSSESSED by James Dorr, CLOWN ON BLACK VELVET by Michael Sebastian, THE CELLAR by Kelly Kurtzhals, ETERNAL VALLEY by John Palisano, BLOOD by Taylor Grant, AMONG THE TIGERS by William F. Nolan, ALL OUR HEARTS ARE GHOSTS by Peter Atkins, THE ITCH by Michael D. Nye, and DRIVING HER HOME by John Everson.

Mysterious Galaxy, 5943 Balboa Ave, Suite 100, San Diego. For additional information, go to http://www.mystgalaxy.com/ or call (858) 268-4747.



BOOKS BY OLIN THOMPSON

Local author Olin Thompson has written over 20 exciting adventure books in hardback and eBooks including police procedural, crime, mystery, western and military. They can be ordered through Amazon or at: http://olin-thompson.com/books.html.

* * * *



Writers

Workshops, Classes, Seminars, Book Festivals,

Contests, Workshops, Classes, Seminars, Book Festivals,

Contests and Authors Exhibits

http://SDWriteWay.org

(The website is temporarily off line while being reconstructed)

* * * *



SAN DIEGO WRITERS INC CLASSES

Go to: http://www.sandiegowriters.org for a complete list of all the classes & Events for Writers Ink.



OASIS CLASSES

For additional information go to https://www.oasisnet.org/San-Diego-CA/Classes.

* * * *



EAST COUNTY WRITERS GROUP

A drop-in group for writers is held at the El Cajon Branch of the San Diego County Library (201 E. Douglas) at 10:00 am on the first and third Fridays of the month. The group is hosted by Kristin Fogle, Executive Director of Writers, Ink. No registration is necessary – just show up. For more information, call 619-588-3718 or go to http://sdcl.org

* * * *



September 11 (Sunday, 3:30 pm) — Monthly meeting of Partners in Crime, the San Diego chapter of Sisters in Crime. For additional information, email kim@keeline.com.



September 15 (Thursday, 6:30 pm) — Writing coach Marni Freedman will share her more than 25 years of hard-fought, hard-earned lessons on writing, offering editors insight into the minds of authors at the next program meeting of the San Diego Professional Editors Network (SD/PEN). The presentation, A Writing Coach Tells All, will take place at in the San Diego County Health Services Complex.

Marni Freedman is a produced, published, award-winning writer, and licensed therapist. Marni is a popular teacher and writing coach and brings her unique approach to creativity to writing conferences and corporations across the country. She runs the successful San Diego Writers Network, produces a yearly theatrical Memoir Showcase, and runs her own Writing Coach business (www.eWritersCoach.com), managing all aspects of writers’ careers, including content creation, editing, platform building, branding, social media, and copyediting.

The program meeting cost is free to SD/PEN members and only $10.00 for nonmembers. The evening will include snacks and beverages and an opportunity to network before and after the presentation.

RSVP via email to pr@sdpen.com no later than Wednesday, September 14.



September 17 (Saturday, 6:00 to 9:30 pm) — 2016 Red Balloon Awards. Traveling Stories is a local organization dedicated to increasing the love of reading among elementary school children. Traveling Stories volunteers meet to interact with children in the San Diego area as the children read books at weekly events known as Story Tents. This is an opportunity for members to consider supporting. A list of sponsoring organizations and individuals is included below.

Step into the “Cirque du Livre” and participate in the inaugural Red Balloon Awards at the San Diego Woman’s Club, 2557 3rd Ave, San Diego.

The Red Balloon Awards is an inspirational dinner and awards gala that honors literacy heroes in the community while raising funds for children’s literacy programs. This year’s theme is “Cirque du Livre,” or Circus of Books.

Click here for details and to purchase tickets: www.redballoonawards.org



September 21 (Wednesday, Social 6:00 pm, talk 6:30 pm) — Please join the San Diego Society of Professional Journalists for the fourth in our series of Better Journalism Workshops How to Background People: Find records, social media, friends and acquaintances with speakers Kristina Davis, reporter, The San Diego Union-Tribune Caitlin Rother, New York Times bestselling true-crime author and former reporter, Joseph Travers, private investigator and author of “The Original Private Investigator’s Handbook and Almanac.” You will learn reporting skills and investigative techniques that will help on daily deadlines and long-term projects.

Where: San Diego Public Library, Linda Vista Branch, 2160 Ulric St., San Diego. Contact: spjsandiego@gmail.com; Elliot Spagat, 619-987-3675  



September 23 to 25 (Friday to Sunday) — Our 14th Annual Southern California Writers' Conference *L.A. will take place Sept. 23-25, 2016. We’ll again make our home the Wyndham Irvine Hotel, conveniently located in the heart of Irvine and which offers shuttle service to nearby John Wayne/Orange County Airport.

Pre-registration is now open. Do so before April 1 and save $100 on Full Conference participation. While we’ll begin announcing which authors, editors, agents and other publishing professionals will be joining us shortly, do check out all the latest news at http://writersconference.com/la/news-and-announcements/.

Follow us on Twitter (@scwriters) and be sure to join the conversation on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/socalwriters/) to keep us apprised of all your writing success, no matter how big or small, so we can continue to expand our vibrant community beyond the end of any given conference’s weekend.



September 24 (Saturday, 9:00 am to 5:30 pm) — Turista Libre Tijuana Tour. The San Diego Press Club is hosting its second Turista Libre Tijuana tour. The tour includes stops at Centro Cultural Tijuana and La Caja Galeria, and lunch at Telefonica Gastro Park. The cost is $50 per person for the tour.

RSVP: https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ed6b5q...



September 24 ((Saturday, 3:30 to 7:00 pm) — 30th anniversary of the San Diego Chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a fundraiser. Network and learn about storytelling from ABC7 Los Angeles anchor David Ono and NBC News correspondent Jinah Kim, tour NBC7's new control room, newsroom and studio in Kearny Mesa. Donations support AAJA's non-profit programs and scholarships. Fee: $20 general admission, $15 for students and members of journalism organizations.

The deadline to RSVP is September 10. (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aajasd-30th-anniversary-tickets-26524781335)



September 26 (Monday, 6:30 pm) — SD Writers/Editors Guild presents David Wogahn, author of Register Your Book, The Essential Guide to ISBNs, Barcodes, Copyrights and LCCNs (U.S. Library of Congress Registration). The topic of Wogahn’s presentation is metadata.

David Wogahn, president of Sellbox, is an award-winning independent publishing services company that helps authors, independent publishers and organizations publish books and metadata. Sellbox has launched over a hundred professional imprints, enabling the successful publication of 250 books…and counting.

Prior to founding Sellbox in 2002, Wogahn worked at Times Mirror, a media holding company that included the Los Angeles Times. He also worked for the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee and co-founded the first online publisher of sports team branded websites, known today as CBS College Sports Network. He is the author of two books and two video courses, including Distributing and Marketing eBooks for Lynda.com, a LinkedIn Company.

A $5 donation from non-members is requested. For additional information, go to https://sdwritersguild.org.



DONATIONS

PLEASE HELP WITH EXPENSES!

editor@SDWriteWay.org

 


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.