Andre Dubus III at Kepler's

A commanding presence, Andre enthusiastically took the podium and after confirming my Wikipedia tidbit about his stint as a bounty hunter he proceeded to read three sections from his new novel, each focusing on one of three protagonists.  The opening excerpt certainly caught everyone’s attention (even the staff over yonder): a skillful conjuring of a lap dance given by stripper April to the wealthy jihadist Bassam al-Jizani (this little entertainment netted Spring (her stage name) an obscene sum – see “wad of cash”, below).

During Q&A, the author of The House of Sand and Fog spoke extensively of the craft of writing.  His own philosophy closely parallels that of Flannery O’Connor whom he quoted:  “to make actual the mystery of our position on earth.”  Andre also made an interesting distinction between “making up stories” (what half of Hollywood does) and truly “imagining” them:  he believes that the fiction writer deals not in black and white, but rather in an elusive “gray” which is where humanity lay.  Exploring this gray area means listening to your characters, “allowing them to take the microphone” and make their case.  Such willingness to “commiserate intuitively” hopefully attunes readers to examine their own prejudices and develop an understanding of the characters’ humanity (in all its forms).

Interestingly, Andre envisioned the 535 pp The Garden of Last Days as a short story, the germ of which was a simple image: a wad of cash on a bureau…a woman’s bureau…a woman who works at a strip club...blood money…and so on.  It reminded me of Anne Lammott’s advice to writers in Bird by Bird: don’t be overwhelmed by the need for some Big Idea, but instead begin with some compelling image that’s been stuck in your head and start asking questions.

Andre mentioned his research in preparation for the novel, citing The Looming Tower, The Far Enemy, and The Devil’s Game as excellent sources (he also took a four month hiatus to read the Koran).  These admissions inevitably lead to a slew of interesting questions, a lively back-and-forth about the state of world affairs.  (At one point, Andre, impressed by one attendee’s persistence finally asked “What’s your name?”  It turns out the gentleman was the spouse of Angela Mann - one of the Kid Specialists in Kepler’s Youth Department.)

Andre kindly obliged when one audience member asked if the author would speak a bit about his father, the renowned short story writer Andre Dubus (Dancing after Hours).  Andre III spoke fondly and frankly about Andre “II”: a French/Irish Louisiana boy who grew into a “wild” guy with a certain swagger.  Flirtatious (even with Andre’s own ex-girlfriends - “before my current wife, let’s be clear”), the senior Andre was also an extremely sensitive man, his keenly empathic perspective further deepening after an accident which left him wheelchair bound.  Andre summed up his father’s life-changing experience by quoting Leon Bloy: “Man has places in his heart which do not yet exist and into them enters suffering in order that they may have existence”.  He also referred the audience to his dad’s non-fiction collection Meditations from a Movable Chair.

Post-event, the polite Andre invited me to join him and some family and friends for libations next door at the BBC.  Quite the family man, Andre, carpenter and true believer in sweat equity, spoke of building his own house in the wooded Newbury, MA; home not only to his immediate family (“with each cedar shingle I nailed around my daughter’s circular window, I felt as though I was tucking her in bed”) but to his in-laws as well* (“you can learn so much from older people”).  Andre also reminisced about family re-unions on his property, himself turning up one year in a gorilla suit.  What can I say; Andre is a man with a lust for life! - and a great source for memorable quotes! 

* I just had to share with Andre that my first event as a Kepler’s host was with local author Sharon Niederhaus and her book “Together Again:  A Creative Guide to Successful Multi-Generational Living”.

David Benioff at Kepler's

What do you do when your favorite author is coming to Kepler's on a day you're scheduled to be in L.A.? In May, Kepler's floor manager Martin Sorenson blogged about just how far he would go for his favorite work of fiction this year. Would he made it back in time to meet David Benioff or miss it by that much? Read on to find out.

~~~~
To start at the beginning… I was attending the BEA convention in Los Angeles. I left the convention center at approximately 2:00pm, and endured the traffic to get to the airport with time to spare. Unfortunately, due to some odd security concerns, (None to do with me), we were roughly 35 minutes late taking off. I arrived at the store at a little before 7:00 pm to find set up all done and the staff ready to go.

What a great event. The book, City of Thieves, had received enthusiastic reviews from our staff who had read it. Before the event they were not shy about hand selling it either. As a result, when David Benioff arrived at the store, his book was number one on our hardcover fiction bestseller list.

He started speaking at 7:30, and read a section of his book that sets the stage for the rest of the novel. Feedback from the audience was very positive, with one customer telling me that when he started reading the excerpt it did not sound interesting, but by the end of the reading, he was ready to buy the book and have it signed. Another customer told Mr. Benioff that this was the first piece of fiction he had read in over ten years.

The Q & A went very well, with customers asking him a host of questions both about the book, and about his other Hollywood projects. (He is also a scriptwriter.) The question was asked, how much of the book is real, since it is presented as his grandfather relating his war experiences during the siege of Leningrad. Mr. Benioff made sure to note that this was entirely a work of fiction. One of the best questions was about his work habits, and did he set aside a certain time of day to write. Mr. Benioff replied that he has always written late at night, and when he had a baby, was not sure how that would impact his writing schedule. It turned out that working at night worked perfectly, as it allowed his wife to sleep through the whole night while he was writing and taking care of his newborn. All in all, a splendid event, although I doubt I will ever do the LA to San Jose, back the next morning commute again.

Eleanor Coppola - Notes on a Life

Date: May 19, 2008

Author: Eleanor Coppola

Book: Notes on a Life

Host: Bobbi Emel

One would surmise that the matriarch of the film-making Coppola family might be flamboyant, commanding, larger-than-life. However, an occurrence after the event more accurately describes Eleanor Coppola: I offered her a gift book from Kepler's to thank her for coming to our store. "Oh," she said, genuinely pleased and surprised, "how nice!" She then went over to the bargain table, picked up a $12.99 book on photographer Ruth Berhard, and asked tentatively, "Is this too much?"

Mrs. Coppola arrived 20 minutes early to the event and, after looking around the store and commenting, "I've often heard of Kepler's! This is my first time here and I love it - it has a good feel to it," we went into the staff room to chat. She is a very quiet, reserved woman, with the centered energy of one who is an observer of life. Not a passive observer, but one with a keen eye for the art and passion of life. We talked about losing loved ones to death - she, her son in 1986, and I, my partner in 2004 - and what a profound experience it is. Now 72 years old, she told me, "The most important things in life are being grateful and forgiving everyone. Of course, you have to be older before you understand that."

During the event, she read some selections from her book which, to me, is like a meditation: Mrs. Coppola observes moments in her life, expresses them with beautiful, compelling writing, then lets the moment go. She read pieces about a conceptual art event she and a friend staged at her house in the 70's ("Francis thought I was making fun of his Oscars and our house... he thought conceptual art was too easy,") and a current art installation that is a participatory experience for parents who have lost children to death ("We six collaborators were there waiting for him [Francis] to give his critique. He was silent. I looked over and saw a tear roll down his cheek. He said quietly, 'It works.'")

The small audience was charmed by "the hidden Coppola," as she has been called. They asked questions about her documentaries, her costume designing, and a few about her relationship with Francis (Question: "Did you ever feel the need to compete with Francis?" Answer: "No. We're two very different people, with different artistic styles. Francis is big and operatic and my work is more about my observations.")

She signed books and kindly answered more questions from customers. I think we all felt privileged to meet such a lovely, remarkable woman.

Stuart Kauffman - Reinventing the Sacred

May 20, 2008
Stuart Kauffman - Reinventing the Sacred
Bobbi Emel hosted the recent event - what she calls a surprisingly not-so-boring evening of science.~~

To be honest, I was very tired and not looking forward to my second hosting event in as many evenings. I had not had time to look at the book and was thinking all sorts of stereotypical thoughts about having a scientist speak: it will be boring, he'll be too academic, too stuffy... grumble, grumble, grumble.

Returning from Cafe Borrone with my mocha as a pathetic attempt to perk me up, I found the author was just checking in at the info desk. He turned to me, animated and congenial, "Hi! I'm Stu." Okay, so much for stuffiness. No "call me Dr. Kauffman" here. Stu introduced me to his cousin, Rich, who lives in Menlo Park and we all chatted for a few minutes about some of their adventures growing up together.

Because Stu helped me feel comfortable with him immediately, I confessed that I had not had a chance to read his book and asked him for a nutshell version of it. In the middle of the main aisle, in front of the Book Club display, Stu proceeded to give me the reasons why Reductionism is wrong, why the Darwinian notion of pre-adaptability doesn't work, why there is agency in the universe and the importance of that, and why it is important to distinguish between a Creator God and the natural creativity of the universe.

I am not a scientist. My background is in psychology and I understand only a little of the "hard" sciences. However, Stu made this conversation so interesting that we were late getting the event started because I became engrossed in the conversation. Not surprisingly, the same thing happened with the audience. Stu told me it was going to take him about an hour to give his talk. I explained that we usually had authors speak for half an hour and then take questions. We compromised at 45 minutes of speaking time.

He spoke for an hour. I kept scanning the audience to check for signs of boredom or people looking at their watches. The faces I saw showed people who were both being entertained and educated at the same time. Stu speaks without notes about what some have termed his "God of complexity" theory and he is also quite witty. He is 68 years old yet defines the concept of his book as "Stu's Most Excellent Theory." So much for boring and academic.

Uncharacteristically, I allowed the event to go 15 minutes over time as I could tell the audience continued to be riveted by his talk. There were some great questions from the audience as well.

It took awhile to get through the signing line because Stu talked to each person individually, answering their questions about physics, complexity theory, and the creativity of the universe.

Barbara Walters' Booksigning

We had a huge crowd at Kepler's on Saturday to welcome broadcasting legend, Barbara Walters. She was here to sign her book, Audition: A Memoir. In case you missed it, Bobbi Emel gives us a report on the event. ~


Fans lined up early to get a glimpse of this pioneering journalist and have their books signed. Two sisters told me they had arrived at the store at 5 a.m. to be first in line. This loyal fan (right), Wendy, said she knitted most of this project while in line.

The event started at 10 am but, due to our heat wave, it was unfortunately still fairly warm outside where the line formed. People did their best to take advantage of the meager shade out in the plaza.

Ms. Walters arrived early, looking like she had just stepped off of the set of The View. Her makeup was perfect and she looked younger than her 76 years.

She shook hands with staff who came to greet her, her grip light and brief. In a quiet and delicate voice, and without looking at the person she was greeting, she murmured, "Hello" to each of us. She signed some stock and then came out to tackle the line which by now had snaked around the building and curled in on itself.

Ms. Walters signed each book then looked up at the person and, in that same quiet, delicate voice, said earnestly, "Thank you for coming." Fans were thrilled to be close to her.

Some people were so moved by the experience that they wept. One young woman, perhaps 16 or 17 years old, came up to Ms. Walters and said, with a wavering voice, "I've been watching you all my life. I've wanted to be a journalist since I was 10 years old because of you!" With that, the young lady burst into tears. Ms. Walters smiled up at her and said, "How sweet! I'm sure you'll be very good."

There were a lot of people to greet and books to sign, but there were some that Ms. Walters took time to give special attention, especially the elderly and children. She often teased parents that she would like to take their child home with her and then gently asked each child a question about him/herself.

Many elderly fans braved the heat to have their books signed as well. One woman was being pushed in a wheelchair by her daughter. The publicist handed the older woman's book to Ms. Walters. "Make it out to Gracie," the woman commanded. Ms. Walters, who had not been personalizing the books, complied. "Well," she said, "with an order like that, I better not refuse." The older woman's daughter smiled and somewhat apologetically said, "She's 102." For a moment, the woman in the wheelchair was more popular than Ms. Walters. 102! All of us, including Ms. Walters, felt that we needed to shake the centenarian's hand, as if hoping some of the longevity would rub off on us.

Ms. Walters continued to be gracious throughout, encouraging a cancer survivor going through chemo to be strong, telling a woman who worked with people with disabilities that she was a hero, and gently scolding those of us who were managing the line to "please don't push him away" when a man who had presented her with two books he had written was going on at length to her about his work.

She inquired a few times as to the length of the remaining line of fans, but always told people who asked that her signing hand was "just fine."

Finally, the end of the line appeared at the door and the last few customers left with smiles on their faces, copies of Audition under their arms. We offered Ms. Walters a gift book and ended up giving her both Little Heathens and Eat, Pray, Love.

Then she left, with a gentle wave and a quiet, delicate "goodbye."

Henry Winkler

Date: Friday, May 16th

Author: Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver

Book: Hank Zipzer #14, The Life of Me: Enter at Your Own Risk

Kepler's Youth Events Coordinator, Angela Kroner writes about a wonderful day of fun with the Fonz.~

Simply put, Henry Winkler is one of the nicest men I have ever met. From the moment that he walked up to the library (looking everyone in the eye, shaking hands, a big smile at the ready) to the moment he left (hugs and hand shakes all around), he made every person that he came in contact with feel as if he really cared and that he was happy to have you around him.

Equally warm and sweet was his writing partner Lin Oliver who accompanied him on this tour. She is a writer and producer of children and family programming and movies and is co-founder and Executive Director of The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. It was easy to see why the two work so well together, as they have an excellent rapport. Plus, Henry is very attentive to the fact that they are co-authors. He was quick to downplay his celebrity in favor of her presence and contribution to their work.

After a quick snack of New York Style pizza courtesy of “Chewie” from Escape from New York Pizza (A big fan, Chewie called us earlier in the week to see if he could deliver pizza for Henry), Henry and Lin sat down for an interview with a San Jose magazine reporter. Pretty soon, it was show time.

The two took the stage and had the audience laughing and smiling from the moment they started talking. Despite a wireless microphone snafu, Henry and Lin were relaxed and enthusiastic. He told the story of him growing up and wanting to be an actor from the age of 3, his experiences growing up with dyslexia and how it affected his acting career, and then he and Lin discussed how they write the books and where they get their ideas. Here are some pictures of them talking. Notice the woman in the front row wearing the white capris…she is related to an eccentric woman whom Henry borrowed the last name of Zipzer from for his main character’s surname:












Henry also did dramatic readings from a few of his books, which were spot on in tone and full of animation. I know, I know, he is a professional actor and he is supposed to be good at giving readings. Still, it was magical to watch. A little bit like live theater. What is even more impressive is when you factor in his dyslexia. It is still very difficult for him to read out loud, yet he did it flawlessly. Someone actually asked him about that and he said in his early acting days, when he would read for parts, casting directors would say, “You didn’t read the lines the way they are written.” To which Henry replied that he was giving them the “essence of the character”. It worked to his advantage because, well, he got the parts.

I could go on and on about this event, but I won’t because I want to get to the best part of the night, THE SIGNING LINE! As I’ve mentioned, Henry is dyslexic and the character in his books is dyslexic too. As you may guess, there were many kids in the audience who had a learning disability. It was touching to watch him speak to them. When a child came up to him who tearfully said that he couldn’t play sports because of his learning disability, Henry put down his Sharpie, held the boy’s hand and spoke to him in a soft reassuring voice. He told him that he had intelligent eyes and that he could tell that he was really smart. He told him not to give up. And some other things that I couldn’t quite hear, but I could tell were making a profound impression on the little boy. His parents were beaming as they left the table. So was the little boy. There were many, many moments like that. Lots of giggling from the kids as they posed for pictures with Henry as he told them not to laugh which made them laugh even more. It was one of the best times that I have ever had running a signing line.

Everyone was sad to see him go, but we knew that it had to end. As a final favor to me, he posed with me for a picture so that I could prove to my mom that I really worked with Henry Winkler:

One final note. On Monday morning I had a voice mail message from Henry saying that he had a good time with Kepler’s and he thanked us for a “wonderful, wonderful event”. He may not have said it, but I feel like he was giving us a great big “EHHHH!”

Andrew Sean Greer "The Story of a Marriage"

Despite an unexpected and forbidding heat, some 30 diehard fans overcame their malaise to hear Andrew Sean Greer read from his new novel, "The Story of a Marriage". The author himself was convinced that people would "bag" his event to leisurely sip wine in the shade at impromptu picnics. So, Kepler's supporters, the store and Andrew thank you!

After an introduction by Kepler's bookseller nonpareil, Nancy Salmon, the linen-clad Andrew struck a near instant rapport with his audience: he longingly recalled an evening some eight years ago when a handful of curious (prescient?) people turned out at Kepler's for his first ever author event, a reading for his elegant 2000 short story collection "How It Was for Me". Hopefully, the author of the best-selling "The Confessions of Max Tivoli" is enjoying "how it is for me" now.

At its core, "The Story of a Marriage" poses a question: how can we ever truly know another person? Andrew mentioned that due to numerous plot twists and a key revelation early in the novel, he's encountered difficulty discussing the book in interviews. Nonetheless, he chose to read a dramatic passage fully 2/3 of the way in: an episode in which the struggling marrieds take the Larkspur Ferry one summer evening to a dance in Marin. Sharing a cab home with another man, the wife, Pearlie Cook, after misreading her fellow passenger, is unnerved by his sudden, unexpected overtures.

Before Q&A, Andrew spoke of relocating from urban NYC to the University of Montana to earn his MFA under the tutelage of esteemed writer William Kittredge ("Hole in the Sky: a Memoir"). While some students wrote stories in a tone of ironic machismo reflecting the region's rugged terrain, Andrew composed more emotional stories borne of his youthful experiences. He felt somewhat redeemed when Mr. Kittredge - himself a rather "gruff" guy - admonished his students that if they don't risk bumping up against the edge of sentimentality, then they "just don't get it." When asked why he doesn't write with that "irony" so common among his contemporaries, Andrew's answer is a resignedly honest "I just can't" (with any conviction).

The first query of Q&A was the simple "Why 1953?" Andrew found this particular era - known for its Cold War paranoia, simmering suburban angst, and suppression of certain social groups (women, blacks, gays) - the perfect milieu for his story of an exceptionally frustrating marriage scarred by deception. To understand the cultural texture and nuances of 1950's San Francisco, Andrew tapped the microfiche* archives at UC Berkeley's Bancroft Library (the one with the cavernous, three-story high, architecturally exquisite reading room - ok, so I'm a Cal alum). After pouring over daily editions of the SF Chronicle (from which he created a nifty binder w/table of contents - "hey, anything but write, right?"), he fixated on 1953 after being captivated by certain of the year's details: the national ambivalence toward the executions of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg; President Eisenhower's call for citizens to burn their copies of Marx and Engels' "Das Kapital"; the surprisingly pronounced prejudice against Chinese immigrants in a not yet progressive San Francisco.

*Those of us of a certain pre - "point-and-click" era, when research was a labor intensive affair requiring travel, will surely recall scrolling, scanning, and finally, while squeezed in some cramped, subterranean carrel, no less, staring fixedly at those 10X magnified, oddly distorted, backlit sheets of microfiche, those modern equivalents of the illuminated manuscript, hoping to locate - at a nickel a pop anything worth printing out! The comparatively loud machine even involved - I think - a hand crank of sorts.)

Andrew also told of discovering - while researching "Max Tivoli" - an authentic diary of an 1880's male adolescent; a rather "dull" read until the author realized that the sporadic gibberish - cryptically followed by a series of numerals - was in fact the naughty teenager's code for certain girls' identities (as listed in the "glossary") and the corresponding number of 'ol bases he'd been to with them (Victorianism be damned). This decoding made for a quite vivid re-reading.

In a another interesting aside, Andrew admitted to stealing the last sentence from a classic Jane Austen novel to end "The Story of a Marriage". (Forgive me, but I can't recall the Austen title, or, frankly, if it was indeed Austen). This literary maneuver was part of some sort of bet Andrew had with fellow writer and Jane Austen fan, Julie Orringer ("How to Breathe Underwater"*) who had always wanted to do the same. (I guess Andrew beat her to the punch.)

*a terrific collection that I highly recommend; the book's final story "Stations of the Cross" kind'a blew me away. Plus, you just have to love the catty title of another - "When She is Old and I am Famous".

Andrew mentioned that he is currently at work on a novel. All in all, the evening was an enjoyable "reunion" for bookstore and author alike.~~Terry Meagher