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

New Release Review - City of Thieves

David Benioff's new book, City of Thieves, comes out TODAY and no one is more excited than Kepler's Martin Sorensen. Read on to see how far our fearless floor leader will go for his favorite book.
~~~
There are some books that just come at you out of left field. You pick up the book because it looks interesting, and the story as it unwinds is so different from what you expected, your chin just hits the floor. City of Thieves is just such a book. While it takes place during the siege of Leningrad, it is not primarily a war story. And while it is narrated by a grandfather recalling his actions at age 15, it is not just a coming of age story. And while most of the book takes place while the characters are traveling, it’s definitely not On the Road. No matter how you define it though, it is an extremely gripping, enjoyable book.

There are some books that just leave you breathless. City of Thieves is my favorite piece of fiction that I have read so far this year. My reaction to reading it was so positive; I got in touch with the publisher to let them know how much I enjoyed it. Several days later, the author, David Benioff, was booked to speak at Kepler’s with myself as host. Unfortunately, I was scheduled to be in Los Angeles at the time for a book convention. However, the chance to meet someone who suddenly is now one of my ‘hardcover authors’*, overrode most other considerations. So, I will be leaving Los Angeles convention center at 2 in the afternoon, flying up here to host the event, and flying back the very first thing the next morning. Yes, it is that good of a book. I hope to see you here for his reading.

David Benioff will be at Kepler's on Friday May 30, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. Mark your calendars!

*A Hardcover author is someone whose books I buy the day the hit the store regardless of subject. It could be a history of the Portland phone directory for all the difference it would make in my purchasing the book.

Aleksandar Sasha Hemon

On May 7^th, 2008 Kepler's welcomed Aleksandar Sasha Hemon, reading from his new book "The Lazarus Project," a novel interspersed with evocative black-and-white photographs, some shot by his friend photographer Velimir Bozovic, others found in the Chicago Historical Society archives.

In my introduction I retold a story I heard from Patrick Hunt, an archaeologist at Stanford, who spoke about his trip to Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas (check his book "Ten Discoveries that Rewrote History"). Patrick was sitting there on the mountain one day, when he noticed how the spot was cone-shaped, like a huge megaphone made of granite walls, like an amphitheater, so he took his flute out and started playing a simple song, no more then ten notes. To his astonishment the sound came back to him. He kept playing, and each new theme echoed back to him perfectly harmonized. Some people were beginning to sit down, to listen. After he stopped playing, all those flute harmonies still echoed for a while and when the music finally faded away a triple rainbow opened up. So, he thought, this is all too much, I better go now. Then he realized that the 30-40 people who came to sit around him and listen were all local Catchuas. One little man came up to him and said in broken Spanish, "Signor, tu es un amauta (high priest)." The little man explained that he just heard him perform with his flute an ancestral Catchuan ritual that had been lost for over 500 years. And then the little man asked, "What else do you know?"

This story reminded me of reading Aleksandar Sasha Hemon's writing and his way of making his home in English, an outsider at first who came to United States with just a basic command of English and who became an amauta, a high priest (scholar), in linguistic terms comparable to Vladimir Nabokov and Joseph Conrad. He published his first book, a short-story collection "The Question of Bruno" in 2001, and his second, a novel "Nowhere Man" in 2004.

I read in an interview that his wife, one of his first editors, would gently correct him by saying, "Sasha, we don't say that like that in English," to which he would lovingly respond, "But darling, now we do!" In Sasha, the MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" winning author of three very important books, we can see why the place or the language doesn't belong only to those born into it. It belongs to those who make us see it again, as if for the first time.

Sasha thanked me for the introduction and said that he was never called a priest before, but that he might consider starting a church of his own - after all, it seems to be a profitable business! During his reading, the DVD of the photos continuously played in the background. The overhead lights were dimmed. One particularly arresting photograph showed Lazarus Averbuch ((19-year-old Eastern European immigrant) sitting upright in a chair, his hands folded in his lap, and an older man in black suit and cylinder hat, standing behind dead Lazarus and holding his head. Hemon’s inspiration for his book came exactly from this 1908 photograph. Hemon was motivated by this tragedy, the death of the young man who escaped pogrom only to be shot inside the home of Chicago Police Chief George Shippy. He wanted to re-create Lazarus's life and to honor the grief and hope of immigrant dreams.

In fact, Hemon's slideshow and reading induced almost a dream state in which our eyes followed the story of the photographs while our ears listened to Hemon's storyteller voice tell a story of a young Bosnian writer’s voyage to Lazarus’ home village Kishinev (today’s Moldova). ~~~ Aggie Zivaljevic