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California Book Club Newsletter

ada limon, matthew zapruder, startlement

Event Recap: Ada Limón’s ‘Startlement’

Author Ada Limón, special guest Matthew Zapruder, and host John Freeman gathered to discuss Startlement: New and Selected Poems, the California Book Club’s November selection.

ada limon, matthew zapruder, startlement

Announcement of Special Guest

In this newsletter, we introduce Matthew Zapruder as the special guest to discuss Startlement: New and Selected Poems with Ada Limón and John Freeman at this week’s California Book Club gathering.

ada limon, startlement

Circuit of Relation

In this newsletter, poet Forrest Gander writes about Ada Limón’s Startlement: New and Selected Poems, the November California Book Club pick.

tosh berman, greg sarris, janet fitch

Announcing the Winter 2026 Books

In this newsletter, we introduce our California Book Club lineup for the winter quarter.

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john freeman, walter mosley, california rewritten

Event Recap: John Freeman’s ‘California Rewritten’

john freeman, walter mosley, california rewritten

Introducing the Special Guest Host

john freeman, california rewritten, joan didiion

Literature that Belongs to Us

california book club, the backyard bird chronicles, amy tan, john muir laws

Announcement of Special Guest

backyard bird chronicles, amy tan

What Makes a Neighborhood?

adrian tomine, david ulin, john freeman, shortcomings, california book club

Introducing the Special Guest

panel from shortcomings by adrian tomine, graphic novel

Sardonic Restraint

california book club, fall 2025, book selections, john freeman, california rewritten, ada limon, startlement, lisa see, on gold mountain

Announcement of Fall 2025 Books

rosanna xia, marthine satris, california against the sea, california book club

Introducing the Special Guest

california against the sea, rosanna xia, dogs on a beach, nina schuyler

To Be An Ocean

manjula martin, susan orlean, california book club, the last fire season

Announcing the Special Guest for Manjula Martin

the last fire season, manjula martin

Through the Lens of Solastalgia

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a house in on fire as residents try to escape the site in pacific palisades, california, los angeles

Escape from Los Angeles

california book club, summer 2025, authors, books

Announcing Summer ’25 Books

claire vaye watkins, gold fame citrus, karen russell, california book club

Introducing Karen Russell

book cover of gold fame citrus by claire vaye watkins alongside a person standing at a door

Enter Desert: ‘Gold Fame Citrus’

on muscle by bonnie tsui

Heavy Lifting

ishmael reed, justin desmangles, mumbo jumbo, california book club

Introducing the Special Guest for Ishmael Reed

salmon fishing activity on a boat with workers handling nets and fish

A Celebration of Fisherfolk

Introducing the Special Guest for Rita Bullwinkel

rita bullwinkel

Taking Stock of Adolescence in ‘Headshot’

sacramento noir, john freeman

Talking with John Freeman

rita bullwinkel

‘Headshot’: The Ring and the Braid

manuel munoz, consequences, talia lakshmi kolluri, california book club

Announcing the Special Guest for Manuel Muñoz

manuel munoz, consequences

‘The Consequences’: Giving Voice to Ghosts

spring 2025, books, california book club, mumbo jumbo, ishmael reed, gold fame citrus, claire vaye watkins, the last fire season, manjula martin

Announcement of Spring 2025 Books

manuel munoz, the consequences

The Magic of Sundays in ‘The Consequences’

manuel munoz, the consequences, central valley, california highway 99, immigrants

Urgent Journeys, Broken Maps

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octavia's bookshelf, fire relief

‘Parable of the Sower’ Sparks a Mission

viet thanh nguyen, the sympathizer, playing with paradox, book club, novel

Playing with Paradox: ‘The Sympathizer’

the ruby, page street, writing spaces for women, bay area

Bay Area Rooms for Writing

viet thanh nguyen

Q&A: A Conversation with Viet Thanh Nguyen

goodbye vitamin, rachel khong, mimi lok, special guest

Announcing the Special Guest for Rachel Khong

rachel khong, goodbye vitamin, novel, california book club, dementia, memory, parents

Untethered Sense of Memory: ‘Goodbye, Vitamin’

rachel khong

Introducing Rachel Khong‘s ‘Goodbye, Vitamin’

gary phillips, naomi hirahara, violent spring, john freeman, california book club

Introducing the Special Guest for ‘Violent Spring’

collection of book covers by gary phillips featuring titles related to detective fiction

Love in a ‘Violent Spring’

Announcing Winter 2025 Books

violent spring, related movies

Before ‘Violent Spring’

gary phillips, novelist, violent spring

The Scene of the Crime