Page 64 - Sonoma County Gazette - May, 2018

Little Fires Everywhere
track record. She produced Gone Girl
and Wild. Her last effort, Big Little Lies, garnered several Emmys. This TV series
was so successful that the second season has attracted the talents of no less a prestigious personage than Meryl Streep. Reese’s efforts were all adapted from best-selling books so when she optioned Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng and cast herself and Kerry Washington in leading roles, my interest was piqued. Her driving force in establishing her production company was not only to interpret the recent work of female authors but to showcase the talents of women
of a certain age who have always been discriminated against in Hollywood.
Ongoing
Our Free Little Library ~ Dedicated to Lila, grade school librarian. 6492 First St., Forestville
My Little Free Library ~ 8893 Jeannette Ave, Graton, ellen.swenson2@gmail.com
Reader’s Theatre Group ~ Requires no sets, costumes, props, or memorized lines. FREE; 2nd & 4th Tue; 7p, Occidental Center for the Arts, 3850 Doris Murphy Court, Occidental, 707- 829-2176, occidentalcenterforthearts.org/, joanjustjoan@hotmail.com
Lynda for Libraries ~ Sonoma County Libraries gives library cardholders access to the Lynda.com collection, more than 3,000 courses and 150,000 video tutorials., sonomalibrary.org/library-collection/ lynda
Call to All Writers
Book Launch Series ~ All genres considered. Occidental Center for the Arts, 3850 Doris Murphy Ct., 707-874-9392, occidentalcenterforthearts.org
Reader’s Theatre Group ~ Reading a script adapted from literature. Free, Occidental Center for the Arts, 3850 Doris Murphy Court, 707-829-2176, occidentalcenterforthearts.org
Writers Helping Writers ~ Support and enjoy the camaraderie of other writers. Redwood Writers, redwoodwriters.org
By Date
May 1,7,8,14,15,21,22 ~ Jumpstart Writing Workshops -Facilitated by Susan Bono or Marlene Cullen.$15 per workshop; Each Mon; 6:30-8:30p; Each Tue; 10-11:45a, Copperfield's Books, 140 Kentucky St., Petaluma, 707-762-0563, thewritespot.us
May 2-5 ~ 2018 Spring Book and Bake Sale - Benefit for Sonoma County Library. $5 bag sale on May 5.Wed, 10-7p, Thu-Sat, 10-5p, Guerneville Regional Library, 14107 Armstrong Woods Rd, Guerneville, 707- 869-9004
May 4 ~ Discover Nature - Mary Ellen Hannibal shares her book, Citizen Scientist.$10 suggested donation, students FREE. 7p, Pepperwood Preserve, 2130 Pepperwood Preserve Road, Dwight Center, Santa Rosa, 707-591-9310, pepperwoodpreserve.org
May 6 ~ Leland Faust - A Capitalist’s Lament, How Wall St. is Fleecing You and Ruining America. $28 -Book plus 2 tickets, 4p, SRJC Petaluma, 680 Sonoma Mtn. Pkwy., Petaluma.copperfieldsbooks.com
May 8 ~ Do Tell Story Swap - Personal or a tale from folklore.FREE, $3-5 suggested donation 7-9p, Sonoma Academy, 2500 Farmers Lane, Santa Rosa, 707-539-3642, dotellstoryswap.org
May 12 ~ A Community Myth
Writing Workshop - by Willi Paul & Planetshifter.com. Benefits Inter-Church Food Pantry. Collaborate on what a new town square could be in 2040. 1-3:30p, Free with canned food donation, Permaculture Skills Center, 2185 Gravenstein Hwy S, Sebastopol
May 12 ~ Word Temple - First long-term, ongoing poetry reading series. FREE, 7-8p, Sebastopol Center for the Arts 282 S. High Street, Sebastopol. wordtemple.com
By Diane McCurdy
Reese Witherspoon has a pretty good
The story begins in Shaker Heights a
liberal, upscale suburb of Cleveland, Ohio.
Everything in this enclave is planned: the streets, the houses and even the professional lives of its inhabitants. The venue reminded me so much of social activist songwriter Malvina Reynolds’ satire on suburban life, “Little Boxes”. “There’s a pink one, and a blue one, and yellow one and a white one......and they all go to the university and they all come out just the same.” No one embodies this perspective or personifies its spirit more than journalist/housewife Elena Richardson. She follows the rules.
May 18 ~ An Evening with
Daniel Ziblatt - Occidental native, attended Harmony School, now Harvard Professor. $5 donation 7p - 9p, Occidental Center for the Arts, 3850 Doris Murphy Court, Occidental, 707-874-9392, occidentalcenterforthearts.org/, info@ occidentalcenterforthearts.org
Into Mrs. Richardson ordered existence enters Mia who is a single mother with a daughter Pearl. Soon Mia, Pearl and the four Richardson children become completely entangled. Mia is an artist with a different sensibility who views life through a contrasting lens from the inhabitants of Shaker Heights. When the Richardson’s close friends adopt an abandoned Chinese baby, Mia and Elena choose opposing sides in a contentious custody suit. Antagonized, Elena delves into Mia’s mysterious past with devastating results.
130 East Napa St., Sonoma, 707-939-1779, readersbooks.com
Little Fires Everywhere explores the ferocious drive of the maternal instinct. It posits the theory that perhaps some skeletons are best left in the closet. Most of all it questions following the strict rules that govern elite suburbia. The little fires are real and metaphorical. Flames of race, class, family ethics are fanned by those who hold rigid views and consider the status quo sacred. The TV eight episode limited series version of this novel ignited a bidding war which was won by Hulu.
May 9 ~ To Play Again - A Memoir of Musical Survival by Carol Rosenberger. 7p
May 10 ~ Suzy Hopkins and Hallie Bateman will discuss their book What to Do When I'm Gone. 7p
May 17 ~ Monica Dashwood, writing as Georgia James, and Deborah Parish present their book Home Sweet Sonoma. 7p
May 24 ~ In Conversation with James Clapper. 7-8:30p, Sebastiani Theatre, 476 First St. East, Sonoma.
May 26 ~ Paula Phillips Marks and Soleful Hiking. 2p
I’m anxious to see how the plot has been interpreted on film but read the book first.
The Sitting Room
May 12 ~ Zyzzyva Literary Showcase
Evening of West Coast poetry and fiction.$18, 7p, Petaluma Arts Center, 230 Lakeville St., Petaluma, 707-762-5600, petalumaartscenter.org
May 17 ~ The Devil is in The Details
– How to make characters real for the reader.FREE, 6:30p - 8:30p, Copperfields Petaluma, 140 Kentucky St., Petaluma, 707- 762-0563, thewritespot.us
Readers Books
Community Library, 2025 Curtis Drive, Penngrove,sittingroom.org
May 9-12 ~ Spring Book Sale - May 11, Half-price day.May 12, $5 bag day.May 9 ~ 5-8p May 10-12, 10-6p, Sebastopol Library, 7140 Bodega Avenue, Sebastopol, Sebastopol, 707-823-7691, sonomalibrary. org/
-FREE, 2-5p
May 5,12,19,26, Writing Workshop Series with Daniel Coshnear - $120, no one turned away, 9:30-12:30p, 707-869-0329, coshn@sonic.net
May 6 ~ Conversation with Elizabeth Rosner and Susan Griffin - Non-Fiction discussion.FREE, 2-4p
May 24 ~ Memorial Readings - Influential Women who passed in 2017.FREE, 2-4p
Jun 3 ~ Sitting Room Birthday Party
64 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 5/18