Bay Area Authors

I was talking to a bookseller at Kepler's the other day about Bay area authors, and was surprised to find that she knew ones I didn't know and vice versa. Who are your favorites?

I live in the North Bay and my favorites are Gerald Haslam (retired from Sonoma State University), Dorothy Allison, the author of one of my favorites, Bastard Out of Carolina, and Greg Sarris who wrote Grand Avenue.

I may do a Bay Area category for the 888 challenge next year because there are so many great writers here. Our local library has a Book Festival each fall which has included many Bay Area writers like Michael Pollan and Khaled Hosseini.

I'm now reading Michael Chabon, "The Yiddish Policeman's Union." (He and his wife, author Ayelet Waldman, live in Berkeley.)

Ursula K. Le Guin is a favorite of mine; she lives in Berkeley.

(Sorry, touchstone not working; her name is all messed up in many variations.)

Jack Vance.

> Ursula K. LeGuin ... lives in Berkeley.

I didn't know that!

Mary Roach and Kim Addonizio.

(There are two listings under "Mary Roach" which have already been combined, but I guess that's why the touchstone doesn't work for her.)

Michael Chabon asked me if I was leaving my parking spot in the Allston Street garage yesterday. I had just pulled into the spot, unfortunately. Sorry, Michael.

He was wearing a straw hat. Was with his wife. I was taking my kids to their swim lessons at the Y.

Michelle Richmond. Her new novel, No One You Know, which I got an Early Reviewer ARE for, is wonderful!

John Caris lives in San Francisco. We see him at concerts by San Francisco Music Players. (He has a website:www.westgatehouse.com that has thought-provoking essays. . . and some of my pictures.)

Firoozeh Dumas (Funny in Farsi and Laughing Without An Accent) lives in Berkeley.

mcna217 - Which library has this awesome sounding Book Festival? I want to go check that out this fall!

Greil Marcus (Lipstick Traces, The Shape of Things to Come: Prophecy and the American Voice)lives in Berkeley

#11

Sonoma County Book Festival

http://www.socobookfest.org/

I checked their website, they don't have this year's schedule up yet, but it's September 30th

#13 > I just checked the link you provided. The website now says the Book Festival is on September 20. Looks like fun!

Meg Waite Clayton is one of my favorites, especially since she did a reading in the city I live in. :-)

But I'm DYING to read more of Michelle Richmond and maybe even attend a reading of hers, though she tends to stick to SF, and I live almost an hour north. :-(

I interviewed the young adult writer Ralph Moody years ago for a school project. At the time he was living in Rossmoor. I chatted with him in the rock polishing studio and he gave me a rock.

:-) Thank you, Trish.

Firoozeh Dumas actually lives on my side of the bay; she's a neighbor of mine!

Also on my side of the bay:

Lolly Winston (Good Grief, Happiness Sold Separately)
Lalita Tademy (Red River, Cane River)

I thought this article about local writers who won the PEN may be of interest to this group.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/13/DDBB1435EF.DTL

This in no way relates to the topic at hand, but I feel sure the folks who hang in the Bay Area wouldn't want to miss a wonderful new Internet radio show by our own rocketjk!

It's over here! On until noon Pacific time.

I'm surprised nobody mentioned Robert Silverberg as a Bay Area author. I remember reading a story of his in Omni back in the late 70s or early 80s, and being actually vaguely familiar with the mean streets of Walnut Creek where he set his story.

Owen Hill has written a couple of mysteries sleuthed by a Berkeley book scout/detective. Author lives there, too.

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much - out this fall by Bay area author Allison Hoover Bartlett! I'm reading it now and really enjoying it.

I like Meg Pokrass, who lives in San Francisco.

I am a local author from the East Bay:
I write about Egyptology related subjects. I have about 50 books published, not all are on Amazon.com.
My first book was published in the early 1990s (Eye of the Pharaoh, Copyright 1990).

http://www.amazon.com/Michael-J.-Costa/e/B008NHCW08

Michael J. Costa.

I'm a Berkeley, California author with five novels published by Central Avenue Publishing, all of which are available at the usual online bookstores and BookPassage at the Ferry Building carried Tallis' Third Tune and Armor of Light. The subject matters are literary fiction and historical fiction.

My favorite Bay Area author was Marion Zimmer Bradley.

Beth Lisick and Bucky Sinister

Philip K Dick, 1928-82, lived in Berkeley for a time, on Francisco Street, and in Point Reyes Station.

Terence K McKenna, 1946-2000, also lived on Francisco Street in Berkeley, and longer near Occidental.

John Caris, San Francisco, has just published a sequel to "Hermes Beckons."

Nancy LaRonda Johnson. Grew up in Berkeley, now live in Hayward and work in Redwood City. Published my book Anticipation of the Penitent. You can win a free eBook copy in exchange for a review in the Member Giveaways

Jim Nisbet is an east bay writer, The Damned Don't Die, several novels set in the bay area including Oak.- Berkley.

Hi, Nancy: I downloaded your book and look forward to reading it.

Thank you Ellen! I appreciate it very much.

also lemony snicket aka Daniel Handler.

My favorite SF Bay Area author is Christopher Moore - some of his books are set in San Francisco, where he lives. Funny guy!

I had the delight and misfortune of starting to read Lamb on a weekend that I was assigned to preach and I kept remembering Moore's work while preaching and it was a lot of work to keep it together and be serious when seriousness was called for! That'll teach me! A parishioner recommended the book to me - I can't get the lizard in the mouth out of my brain no matter what I try!

37 - The lizard in the mouth bit always makes me crack up :)