To celebrate the one-year anniversary of its rebirth, Kepler’s bookstore in Menlo Park will host many events in October, “Day in the Park” Oct. 14, a celebration of local authors, artists, musicians and storytellers; and some 30 programs with authors.
Also, Kepler’s is conducting its annual membership drive in October. People can sign up for the bookstore’s Literary Circle online, at the store, or at the Day in the Park. Members receive a rewards card, discounts, invitations to special author events and receptions, and a thank-you gift.
Day in the Park
On Saturday, Oct. 14, at Burgess Park in the Menlo Park Civic Center, Kepler’s will host a free family “Day in Park” — a celebration of local authors, artists, musicians and storytellers — from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.The event includes food, activities for children, an outdoor bookstore selling more than 100 titles by local authors, and a “bookswap” — bring a book, take a book.
Among the artists will be jewelry designer Soni Bergman, photographer Marc Silber, illustrator and painter Liz Amini-Holmes, computer-animation designer Mark Cordell Holmes, jewelry designer Mendy Marks, and ceramic artist Suzanne Couch.
Local musicians who will perform are Sandy Greenfield, singer/songwriter of an blend of acoustic folk, rock and hip hop with instrumentalist Adam Rothschild; the David Chaidez Quintet, which puts a modern spin on old standards; the Higher Ground Players, soul, jazz and hip-hop musicians; and Summit Jazz Band.
Among the storytellers will be: Walter Mayes, aka Walter the Giant; Alice Kalomas, author of “Sir Wrinkles”; Tammy Coia, author of the autobiographical “Fig on a Stick”; Dashka Slater, author of “Baby Shoes” and “Firefighters in the Dark”; Becky Zeren, folk tales from around the world; and the Peninsula Youth Theater, young theatric entertainers.
Local community organizations and merchants will participate.
Author events
Authors who will appear at Kepler’s bookstore during the month include Neil Gaiman, Emily Wu and Larry Engelmann, Maxine Hong Kingston, Francine Prose, Carly Fiorna, William Cope Moyers, Keith Thompson, Jim Newton, Alex Kershaw, Tina Cassidy, Nell Freudenberger, and Jacob S. Hacker.In addition, Kepler’s is co-hosting off-site events with such authors as Elizabeth Edwards, Cindy Sheehan, Firoozeh Dumas, Khaled Hosseini, and Mavericks at Work author Polly LaBarre.
Among other events on tap this fall: Sunday Story Times with authors such as Bob Barner and Madeleine Dunphy; Spook Night with Dave Keane; Diva Night with children’s publisher reps; and author Francesca Lia Block.
Kepler’s is located at 1010 El Camino Real in Menlo Park. For more information, go to http://www.keplers.com
