News Release

San Francisco — Are you a native Californian or have you just moved to the state or lived here for several years and yearn to learn more about your neighbors and California’s eclectic cities? Do you enjoy reading short stories? Are you a book club junkie? If so, then the San Francisco Public Library needs you!

The Library was awarded three grants from the Humanities Council to facilitate programs that support the Council’s statewide campaign that asks people to tell and listen to stories that reveal the truth beneath the headlines, statistics and stereotypes about the state and its people. One of the many library events scheduled for April includes reading and discussion groups based on the book, California Uncovered: Stories for the 21st Century edited by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, William E. Justice and James Quay.

Participants of the discussion groups to will hear and feel California in the words of writers such as John Steinbeck, Maxine Hong Kingston and Joan Didion. This anthology of prose and a handful of poems aims to capture the multiplicity of voices that tell the Golden State's story. The other contributors are: Ruben Martinez, Yxta Maya Murray, D.J. Waldie, David Mas Masumoto, Gary Soto, Dao Strom, Greg Sarris, Robert Hass,le thi diem thuy, Paul Beatty, Brian Ascalon Roley, Shirley Geok-lin Lim, Laila Halaby, Khaled Hosseini, Dana Johnson, James D. Houston, Luis J. Rodriguez, Francisco Jimenez, Richard Rodriguez and Robinson Jeffers.

Participants will receive a copy of the book California Stories Uncovered: Stories for the 21st Century for use during the reading and discussion groups. The three libraries organizing the events are the Anza and Chinatown branches and the Main Library in the Civic Center. Each library will hold three gatherings in which a local author will lead the discussion. Please contact any of the below libraries before APRIL 1, 2005 to sign up:

In addition to the reading groups, there will be events scheduled for teens including intergenerational poetry slams, discussion groups, and ‘zine workshops. Teens are welcome and encouraged to participate, please contact any of the three libraries to learn more about how to get involved. All events at the Library are free and open to the public.